How to Make a Text Flicker Effect in Premiere Pro

Watch the tutorial

Step 1: Add your text to the timeline

Create the text you want to animate, for example a short word like "Flicker", and place it on the timeline. Keep the text on its own track so the transition has a clean clip edge to work with. Move the playhead to the start of the clip.

Step 2: Search for the text animator transition

Open the Effects panel and type text animator in the search field. The text animator is a video transition, so it appears in the Video Transitions folder. The tutorial uses a transition called Ft: Text Animator that has to be installed in Premiere Pro first.

Step 3: Apply it to the start of the clip

Drag the text animator transition onto the beginning of your text clip. A transition icon now sits on the clip edge. This makes the letters flicker in at the start. Press the spacebar to preview it.

Drag the edge of the transition to make the flicker shorter or longer. A longer transition gives a slower, more unstable flicker.

Step 4: Change the look in Effect Controls

Select the transition on the timeline and open Effect Controls. At the top you will see a curve that controls the timing, with a Type setting (the tutorial uses Bezier). Below it you can adjust the following:

• Ease In and Ease Out: how the timing speeds up and slows down. The example sets Ease Out to 80.
• Fade: how much the letters fade as they appear. The example uses 75%.
• Distribution: how the effect spreads across the letters. The example uses 32%.
• Variation: a random value that changes which letters flicker when, so you can find a pattern you like.

The Animation Controls section underneath also lets you add push, spacing and zoom if you want more movement than a simple flicker.

Step 5: Preview the flicker

Scrub through the transition in the Program Monitor. Letters appear at different times, which creates the flicker. Change the Variation value until the pattern looks right for your text.

Step 6: Add the effect at the end too

To make the text flicker out, drag the same transition onto the end of the clip. Now the text flickers in at the start and out at the end.

Tips

• Use bold fonts. Thick letters make the flicker easier to see.
• Keep it short. A flicker of around a second feels punchy, and longer ones can distract.
• Try other text styles. Our smooth text animation tutorial pairs well with this look.

FAQ

How do I make text flicker in Premiere Pro?

Apply a text animator transition to the start of your text clip, then adjust its Fade, Distribution and Variation values in Effect Controls.

Can I make the text flicker at the end of the clip?

Yes. Drag the same transition onto the end of the clip so the letters flicker out.

How do I change which letters flicker?

Change the Variation value. Each number gives a different random pattern.

Want more text animations that work in one click? Try the Ultimate Text Preset Pack.