What are some tips to sync kinetic text with audio or music?

Select fonts that match the mood and tempo of the audio. For example, use bold and dynamic fonts for energetic music and elegant, flowing fonts for softer melodies. Ensure that the chosen font is easily readable and complements the overall design aesthetic.

Choose a font that is clear and readable, especially during motion. Match the font style to the mood of the audio (e.g., sleek for modern, playful for upbeat). Maintain consistency and use complementary fonts for hierarchy. Ensure legibility with appropriate font weight and size. Adjust kerning and tracking for better readability.

With the music track selected, I like to literally tap my finger to the beat as it plays, except I'm tapping the asterisk key on the number pad to lay markers with each beat in After Effects. It helps if you have rhythm, though, or loop the music for a while until you know you'll lay the markers down in good time.

It's always helpful to storyboard out the different parts of the animation before starting to animate in After Effects. Try laying out the basic "key" frames as still images in Premiere (or any editing program) and place them to the music. By being able to play the music and visuals back in real time (as opposed to doing it in AE first) you can create a template video for timing that can be brought in to AE as a foundation to start from. The storyboard frames (ideally from Illustrator) can also be used as compositions to keep the timeline clean.

Using the waveform is the best way to sync. A quick tap of LL on your audio layer will show you, and you can usually visualize where the major points are. Some helpful plugins are Beatgrid to get some markers of the BPM, and Universal Audio to match the audio in all your precamps.

One thing I’ve found helpful is to find a certain climax in a music and apply it to a kinetic text which is a big reveal. You can use certain beats from a music as a sound effect which will make the animation more interesting.

Analyze the audio waveform to identify key beats, accents, or rhythm changes. Use this information to synchronize text animations with the audio cues, aligning text movements with the peaks and valleys of the waveform for a cohesive visual and auditory experience.

If I'm revealing text that matches up with spoken words in the song, I always cut to the syllable of the word. It helps the viewer stay locked in to the kinetic typography.

Animate the text in a way that reflects the rhythm and mood of the audio. Experiment with different animation techniques such as scaling, fading, or kinetic typography to highlight specific lyrics or emphasize musical elements. Consider incorporating motion blur or easing effects to create smooth transitions between text animations.

Some suggestions; use scaling to emphasize beats or key points, with faster scaling for energetic music and slower for dramatic effects. Rotating adds dynamic transitions, ideal for lively tracks. Moving text by sliding it follows the audio's flow, with quick movements for fast-paced music and smoother movements for relaxed tracks. Use fading for smooth transitions in mellow music, and color changes to highlight lyrics or beats, syncing with the audio's mood.

Layer your text animations to align with different audio elements. Start by syncing major text changes to the primary beat. Then, add secondary animations timed to other elements like drums, vocals, or instruments. This multi-layered approach creates a richer, more dynamic visual experience!!

Experiment with various timing and animation styles to find the most effective synchronization with the audio. Play around with the speed of text animations, timing delays, and visual effects to achieve seamless integration between the kinetic text and music. Continuously refine your animations based on feedback and iterative testing.

Think dance. Kinetic type and motion graphics is about timing, impact and presence... communicating and connecting to your audience. If your graphics aren't hitting with your narration, stand up and vocalize it yourself and watch your visuals; you'll get a visceral read on what works and does not.

Utilize expressions in After Effects to create audio-reactive text animations. By linking text properties (such as scale, rotation, or opacity) to the audio amplitude, you can make the text respond dynamically to the music or speech. For example, you can use expressions to make the text size pulse with the bass or change opacity with the volume. Here is the expression you can try: amp = thisComp.layer("Audio Amplitude").effect("Both Channels")("Slider"); [100, 100] + amp