HOW TO MAKE SCROLLING CREDITS IN ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS

Making your credits in Adobe Photoshop CS

In Photoshop - Open up the file called “template.psd” this can be downloaded from here:

Credit Roll Photoshop Template High Def and Standard Def

Credit Roll Photoshop Template 2K and higher




Ignore this error

Change your view to 100% or 150 % to see a larger image making typing easier.  Click on the % entry at the lower left of the photoshop viewer window

Click on the “Horizontal Type Tool and select the layer of text to edit/change.

NOTE TO KEEP ALIGNMENT!!  Alternate back and forth with the layers - Enter text on layer 1 and then enter the corresponding text on layer 2.  That helps to keep alignment


Click on Layer 1 in the “Photoshop Layers Window” to activate the “Left Column” of text in the “template.psd” file.  Modify the credits as needed by selecting the text and typing over it.  Make sure to keep template structure so alignments of text on the corresponding credits don’t get misaligned

Then click on Layer 2 in the “Photoshop Layers Window” to activate the “Right Column” of text and do the needed modifications to the text in the template.

When credits are typed and aligned turn off the reference guides in the “Photoshop Layers Window” by unchecking the “eye” icons of the reference guides.

HORZ LAYER

RIGHT COLUMN

LEFT COLUMN

turn off


If these guide lines are not turned off they will be visible in the final credits.

Uncheck the “eye” icons of the reference guides. If these guide lines are not turned off they will be visible in the final credits.

Select View Fit On Screen.

Now you are ready to crop your image to cut away the unused portion of black at the bottom of your credits. Use the Marquee Tool in the Tool menu to select all of your text by click and dragging making a frame around the credit text.

Choose >Image >Crop in the Top Tool Bar.

Save the file. Choose File Save As
Choose to Save on your computer

Change format to TIFF

Check Layers and Embed Color Profile sRGB


Title the file and choose an appropriate place to save your image and click Save

Use these options

Image Compression - None

Pixel Order - Interleaved

Byte Order - Macintosh

Layer Compression - RLE


Click - OK

Click OK here too


Render Rolling Credits in After Effects from the Photoshop File

Open After Effects and create a new composition by selecting
 

 Composition >

New Composition 

Choose UHD 4K 23.976 but match the aspect ratio of the editing project you are working on


For HD Projects choose 1920 x 1080 square pixels at the correct frame rate
23.976 or 29.97 as shown here.

Go ton >Compostition>Composition Settings>

Look at the background color>make sure it is black

For example if the credits are over black then the AE background color should be black as well.

Import the photoshop file of the credits to after effects

Navigate to the file you saved in Photoshop
and place the image into after effects Composition Timeline Window

> twirl down the arrow next to the composition> twirl down the arrow next to the Transform option to reveal the sub menus including Position.

Put the timeline indicator at the beginning of the composition
Click the stopwatch next to Position to turn on keyframing.

To begin the credit roll - The position of the text must placed all the way down out of the composition window. This will start the credits off screen in the beginning then roll upwards displaying the text rolling by.
 
To achieve this change the numerical value of the right most # of the position
indicator in Effect Controls.

By holding down the SHIFT key and dragging the mouse pointer over the # upwards to increase the numerical amount higher. The text will roll downward in the composition window.

Continue to increase the # until the text until it is barely out of screen.

To set the last keyframe, click in the composition timeline and then press the END key on the keyboard. This will take you to the end of your comp.

Change the numerical value of the right most # of the position indicator in Effect
Controls. By holding down the SHIFT key and dragging the mouse pointer over
the # downwards to decrease the numerical amount negatively. The text
will roll upwards in the composition window. Continue to decrease the # until
the text until it is barely out of screen.

If you want the credits to fill the screen

Scale up to 177 or so from 100

The second keyframe at the end of the timeline should appear after you change the position value.

Scroll through the timeline to see if the roll effect is working.

To customize the time of the credit roll

Place your timeline indicator
at the second mark that equals how long you want your credits to roll
Ex: 19 sec shown here  


Then change that to be your end keyframe

Can move your work area end marker to 

the 19 second mark to end your timeline earlier

If all looks good render the project.

Click in the composition timeline that you just created and click
Composition > Add to Render Queue

The Render Queue opens.

First, click on the words Best Settings to change the
parameters of the Render Settings

The Render Settings menu will pop open.
1. Change Quality to Best

2. Change Resolution to Full

3. Change Effects to All On

4. Change Field Render 23.98p video leave field rendering off.


Click OK

If you are not rendering the entire timeline choose Work Area Only

Next click on the words Lossless to change the parameters of the Output Module

The Output Module Settings menu will pop open.

Format should be QuickTime Movie

Click on Format Options which options the Compression Settings menu.



Choose DNxHR/DNxHD


8Bit




Click OK

Render Settings
Turn off audio

Back in the Render Queue click on the blue text next to Output To your chosen destination for the file

Choose the HD to save the file


Click Render to begin Rendering. 

Once the quicktime is made import the file into NLE or AVID.

AVID you will link to the file using Source Browser