How to Use Character Offset in After Effects?

Character Offset in After Effects allows you to shift the characters used in a text layer to create dynamic and interesting animations. You can use it to cycle through different characters, symbols, or even create glitch effects. Here's how you use it:

1. Create a Text Layer: In After Effects, create a new composition and add a text layer using the Type tool.

2. Access the Text Animator: In the Timeline panel, twirl down the text layer properties to reveal the "Text" properties. Click the "Animate" dropdown menu and select "Character Offset."

3. Adjust the Character Offset Value: A new "Animator" group will be added. Within that group, you'll find the "Character Offset" property. This property determines how many characters you shift from the original character. For example, setting the offset to 1 will shift each character to the next character in the ASCII table.

4. Add an Expression for Animation (Optional): To automate the character offset and create an animation, add an expression. Alt-click (Option-click on Mac) the stopwatch icon next to the "Character Offset" property to open the expression editor. A simple expression like time*10 will continuously increase the character offset over time. You can adjust the multiplier (10 in this example) to control the speed of the animation.

5. Control the Animation with Range Selector: The "Range Selector" within the Animator allows you to affect only a portion of your text with the "Character Offset." You can keyframe the "Start" and "End" values of the Range Selector to animate which characters are affected by the offset. This provides a lot of control.

6. Choosing the Character Set: The "Character Set" dropdown menu determines the characters that you can cycle through. It usually defaults to "Full ASCII," but you can choose "Digits" or "Symbols," or create your own custom character set. This makes it easy to generate numeral sequences or special symbol effects, as mentioned in the reference with a character code example of 45.

Example Uses:

• Creating a scrambling effect: Animate the character offset rapidly with the "Randomize Order" property enabled to make the characters appear jumbled.
• Revealing text character by character: Use a Range Selector animated with the "Start" and "End" properties to unveil the text word by word.
• Number sequences: Use the "Digits" Character Set to create animated counters or sequences.
• Glitch effects: Combine rapid character offsets with other effects like distortion and flicker to make it look like a glitch.

Tips:

• Experiment with different expressions and character sets to achieve unique effects.
• Use the Range Selector to control which parts of your text are affected by the character offset.
• Combine character offset with other text animators (like Position, Scale, and Rotation) for even more interesting results.

By manipulating the "Character Offset" property, the Range Selector, and expressions, you can create a wide variety of dynamic and visually appealing text animations.