How to make “handwriting” effect in Adobe After Effects

Creating a “write-on” effect or “handwriting” effect in After Effects is actually very simple, but it can be time-consuming depending on the text.

First, select your text in the timeline window, then click the “Pen Tool” in the toolbar.

How to make handwriting effect in After Effects

Now, create a path with the pen tool by clicking on the text in the “Composition” window, in the order you want to reveal the lines of the text.
(Try to follow the center of each character.)

After your path is created, go to the “Effects” window and search for “Stroke”. Then, double click on that effect (or drag and drop it onto your text layer).

Now, when you go to the “Effect Controls” window and change the “Brush size” of the stroke, it will slowly cover the text.
Increase it just enough to cover the text but not more.

🎞 Watch the tutorial (and all my other tutorials) here!

Now you move the playhead to where you want your “write-on effect” to end, and then click on the stopwatch next to “End” in the “Effect Controls” window to set the ending keyframe there. It should say 100%.

Now you move the playhead to where you want it to start and then change the value of “End” to 0. This will create a starting keyframe…