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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Get a set of cut-out letters
You need an image for every letter or number you want to use. The video uses a pack of newspaper and magazine cut-out letters, saved as PNG files with a transparent background, where each file is one letter in a different style. Download a pack like this, unzip it and keep it in an easy-to-find folder. Use a pack that you have the rights to use in your videos.
Step 2: Import the letters and stack them
Import the letters you need into Premiere Pro: choose the files and drag them into the Project panel. Then drag them into the timeline, one on top of the other, each on its own video track. Every letter sits on a separate track, so you can move and animate them one at a time. Spell out your word by placing each letter in the Program monitor, using Position and Scale in Effect Controls.
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Step 3: Apply the Transform effect to the first letter
Open the Effects panel and search for transform. Under Video Effects > Distort you will find Transform. Apply it to the first letter. This effect gives you a separate Position value that you can animate without touching the letter's normal position.
Step 4: Keyframe a random jitter
Select the letter's layer and open Effect Controls. Make sure you are at the start of the clip. In the Transform section, click the stopwatch next to Position to create the first keyframe.
Move forward 15 frames. A quick way is to hold Shift and press the Right Arrow key three times, since each press with Shift moves five frames. Now change the position of the letter by a small random amount, for example by dragging it in the monitor. Hold Ctrl while dragging for finer, smaller movements. Move another 15 frames, make another random change, and repeat a few times.
Step 5: Copy and paste the keyframes along the clip
After you have a handful of keyframes, drag a box around them to select them all and press Ctrl + C (Cmd + C on Mac). Move the playhead to the last keyframe and press Ctrl + V. Repeat as many times as you need to cover the whole length of the clip.
Step 6: Switch the keyframes to Hold
If you play it back now, the letter glides smoothly between positions, which is not what you want for a stop-motion style. Select all the keyframes, right-click one, choose Temporal Interpolation and then Hold. The letter now snaps from one position to the next, giving it the choppy paper-cutout look.
Step 7: Repeat for every letter
Apply Transform to the next letter and go through the same steps: keyframe Position at the start, move forward 15 frames, make random changes, repeat, copy and paste the keyframes, and set them to Hold. Do this for every layer. Because each letter has its own random movement, the whole word looks like a hand-made collage that keeps shifting.
Tips
- Keep movement small. A few pixels is enough, since big jumps look messy.
- Vary the timing. Use 10 frames for one letter and 20 for another so they don't move in sync.
- Style the shake further. See our guide on how to shake an object in Premiere Pro for another take on random keyframes.
FAQ
How do I make letters jitter like stop motion in Premiere Pro?
Keyframe small random position changes every 15 frames, then set all the keyframes to Temporal Interpolation > Hold.
Why do I use the Transform effect and not Motion?
The Transform effect adds a separate Position value, so you can animate the jitter without moving the letter's original placement.
Can I use the same keyframes on all the letters?
You can, but random keyframes on each letter look more natural. Different movements make the collage feel hand-made.
For more text motion, check out the Text Wiggle Presets.
