Basic Text

Use this effect to create text and text animation. Specify font, style, and alignment of text; select horizontal or vertical text orientation. Animation is created by changing the Position point over time. Basic Text also gives you the choice of either compositing the text over the layer image or using the text by itself. Best quality creates anti-aliased text that animates smoothly.

The Basic Text effect places text on an existing layer (unlike imported text created in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, which becomes its own layer). Use it for basic title text; for more flexibility in working with text, import text created in an illustration or imaging program, or use the Path Text effect. The font you select when creating text must be available on the system you use to render the composition. If the font is not available, an available font is substituted. After Effects creates an alpha channel for text it creates. You can use a text effect's alpha channel with features such as track matte.

Note: The width and height of text are not constrained by the dimensions of the layer; the layer dimensions merely define the visible region of the text. This feature makes it simple to scroll text over a layer.

For more information, see the After Effects product section on Adobe's Web site.