Easy Cartoon Typography Animation

In this guide, we’ll learn how to create a simple cartoon typography animation in After Effects. You can download the project files by clicking the button above or simply start fresh.

Add the text 

To start creating your typography animation, you have to write something. Make sure the text is centered and select the font you like. For this tutorial, we’re using Baloo Bhai but you can use any font you like and style it as you prefer.

Make a Mask

Set the arc of your text animation. Then, open up the text layer pad options and click mask 1. You can make adjustments by dragging the first and last margin. You can also adjust the tracking (the space between the different characters) if needed.

Design Your Text 

Right-click on your layer and select Layer Styles, and then Stroke to change the color and size of your stroke. Then, select the Fill if you want to change the fill color of your letters. From the Layer Styles option, you can also add different styles, such as shadows, glows, and others. Another fun layer style to use is Satin. You can play with the settings until you’re happy with the result.

Add Multiple Layer Styles

If you wish to add more than one Drop Shadow style, for example, After Effects wouldn’t allow you to do that on the same layer. Simply click on your layer and then Ctrl + D to duplicate it. Then move it under the first layer and delete everything but the Drop Shadow style. You can then modify the second Drop Shadow settings as you wish.

Animate the Text

Once you are ready with the design of the text, you’re ready to animate it. For this tutorial, we’ll be using the free Animation Composer 3 plugin. You can browse the effects and see the preview. Once you like an effect, you can make adjustments to it. Don’t forget to copy the animation effect to the other layer you’ve created. 

Set the Background

Once you’re done with the animation, create a background that you like on a new layer and position it below the animation layers.

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