How to Animate Passing Light on Text in After Effects

Introduction

A passing light effect adds a sleek, cinematic highlight that moves across text, making it feel polished and dynamic. In After Effects, you can achieve this look using CC Radial Fast Blur, blending modes, and simple layer duplication. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a smooth light sweep animation step by step.

Step 1: Create a New Composition

Click New Composition, choose your desired resolution and frame rate, and press OK to create your working timeline. Step 2: Create Your Text

Select the Type Tool (Ctrl/Cmd + T), click in the Composition panel, type your text, and set the text color to White in the Character panel.