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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Select your text and open Effect Controls
Place your title on a video track above your background footage. Click the text clip on the timeline and open the Effect Controls panel (Window > Effect Controls). Scroll down to the Opacity section. Under it you will see three mask tools: an ellipse, a rectangle and the Pen tool (named Free draw bezier when you hover over it).
Step 2: Draw a mask around the text
Click the Pen tool, then click in the Program Monitor to place four points around the text, one for each corner of a box. Click the first point again to close the shape. The mask should be big enough to cover all of your text with a little room to spare. A rectangle works best here because the edge of the mask is what creates the sweeping fade.
Step 3: Keyframe the Mask Path
In the mask settings under Opacity, click the stopwatch next to Mask Path to start animating it. Go to the moment where the text should still be hidden and squeeze the mask so it sits at the left edge, clear of the words. You can move the mask points by dragging them in the Program Monitor. That gives you your first keyframe.
Now move the playhead forward to where the text should be fully visible, and drag the mask points out so the box covers the whole text again. Premiere Pro adds a second keyframe automatically. When you play it back, the mask edge travels across the title and reveals it.
Step 4: Soften the edge with Mask Feather
A hard mask edge looks like a simple wipe. To turn it into a fade, raise Mask Feather in the mask settings until the edge looks soft. You will see the letters at the leading edge appear half transparent while the rest of the word is solid. Increase the feather for a longer, softer fade or lower it for a crisper reveal. Tweak it by eye until it suits your footage.
Step 5: Fade the text out too
You can reverse the same idea at the end of the title. Add more Mask Path keyframes later in the clip and move the mask so it sweeps across the text again, hiding it from one side. Because the mask already exists, this only takes a couple of extra keyframes.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the Mask Path keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click, so the fade starts and ends gently. See EaseFlow
Tips
- Go slower than you think. A fade that takes a second or more feels cinematic, while a very quick one looks like a standard wipe.
- Keep the box a bit larger than the text. This stops the mask edge from clipping the first or last letter.
- Prefer a simple opacity fade? Keyframe the Opacity value from 0 to 100 percent instead. It is quicker, but it fades every letter at once.
FAQ
How do I fade text in Premiere Pro?
The simplest way is to keyframe Opacity from 0 to 100 percent. For a cinematic reveal, draw a mask around the text and animate the Mask Path with a feathered edge.
Can I fade text out as well as in?
Yes. Add Mask Path keyframes near the end of the clip so the mask sweeps across the text again and hides it.
Does this work on any clip, not only text?
Yes. Masks and Mask Feather work on any clip, including images and video, so you can reuse the same trick for logos and lower thirds.
Keyframe animations look best with real easing, and EaseFlow applies it in one click. Get EaseFlow for Premiere Pro
