Stroke Animations in After Effects
Master Professional Text Animations with After Effects
This tutorial assumes basic familiarity with After Effects interface and timeline navigation. Make sure you have After Effects installed before starting.
File Setup Checklist
Ensure complete download before proceeding
May happen automatically on some systems
Verify all files are present
After Effects will need to reference assets
Key Techniques You'll Learn
Trim Paths Animation
Create appearing stroke effects using the Trim Paths tool to control stroke visibility over time.
Gaussian Blur Effects
Apply dynamic background blur to enhance text readability and create professional depth.
Text Layer Management
Convert text to shapes and animate opacity for sophisticated layered animations.
Setting up the File
1. Launch After Effects and ensure you're working with the latest version for optimal performance.
2. Navigate to your downloaded After Effects Animating Strokes Files folder and open Stroke Animation.aep
3. In the layers panel, you'll notice a foundational structure: a base photo layer with two text layers positioned above it. The text layers may appear faint initially since they're set to Overlay blend mode, but we'll enhance their visibility shortly through strategic effects application.
4. Select the photo layer by clicking on it in the timeline.
5. Navigate to the Effect menu in the top menu bar.
6. 
7. Click to open the effects library.
8. Navigate to Blur and Sharpen > Gaussian Blur. The effect applies instantly to your selected photo layer, and you'll see the effect controls populate in the left panel. This blur will create the perfect backdrop contrast for our text animation.
Now we'll animate this blur to create a dynamic focus shift that draws attention to our text elements.
9. Position the playhead at 00;00;01;15.
10. In the Gaussian Blur effect controls, set the Blurriness value to 230. This heavy blur will serve as our animation's endpoint.
11. Click the stopwatch icon 
next to Blurriness to create your first keyframe.
12. Enable Repeat Edge Pixels to ensure consistent blur quality across the entire image, preventing any harsh edges that might distract from your text.
13. Move the playhead back to the beginning: 00;00;00;00.
14. Change the Blurriness value to 0. After Effects automatically creates a second keyframe since you've activated the stopwatch.
15. To view your keyframes on the timeline, ensure your image layer is selected and press U. This reveals all animated properties.
16. Select both keyframes by dragging across them.
17. Press F9 to apply Easy Ease, creating smooth, natural acceleration curves.
18. Press the spacebar to preview your animation. You should see the background transition smoothly from sharp to blurred, creating an elegant focus shift that will make your text pop off the screen!
Gaussian Blur Setup Process
Apply Effect
Navigate to Effect > Blur and Sharpen > Gaussian Blur to add the effect to your photo layer
Set Keyframes
Move playhead to 00;00;01;15, set Blurriness to 230, and click stopwatch to create keyframe
Create Animation
Return to start, set Blurriness to 0 to automatically create second keyframe
Apply Easing
Select both keyframes and press F9 to add Easy Ease for smooth animation
If keyframes aren't visible on the timeline, select the layer and press U to reveal all animated properties for that layer.
Text Fade Animation Timeline
Opacity Start
Set opacity to 0% for invisible text
Fade Complete
Increase opacity to 100% for full visibility
Press T to quickly access Opacity controls, and F9 to apply Easy Ease to selected keyframes for professional motion.
Animating Text Stroke
Now for the main event: creating the signature stroke animation that makes text appear as if it's being hand-drawn in real-time.
1. Right-click on the bottom text layer to access the context menu.
2. Navigate to Create > Create Shapes From Text.
3. Click Create Shapes From Text.
4. After Effects generates a new shape layer containing vector outlines of your text. Your original text layer remains but is automatically disabled. You can delete the original layer to keep your project organized.
5. Select your newly created text outlines layer.
6. In the top toolbar, locate the Fill and Stroke options.
7. Click on the word Fill to open its properties.
8. In the color picker window, click the leftmost box with the diagonal line (no fill icon) to remove the fill entirely. Your text may seem to disappear, but this is intentional—we're creating a stroke-only effect.
9. Click the color rectangle next to Stroke.
10. Set your stroke to pure white using hex code #FFFFFF, or drag the color picker to the top-left corner. This creates maximum contrast against most backgrounds.
11. Click OK to confirm.
12. Click the stroke width value 
next to the stroke options.
13. Enter 10 for a bold, visible stroke that reads well at various viewing sizes.
14. Press Return (Mac) / Enter (Windows) to confirm.
15. In the layers panel, click the dropdown arrow next to your outlines layer 
to reveal its contents.
16. Locate and click the Add button (circular icon) within the layer.
17. Select Trim Paths from the menu. This powerful tool will control how much of each letter's stroke is visible at any given time.
The magic happens here—Trim Paths allows us to animate the stroke revelation with precise control over timing and sequencing.
18. Expand the first letter's properties and locate the Trim Paths section.
19. Position the playhead at 00;00;01;14.
20. The Trim Paths section contains Start and End parameters that define the visible portion of the stroke path. Think of these as scissors that trim the visible stroke.
21. Click the stopwatch next to the End parameter to enable animation.
22. Set the End value to 0 percent, hiding the entire stroke.
23. Move the playhead to 00;00;02;11.
24. Change the End value to 100% to reveal the complete letter.
25. Select both keyframes and press F9 for smooth Easy Ease animation.
26. Scrub through the timeline to see your letter "drawing" itself—a satisfying effect that never gets old!
27. For a professional staggered reveal, we'll animate each subsequent letter with slightly offset timing.
28. Apply the same technique to the remaining letters using these precise timecodes for optimal flow:
29. Second letter: 0% at 00;00;01;19, 100% at 00;00;02;14.
30. Third letter: 0% at 00;00;01;22, 100% at 00;00;02;15.
31. Fourth letter: 0% at 00;00;01;26, 100% at 00;00;02;19.
32. Fifth letter: 0% at 00;00;02;00, 100% at 00;00;02;24.
Remember to apply Easy Ease (F9) to all keyframes for professional-quality motion!
Text to Shape Conversion
Convert Text
Right-click text layer and select Create > Create Shapes From Text to generate editable paths
Configure Stroke
Remove fill, set stroke to white (#FFFFFF) with 10px thickness for clean appearance
Add Trim Paths
Click Add button in layer options and select Trim Paths for stroke animation control
Animate Letters
Set End value from 0% to 100% for each letter with staggered timing
Letter Animation Timing
Final Details
Let's add a finishing touch that elevates the entire composition—an animated underline that provides visual closure to our text reveal.
1. Access the Layer menu in the top menu bar.
2. Click to open the menu.
3. Navigate to New > Shape Layer.
4. A blank Shape Layer appears in your timeline—this versatile layer type allows us to create custom vector graphics directly within After Effects.
5. Select the Pen tool 
from the toolbar.
6. Click once below the left edge of your text, then click below the right edge to create a clean horizontal line. This creates a simple but effective underline element.
7. 
8. If your line doesn't match your text stroke appearance, click the Stroke color rectangle 
in the toolbar.
9. Set the color to white (drag slider to top-left).
10. Click the stroke width value.
11. Enter 10 to match your text stroke thickness.
12. Press Return (Mac) / Enter (Windows) to apply.
13. Expand your Shape Layer properties in the timeline.
14. Click the Add button within the layer properties.
15. Select Trim Paths to enable the same drawing animation for your underline.
16. Move the playhead to 00;00;02;26—this timing ensures the underline appears after your text animation completes, creating a satisfying conclusion.
17. Expand Trim Paths to access the Start and End controls. While both parameters offer creative possibilities, we'll focus on End for this effect.
18. Enable keyframes by clicking the stopwatch next to End.
19. Set the initial value to 0%.
20. Advance the playhead to 00;00;03;08.
21. Change the End value to 100% for the complete underline reveal.
22. Select both keyframes.
23. Apply Easy Ease (F9) for smooth animation. Your underline now draws itself in, providing the perfect finishing touch to your text animation sequence.
Adding Emphasis Line
Create Shape Layer
Add new shape layer through Layer > New > Add Shape Layer menu
Draw Line
Use Pen tool to create straight line below text for visual emphasis
Apply Trim Paths
Add Trim Paths effect to animate line appearance from 0% to 100%
Time Animation
Set keyframes from 00;00;02;26 to 00;00;03;08 for synchronized reveal
Press N at 00;00;03;13 to set the work area end point, optimizing your animation length for rendering and preview loops.
Creative Expansion Opportunities
Background Variations
Replace the photo with graphics, videos, or solid colors to match your project needs.
Shape Applications
Apply Trim Paths technique to logos, icons, and custom illustrations for versatile animations.
Timing Adjustments
Experiment with different keyframe timing to create faster reveals or more dramatic builds.
Key Takeaways