Create a Text Line Reveal in Adobe Premiere Pro CC (2018)

Creating animations within Premiere Pro can save you a trip to After Effects. One of the cleanest and most professional looking title animations is the line reveal. A thin horizontal line animates across the screen, and as it finishes, text rises up from behind it. It is a classic way to introduce a location, a name, or a chapter title.

Today we are going to build this effect step by step in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

How to Create a Text Line Reveal

Part 1: Building the Line Animation

1. Create a new sequence and drag in your footage.
2. We need a straight line, so first let’s set up a grid for reference. Go to File > New > Adjustment Layer. Drag it onto the timeline above your footage.
3. Go to Effects > Video Effects > Generate > Grid. Drag the Grid effect onto the adjustment layer.
4. In Effect Controls, set the grid’s Blending Mode to Screen and lower the opacity slightly so you can see your footage through it.
5. Select the Pen Tool from the toolbar. Using the grid as a guide, draw a straight horizontal line where you want it to appear. Click once to start the line, then click again to end it. This creates a graphics layer with a thin shape.
6. Select the graphics layer in the timeline. In Effect Controls, find the Shape settings. Uncheck Uniform Scale.
7. Set the Horizontal Scale to 0%. The line disappears because we have scaled it to nothing horizontally.
8. Click the stopwatch next to Horizontal Scale to start a keyframe.
9. Move forward about 10-15 frames and set the Horizontal Scale back to 100%. The line now animates from nothing to full width.
10. Right click the second keyframe and set Temporal Interpolation > Ease In for a smooth finish.

Part 2: Adding the Text

11. Select the Type Tool (T) and type your text on the Program Monitor. Position it just above or below the line, aligned with where the line sits.
12. Select the text graphics layer and go to Effect Controls.
13. Under Opacity, click the rectangle mask tool to create a mask.
14. Check Inverted on the mask.
15. Position the mask so its top edge aligns with the line. The mask should be tall enough to contain the full text when it slides into position.
16. Now find the text layer’s Position property (inside the graphics layer, not the main Motion controls).
17. Move the playhead to the frame where the line finishes its animation.
18. Click the stopwatch next to Position. The text should be visible at its final position.
19. Move backward to this same frame and drag the text’s Y position downward so it sits below the mask line, completely hidden.
20. Move forward about 10-15 frames and set the position back to the final position. The text now slides up from behind the line.
21. Ease the keyframes (Ease Out on the first, Ease In on the second) for a smooth animation.

Cleanup

22. Delete or hide the grid adjustment layer. It was only there as a drawing reference.

Tips

• Stagger the timing. Have the line animation finish first, then start the text animation a few frames later. This creates a nice sequential reveal instead of everything moving at once.
• Add a second line of text below the first with a slight delay for a cascading effect. This is common for name/title combinations.
• Combine with a rolling text reveal for even more elaborate title animations.
• Try different line styles. Instead of a simple pen line, use a thin rectangle graphic for more control over thickness and color.

That is how you create a text line reveal in Premiere Pro. It takes a few layers to set up, but the result is a polished, professional title animation.