Updated In 2024, Make A Countdown Video

How to Make a Countdown Video

Have you ever wanted to use Adobe After Effects to recreate a countdown timer for a rocket launch or simply create a suspenseful moment in a video by displaying how the time runs out? This tutorial will show you how. It is imperative that you become familiar with the process of creating a countdown in After Effects.

In this article, we will demonstrate how to use Adobe After Effects to put together a countdown video. This procedure is a straightforward one, and it will handle expressions as well as plugins. Stay here and read on to find out more about the various methods in which we might accomplish this goal!

Let’s begin!

Part 1. Create a new composition

It’s possible that you only want to show the minutes and seconds. Make a mask around the entire area you intend to use in order to quickly remove undesired information.

1. Create a new Text Layer.

2. Alt + Click (on a PC) or Option + Click (on a Mac) on the stopwatch in the Source Text to display text options.

3. Place the expression “timeToCurrentFormat” within the expression box (). You must set your composition frame rate to 60 frames per second in order to make it appear to be a real digital countdown timer.

4. Everything should be pre-composed, and the composition’s tempo should be reversed to make it count down. Right-click the composition and choose Time > Time Reverse Layer to change its pace.

Part 2. Using the timecode plugin

To make a countdown timer, you can use the Timecode plugin rather than the “timeToCurrentFormat()” statement. The timer layout will be immediately created when the plugin is added to a New Solid; use the same steps as before to convert it to a countdown timer.

Here is a quick video that demonstrates how simple it is to set up a countdown timer in this manner:

Step1 Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the time display to cycle through Timecode Base or Frames/Feet + Frames (depending on whether the “Use Feet + Frames” option is checked in the Project Settings). The Timeline panel’s upper-left corner, as well as the bottoms of the Layer, Composition, and Footage panels, all indicate the current time. Timeline panel (See.)

Step2 A smaller text version of the option that is not selected in the project settings will be seen underneath. Do the following to limit the display to the Timecode or Frames option that was chosen in the Project Settings:

Step3 Choose After Effects > Preferences > Display (Mac OS) or Edit > Preferences > Display to access the display preferences window (Windows). Remove the check mark next to “Show Timecode and Frames in Timeline Panel” (this option is selected by default).

Step4 Change the time display units by selecting File > Project Settings and then selecting a different choice from the list in the Time Display Style section.

Timecode:

Displays the current time as timecode in the time rulers of the Timeline, Layer, and Footage panels. You have the option of utilizing the timecode from the source media (Use Media Source) or beginning at 00:00:00:00. To use timecode rather than frames, select the Timecode option from the menu. It is important to take note that there are no options available for changing the frame rate or whether or not to delete frames, as the source timecode is recognized and used instead.

Part 3. Source timecode

Support for various file formats for the source timecode QuickTime, DV, AVI, P2, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, AVCHD, RED, XDCAM EX, XDCAM HD, and WAV image sequence importers are just some of the formats that After Effects is able to read and apply timecode for.

Project panel

The Project panel includes several columns that display the source timecode. These columns are titled as follows: Media Start, Media End, Media Duration, and Tape Name. These are the beginning, ending, and overall length of time for the source. There are columns labeled “In,” “Out,” and “Duration,” which reflect the In and Out points that the user has set in the Footage panel for the footage item or the work area for the composition, respectively. These columns also show the duration of the clip.

Context of the Project

The source timecode feature set can be found in the dialog box that is used to configure the Project. Check out the Options for Time Display Units page for more information.

Box for Configuring Composition Settings

The source timecode feature set is located in the dialog box that is called Composition Settings.

Box for Specifying Preferences

The Import section of the Preferences dialog box is capable of handling source timecode functions.

That’s it! You are now familiar with the process of creating a straightforward countdown and a countdown timer in After Effects, and you have three options to choose from. Make use of this information to give your videos an interesting spin and to round out the experience for the audience.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

How To Add Scrolling Text Effect

Almost every video has some titles and texts to show to the viewers. Instead of showing static texts on the video, everyone loves to add animated texts so that the video looks attractive and engaging. If you want to show credits and titles in intro and outro of the video, you will usually see texts scrolling vertically on the video.

If you want to show any text repeatedly, you can add horizontal scrolling text effect to your video so that the repeated text does not look weird. You will need a video editor to add scrolling rolling text effect to texts and titles in your video. We will illustrate in simple steps how to animate text on scroll using free as well as premium video editors.

Part 1. Add Scrolling Text to Video with Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a professional video editor and if you are a Windows PC or Mac user, you can use Filmora to add scrolling text effect. In fact, Filmora is the most intuitive video editor where you can add scrolling text effect instantly without any prior experience in video editing.

Filmora has the best collection of text effects and you can add scrolling text anywhere and customize the effect as per your requirements. As a matter of fact, you can create a video with scrolling text effects only from scratch. Here are the steps to add scrolling text to video using Filmora.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step1 Download and install Filmora on your Windows PC or Mac. Launch the application and click on New Project on the welcome screen. You can also go to File> New option to get started.

Step2 Go to File> Import Media option to bring in your video file user Project Media folder. Thereafter, drag and drop the file into Timeline to get started.

Step3 Go to Titles option located at the top, and on the left panel, go to End Credits option. You will see various scrolling text effects. Place your mouse pointer on them to check their preview.

Step4 Once you are satisfied with any scrolling text effects, drag and drop it into Timeline above the video clip layer. Adjust the position of the text effect so that it appears on the video as expected. You can stretch the duration of the effect as per your preference.

Step5 Double-click on the text layer on Timeline and customize the text and style as you feel. Thereafter, you can click on Advanced button for more customization. Finally, click on OK button.

Part 2. Use After Effects to Create Scrolling Text

Adobe Affect Effects is an extremely popular video editor and there are so many different text effects available to apply to your video. After Effects scrolling text effects come with different variations so that your titles and texts look amazing on the screen. Apart from the available text effects, you can also download and get more text effects from external sources. Here are the steps to add text scroll after effects to your video.

Step1 Launch After Effects and type your text with the Text tool from the top bar.

Step2 Duplicate the written text by going to Edit> Duplicate.

Step3 Move the duplicate text out of the visible screen to the left by changing its position value.

Step4 Turn on Position option and change the duration and add a keyframe.

Step5 Right-click on Composition setting and go to New> Null Object. Change the duration and make it the same as the Duplicate layer and add a keyframe there. Besides, move the null object out of the visible screen to the right.

Step6 Select all layers and right-click and select Pre-compose.

Step7 Right-click on Pre-comp and go to Time> Enable Time Remapping. Play the video and you will see the scrolling effects that you see in end credits in videos.

The above-mentioned steps are for horizontal scrolling text effect. If you want vertical scrolling text After Effects, you have to position the duplicate text and null object vertically and the required text will scroll vertically.

Part 3. Add Scrolling Text Effect with VSDC Free Video Editor

So far, we have mentioned premium video editors to add scrolling effect to the text in your video. Now we are going to mention a free video editor where you can add scrolling effect instantly. If you are a Windows user, you can install VSDC free video editor. There are several scrolling text effects available on the video editor through which you can move the text horizontal and vertical. Here are the steps to animate text on scroll using VSDC free video editor.

Step1 Install VSDC free video editor and click on New Project option. Click on Finish button and select the video from your hard drive where you want to add text.

Step2 Select Type tool from the left panel and draw a box on the video where you can type your text. Make sure the text layer is on top of the video layer in Timeline.

Step3 Type your text and if you want to scroll it like horizontal scrolling text After Effects, place the text out of the viewer on the right side.

Step4 Double-click on text layer and go to Add Object and click on Movement.

Step5 You will find the mouse pointer change and you have to click on the spot to the left side where you want the text to go in scrolling effect.

Step6 Shorten the duration of the text layer and then copy the text layer from Timeline. Paste it again and again until you cover the video layer completely so that the scroll effect goes on as long as the video runs.

Takeaway

Adding scrolling text to your video should no more be an issue for you. If you are using After Effects, we have illustrated how you can create horizontal and vertical scrolling effect for text in your video perfectly. If you prefer a free video editor, you can use VSDC free video editor as well. But we recommend Wondershare Filmora where you can add scrolling effects to your text instantly, and there is a wide range of amazing scrolling effects available to apply to your video.

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step1 Download and install Filmora on your Windows PC or Mac. Launch the application and click on New Project on the welcome screen. You can also go to File> New option to get started.

Step2 Go to File> Import Media option to bring in your video file user Project Media folder. Thereafter, drag and drop the file into Timeline to get started.

Step3 Go to Titles option located at the top, and on the left panel, go to End Credits option. You will see various scrolling text effects. Place your mouse pointer on them to check their preview.

Step5 Double-click on the text layer on Timeline and customize the text and style as you feel. Thereafter, you can click on Advanced button for more customization. Finally, click on OK button.

Part 2. Use After Effects to Create Scrolling Text

Step1 Launch After Effects and type your text with the Text tool from the top bar.

Step2 Duplicate the written text by going to Edit> Duplicate.

Step3 Move the duplicate text out of the visible screen to the left by changing its position value.

Step4 Turn on Position option and change the duration and add a keyframe.

Step6 Select all layers and right-click and select Pre-compose.

Step7 Right-click on Pre-comp and go to Time> Enable Time Remapping. Play the video and you will see the scrolling effects that you see in end credits in videos.

Part 3. Add Scrolling Text Effect with VSDC Free Video Editor

Step1 Install VSDC free video editor and click on New Project option. Click on Finish button and select the video from your hard drive where you want to add text.

Step2 Select Type tool from the left panel and draw a box on the video where you can type your text. Make sure the text layer is on top of the video layer in Timeline.

Step3 Type your text and if you want to scroll it like horizontal scrolling text After Effects, place the text out of the viewer on the right side.

Step4 Double-click on text layer and go to Add Object and click on Movement.

Step5 You will find the mouse pointer change and you have to click on the spot to the left side where you want the text to go in scrolling effect.

Takeaway

Best 8 Online GIF to APNG Converters

Great Video Converter - Wondershare Filmora

Provide abundant video effects - A creative video editor

Powerful color correction and grading

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Try It Free Try It Free

The GIF image format is a bitmap image format that supports up to 8 bits per pixel. APNG (Animated Portable Network Graphics) is a format for animated images that supports 24 bits per pixel and 8 bits of transparency, which is not available in GIFs. Backward compatibility with non-animated PNG files is also maintained.

Because the initial frame of an APNG file saves as a regular PNG stream, it can display by most conventional PNG decoders. Extra chunks can hold frame speed data and different animation frames (as provided by the original PNG specification).

Is APNG superior to GIF? APNG files are smaller and have more outstanding quality than GIF files. However, GIF is more compatible than APNG. Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, and Opera support APNG, while practically all online browsers support GIF.

Let’s look at the top 8 best GIFs to APNG converters now.

Part 1. Best 8 GIF to APNG Converters

Here are the top 8 GIFs to APNG converters to look out for

1. EZgif

Ezgif.com is a free, easy-to-use toolset for making and modifying animated GIFs. Besides some basic video editing, we also offer editing and conversions for various other picture formats, like animated WebP, PNG, MNG, and FLIF. GIF maker, video to GIF converter, and photo resizer are three of our most popular online utilities.

In addition, EZgif lets you edit GIFs before converting them to APNG.

Features:

ImageMagick - conducts most picture editing tasks such as resizing, optimization, cropping, etc.
Making, optimizing, trimming, and resizing animated GIFs with gifsicle and lossygif.
For video conversions and editing, use FFmpeg (the genuine one).
This video to GIF converter online has a low conversion rate.
This free online GIF banner maker can assist you in creating GIF banners.
This online GIF creator has an extremely user-friendly UI.
This web program’s impressive capabilities are completely free to use.
This GIF converter online maintains high-quality GIF conversion.
You can make GIFs from videos in seconds.

Pros

The program at ezgif.com is entirely secure to use.

Users do not have to install any other programs for the software to work.

The application is simple and allows users to create GIFs online without exerting any effort.

Cons

Because there is a problem in the program, the result of this online GIF maker from photographs degrades. Hence it is not advised for high professional use.

2. FreeConvert

FreeConvert is a GIF to APNG converter that can convert photos, videos, audio files, documents, eBooks, and units, among other formats. It can upload GIFs from your device, Google Drive, Dropbox, or a URL, and it can batch convert many GIFs to animated PNG files without sacrificing quality. FreeConvert is a safe program because it automatically deletes converted files after two hours.

Features:

You can convert numerous files at once without sacrificing quality.
It provides a variety of output file types.
You can choose from your device (computer, smartphone, etc.) or a Dropbox or Google Drive account to select your files.

Pros

It’s as simple as uploading your GIF files and clicking convert.

Convert a GIF to APNG(animated PNG) while keeping the original GIF’s animation quality.

It is entirely free and works with any web browser.

All files are encrypted using 256-bit SSL and erased after two hours.

Cons

Limited services for free users

3. Aconvert

Aconvert is another free online GIF to APNG converter. It not only converts GIFs to APNG but also compresses, resizes, merges, crops, and rotates GIFs. GIFs can be stored on your device or online storage services after being uploaded from local, online storage services or a URL.

The uploaded image file can be up to 200 MB in size.

My favorite software is AVS Image Converter, which can convert GIF to APNG and APNG to GIF. Furthermore, its ability to support a wide range of image formats and editing capabilities such as Watermarks, Filters, Image Corrections, and others is fantastic.

Features:

It supports large file conversion of up to 200MB
It can also resize and rotate GIF file
It supports a wide range of image formats
Edits watermark

Pros

Simple user interface

File compression settings get support across platforms

Multiplatform

Free and can be used on a web browser

Cons

Limited services for free users.

4. AVS Image Converter

AVS Image Converter Download - Change the size and apply various effects to batches of pictures (informer.com)

AVS Image Converter for Windows is a free GIF to APNG converter. You can use it to convert animated GIF files into animated PNG files. This software can convert GIFs to APNGs and APNGs to animated GIFs. Aside from APNG and GIF, this shareware accepts various additional image and project formats as input, including BMP, JPEG, TIFF, TGA, PCX, PSD, PDD, and more. Unlike input types, only JPEG, PDF, GIF, PNG (APNG), TIFF, BMP, TGA, and RAS are the output formats. You can convert several photos from one format to another using our GIF to APNG converter’s batch conversion.

Features:

It supports a variety of formats.
It converts in batches.
Convert animated GIFs into animated PNG files

Pros

Processes large groups of images

It’s possible to utilize it from the command line.

Presets for various dimensions

Multiple input formats are supported.

Allows you to convert photos to PDF.

Multiple effects are applied.

Cons

There are no individual presets.

Displays advertisements

5. Real World Paint

RealWorld Paint - portable image editor (rw-designer.com)

Another free GIF to APNG converter for Windows is RealWorld Paint. It can also convert an APNG file back to a GIF. Additionally, format conversions between PNG, JPEG, GIF, WEBP, animated WEBP, and other formats are possible. The prime benefit of this software is that it can work with projects created by various famous photo editors, including Photoshop, Paint.Net, GIMP, and others.

You can also add, edit, and improve frames in GIF files and simple conversion. When you open a GIF file in it, an editor area appears, right below which you can see all of the GIF file’s frames.

Features:

Supports a wide range of file types
Easy to use interface
Doesn’t consume a lot of hardware resources
Can convert in a few minutes

Pros

Transformation of a particular area

Multi-platform

Folder selection is simple.

Set the conversion quality quickly.

Cons

For novices, it’s a bit difficult.

Only the premium version is available.

6. Convertio

Convertio is a competitor to Browserling in terms of simplicity. Convertio, on the other hand, outnumbers the former in terms of picture formats supported. Convertio can also convert GIFs to TGA, PSD, JPG, TIFF, ICO, etc. Unfortunately, it lacks image editing capabilities.

Features:

The file size is unrestricted.
There is no restriction to how many conversions you can do at once.
Priority number one.
Every day, you have an unlimited number of conversion minutes.
The maximum conversion time per file is unlimited.
Pages with no advertisements.

Pros

Allows you to convert files by dragging and dropping them.

The ETA is less than 2 minutes, and the conversion is quick.

There are 3 membership options.

Cons

After 24 hours/manually, files saved on the server/cloud gets removed.

7. Onlineconvertfree

Onlineconvertfree is a lovely PNG converter that works with all standard image formats. You can create a PNG file from various formats, including GIF, JPG, HTML, TIFF, RAW, and more. Users may crop, clip, rotate, flip, and perform many other editing actions on their files.

Features:

It has offline access for quick connectivity and document access.
Even when an internet connection is unavailable, this helps speed up the entire document management process.
The software comes with a free version that includes all of the basic capabilities
Individuals and small enterprises will find it very affordable due to this.
It supports a Variety of Formats

Pros

Converted files are simple to upload and download.

You can convert almost any file to your preferred format.

There is no need to give personal information such as an email address.

It offers three subscription tiers, all of which are ad-free.

Cons

This is a free service with a limit of two files per conversion.

8. Zamzar

Zamzar is the easiest online GIF to APNG converter on this list. It has numbered steps that make it extremely simple to use. You may convert GIF to PNG, TIFF, TGA, JPG, BMP, and other image formats on Zamzar.

Features:

Uploading files by dragging and dropping them and speedier file conversions.
All Zamzar subscribers get high-speed downloads.
Email files to be converted.
You can stream the converted videos and audio to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod.

Pros

Allows you to convert files from URLs. Batch conversion is supported.

Presets a three-step method that is quite easy to follow.

Over 1200 file formats are supported.

Multiplatform

File compression settings are now supported.

Developers will appreciate the API.

Cons

File size restricted to 50 MB on free accounts for uploads.

Like other online tools, it lacks OCR.

Part 2. How to Convert a GIF to APNG

Follow the 3 simple steps to convert GIF to animated PNG

Step 1: Choose Files

Select several files on your computer using the “Choose Files” button or the dropdown menu to select an online file from a URL, Google Drive, or Dropbox. The file size of an image can be up to 200 megabytes. You can use a file analyzer to gain detailed information about a source image, including its size, resolution, quality, and transparent color.

Step 2: Choose Image Format

Determine the image format, quality, and size you want to use. You choose to use the original image size or select “Change width and height” and enter a custom image size. 1920x1080 is an example of a [width]x[height] format. Only a few image formats support the picture quality choice, such as JPG, WEBP, or AVIF. The value ranges from 1 (lowest picture quality and highest compression) to 100 (highest image quality and lowest compression) (best quality but least effective compression). If this field is left blank, the converter will use the estimated quality of your input image if found; otherwise, 92 by default. JPG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, HEIC, BMP, PS, PSD, WEBP, TGA, DDS, EXR, J2K, PNM, or SVG are examples of target image formats.

Step 3: Click on Convert Now

Click the “Convert Now” option to begin the batch conversion. If one server fails, it will automatically attempt another; please be patient while converting. The resultant files will be in the “Conversion Results” section. Click the icon to display the QR code for the file or save it to an online storage like Google Drive or Dropbox.

Part 3. FAQ

1. What Is APNG (Animated Portable Network Graphics )

The .apng (Animated Portable Network Graphics) extension is an unofficial extension to the Portable Network Graphics format (PNG ). It is a series of frames (a PNG image) that represent an animation sequence, producing a visual effect comparable to a GIF. APNG files support 24-bit pictures with 8-bit transparency. You can convert non-animated GIF files to APNG format. APNG files have the same.png extension as PNG files and can be opened by software like Mozilla Firefox, Chrome with APNG compatibility, and iOS 10’s iMessage apps.

2. How to Create APNG File?

Step 1: Select Image

Click File > Open to bring up the photo you wish to convert to PNG.

Step 2: Click Open

Click “Open” when you’ve navigated to your picture.

Step 3: Go to Save As

After you’ve opened the file, go to File > Save As.

Step 4: Save

Make sure PNG is selected from the drop-down list of formats in the following box, then click “Save.”

Step 5: Compress

The compression rate is set to “Best” by default, but the Save Options box contains a few extras to check if you want a bit more control over the compression of your file. The file size will be determined by changing the compression rate; the higher the value, the less compression will be utilized when saving your image.

3. How Do I Save Something as APNG?

Here are the steps to take when saving an image as APNG

Step 1: Open Paint

Open an image-editing program on your computer, such as Paint for Windows or Paintbrush for Mac. Simply double-click the software’s icon on your desktop, or choose it from your applications list.

Step 2: Go to saved Images

Open the image you already saved. Navigate to the window where you saved the image. Click-hold it, drag it, and drop it onto the editor to display the image.

Step 3: Resize Image

Make changes to the image. You can resize or rescale the image before saving it as a PNG file, and you can even add text using your software’s Text tool. This is, however, wholly optional.

Step 4: Choose Save as

PNG is the top format for saving images. Choose “Save as” from the “File” menu in the editor’s upper left corner.

In the File Name window, provide the name you want for the file.

Under the File Name field, click the “Save as type” drop-down option to see all of the image’s possible formats.

Click “Save” after selecting “PNG.” The file will be saved as a PNG file in the same directory as the original.

Conclusion

After getting to know the eight best GIF to APNG converters, you can utilize them efficiently when converting files. Also, we provided answers to frequently asked questions to help increase your knowledge of what an APNG is and how to save and create an APNG file.

Now explore these and convert GIF to animated PNG.

Try It Free Try It Free

Let’s look at the top 8 best GIFs to APNG converters now.