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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Add your text over the video
Start by placing the clip you want to use on the timeline, then add your text on the track above it. Use the Type Tool (shortcut T), click in the Program Monitor and type your title. Pick a bold font and make it large enough to read easily, because a mask reveal looks best on big, chunky letters. When you are done, select the text layer in the timeline.
Step 2: Draw a mask around the text
With the text layer selected, open the Effect Controls panel and scroll to the Opacity section. Under the Opacity heading you will see three small mask tools: an ellipse, a rectangle and a pen. Click the Free Draw Bezier pen tool.
Now go to the Program Monitor and click four times to draw a simple rectangle around your text. Finish by clicking the last point on the first point so the shape closes. That connection is what turns your outline into a proper mask. If the mask is not closed, the effect will not work.
Step 3: Keyframe the mask path
Back in Effect Controls, open Mask and click the stopwatch next to Mask Path to turn on keyframing. Move the playhead to the moment you want your text to be completely visible, because that is the spot where the mask surrounds the text. Premiere stores that shape as a keyframe.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the mask path keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click, so the reveal starts and settles gently instead of moving at a constant speed. See EaseFlow
Step 4: Move the mask off screen
Go back to the start of the clip, where the text should not be visible yet. Click the Mask in Effect Controls so the mask outline appears in the Program Monitor. Click inside the mask and drag it sideways until it is completely off screen and your text is no longer visible. Premiere creates a second mask path keyframe automatically.
Press the spacebar to play it back. At this point you already have a working wipe reveal, but the edge is still hard and looks a bit mechanical, which is why the next step matters.
Step 5: Soften the edge with Mask Feather
This is where the effect becomes cinematic. In Effect Controls, play around with the Mask Feather value. The higher the value, the softer and longer the fade becomes. The video ends up with a value of around 580, which is very high, so do not be afraid to push it much further than the default. Keep scrubbing the timeline as you change it, and stop when the reveal feels smooth and gradual.
Tips
- Draw the mask wider than the text. A high feather value fades the mask edges, so a tight mask can leave the first or last letters looking washed out.
- Change the direction. Drag the mask up, down or in from the right to reveal the text from a different side.
- Move the keyframes to change the speed. Pulling the two mask path keyframes closer together makes a quick reveal, spreading them apart makes a slow, dramatic one.
- Combine it with other text looks. Add a text outline to the same layer for a bolder title.
FAQ
Why does my text not fade at all?
Check that the mask is closed (the last point must connect to the first) and that you have two different Mask Path keyframes. If both keyframes use the same shape, nothing moves.
Can I use this on any text or graphic?
Yes. The same mask trick works on any clip, image or graphic in Premiere Pro, because you are simply animating a mask on the Opacity effect.
How do I make the fade softer?
Increase Mask Feather. A larger value spreads the soft edge over a longer distance, so the text appears more slowly and gently.
Want ready-made titles instead of building each one by hand? Check out the Ultimate Text Preset Pack for a big collection of text animations that drop straight onto your clips.
