Keyframe Text Color in After Effects

Hey there! This tutorial is on how to keyframe text color in Adobe After Effects. We’ll go through how to keyframe the layer and how to keyframe just a section of it.

Recapping How to Keyframe Text Color in After Effects Tutorial

In the Comp in the video I started with a solid as the background layer. To change the color of text you need, well, text. So to create text activate the Title Tool by hitting Command+T if you’re on a Mac or Control+T if you’re on a PC. Next click inside the Composition panel and type your text.

Find your text layer in the timeline and twirl it open by clicking the triangle. Next locate the word Animate in the layer and click the circle next to it. A new menu will appear. Under Fill Color select RGB. The color will automatically change to red. Don’t worry!

After you selected RGB some new parameters appeared. Inside of Animator 1 then inside of Range Selector 1 there’s a parameter called Fill Color. Click on the red box next to Fill Color to change the color of the text.

Parameters to Keyframe Text Color in After Effects

To set a keyframe for the text color click the stopwatch icon next to Fill Color. Now move the time position indicator down the timeline. Go back to the Fill Color rectangle and click it to open up the box to change the color of the text again. Now you can scrub through the timeline and see the color change over time.

Change the Color of Just a Portion of the Text

Bonus tip! Twirl down the Range Selector 1 parameter. Find the Start parameter. As you increase the number notice the red bar move across your text. You are segmenting off this effect to everything to the right of the red bar. The text color change you did will now only effect what’s to the right of the red bar.


Additional Suggested Viewing: Change Color of One Letter in After Effects

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– Josh

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