Typography

Here is a picture I did in Photoshop explaining a few simple text styles and essential typography elements. The difference between serif and sans-serif fonts is the feet on the ends of the letter stems. I have highlighted them in red at the top of the picture. Serif fonts are easier for the human eye to read and allow flow. They are typically used in books, magazines, newspapers etc. Sans-serif fonts are mainly used on websites, due to their legibility they are most suited to be read on screen.

Kerning is the spacing between the words

Tracking is the space between the characters

Vertical scale is the height of the text

Horizontal scale is the width of the text

Here is a video I made demonstrating simple moving

text intros created in After Effects

There are many ways text can come into a moving image sequence, here are a few I quickly chose as basic intros. The scaling text has a big impact as it starts at a large scale. I have used 'easy ease' key frames to allow the text to move at a gradual pace. This almost creates anticipation for the reveal as the text is obscured by its scale.

Sliding text with the use of motion blur gives an active feel. Due to its scale it comes across as inferior and almost sneaks into the frame.

The tracking text is probably my favourite here as it becomes more than just a word when tracking is applied we can't see what it will be until the reveal. The letters collapse out from the starting character evenly. It can convey a creepy effect if drawn out.

The fade in effect portrays a spooky, mystical feel. This effect works with the background more than all of rest. If used in a more complex composition the viewer is forced to see it as part of the image instead of a separate canvas overlaid.