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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Select your text layers
First, select all the text layers that you want the shake effect on. Drag a selection box around them in the timeline, or hold Shift and click each one. In the example there are three short text clips sitting above a color matte.
Step 2: Nest the text layers
Right-click one of the selected clips, choose Nest and click OK. Nesting packs the text layers into a single clip, so you can shake all of them at once instead of animating every layer separately.
Step 3: Add the Transform effect
Now to create the shake, go to the Effects panel and search for Transform. It is under Video Effects > Distort. Apply the effect to the nested layer. This effect adds a separate position control and, more importantly, a Shutter Angle setting you will use later for motion blur.
Faster with BetterFX: skip the Effects panel. Press your BetterFX shortcut, type the first letters of Transform and press Enter to apply it to the selected clip. Get BetterFX
Step 4: Keyframe the shake
With the nested layer selected, open Effect Controls and make sure the playhead is at the start of the clip. Click the stopwatch next to Position in the Transform effect to create a keyframe.
Move forward 5 frames by holding Shift and pressing the Right Arrow key, then change the position of the text a bit. Move forward 5 frames again and nudge the position slightly. Repeat this a few times. Small, random moves in every direction give the best shake.
Then select all the keyframes and copy them with Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on Mac). Move the playhead to the last keyframe and press Ctrl+V to paste. You can repeat this as many times as you want, until the shake covers the whole clip.
Step 5: Add motion blur and smooth the motion
For a final touch, add motion blur. In the Transform effect, uncheck Use Composition's Shutter Angle and set Shutter Angle to 360. The shaking text now smears along its movement and looks much better.
Then select all the keyframes, right-click, choose Temporal Interpolation and then Bezier. This replaces the stiff linear movement with smoother curves between keyframes.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of dragging Bezier handles. See EaseFlow
Tips
- Keep the moves unpredictable. If the shake follows a pattern the eye picks it up, so vary the direction and size.
- Add a scream sound. Time the loudest hit of the sound with the biggest jolt in the shake.
- Shake only part of the clip. Short bursts of shaking feel more intense than a constant shake.
FAQ
How do I make text shake in Premiere Pro?
Nest your text, apply the Transform effect and keyframe small random changes to Position every few frames.
How do I add motion blur to the shake?
In the Transform effect, turn off Use Composition's Shutter Angle and set Shutter Angle to 360.
Why do I need to nest the text layers?
Nesting combines them into one clip, so one set of keyframes shakes all the text together.
Want a ready-made shake you can drop on any clip? Grab the free shake transition preset.
