Excel to Illustrator to tiff end credits crawl

I used a process once before that I was able to create and re-edit my end credits in Excel and then paste them into Illustrator and then export a tiff that made a great HD end credit crawl. My only problem is I can only remember the process as far as the excel file. Every time I try to create the Illustrator file I can't get the formatting correct. I know I got this from a tutorial or a post, I'm assuming was here, but I can't find it, neither here or in the FAQ's. Has anyone seen this process somewhere. I know there are lots of alternatives, but I really liked this one.

Thanks

This sounds like a byzantine workflow, and unnecessary. A TIFF cannot be updated, edited in FCP once you bring it in.

I would take that Excel file and Save As? under a distinct name, in "Text, Tab-Delimited" format.

I would then open FCP, and then open Boris Title Crawl. Open its stage by clicking on "Title Crawl"-- it's a button to the crawl editor.

I would then click the Import File button at the bottom of the stage window, navigate to your saved Excel file and select it.

Tab manipulation in Title Crawl (or 3D): tabs can be precisely adjusted in the ruler atop the stage. The default tab is Flush Left. Click once to place one, or drag it from the corner well.

If you want to center a word or line on a tab, click the "L" tab twice and it changes to an inverted T, for "Center tab".

Click three times to make it a Flush Right tab.

(There may be key commands for these, I haven't found any modifiers to work.)

Space your gutters to suit, and remember, you can also change any text line size or font to taste.

Click Apply when done and drag the clip into the timeline. Stretch or reduce it to fit desired time and if required, render. To edit or tweak, double-click the clip and re-open the stage.

Until the better elements of LiveType are folded into FCP as a live overlay, Boris is the handiest out there.

HTH

- Loren
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