The color default can also be quickly changed by holding Option while clicking the highlight button. Here you can also change the default color of your highlight.

You can change these defaults under Settings > Markup > Highlight. And will be trimmed to the exact sides of the text. Since the highlight is a stroke, you can change the color, stroke width, or the path itself as you would any other path in After Effects.īy default a highlight will be 100% of the cap height of your text. This will add trim path keyframes which you can freely adjust. You can animate the highlight in by holding shift while clicking the highlight button. Type will automatically create a stroke behind your text layer, that perfectly highlights the text selected. To highlight text with Type, select the layer or the specific text range you want.

Type lets you automate the previous steps instantly with more precision. You can adjust the timing and easing of the keyframes however you like. Now the highlight will animate being drawn on. Next, twirl down the Trim Paths and add 2 keyframes to the End value, animating from 0 to 100. To animate the highlight, twirl down on the stroke layer and select Add > Trim Paths. You may need to reposition the stroke or shift the points of the path. Next adjust the stroke width so that it matches the size of your text. Now you can remove the fill and change the stroke color to whatever you want. In the timeline drag the stroke layer beneath the text layer, so that the text is fully visible. Then, holding shift to keep the line perfectly straight, add a second point to the end of your text. With your After Effects comp open, select the Pen Tool (G).Īdd a point to the beginning of your text. I’ll show you how to do this manually, as well as how to automate this with Type – a Script UI that unlocks a ton of missing text functions in After Effects, including highlight.

After effects pen tool stroke