“Text animation” is a broad term in computer graphics that refers to the creation of moving letters, words, or paragraphs. In animation, it is related to the creation of text that moves in some way on the screen, within an area or following a pattern of movement. A less commonly used meaning is in the context of an animation that is created using only text characters, so that each of the animation’s elements is made up of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, or other symbols. There is a wide range of special effects that can be used with text animation, many of which are identical to traditional three-dimensional (3D) animation effects and two-dimensional (2D) image filters. In professional movies and videos, television shows, and presentations, text is often animated to create interesting transitions from one topic to another or to accentuate important information.
woman with her hand on her waist
Two similar but essentially different methods can be used to create text animations with computer graphics applications. The first uses a 3D modeling program that contains a 3D model of each of the letters, which are then placed in virtual space with the correct kerning and spacing. These letters can be animated in the same way that any 3D object is animated, including visual effects such as texture mapping, rotations, morphing, and reverse kinetics, to make individual parts of a letter or word appear to move organically.
Another method used to create text animations is through a vector-based graphics program. These programs store the information needed to draw a letter or font at any resolution and in any style, such as bold or italic. Animation is primarily achieved through the use of Bézier paths or curves along which the text moves at a set frame rate. Much of the math behind vector graphics is identical to the algorithms used for 3D animation, so there is sometimes a blurring of the lines between vector-based and 3D text animation.
Some office suites include basic text animation features that can be used to create motion in a slideshow or other type of presentation. These effects are usually pre-programmed and very basic, like text entering one side of the screen and then stopping in the middle. One of the benefits of using text animation from an office suite is ease of use and portability, as there is no need to save an actual animation sequence, render it frame by frame, and then play it back.
In Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), text can be animated using JavaScript® and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). This can be done by modifying the properties of a text block, changing its position over time so that it appears to move or scroll. In HTML itself, the check mark can be used to create a scrolling line of text on a web page. Finally, separate programs or embedded streaming media can also be used to display moving text.
