Scroll Text Behavior

The Scroll Text behavior allows you to create scrolling or crawling text. Scroll Text can also be applied to other objects, such as shapes and images, to create integrated credits, prologues, and so on.

When the Scroll Text behavior is applied to text, whether the text is imported (RTF or TXT files) or created in Motion, the Scroll Direction is set to Vertical by default (in the Behaviors Inspector) and the Layout Method is set to Scroll in the Layout pane of the Text Inspector. When Scroll Direction is set to Horizontal, the Layout Method is set to Crawl in the Layout pane of the Text Inspector. When the Scroll Text behavior is actively applied to text, you cannot change the Layout Method parameter unless the Allow Layout Override checkbox is selected in the Behaviors Inspector.

Note: The Transform Glyph tool is not available with the Scroll or Crawl layout methods.

To create a vertical scroll
  1. Apply the Scroll Text behavior (from the Text Animation behavior category) to the object you want to animate.

    For information on applying text behaviors, see Applying a Text Behavior.

    Because the Scroll Direction is set to Vertical and the Start Off-Screen checkbox is selected by default, the object shifts to below the Canvas for the beginning of the scroll. The direction, position, and speed of the scroll can be changed in the Inspector or HUD.

  2. Click the Play button.

    The object scrolls upward in the Canvas.

  3. To edit the text, double-click the text in the Canvas.

    The text stops scrolling, the ruler appears at the top edge of the text, and the scroll control becomes available at the right edge of the text. To continue playback, deselect the text by pressing Esc or by clicking in an empty area of the Layers list or the Timeline layers list.

    For more information on scroll controls, see General Text Controls in the Layout Pane.

  4. To customize the scroll, adjust the parameters in the Behaviors Inspector.

    For more information on Scroll Text behavior parameters, see Scroll Text Controls.

To create a horizontal scroll
  1. Apply the Scroll Text behavior (from the Text Animation behavior category) to the object to animate.

    For information on applying text behaviors, see Applying a Text Behavior.

  2. In the Scroll Text HUD or Behaviors Inspector, select Horizontal from the Scroll Direction pop-up menu.

    Because the Start Off-Screen checkbox is selected by default, the object shifts off the Canvas to the right for the beginning of the crawl. The text is positioned in a single line and Layout Method is set to Crawl in the Layout pane of the Text Inspector.

    Change the direction, position, and speed of the scroll in the Inspector or HUD.

  3. Click the Play button.

    The object crawls left in the Canvas.

  4. To edit the text, double-click the text in the Canvas.

    The text stops scrolling and the scroll control becomes available at the lower edge of the text. To continue playback, deselect the text by pressing Esc or clicking in an empty area of the Layers list or Timeline layers list.

    For more information on scroll controls, see General Text Controls in the Layout Pane.

  5. To customize the scroll, adjust the parameters in the Behaviors Inspector.

    For more information on Scroll Text behavior parameters, see Scroll Text Controls.

To change the speed of the scroll in the Timeline
  • In the Timeline, do one of the following:

    • Drag the behavior’s bar to the left to speed up the scroll.

    • Drag the behavior’s bar to the right to slow down the scroll.

      For more information about adjusting behaviors in the Timeline, see Changing the Timing of Behaviors.

Scroll Text Controls

Use the parameters in the Behaviors Inspector to adjust the direction, rate, and position of the scroll.

  • Scroll Rate Mult: This parameter control, available when Speed Control is set to Automatic, multiplies the rate of the scroll by the amount in the slider. Amounts higher than those available in the slider can be entered in the value slider (the number field at the right of the slider).
  • Scroll Rate: This slider, available when Speed Control is set to Fixed, sets the speed of the scroll in pixels per second.
  • Allow Layout Override: This checkbox, when selected, allows the text layout be manually changed. For example, when horizontally scrolling imported RTF text, the text is placed in a single line. If the Allow Layout Override checkbox is selected, the text retains its paragraph form.

    Note: This parameter is available only when the Scroll Text behavior is applied to a text object.

  • Start Off-Screen: This checkbox, when selected, moves the text to an off-Canvas position for the start of the scroll.