Art Text 4, where have you been hiding?! We’ve recently discovered a fantastic new way to create, edit and distort text, graphics, images and animations with Art Text 4, a Mac software program that invites creativity, whether you’re a newbie or a seasonal design professional.
Downloading the software via the App Store is simple (priced at USD $29.99). Once it’s on your desktop, you can view a range of shapes and symbols within the main menu, create 2D or 3D text and download dozens of cool presets that can all be edited to your liking.
[Some of the text effect options in Art Text 4; I used DISTORT to create image in main window]
The software is delivered with the basics and offers in-app purchases to enhance Art Text 4’s library, from special font treatments to 3D effects, sold either as individual sets or in a bundle.
Included in Art Text 4
– 180 text design templates
– 122 text effect style presets
– over 750 smart shapes, vector icons, symbols, signs and hand-drawn shapes
– 150 masks
– Dark and Light appearance support
– Apple Sidecar support for extended workspace to an iPad
Some of the effects are pretty amazing too, and are worth the additional price if you need to produce a series of signs, presentations or invitations.
Speaking of text animation, Art Text 4 includes five transition modes:
– EASE IN–EASE OUT: The transition between two keyframes starts slow, speeds up then slows down towards the end.
– LINEAR IN–LINEAR OUT: The transition between two keyframes with a constant speed.
– LINEAR IN–EASE OUT: The transition between two keyframes starts at a constant speed and slows down towards the end.
– EASE IN–LINEAR OUT: The transition between two keyframes starts slow, speeds up at the start and continues at a constant speed.
– SPRING: A special transition mode with a bumping effect at the end, like a squeezed spring when released.
[Various effects on an in-app leaf symbol, including 3D on top left with texture]
There’s even a range of logos that can inspire you to move, edit and reshape into your own creations. Art Text 4’s website offers over a dozen tutorials to recreate each tutorial’s image. I used a couple of the tutorials to get the basics (text distortion, 3D creation/lighting), then started to play on my own, which is the most fun way to learn this program!
[Playing with Comics & Cartoons 3D depth and effect options]
The developers (BeLight Software) also include a free trial version to test out before you commit and offer a 30-day money back guarantee.
System Requirements
MacOS 10.13 or higher (Mac OS Ventura compatible); Apple silicon or Intel processor
Files can be saved in PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, GIF and EPS formats, although I did create a file with 3D text that I was not able to save in either EPS or JPEG for some reason. You can also save the document in Art Text format to edit later. As well, you can copy and paste a graphic into Photoshop as a Vector Smart Object.
[Great for party invites too: Scenery Art background, manipulated Donut 3D text]
Art Text 4 will spark up your iMovie intros, YouTube, Instagram Reels, heading animations for Keynote and more!
Note that Art Text 4.2.1 will be released in the next few days to allow both keyframe editing as well as animation preview in the Export dialog box.
[Manipulating symbols and text in Art Text 4]
Art Text also sells a pack of 100 professionally-designed fonts for $9.99, selected from Nick’s Fonts. Available in five languages, view/purchase Art Text 4 on Apple’s App store.
We were provided with a software code for the purpose of this review as well as to check out Art Text 4 and its many features. Opinions, as always, remain our own.