by Plugin Everything·Motion Graphics
Images © Plugin Everything. Used for product review; image policy.
TextBox 2 earns its place in the toolfarm library by handling the box behind text in one layer, keeping up with details like animated tracking that layer parenting can miss.
Plugin Everything TextBox 2 is a native plugin for After Effects that draws a perfectly sized, customizable shape behind your text. The shape is applied directly to the text layer and updates automatically as the text changes, so there's no need for parenting, mattes, or expressions. It accounts for details that layer parenting misses, such as animated tracking.
Shape options include auto, square, circle, and polygon, with customisable expansion across width, height, and each edge, plus negative expansion. You also get individual edge rounding, matting options, border options, border dashes with butt or rounded line caps, and gradient options covering linear, radial, and individual gradient opacity. Full transform controls let you animate the box independently from the text, and it works with vertical, horizontal, and paragraph text.
TextBox 2 is compatible with motion blur and works in 8, 16, and 32 bpc. Listed applications include transitioning text, adding backgrounds to text, and creating lower thirds, subtitles, or closed captions. It's compatible with 3D text, though it accounts for X and Y position and not Z position.
Plugin Everything TextBox 2 is best for after Effects artists building lower thirds, subtitles, closed captions, transitioning text, and text backgrounds that need a shape sized to the text automatically.
Plugin Everything TextBox 2 is completely free to download and use.
TextBox 2 lists compatibility from After Effects CS6 through the 2026 release, including CC, CC 2014, CC 2015, CC 2015.3, CC 2017, CC 2018, CC 2019, and the 2020 through 2026 versions. That covers a wide span of older and current installs, so most active After Effects setups fall within the supported range. Check the developer's page to confirm the details for your exact version before installing.
TextBox 2 is compatible with 3D text, with one limitation: it does not take Z position into account. It does account for X and Y position, so the shape follows the text as it moves on those two axes. If your project relies on depth positioning along the Z axis, keep this behaviour in mind when placing the box behind 3D text. To confirm how it handles your specific 3D setup, the developer's page is the place to check current details.
TextBox 2 works in 8, 16, and 32 bpc, so it fits projects across standard and higher bit-depth pipelines in After Effects. It's also compatible with motion blur. Beyond color depth, the plugin creates a customisable shape behind your text that updates automatically and applies directly to the text layer, with no parenting, mattes, or expressions required. For any further detail on color handling in your specific project setup, the developer's page is the place to confirm current specifics.
TextBox 2 is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing terms can change over time, so check the developer's page for the current details before you download. That page is also where you'll find the latest information on activation and any requirements tied to the plugin. Rather than relying on a price quoted here, treat the developer's page as the source of truth for how the plugin is distributed and what, if anything, is needed to use it.
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