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How do I animate text around a circle in After Effects?

Published in After Effects Animation 3 mins read

To animate text around a circle in After Effects, you'll use the path text option to attach your text layer to a circular shape layer. Here's how:

  1. Create a New Composition: Start by creating a new composition in After Effects.

  2. Create a Text Layer: Add your text layer. Type the text you want to animate.

  3. Create a Circle Shape Layer: Use the Ellipse Tool to draw a circle in your composition. Hold Shift while dragging to create a perfect circle. This circle will be the path your text follows. If the circle has a fill, disable it (set the fill to "None") so it won't be visible.

  4. Attach Text to the Path:

    • Select your text layer.
    • Expand the Text layer properties in the Timeline panel.
    • Open the "Path Options" settings.
    • In the "Path" dropdown menu, select the name of your circle shape layer (e.g., "Shape Layer 1"). Your text will now wrap around the circle.

  5. Adjust Text Position: Use the "First Margin," "Last Margin," and "Force Alignment" options within the "Path Options" of your text layer to fine-tune the text's starting point, spacing, and alignment along the circle. You can also adjust the circle's size and position.

  6. Animate the Text: To animate the text rotating around the circle, use the "First Margin" property.

    • Set a keyframe for "First Margin" at the beginning of your timeline.
    • Move the playhead to the end of your desired animation duration.
    • Adjust the "First Margin" value to move the text around the circle. Experiment with increasing or decreasing the value. If you want the animation to loop continuously, make the "First Margin" value change by a multiple of the text's total length along the circle.
    • After Effects will automatically create a smooth animation between the two keyframes, making the text appear to rotate around the circle. You can then use looping expressions (e.g., loopOut("cycle")) on the "First Margin" property to create a seamless and repeating animation.

  7. (Optional) Adjust Circle Visibility: If you don't want the circle to be visible, you can hide the circle's layer in the composition panel or toggle its visibility in the timeline. The text will still follow the path, even if the path itself is hidden.

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