Creation is a series of choices, be them of form, color or feel, if you are making something new, you will find yourself always discriminating x in favor of y. A good creation is the result of the person who envisioned it making the right choices at the right time. That being said, often when faced with decisions about the use of text, people opt for the use of simpler, static, two-dimensional text, not wanting to invest in a 3D animation maker. Which in itself is not a problem, but it’s often not the best option. It is with this in mind that we present the best ways to use 3D animated text.
Customization
When it comes to 2D text you have very limited options for customizing your text beyond picking a font style, color and size, but when you add that extra dimension, suddenly there is a greater scope of choices at your disposal:
- Movement: Having your text move makes it more relevant to the viewers eyes, having it spin, fall or roll into the field of view multiplies this effect, not only can your text move, but you can have a virtual camera move around your text, showing it from different angles.
- Size: “3D” refers to the three dimensions of length width and height, all of which can defined by you in any 3D animation maker of your choice, personalizing your texts size within these dimensions helps with creating the identity and tone of your content.
- Effects:Setting your text on fire, having light beams shine through it, project images, or place objects on its surface, through effects you can have your 3D text behave as a palpable object on the real world.
- Texture: If effects can make your text behave like an object in the real world, textures can have that object be made of any material, do you want your text made of solid gold? Maybe scaly and dripping blood? All of that is possible with textures.
That is not to say that 2D should never be used, only that 3D is your best option if you want to get creative, using its tools allows you to make it so that text is no longer just a supplementary tool for the content, but part of the content in itself. Employing these tools the right way will speak volumes of you and your project and help paint you as a professional.
Professionalism
It is no secret that whenever people watch content, they are, subconsciously or not, judging both it and it’s creator on a series of categories. Maybe this seems harsh but you can lose your audience's interest in the very first few seconds of your video if you don’t make an impression from the very beginning. So what does this have to do with 3D text? When you put a well-made piece of animated text into your video, people will know that you invested time, effort and possibly money into making it, they will learn to expect a higher pattern of quality from you, it creates a relation of trust where you are no longer a stranger. YouTubers in particular benefit from this in the form of channel introductions, which are a great way to expose one's tone and style succinctly, while simultaneously engaging the audience. In the world of video-making, appearances are everything and few things look better than a well-made 3D intro, and for most content creators this is the go-to choice, for a good reason that you will see below.
Branding
The best definition for branding is the creation of a visual identity as a means of self promotion, it is very commonly used on TV, YouTube and twitch. When done properly, branding creates a mental pattern that the viewer immediately associates with the experience provided by that product\ person\ channel. The greater array of customization options for 3D texts allows you to establish a distinct visual identity that people will immediately associate with you and your product, you can even incorporate it into your style of editing making it stand out from the competition. The key to successful branding is consistency, so having your text always appear with a certain set of characteristics creates the message that it is your own unique content. A great example of 3D text animation as a tool of branding is Marvel Studios logo sequence. It begins showing a series of corridors where images of their heroes are projected on the walls, the camera moves to an aerial view, showing their logo and name. Brilliant. From the moment you lay eyes upon it, even though you have not seen the movie yet, it creates a feeling of familiarity and a connection to the audience.
Engagement
In “this article” we wrote about the importance of visually engaging your audience and how text is a powerful tool for achieving this goal, now is a good time to point out that 3D animated text maximizes this effect to a great degree. All the tools that were listed before, when used the right way, make for a visually stimulating experience, and ensure your audience has its eyes exactly where you want them to. Not only that, but the greater amount of detail 3D text Provides makes sure their attention is retained for longer amounts of time, as their brains will take longer to analyze depth texture, movement, etc. It can be used to highlight spoken dialogue, giving greater emphasis to what is being said, or even to promote yourself or a sponsor. After all, animation is movement, which human vision is based around, having your text move, exposing it from different angles with alluring colors and textures will hold the attention from the audience all on you. In other words, whenever you want the audience to pay particular attention to a piece of information, placing it on the screen in the form of 3D text is the best way to do it.
Conclusion
If creating content is a matter of choice, the last thing you should do is deprive yourself of options, as we have seen, 3D text is a gateway to making truly great things. The best names in YouTube and Hollywood deal in 3D text in one way of another because they are able to understand this concept. So whenever you are faced with the possibility of using text in your project, take a step back to consider your options, and maybe look for a 3D animation maker, if you do check out Graphic. Gallery’s.