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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Create your text
Pick the Type Tool from the toolbar (shortcut T), click in the Program Monitor and type your word or title. Style it however you like. The video uses a bold, brush-style font in white on a black background, which makes the movement easy to see. Switch back to the Selection Tool (V) when you are done.
The text now sits on your timeline as a graphic clip. Stretch it to the length you want the floating effect to last.
Step 2: Set the first Position keyframe
Select the text clip and open the Effect Controls panel. Because this is a text graphic, you will find a Vector Motion section at the top. Use its Position property rather than the Motion effect further down, since it moves the text without softening it.
Move the playhead to the start of the clip and click the stopwatch next to Position to set your first keyframe.
Step 3: Nudge the text a little every few frames
Press Shift + Right Arrow to jump forward five frames, then change the Position values by a tiny amount. Premiere adds a keyframe automatically each time the value changes. Hold Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) while you drag a value to adjust it in finer steps, which is perfect for small movements.
Keep the changes small, a few pixels at most. Move it a little up, a little to the side, then back the other way. The point is that the text drifts and wobbles slightly, never jumps. Repeat this about ten times, and you will end up with a short row of keyframes.
Step 4: Copy and paste the keyframes to loop the motion
You do not need to keyframe the whole clip by hand. Click the first keyframe in the Effect Controls timeline, hold Shift and click the last one to select the whole row, then press Ctrl + C to copy them. Move the playhead to the end of the last keyframe and press Ctrl + V to paste another copy right after it.
Keep pasting until the keyframes reach the end of your clip. Because the movement repeats, the text keeps floating for as long as it is on screen. If the last keyframe does not match the first one, adjust it slightly so the loop does not pop.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of dragging Bezier handles. See EaseFlow
Step 5: Smooth the movement with Bezier interpolation
Right now Premiere moves the text in straight lines between keyframes, which can look mechanical. Select all the keyframes (right-click one and choose Select All), then right-click again and open Temporal Interpolation. You will see Linear, Bezier, Auto Bezier, Continuous Bezier, Hold, Ease In and Ease Out. Choose one of the Bezier options, for example Auto Bezier, so the text speeds up and slows down naturally instead of turning sharply at every keyframe.
Press the spacebar to play it back. The text should now hover gently in place. If it feels too busy, go back and reduce the Position changes. For more on how easing works, read our guide to easing keyframes in Premiere Pro.
Tips
- Less is more. A movement of only a few pixels reads as floating. Larger moves start to look like shaking.
- Vary the direction. Move up, then slightly right, then down, so the path feels organic and not like a perfect back-and-forth.
- Use it on titles and lower thirds. The effect works well on any text that stays on screen for a few seconds, like an intro title or a quote.
FAQ
Why does my floating text look jittery?
The Position changes between keyframes are probably too large, or the keyframes are still set to Linear. Reduce the movement and switch the keyframes to a Bezier interpolation.
Can I make the text float for a longer clip?
Yes. Copy the whole row of keyframes and paste it again after the last one, as many times as you need.
Does this work for logos and images too?
Yes. For clips other than text graphics, use the Position property in the Motion effect and follow the same steps.
Want a ready-made version you can drop straight onto your own text? Grab the free floating text preset.
