Create a fluid and luminous typographic animation using Pastiche, Newton, and a custom expression

Create a fluid and luminous typographic animation using Pastiche, Newton, and a custom expression.

In this After Effects tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a fluid and luminous typographic animation using Pastiche, Newton, and a custom expression.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Step 1: Preparing the Text Structure

  • Create a vertical composition and paste your sentence
  • Decompose Text script.
  • Center each layer’s anchor point on its content, stretch them to fit the comp width, and align them using the proportional grid
  • Add a solid at the beginning of the timeline (30 frames) to serve as an introductory screen
  • Offset all text layers so they appear after the solid
  • Trim each layer to 30 frames and apply "Sequence Layers" via Keyframe Assistant so they animate one after another
  • Rename this composition "Source"

Center each layer’s anchor point on its content, stretch them to fit the comp width, and align them using the proportional grid

Step 2: Using Pastiche

  • In a new composition, create a 50x50 px shape layer with a circular mask
  • Duplicate this layer 500 times, manually or using MOBO_Utils
  • Place the "Source" comp above the circles and apply Pastiche
  • Set "Frames to Render" to "Every X frames within work area", and choose an interval of 30 frames
  • Change the position transformation from Grid to Organic after the first text appears
  • Enable "Use first values" as the final state to loop the animation
  • Reduce the size of the circles (e.g., 25%) to improve clarity
  • Fill any remaining gaps by duplicating a few additional shapes if needed
  • Set temporal interpolation to Custom: In = 75, Out = 25 for a smoother easing
  • Enable "Offset Frames" (e.g., 6) and animate the "Offset Method" to introduce variation in timing and structure

Change the position transformation from Grid to Organic after the first text appears

Step 3: Creating a Secondary Version with Newton

  • Import the Pastiche composition into Newton
  • Disable gravity and increase Sub-steps to improve simulation accuracy
  • Set all elements to AEmatic to give them a spring-like return toward their origin
  • Adjust Damping and Tension to control the elasticity of the movement
  • Remove all objects from Collision Group A to prevent them from interacting with each other
  • Export a simulation of around 300 frames

Set all elements to AEmatic to give them a spring-like return toward their origin

Step 4: Drawing Lines Between States

  • In a new comp, create a shape layer with a 2-point path and a 5px stroke
  • Apply to the Path properties the expression provided here to dynamically link each pair of corresponding shapes.
  • Duplicate the shape layer for every pair of elements using "Copy with Property Links"
  • Adjust visual styling using taper effects to create stylized arrows or direction indicators

 

Step 5: Final Composition

  • Combine all compositions (Source, Newton, and Lines) into a final comp
  • Use Fill effects to assign different colors and distinguish elements visually if needed
  • Apply Deep Glow (or the native Glow effect in AE) to enhance the final look

Apply Deep Glow (or the native Glow effect in AE) to enhance the final look

The entire project is completed entirely within After Effects, using a mix of native features and a few helper tools to streamline your workflow.

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