If you want to add some 3D wow factor to your video projects, you can’t go wrong with stylish 3D text animation. Many apps and platforms, such as TikTok, offer a 3D animated text function you can easily add to your videos. However, if you want to edit these elements from scratch, it can become complicated and costly. Instead, watch our YouTube tutorial or check out this blog for a full tutorial on how to use Motion Array’s new collection of 3D Animated Title templates. They’re super easy to use and ready to download today.
Why use templates for your video projects?
When creating animated titles, most editors will opt for Adobe After Effects. The software is incredibly powerful, and you can animate everything from simple motion graphics to character-based cartoons. However, while After Effects offers some 3D tools, it’s not built to create realistic 3D animations.
Maxon’s Cinema 4D is the go-to 3D modeling and animation suite, but many editors find that it is outside their skillset and budget. Learning Cinema 4D is well worth the effort, but if you’re looking for simple solutions for an animated 3D text effect, then templates are a quicker and more cost-effective option.
We’ve made it super easy for you
Motion Array’s new 3D templates are created for After Effects, but the 3D titles have been made in Cinema 4D. Meaning we’ve done the hard work for you. You get access to all of the stunning 3D visuals from Cinema 4D with the ease of use and convenience of After Effects.
In Cinema 4D, you can use 3D titles for letters, numbers, and significant symbols. We exported each element as a video file, with many expressions, coding, and editing magic, and we used those to construct the After Effects Project so you can easily customize the 3D animated text with just a few clicks.
How to use the new 3D typography templates
Using the new 3D text animation templates is super easy, even if you’ve never used After Effects. With templates, you can add 3D title effects to your projects in just a few minutes and also use these effects in Premiere Pro by Dynamic Linking your projects.
Once you’ve chosen your 3D title animation template, hit the download button; all our 3D animated titles are available under one easy subscription. Once downloaded, you can open the Zip folder to access the After Effects Project.
How to customize your templates
It’s super easy to customize your 3D animated text templates. Each template has slightly different customization options, but they will all work similarly.
Understanding the Interface
If you’ve never used After Effects, the interface can initially seem intimidating — don’t worry, you’ll only need to use a few tools.
- When you open your template project, two sequences should be in your Timeline window; Color and Text Goes Here.
- In the Project panel, you’ll find the template folders; click the arrow to see all the enclosed folders.
- You’ll find all the editable compositions in the template in the Edit Folder.
- In the Final folder, you’ll find the main comps from which you will export your effect. We’ve provided two final renders for you to choose from; 4K and HD.
- Double-click your chosen Final Render to open it in the Timeline.
- The Other folder contains Comps and Solids used to create the template project – you can ignore this folder altogether.
Customizing the colors
Next, you need to customize the colors of your 3D animated text. There’s a color controller in the template so you can change all the colors from one easy menu.
- Click on the Color sequence in the Timeline, or go to the Project panel and open it from the Edit folder.
- Select the Controls layer in the Timeline and go to the Effects Control panel.
- Under Color Options, choose from the various options – you can use up to 5 colors for one title.
- Click the color boxes to change the colors used in the animated title. You can also use the color picker or type in a HEX code.
Note – If you can’t find your Effects Control Panel, go to Window > Effects Controls: Controls.
Adding your Footage
We’ve also made adding footage behind your titles incredibly easy, with a few options depending on how you want to use your finished animated title.
- Select the Color sequence in the Timeline, go to the Effects Controls, and look for the Background menu.
- Click the menu and choose from the three options.
- Use a Transparent background to export your video without a background or link it to a Premiere Pro project.
- Choose Your Footage if you’d like to add video clips behind the 3D titles in After Effects – when you do this, a placeholder image will appear.
- Go to the Edit folder in the Project panel and double-click the Footage Goes Here composition.
- Drag your video clips to the Timeline and edit as required.
- Open one of the Final Render compositions, and your footage will appear behind the title.
Customizing the Style
Once you have customized the text and colors of your 3D titles, there are several other options you can play around with to adjust the title’s overall style, including tracking, position, scale, and shadow effects – these settings will be different for each template and will appear below the color options in the Effects Controls panel.
- Go to the Effects Controls panel and look through the list of options.
- Under Scale and Track, try adjusting the various settings to change your titles’ size, position, and layout.
- Click the Expert Tracking GUI box to move the characters around the viewer manually.
- Under the Drop Shadow setting, you can turn the shadows on/off and adjust your shadow’s opacity, distance, softness, and color.
- Click on the Animation Delay dropdown and check the Delay On box to use these settings.
- Change the Delay Order settings to adjust the order in which your character’s animation – if you select Random, you can adjust the Random Seed setting to find a style you like.
- Adjust the Delay Amount to create a longer pause between the title animations.
- Blow It Up has a Balloon Style setting, allowing you to choose between smooth, soft balloons and a firmer foil style.
Check out our favorite 3D Title templates.
Blow It Up
The Blow It Up 3D text animation template is the stunning balloon-style effect you’ve seen throughout the tutorial. The texture and shine of the balloon characters give the impression of a cool, smooth surface, making you want to reach out and squeeze it.
The bulging foil-style balloon effects are ideal for celebration videos, announcements, and slideshows. The scale controls allow you to use these effects for full-screen 3D titles, lower thirds, and call-to-action messages.
3D Hype Up Title & Intro
The 3D Hype Up title animation is a fun, bold statement text featuring a soft clay-like structure with smooth, dynamic motion. The titles twist and spin into position with fun glitter star flourishes.
The 3D Hype Up project includes a title animation and an intro slideshow, making creating credit sequences, openers, and social media updates easy.
Big Move 3D Titles
The Big Move animated titles include a scale-up effect with a subtle motion drift. The texture and look of the titles give a smooth and soft plastic feel, like giant foam shapes you’d find at a kids’ soft play center.
The Big Move project is a fantastic option for adding fun 3D title effects to any video project, including your business videos, slideshows, and presentations.
Adding 3D text animations to your video projects has never been easier with our fantastic 3D templates. At Motion Array, we love saving our creators time and money, so you can download a full range of assets to create your videos, including footage, music, sound effects, and motion graphics templates. We hope you enjoy using these 3D animated title templates, and remember to share your creations with us @Motionarray.
