Hello, welcome to this guide! Let's see in this video how to add 2D
and 3D Text with CyberLink PowerDirector 16!
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When working in Timeline Mode, you can open the Title Room to import
2D or 3D Text through ready-made templates. Some of these are very
basic, with a single piece of text; some others also have a cool
background with visual effects on it. You can click on one template to
check it better through the Video Preview on the right.
Let's start with a simple Default template. When you drag and
drop it on the timeline, you create a text clip with the sample template
font and style. This can be moved and edited just like other clips,
and is contained either inside Video Tracks or Title Tracks. The
difference between the two is that the Title Track is placed at the
very bottom of the timeline, so any text imported inside this Track
or all will be visible on all other visual clips overlapped in time.
To edit and customize the text content and appearance, you have to use
the Title Designer, that you can open by double-clicking on the text
clip.
This window is divided in three sections: on the left you have the
editing panel, used to modify text and apply effects; on the right
you have the main Preview; and at the bottom you have the timeline,
which is as much longer as the text clips last.
You can use the Preview to type your own content and move the text
where you like by clicking and dragging from its contours. This also
shows several nodes: the white ones are used to scale and size text,
and the green one to rotate it.
To adjust its appearance, you can use the options under the Object
tab. Use Character Presets to pick a ready preset from the list, or
else use other sections to customize your text.
Inside Font/Paragraph adjust the font family, size, color, line
spacing and character distance. At the bottom, set the font style and
its alignment with the paragraph buttons.
All these modifications are always applied on the whole text, unless
you select a piece of text from the preview. To check the appearance
of your text in detail, you can zoom in and out by holding down the
CTRL key and using your mouse wheel.
Under Font Face, adjust the blurriness (Blur) and the transparency
level (Opacity) of the basic fill color used on the text. More below,
you can choose whether to apply a uniform color, or a 2, 4 color
gradient, deciding each of its colors and its inclination.
With Border you can add an outline to your text, with Size, Blur and
Opacity level defined. Use Fill type to set the fill uniform or
gradient color.
With Shadow, you can apply shadow to the text, its border, or both of
them. Adjust the Distance from the text, the blurriness level with
Blur, and the transparency level with Opacity.
More below, choose the shadow color, and enable Fill shadow to color
all the space between the text and the basic shadow. Use Shadow
direction to correct the light direction.
You can enable or disable each of these effects by clicking on their
square on the left.
To apply all your modifications, just go to OK below.
Text clips also include multiple pieces of titles, particles,
pictures, backgrounds, and advanced effects through the Advanced
section of the Title Designer.
Here you have additional effects for your text: Reflection applies a
reflection effect on the text, with fixed Distance and Opacity. 3D
Settings adjusts the text position in case of 3D rendering. Object
Settings is used to type the precise value for the text placement,
scaling, opacity and inclination with Rotation, instead of using the
preview directly.
Moreover, you also have the Effect and the Motion tabs. The Effect
tab is used to add special transitions on your text. Starting Effect
adds a transition that makes the text appear with a cool effect;
whereas the Ending Effect is used to make the text disappear.
Hover over on a transition to check its effect, and click on it to apply it
on the text. Use the player to get a preview of the transitions.
Transitions are also used on the text timeline, as the darkest sides
of the text. You can click and drag on the white edges to adjust the
transition duration as you like.
In case the transition is quite fast, you may have to enable
Motion Blur to make the effect more realistic.
The Motion tab is used to change the text position in time, according
to a defined path. Choose from the list and customize the path by
clicking and dragging each of its nodes and curves.
On the Advanced panel you can add multiple objects inside this text
clip through the buttons on top of the Preview. Each of these objects
are completely independent, and can be placed, sized and rotated as
seen for the piece of text, but may present several limitations on
properties and effects editable. Each object is placed on the timeline
as a new full row in order, recognizable through its name and its
icon on the left. You can also enable or disable each object by using
the square button on the left.
As seen for the project timeline, the text timeline also shows
depending on its position from top to bottom. The object placed at
the bottom in the list is shown in front of all the others on a
higher position. You can change the object position by pulling up
or down.
Particles are special objects that show a visual animation in time.
These are ready-to-use, and can't be modified.
Images are objects that just like pieces of text can be moved, sized
and rotated. You can also apply simple fade transitions or flip the
picture, but you can't apply the other special transitions or effects.
Backgrounds are pictures imported in order to cover the whole text
clip, but you can't edit it all at once, since it doesn't even show
up inside the timeline. If you want to remove it, remember to use
CTRL+Z to undo.
Whereas, to remove other objects imported, just right-click on it and
go to Remove.
You can also change the text properties in time by using markers
called keyframes. A keyframe saves the property value in the instant
of time the marker is placed. This way, the text changes while
passing from the first keyframe state to the second one,
creating in transition. Consider that these keyframes can be applied
on titles only.
To start applying keyframes on the interested text, click on its left
arrow to show all the text properties that can welcome keyframes.
By default these won't have any keyframe, indicating that the
properties are completely static.
To apply keyframes, place the red marker in time, and then click
on Add keyframe. The keyframe will be added on the property
row chosen, and saves the current level it has from the
left panel. At this point, add another keyframe in time, and changes
the property level when you see it's selected in red color.
At this point, you can see the text property changing in time between
the two keyframes. Its duration depends on the distance between the
two keyframes.
Pay attention that the Motion effect is just a ready-made sequence
of keyframes applied on the Position property.
If you want to remove a keyframe, just right-click on it and go to
Remove Keyframe.
With PowerDirector you can also import amazing 3D Titles.
As seen for 2D Text, you can create 3D pieces of text by importing a
ready 3D template, and then edit it as you like.
In this case the Title Designer shows the text properties for a 3D
title, such as 3D extrusion under Font Face, 3D full rotation under 3D
Rotation Settings, 3D render with 3D Text Settings, and 3D
transitions under the Effect tab.
On 3D text you can't apply any keyframe or any effect from the Motion tab.
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