Text+ Node

Text+ is the workhorse of motion typography in Fusion. Unlike Text3D (which lives in a 3D environment with cameras/lights), Text+ works in 2D and includes advanced features such as Write On, character-level styling and full support for paths.

A single Text+ node can produce complex effects thanks to its 8 stackable shading elements. Example: white text (Element 1), red outline (Element 2), drop shadow (Element 3), border glow (Element 4) - all in one node, with no need to stack Merges.

• Effects Library: Tools > Generator > Text+
• Quick add: right-click in the Node Editor → Add Tool > Generator > Text+
• Fusion Page shortcut: the Text+ button in the toolbar (the "T+" icon).

• Effect Mask (blue) - optional. Limits the text display to a masked area.

Note: Text+ does not accept a background input (it generates its result on a transparent background). To composite over a background, connect the Text+ output to the foreground input of a Merge.

Text+ → Merge 2D Foreground
Background → Merge 2D Background
Merge 2D → MediaOut

Styled Text

The main field where you type the text. Supports line breaks, special characters and Unicode. Right-click in the field to access Character Level Styling (applies styles per letter).

Font

Dropdown list of every font installed on the system. Type the first letters to filter quickly. Variants (Regular, Bold, Italic) are in the selector next to it.

Color

Color of the main fill (Element 1 - Text Fill by default). Click to open the color picker or the eyedropper.

Size

Text size in units relative to the canvas height (0-1). A value of 0.1 equals 10% of the project height. Do not confuse it with pixels - Fusion normalizes the size so it stays consistent whatever the project resolution.

Tracking

Overall spacing between characters. 1.0 = the font's normal tracking; > 1 = wider; < 1 = tighter.

Line Spacing

Vertical spacing between lines. 1.0 = the font's native leading.

Vertical / Horizontal Anchor

Anchor point of the text. Top/Center/Bottom vertically, Left/Center/Right horizontally. Crucial for animation: text anchored Center Center stays centered on its pivot when you animate its length.

Write On (Start / End)

Progressively reveals the text from 0 to 1. Animate End from 0 to 1 = a typing effect. Start lets you hide the beginning (useful for "tail" effects).

Advanced Controls (Kerning, Tab Stops)

Kerning: adjusts spacing pair by pair (pro typography style). Tab Stops: sets tab positions for aligned layouts.

Defines how the text is laid out in the image. 4 modes, each with its own controls:

Point (default)

Text anchored to a single point (Center). The simplest and most used mode. Ideal for titles, lower thirds, credits.

Frame

Text contained in a rectangle with automatic word wrap. Width / Height parameters control the box. Useful for long text or body copy.

Circle

Text laid out on a circle. Radius, Angle Start / End controls. Excellent for logos, badges, seals.

Path

Text that follows a custom vector path (drawn by hand with the path tool in the viewer). Maximum flexibility - curved path, handwritten signature, following an organic shape.

Tip: in Path mode, check "Layout On Frame" so the text rotates automatically to stay perpendicular to the path's tangent.

The Transform tab applies transformations at different levels of the text. Each level has its own Pivot, Rotation, Scale, Shearing and Position parameters.

Characters

Each character can be transformed individually. Combined with the Follower modifier, it enables staggered letter-by-letter animation.

Words

Word level. Useful when you want to animate whole words without splitting them into letters.

Lines

Line level. For "the lines come in one by one" animations.

The most powerful part of Text+. 8 numbered shading elements (1 to 8), each of which can be turned on independently. Each element can be set up as:

Appears Over (display mode)

• Text Fill: fills the text (default for Element 1).
• Text Outline: outline of the text.
• Border Fill: fills a border around the text.
• Border Outline: outline of the border.

Type (color mode)

• Solid: a solid color (default).
• Image: texture - lets you fill the text with an image (input from another node).
• Gradient: a customizable multi-stop gradient.

Opacity

Transparency of the element (0 - 1).

Softness (X / Y)

Blur applied to the element. With a high Softness on a Border Outline, you simulate a border glow without adding a Blur node.

Properties (Thickness, Offset, Level Shape)

Mode-specific parameters: Thickness the thickness of the outline or border, Offset a shift (to create a drop shadow with Element 2 offset in X/Y), Level Shape the shape of the outline (Round/Bevel/Square).

Typical pro setup: Element 1 white Text Fill + Element 2 black Text Outline 0.005 + Element 3 gray Text Fill with an Offset of (5,-5) = readable text with an outline and a shadow, without a single extra Merge.

Right-click Styled Text or other fields → Modify With to attach a modifier. Modifiers are procedural generators that build the content or animate the properties.

Character Level Styling

Applies a different style to a selection of characters. Select in the Styled Text field → right-click → Character Level Styling → apply a style (color, size, variant). The equivalent of "rich text".

Comp Name

Replaces the text with the name of the current composition. Useful for templates.

Follower

The most powerful modifier. Staggered character-by-character animation with an automatic delay. Define a range (Position Min/Max) and an animation (Size, Rotation, Color) - each character follows the previous one with an offset. Result: letter-by-letter animation without keyframing each letter individually.

Text Scramble

Replaces the characters with random values (hacker / matrix style). Parameters to animate the scrambled proportion and the character set used. Animate from 1 to 0 = the characters "resolve" into the final text.

Text Timer

Automatically generates countdown / counter text (days/hours/minutes/seconds format). Targets a date or a duration.

Time Code

Displays the current timeline timecode. Useful for preview watermarks or a burn-in for review.

• Broadcast titles - Text+ with Element 1 Fill + a thin Element 2 Outline + Element 3 Shadow Offset (3,-3) Softness 0.005 = a clean title that reads on any background.
• Animated lower third - Text+ in Point mode with Write On animated from 0 to 1 over 8 frames = a typing effect for the name/title.
• Circular logo - Text+ in Circle mode + Angle Start -90 = text curved along the top of a circle, like a badge or a seal.
• Staggered animation - Text+ + Follower modifier: the letters appear one by one with Scale 0 → 1, for a dynamic title in a modern motion design style.
• Text on a drawn path - Text+ in Path mode + a path drawn in the viewer = text that follows a freeform curve (signature, wave).
• Matrix scramble reveal - Text+ + an animated Text Scramble modifier = random characters that gradually resolve into the final title.
• Textured text - Element 1 in Image mode + connect an input (FastNoise or an image) = text filled with that texture (gold, marble effect, etc.).
• Live countdown - Text+ + a Text Timer modifier targeting a date → automatically displays the countdown to an event launch.

• Always use Text+ rather than Text 3D for 2D. Text+ is faster and richer. Use Text 3D only if you need depth, PBR materials or integration into a 3D scene.
• Softness for glows - do not add a Glow node after a Text+: prefer an extra Element (Text Fill in the glow color, Opacity < 1, high Softness). Cleaner and faster.
• Normalized Size - a Size of 0.08 gives a readable broadcast title on a 1080p or 4K timeline without any change. No need to adjust it for each format.
• Reset an Element - right-click the Element → Reset. Essential when you have tweaked too many parameters and want to go back to basics.
• Copy a Text+ style - right-click the node → Copy. Right-click another Text+ → Paste Settings to duplicate the style without copying the text itself (or use Paste Attributes for finer control).
• Styled Text ≠ Display - Styled Text is the raw text, but the display depends on Character Level Styling. If a character has a custom style, it keeps that style even when you change the global properties.
• For well-centered multi-line text, use Point mode + Vertical Anchor Center + Horizontal Anchor Center. In Frame mode, play with the internal alignment (Justify, Center).
• Follower: explore the presets - the Follower modifier has presets in its dropdown menu that save a huge amount of time (typewriter, wave, cascade).