<p>Adobe After Effects is probably the most common application for creating motion graphics.  There are plenty of books and tutorials out there to get your started.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T19:28:25.817Z
2014-05-01T19:28:25.817Z
turaho
<p>I would personally use After Effects, but that's because it's what I have/know. If you don't want to take the purple pill (it's a questionable life decision, let's face it) there's heaps of other software you could use, but three free ones are:</p>

<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://blender.org" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>Blender</strong></a> a FOSS 3D animation package that also does 2D and even traditional hand drawn animation, as well as editing video and bringing you cups of tea.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://natrongithub.github.io/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>Natron</strong></a> another FOSS alternative, still in its early days as a stable package, probably the closest FOSS software to After Effects, although being node based, it's really more like…</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>Fusion</strong></a> a professional level node based compositor, similar to After Effects, but completely different. There is a free version of this which is well worth having, as well as a commercial one.</p></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-04T01:06:57.663Z
2019-09-04T01:06:57.663Z
stib
<p>Powerpoint is often used for this sort of simple animation in corporate environments.</p>

<p>MovieMaker can do this sort of thing on home movies.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-25T13:28:00.617Z
Thanks, I was hoping for more pro tools, although I have used powerpoint and keynote and sometimes flash (old days when it was Macromedia Flash!).
Ali
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-25T09:39:44.310Z
2012-01-25T09:39:44.310Z
Dr Mayhem
<p>Your example looks like it was made in Aftereffects. <br>
Apple Motion could do it as well, much more cheaply, and it may be relatively easy to learn if  Final Cut X is any indication.<br>
Photoshop also has rudimentary animation controls, but the lack of easing makes it nearly unusable for this type of project. <br>
Flash has many of the features that you need, and would certainly be better than Powerpoint, but the learning curve can be steep. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T19:33:56.927Z
2014-05-01T21:46:43.430Z
2014-05-01T21:46:43.430Z
Justin Brunson
<p>My two cents on this oldie question.</p>

<p>Watching the animation (not necessarily for text only) we can notice that it is playing with the 3 basic elements for motion graphics, translation, scale, and rotation.</p>

<p>Although some parts could be achieved by scaling and translations, a camera movement outside the plane would make life easier.</p>

<p>I would categorize the programs that can achieve these effects in:</p>

<p><strong>Animation software</strong></p>

<p>Already mentioned, a great option and free is Blender. It is a 3D program for animations, but a 2D animation can be easily done just preparing flat elements with the correct material.</p>

<p>You could also use more expensive ones like C4D, or the ones from Autodesk.</p>

<p>There are several programs that are used for dedicated 2D character animations, and any of them can be used for this.</p>

<p>There are programs made for web animations, but normally for small clips.</p>

<p><strong>Compositing</strong></p>

<p>Normally the effects shown in the video are done on either an animation program or a composting one.</p>

<p>Another free program but quite interesting is HitFilm Express, that has both, a video editing and a composting module.</p>

<p><strong>Video Editing</strong></p>

<p>Video software is evolving, and some have some built-in options to translate, scale and rotate elements. Lately, I am playing a bit with these options on Davinci Resolve. 
But I would leave this to the previous ones. A nice point tho is that Fusion, already mentioned too, is integrated inside Davinci Resolve.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-04T09:00:32.347Z
2019-09-04T09:00:32.347Z
Rafael
<p>Apple Motion that comes with FinalCutPro is very versatile and if you like Apples approach to video editing you'd like it.<br>
I am learning it at the moment, I'll update as I make progress.  </p>

<p>EDIT:
I ended up liking After Effects more because of its versatility, and community support, availability of educational resources, and all the paid or free tools around it. And usually you will end up having it for no additional cost if you use any other Adobe products.    </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-02-04T16:42:25.220Z
2017-09-19T11:39:33.097Z
2017-09-19T11:39:33.097Z
Ali
<p>All of the pro video editors have a means of animating titles to some degree, some are better than others. I am only experienced with Sony Vegas Pro 10, but I have seen my colleagues use Adobe Premiere with Adobe After Effects to create some mind blowing 'dancing' titles. Vegas has plugins available to boost their basic package but the basic package can do most if not all the effects you have in your example while Adobe's Premiere and After Effects might be able to take this to another level as in more 3d attributes.</p>

<p>I recommend a pro video editor over power point as you have tons of flexibility (avi, mov, mp4, m2t, etc) vs. only a ppt file. However, there are many products available to convert ppt files into video such as this free version I just found:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.effectmatrix.com/PowerPoint-Video-Converter/Free-PowerPoint-Video-Converter.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.effectmatrix.com/PowerPoint-Video-Converter/Free-PowerPoint-Video-Converter.htm</a></p>

<p>Caution: I have never tried this product so I am uncertain on quality.</p>

<p>I should mention that animating titles is not the only thing going on in your example, there is some degree of track motion control and pan/crop as well not to mention compositing.</p>

<p>If you are seriously looking for a pro product, I would seek advice from professionals that already use these products in conjunction with trying out the trail versions if available. I do know that Sony Vegas Pro 11 is available for free download for a 30 day trail. Most of these products will cost between $500 and $2500 and the learning curve can be heavy.</p>

<p>Sony Vegas trial version:
<a href="http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/vegaspro?keycode=64506" rel="nofollow">http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/vegaspro?keycode=64506</a></p>

<p>This is a serious product that costs you both time and money.</p>

<p>I would recommend posting on the appropriate forum on creative cow to seek more inside advice.</p>

<p><a href="http://creativecow.com/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecow.com/</a></p>

<p>Hope this helps</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-25T23:22:12.667Z
Thanks, what about Final Cut Pro X? It has some title animation features. But making complext things in it takes a lot of time and is kinda hacky (if you want to do complicated animations). Basically it is not a pro "text animation" tool, are all video editors like that? Is Sont Vegas like that?
Ali
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-26T01:14:22.160Z
I don't have any experience with FCPX or on any FCP version so far but I can tell you that in Vegas Pro it would take me hours to reproduce what is in your example. Pro video editors are precise tools that require time to learn and master, the more practice the faster you can get what you want. I can easily spend 40 hours to edit a 2 minute piece depending how much I am pushing the learning curve.
filzilla
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-19T17:16:35.063Z
I arrived at this question because I was hoping to learn how to mimic this Tony Robbins video where text slides in with cool effects and the frame centering is frequently changing/sliding too: http://cf.c.ooyala.com/B2bHAweTrCYvvw4T3SRS6_9XzuuSa9ql/DOcJ-FxaFrRg4gtDEwOjIwbTowODE7WK?_=036ibolb7usngy4on7b9 (http://www.businessinsider.com/tony-robbins-explains-how-train-emotions-2015-12) I assume from the answers of this question that After Effects would be the recommended software to make a video like Tony's? Any ideas for terms that I could search on Google to learn how to do this? Thanks!
Ryan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-25T21:39:39.640Z
2012-02-01T22:21:38.380Z
2012-02-01T22:21:38.380Z
filzilla
<p>In addition to Adobe Flash, what other tools people usually use to make text animations.<br>
By text animation I mean, like animations that has a narration and word or letters from the narration dance on the screen, change in size and color, bump to each other, fall down or fly away.<br>
I am looking for something that professionals would use, some like what is used to produce this video: <div class="youtube-embed"><div>
                <iframe width="640px" height="395px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yfRVCaA5o18?start=0"></iframe>
            </div></div> </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-18T02:38:59.913Z
I suggest asking the actual creator of the video on what app he used.
mang isda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-19T17:17:24.203Z
I love this question, and I love that video about the placebo/nocebo effects. I added a comment below to ask a similar question: http://video.stackexchange.com/questions/3121/professional-text-animation-software#comment27793_3136
Ryan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-29T12:23:49.947Z
After Effects, standard.
datageist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T18:53:45.557Z
I'm a coder AND video maker (20 years of each), but I still don't know what software to use. Your PowerPoint idea sounds good! There are of course animation programs you can buy. I used Anime Studio (Mac) for a few weeks but got frustrated - probably because my first project was too complicated for a newbie. Hopefully someone else will have a helpful answer for you.
BrettFromLA
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T19:03:30.157Z
So what do you use generally to make videos?
user5881
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T19:36:14.797Z
I had the same problem at first- biting off more than I could chew. Keep your first few projects short-- like 5-10 seconds.
Justin Brunson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-01T21:57:26.643Z
@user5881 I shoot with a Sony Handycam HD, edit with iMovie, and compose music with Garage Band. I have a film degree so I know the ART of editing, so a simple tool like iMovie is good enough. (I sometimes have to think of creative ways to get iMovie to do what I want, when it comes to special effects, but I always achieve my vision.) My YouTube channel is listed in my stack exchange account if you want to check it out.
BrettFromLA
<software><software-recommendation>
Professional text animation software
Ali
# Professional text animation software

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-01-24)

In addition to Adobe Flash, what other tools people usually use to make text animations.  
By text animation I mean, like animations that has a narration and word or letters from the narration dance on the screen, change in size and color, bump to each other, fall down or fly away.  
I am looking for something that professionals would use, some like what is used to produce this video:

**Tags:** software, software-recommendation

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: After Effects, standard.  
> **username_4**: I'm a coder AND video maker (20 years of each), but I still don't know what software to use. Your PowerPoint idea sounds good! There are of course animation programs you can buy. I used Anime Studio (Mac) for a few weeks but got frustrated - probably because my first project was too complicated for a newbie. Hopefully someone else will have a helpful answer for you.  
> **username_5**: So what do you use generally to make videos?  
> **username_6**: I had the same problem at first- biting off more than I could chew. Keep your first few projects short-- like 5-10 seconds.  
> **username_4**: @username_5 I shoot with a Sony Handycam HD, edit with iMovie, and compose music with Garage Band. I have a film degree so I know the ART of editing, so a simple tool like iMovie is good enough. (I sometimes have to think of creative ways to get iMovie to do what I want, when it comes to special effects, but I always achieve my vision.) My YouTube channel is listed in my stack exchange account if you want to check it out.  
> **username_2**: I love this question, and I love that video about the placebo/nocebo effects. I added a comment below to ask a similar question: http://video.stackexchange.com/questions/3121/professional-text-animation-software#comment27793_3136  
> **username_1**: I suggest asking the actual creator of the video on what app he used.  

---

## 7 answers

### Answer by username_11 on 2012-01-25. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

All of the pro video editors have a means of animating titles to some degree, some are better than others. I am only experienced with Sony Vegas Pro 10, but I have seen my colleagues use Adobe Premiere with Adobe After Effects to create some mind blowing 'dancing' titles. Vegas has plugins available to boost their basic package but the basic package can do most if not all the effects you have in your example while Adobe's Premiere and After Effects might be able to take this to another level as in more 3d attributes.

I recommend a pro video editor over power point as you have tons of flexibility (avi, mov, mp4, m2t, etc) vs. only a ppt file. However, there are many products available to convert ppt files into video such as this free version I just found:

<http://www.effectmatrix.com/PowerPoint-Video-Converter/Free-PowerPoint-Video-Converter.htm>

Caution: I have never tried this product so I am uncertain on quality.

I should mention that animating titles is not the only thing going on in your example, there is some degree of track motion control and pan/crop as well not to mention compositing.

If you are seriously looking for a pro product, I would seek advice from professionals that already use these products in conjunction with trying out the trail versions if available. I do know that Sony Vegas Pro 11 is available for free download for a 30 day trail. Most of these products will cost between $500 and $2500 and the learning curve can be heavy.

Sony Vegas trial version:
<http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials/vegaspro?keycode=64506>

This is a serious product that costs you both time and money.

I would recommend posting on the appropriate forum on creative cow to seek more inside advice.

<http://creativecow.com/>

Hope this helps

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, what about Final Cut Pro X? It has some title animation features. But making complext things in it takes a lot of time and is kinda hacky (if you want to do complicated animations). Basically it is not a pro "text animation" tool, are all video editors like that? Is Sont Vegas like that?  
> **username_11**: I don't have any experience with FCPX or on any FCP version so far but I can tell you that in Vegas Pro it would take me hours to reproduce what is in your example. Pro video editors are precise tools that require time to learn and master, the more practice the faster you can get what you want. I can easily spend 40 hours to edit a 2 minute piece depending how much I am pushing the learning curve.  
> **username_2**: I arrived at this question because I was hoping to learn how to mimic this Tony Robbins video where text slides in with cool effects and the frame centering is frequently changing/sliding too: http://cf.c.ooyala.com/B2bHAweTrCYvvw4T3SRS6_9XzuuSa9ql/DOcJ-FxaFrRg4gtDEwOjIwbTowODE7WK?_=036ibolb7usngy4on7b9 (http://www.businessinsider.com/tony-robbins-explains-how-train-emotions-2015-12) I assume from the answers of this question that After Effects would be the recommended software to make a video like Tony's? Any ideas for terms that I could search on Google to learn how to do this? Thanks!  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2014-05-01. Score: 3

Adobe After Effects is probably the most common application for creating motion graphics. There are plenty of books and tutorials out there to get your started.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2019-09-04. Score: 2

I would personally use After Effects, but that's because it's what I have/know. If you don't want to take the purple pill (it's a questionable life decision, let's face it) there's heaps of other software you could use, but three free ones are:

* [**Blender**](https://blender.org) a FOSS 3D animation package that also does 2D and even traditional hand drawn animation, as well as editing video and bringing you cups of tea.
* [**Natron**](https://natrongithub.github.io/) another FOSS alternative, still in its early days as a stable package, probably the closest FOSS software to After Effects, although being node based, it's really more like…
* [**Fusion**](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion/) a professional level node based compositor, similar to After Effects, but completely different. There is a free version of this which is well worth having, as well as a commercial one.


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2012-01-25. Score: 1

Powerpoint is often used for this sort of simple animation in corporate environments.

MovieMaker can do this sort of thing on home movies.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, I was hoping for more pro tools, although I have used powerpoint and keynote and sometimes flash (old days when it was Macromedia Flash!).  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-05-01. Score: 1

Your example looks like it was made in Aftereffects.   
Apple Motion could do it as well, much more cheaply, and it may be relatively easy to learn if Final Cut X is any indication.  
Photoshop also has rudimentary animation controls, but the lack of easing makes it nearly unusable for this type of project.   
Flash has many of the features that you need, and would certainly be better than Powerpoint, but the learning curve can be steep.


---

### Answer by username_10 on 2019-09-04. Score: 1

My two cents on this oldie question.

Watching the animation (not necessarily for text only) we can notice that it is playing with the 3 basic elements for motion graphics, translation, scale, and rotation.

Although some parts could be achieved by scaling and translations, a camera movement outside the plane would make life easier.

I would categorize the programs that can achieve these effects in:

**Animation software**

Already mentioned, a great option and free is Blender. It is a 3D program for animations, but a 2D animation can be easily done just preparing flat elements with the correct material.

You could also use more expensive ones like C4D, or the ones from Autodesk.

There are several programs that are used for dedicated 2D character animations, and any of them can be used for this.

There are programs made for web animations, but normally for small clips.

**Compositing**

Normally the effects shown in the video are done on either an animation program or a composting one.

Another free program but quite interesting is HitFilm Express, that has both, a video editing and a composting module.

**Video Editing**

Video software is evolving, and some have some built-in options to translate, scale and rotate elements. Lately, I am playing a bit with these options on Davinci Resolve.
But I would leave this to the previous ones. A nice point tho is that Fusion, already mentioned too, is integrated inside Davinci Resolve.


---

### Answer by username_0 on 2012-02-04. Score: 0

Apple Motion that comes with FinalCutPro is very versatile and if you like Apples approach to video editing you'd like it.  
I am learning it at the moment, I'll update as I make progress.

EDIT:
I ended up liking After Effects more because of its versatility, and community support, availability of educational resources, and all the paid or free tools around it. And usually you will end up having it for no additional cost if you use any other Adobe products.


---

