by 
Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Duplicate your text clip
Start with a text layer on your timeline. Hold Alt (Option on a Mac) and drag the clip up one track. This makes a copy of the text on the track above. The bottom copy will become the expanding ghost, and the top copy stays as the main text.
Step 2: Keyframe Scale and Opacity
Select the bottom text layer and open Effect Controls. Make sure the playhead is at the start of the clip. Click the stopwatch next to Scale to create a keyframe. Scroll down a bit to the Opacity section and click its stopwatch as well, so both properties have a starting keyframe.
Step 3: Make the copy grow and fade
Move the playhead forward a little bit and increase the Scale value. The text becomes quite big and spreads out behind the main text. Next, go back to Opacity and set the value to 0 at that same point, so the big text disappears while it grows.
Step 4: Ease the animation
The effect already works, but the motion is still linear, which looks a bit stiff. Select the Opacity and Scale keyframes, right click one of them and choose Ease In. Then right click again and choose Ease Out. The animation now feels much smoother than before.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of dragging Bezier handles. See EaseFlow
Step 5: Fine tune the velocity
To tweak the motion even more, click the small arrow next to Scale to open its graphs. Under the velocity graph you can drag the handles to speed up the start, slow down the end or shape the movement however you like. The same applies to the Opacity keyframes. When you are done, you end up with a text that pops with a soft, expanding echo.
Tips
- Use a bold font. Thick, rounded letters like the one in the example make the echo easier to see.
- Keep the animation short. A quick expansion feels more energetic than a slow one.
- Try other styles. If you like this look, see our MrBeast pop up text tutorial for another take.
FAQ
How do I duplicate a clip in Premiere Pro?
Hold Alt (Option on Mac) and drag the clip to another track or position.
Which properties do I animate for this effect?
Only Scale and Opacity on the bottom copy of the text.
How do I make the animation smoother?
Select the keyframes, right click and apply Ease In and Ease Out, then adjust the velocity graph.
Want more animated text without building it by hand? Check out the Ultimate Text Preset Pack.
