Text animation refers to creating moving letters, words, or paragraphs using computer graphics. It can be achieved through 3D modeling or vector-based graphics programs, and can be used to create interesting transitions or accentuate important information in professional films, videos, and presentations. Basic text animation features are also available in some office suites, and text can be animated in HTML using JavaScript and CSS.
“Text animation” is a broad term in computer graphics that refers to the creation of moving letters, words, or paragraphs. In animation, it refers to creating text that moves across the screen in some way, either within an area, or in a pattern of movement. A less frequently used meaning is in the context of an animation that is created using only text characters so that each of the elements within the animation consists of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, or other symbols. There are a variety 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 films and videos, broadcast television, and presentations, text is often animated to create interesting transitions from one topic to another or to accentuate important information.
Two similar, but ultimately different, methods can be employed to create text animation with computer graphics applications. The former employs a 3D modeling program that contains a 3D model of each of the letters, which are then placed in the virtual space with the correct kerning and spacing. These letters can then be animated in the same way any 3D object is animated, including visual effects such as texture mapping, rotations, morphing, and inverse kinetics, to make individual parts of a letter or word appear to move in a organic.
Another method used to create a text animation 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 paths or Bezier curves along which the text then moves at a defined 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 animation and 3D text animation.
Some office suites include basic text animation features that can be used to create movement within a presentation or other type of presentation. These effects are usually pre-programmed and very basic, such as text entering from one side of the screen and then stopping in the center. An advantage to using text animation from an office suite is ease of use and portability, because an actual animation sequence doesn’t have to be saved, rendered frame by frame, and then played back.
In HyperText Markup Language (HTML), text can be animated through the use of JavaScript® and cascading style sheets (CSS). This can be achieved by changing the properties of a block of text, changing its position over time so that it appears to move or scroll. Within HTML itself, the select tag can be used to create a line of scrolling text within a web page. Finally, separate programs or built-in streaming media can also be used to show moving text.
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