Avid Deko trainer Shirley Oxendine offers helpful advice about how
to create a text layer that contains two styles. This is one installment in a multi-part series of Deko related tips by Shirley.
You’ve all seen it. An anchor’s first name is in one style and the last name is in another.
JAMESsmith
avid-DEKO-
BOSTONred sox
How can you create this in a MOS template in Avid DekoMOS?
The challenge is that DekoMOS relies on the layer style to display any automated text. A layer can have only one style. So, how do I display multiple styles in a single text layer of a template?
A workaround is to create the first name in one layer and the last name in another. If you use this workaround, the journalist/producer must not only input two different layers—which wastes precious time and risks typo errors—but the two names must be aligned properly for a variety of name combinations. Sure, you can right justify the first word (or layer) and left justify the second word (or layer). However, this requires the layers to "meet in the middle" and doesn’t insure that the placement of the first character of one word matches the first character of a different word. (i.e. a short name, ‘Bob,’ begins in one position and a long name, ‘Charmayne,’ begins at a different position.)
Here’s a way to insure the words align exactly and only requires a single keystroke from the journalist/producer:
The technique described in this article requires you, the template designer, to setup the text sets that contain words in more than one style in advance and assumes you have a working knowledge of creating templates and Custom Typefaces.
Creating the image as a Custom Typeface character:
1. Create the text sets in the combination of styles you need.
2. Center the text and the layer in an otherwise blank graphic. When you import this into a Custom Typeface, each text set that you create is positioned and sized relative to other text sets that are used.
3. Create a new Custom Typeface and assign it to a displayable character using the "Import Character From Current Graphic" import designation for each text set
4. Save the Custom Typeface
Creating the template:
1. Create the template as usual
2. Set the text layer in the template to your Custom Typeface Style and size appropriately. Since the text sets were all created exactly in the same position and style, one size should work for them all. It’s a good idea to create the template placeholder with a text set that is clearly not something the journalist would use normally. This makes it clear in the Preview mode which layers have been updated.
3. Communicate to the journalists/producers which keystrokes to use for each image.
NOTE: The 2nd line of this lower third is just one character – a capital A of a Custom Typeface.
Below are the links to the current Avid Deko and Avid DekoCast User Guides. The User Guides contain lots of practical step-by-step examples. Also, check out the Help menu in the applications for a quick reference when you don’t have the User Guide handy or just need a quick answer.
Avid Deko User Guide
Avid DekoCast User Guide
For a comprehensive learning experience on the Avid Deko or Avid DekoCast, consider using the new e-learning ALEX courses. To browse the complete Avid ALEX course list or register for any of the courses follow the link below.
http://learn.avid.com/alex/lms
If you are interested in making a guest appearance to this blog site, please send any On Air Graphics blog articles to Shirley_Oxendine@avid.com. Your interaction and input is important.
Post by Shirley Oxendine