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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Draw the notification shape
Select the Rectangle Tool in the toolbar, then click and drag in the Program Monitor to create a rectangular shape. Position it at the top of the screen and align it to the center. To make this easy, hold Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) while dragging, and it snaps to the center.
Now open the Essential Graphics panel. Increase the Roundness to around 70 to get the typical rounded iPhone look. Then, under Appearance, change the Fill color to a light gray.
Step 2: Add the app icon
Drag your app icon image from the Project panel onto the timeline, above the shape layer. With the icon layer selected, open Effect Controls and change the Scale and Position until the icon sits at the top left of the shape. Zoom in with the scroll wheel in the Program Monitor for fine adjustments.
Faster with QuickPaste: copy the image and paste it straight into your timeline with one shortcut, without saving and importing a file first. See QuickPaste
Step 3: Add the text
Select the Type Tool (press T), click on the screen and type the app name. Switch to the Selection Tool, and in Essential Graphics change the font. Apple uses SF Pro Display for the app name in the regular weight. Make sure the text alignment is set to left and set the fill to a dark gray. Move the text so it lines up roughly with the center of the app icon.
To add the time, hold Alt (Option on Mac) and drag the app name layer up one track to duplicate it. Change the alignment to right, move it to the right side of the shape and double click it to type now, or whatever time you like.
For the sender, press T again, click and type the name. Select the text (Ctrl+A), change the font to bold and the fill to full black. Scale it down and place it below the app name, aligned with the icon. Finally, duplicate the sender layer with Alt or Option, drag it up one track, hold Shift while dragging it down in a straight line, set the text type to regular and type your message. For an extra touch, select the shape layer and lower its Opacity a little to make the box slightly transparent.
Step 4: Nest everything and animate the slide
Hold Shift and click to select all the layers, then right click and choose Nest. Click OK. Open the Effects panel, search for Transform and apply it to the nested sequence.
In Effect Controls, make sure the playhead is at the start of the clip, then click the stopwatch next to Position to create a keyframe. Move this keyframe forward by about one second. This way, the animation ends up with the notification in its normal place. Then go to the first keyframe and change the Position value so that the notification is hidden above the screen. That gives you a simple slide-in animation.
To animate it out again, move to around the two second mark and create a keyframe for the current value. Move forward one second and change the position so the notification is offscreen again.
Step 5: Smooth it with easing and motion blur
Select all the keyframes, right click, choose Temporal Interpolation and pick Ease In. Repeat and pick Ease Out.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of right clicking through menus and dragging handles. See EaseFlow
For more control, expand the arrow next to Position, then click a keyframe to show its handles. Drag the right handle to the left so the animation is fast at the beginning and slower towards the end. Do the opposite for the end keyframes, so the exit is slow at the start and faster at the end.
Because you used the Transform effect, you can also add motion blur: increase the Shutter Angle to 360.
Tips
- Use a dark background to preview. A light gray banner is easier to judge against black or a dark video.
- Zoom in for alignment. Scroll in the Program Monitor so you can line up the text and the icon precisely.
- Change the text once. Because it is all nested, you can duplicate the nest and swap the message for a series of notifications.
FAQ
How do I make the notification round?
Select the shape layer and raise Roundness in the Essential Graphics panel. A value of around 70 gives the iPhone look.
Why do I nest the layers?
Nesting turns the shape, icon and text into one clip, so you only have to animate a single layer instead of every layer separately.
Can I use this for other apps?
Yes. Replace the icon, app name, sender and message, and the animation works the same way for any messaging or social app style.
Want to skip the building? Get the ready-made notification animation MOGRT and just type your own text.
