… for Apple Motion

Tip #990: Add Reflective Paint to 3D Text

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

3D text provides almost unlimited design options for customizing text to fit our story.

As I was playing with distressing 3D text (Tip #989) I discovered another setting: Reflective Paint. Even if you never create your own lights – and especially if you do – adding sheen to the surface of 3D text can make it “pop” more effectively.

To apply different paint surfaces to your text:

• Create a 3D text clip.
• Select Inspector > Text and scroll down until you see the Material section.
• Below the Material section, select Options:Basic > Add Layer > Paint.
• From the Paint menu, choose a surface that appeals to you.
• In the settings for that surface option, select different looks from the Type menu. Drag sliders and watch what happens.

EXTRA CREDIT

In the screen shot, I applied a pink reflective paint, then added a deep blue spotlight from the side to highlight the texture of the text.