Any software that'll generate a file with an alpha channel is really all you need. You then bring that file into Vegas and composite it like you would anything else. You can at a pinch even use Bryce to make 3D text or I've made mountains out of text with it.
For animated text Proanimator looks pretty good but expensive unless you were doing a lot of it.

Bob.

Photoshop. Theres is nothing you cant create with it. It has become my only titling software.

Any software that'll generate a file with an alpha channel is really all you need.

Titling software provides convenience with programmed behaviors.

Professional titlers also support subpixel sampling that makes your titles look better on movement, the titles simply look "professional" in a way that's difficult to pinpoint.

I don't know if there is some kind of feature or workaround in Photoshop CS3 (I haven't upgraded yet) to get this?

I like the idea of using Bryce though, brilliant!

Quite a few people swear by BluffTitler.

Bryce? That's a new one for me. I found the free Bryce version 5.5 at Download.com and the commercial version ($99) at Daz3D.

There is a tutorial at Daz3D showing how to make 3D text in Bryce. Not exactly the main purpose for this software.

Here's the tutorial link that Douglas missed:

http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/tutorial/tutorial/-/?id=756

You can also use text to emboss / cut away materials.

Sure not the main purpose at all but what's wrong with having a bit of fun?

Vic? You want extra oomph? Got an examples you can show us? Are you wanting 3-D titling? Are you wanting glistening and glowing surfaces? That kinda thing?

Grazie

"Quite a few people swear by BluffTitler."

I'd caution folks to firm up their editing, sound and camera work first before relying too much on gimmicky aspects like tricked-out titlers.

Too many amateurs feel the need to over-use these programs, while their underlying video looks like crap. They're in the same category as over-the-top transitions.

In a way, Vegas helps you polish up those more important parts of your project, because you can't get too crazy with it's titler.

It depends on what you mean by fancy and how large your budget is.

I mainly use Bluff or Ulead Cool 3D for 3D and Heroglyph for 2D which are all reasonably priced.

You can also get some really good effects with Vegas titles by adding Video FX.

Andrew

Grazie -

in answer to what I'm looking for...
well, I really don't know, just yet.

In the past I've allowed the software designers to fill the buffet, and then I've chosen from their ideas and then twisted the concepts to my own purposes.

One of the effects I'm seeing all the time on TV is a one-letter-at-a-time laydown. Or zoom up in a rolling manner. Some EDL software must feature this semi-automatically, as I see it all the time. I think I'd like something like that for the many lower thirds I'll be using.

Farss - when Bryce first came out in the mid '90s I was totally enraptured with it as a still image producer. I'm sure it's much better now, and for $99 bucks I'll upgrade - at the risk of re-additiction. Thanks for that tip - I had forgotten it.

btw - re Bryce - I used it many times to generate amazing skies for keyed backgrounds - both "normal" with blue sky and puffy clouds - and total sci-fi for an anti-drug spot. For those of you who are not familiar with Bryce, it's quite easy to use. It creates 3D scenics, letters and skies - all of which you can animate. The interface is (or used to be) weird, but a lot of fun. My own experiences led me to build simply - that would yield the best results.

So about those animated flydowns??? Suggestions?

v

Vic, if you already have a copy of After Effects, they already have text animation presets with the effects you are looking for. Just use the browse presets from the fly out menu to see the presets in action before selection.

It sounds like you might like "Swish", not only is it a decent Flash clone, but it makes some pretty dynamic text effects.

Just export the "Swish" project as a Flash file and import it into Vegas.

Jim

For what you want ProAnimator might be worth a look, it's not cheap at around $600 but it seems to be designed by people who understand what users want.
Does not work directly with Vegas, only plugs into AE etc but you can run it standalone and import a file into Vegas. It certainly does the one letter at a time fly in / out, will also import Illustrator files for animating logos.
Beyond that, well AE can do this and a heck of a lot more (with a LOT of learning), further up the rung I've watched Fusion do some awesome things with text in seconds and at 2K but we're talking $5K software aimed at the cine market. All th e usual suspects such as Combustion can also create all manner of animated text.
There's a heap pf cheap stuff but it's all really designed around web graphics and as others have noted doesn't produce as clean a result as the titlers built for video. Asymetrix Web 3D was one I looked at but I just couldn't handle the look of the output.

Bob.

Should mention, this is what one of my fellow Vegas users down here uses for all his text work. Again doesn't plug into Vegas but he seems to have no problems using it in the TVCs he cuts in Vegas.

Bob.

Cayman Graphics is titling software for broadcast.
MUCH more awkward than Vegas which is quick to work with.
I use Cayman for credit rolls only and for high end projects that may end up on large screens.
But I understand Cayman Graphics no long supports Vegas or vice versa.
For some reason I can still use it.
I have no idea why 'cause I'm not some puzzle-solving techie.
I just shoot and edit and have little affinity for things digital excpet for Vegas and my cameras.

Cayman is a serious pro broadcast shop.

They couldn't get enough sales volume with their Vegas version to keep this going, but they do support existing Vegas customers.

Vic,
Also check out Wild FX pro

Photoshop.
Been working fine for me since day one.

(Not into 3D titling or all that fla-fla-woosh-woosh type of titles so I'm happy with it)

For simple animated titles directly from Vegas, http://www.prodad.de/gb/heroglyph_std_details.htmlHeroglyph Rapid[/link] is my favorite. It's really fast to learn and use and can animate by letter, word, line or blocks of text. It's integration into Vegas is much better than that of Cayman or Graffiti.

For true 3D titling, I just love http://www.outerspace-software.com/examples.htmlBluff Titler[/link].

I have both heroglyph and BT and love them too.

/Ulf

I have to throw my vote in for Bluff Titler as well.

The new version 7 has a lot of nice features as well.

I wouldn't call it super-fancy, but it is $60 vs much higher of some other titlers. And it's fun to play with.

Adobe After Effects. Maybe it's overkill, but if you're going to spring for a snazzy title software, why not go for the whole shebang?

AE has some really useful and ingenious text animation presets.