I'm trying to make a simple line of text "blow away" into a dust stream.
Is there a way to get this done in AS or should I be looking toward something like AE or Cool3D?
Particle effects??
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
How about trying to copy the text layer and have the copy be your dust level. To make your text fade you need to enter an opacity for the text layer of less than 100 and go back a frame and enter the opacity at 100. This will keep your opacity of the text at 100% up until the frame it starts to fade. (If you just decide 'I want the text to start fading here and enter something less than 100% it will fade your text from the beginning up to that point unless you enter that 100% at one fram back.) Go ahead a few frames and enter the text layer opacity to 0% and now your text is fading out over a few frame period. You would set up your copied layer to fade in over the same period of time. On the same frame as you start to fade the text enter a low opacity number. go back a frame (the same one you entered 100% for the text and enter 0. On the same frame you have the text at 0%, enter your opacity for the copied layer at 100% Last step is to go back to the first frame of the animation and enter 0% opacity for the copied layer. You've just done a quick cross fade from text to copy.
Now go to frame 0 to edit your copy layer. Place it directly over your text layer so they line up and delete your copied text object (not the whole layer!). Use your text on the layer below as a guide for placing your "dust" and make some very small soft edged circles. Use those to place along the outline of the text so they simulate the letters with a broken outline of their own. Now your fade will fade out the text and fade in your fuzzy dust. As this cross fade happens you can start to animate your dust particles (circles) you blow out of the shot. (personally I would have the circles fall to the "ground" first like the letters are disintigrating and then "blow" the circles off screen like dust) This may be enough of an effect to give the impression of letters turning to dust. I am not sure if you can bring those circles into a particle layer and animate them as particles because you need to start the particle animation somewhere other than the beginning of your animation. But if there is a way to start your particle animation as the copy layer fades in then you could get a wind whipped particle effect to blow the "dust" off screen as it creates more dust in the process
Now go to frame 0 to edit your copy layer. Place it directly over your text layer so they line up and delete your copied text object (not the whole layer!). Use your text on the layer below as a guide for placing your "dust" and make some very small soft edged circles. Use those to place along the outline of the text so they simulate the letters with a broken outline of their own. Now your fade will fade out the text and fade in your fuzzy dust. As this cross fade happens you can start to animate your dust particles (circles) you blow out of the shot. (personally I would have the circles fall to the "ground" first like the letters are disintigrating and then "blow" the circles off screen like dust) This may be enough of an effect to give the impression of letters turning to dust. I am not sure if you can bring those circles into a particle layer and animate them as particles because you need to start the particle animation somewhere other than the beginning of your animation. But if there is a way to start your particle animation as the copy layer fades in then you could get a wind whipped particle effect to blow the "dust" off screen as it creates more dust in the process
You can start your particles at any frame. Just check off "On at start" and switch particles ON when needed.But if there is a way to start your particle animation as the copy layer fades in then you could get a wind whipped particle effect to blow the "dust" off screen as it creates more dust in the process
-G