Filter: Text Hacker.

Text Hacker is designed to convert one string of text into another, or have a string of text appear out of random characters. The plugin only deals with single lines - no paragraphs in this filter - and the conversion is set up with line breaks.

We morph for you.

A simple click of the return key distinguishes one target line from the other. After you?ve selected your fonts, enter your text into the text field. You can specify lines of text that will be generated randomly or changed. Set up the order that the lines will change in, measure how long in frames the change will take, and let Text Hacker take care of the animation.

For this project, the mode Source=> Target was used. Cha nge Alignmen 'is set to Random. [play] This clip uses Source=> Random=> Target mode. We've also used the Preset Characters function so only Binary characters are used for the transitions. [play]

We've used 'Source=> Random=> Target' mode again. 'Scale Randomness' is turned on to control jumpiness attributes. [play] Center-out text transition, 'Source=>Target' mode. The text is scaled over the course of the clip. A secondary color is gradually and randomly introduced. [play]

Set your Source and Target.

In Text Hacker, the concept of 'lines', or text separated by carriage returns, is very important. The Return key is your friend because it's the way the plugin interprets your lines for morphing.

Change Style is a very important parameter. It determines the way Hacker will transition your text. This is some combination of Source, Random and Target. Source refers to the first line of hand input text. Target is the following line. Random inserts random text.

Hack between the lines.

If you transition between words of different lengths, Text Hacker gives you a few ways of dealing with the awkward area:

• You can make the words disappear immediately by turning on the Fade In/Out EC checkbox and setting Fade Time to 0.
• You can set 'Fade Time' to a value other than 0, and that will be the number of frames it takes characters to fade away, one by one.
• The 'Fade Together' checkbox will make all of the characters disappear at once, at a frame rate set by 'Fade Time'.

Another interesting parameter is Reverse When Completed. Once all the lines have been cycled through, the plugin will go backwards through the list of text lines.