prev. malfoyswrites

With the text layer selected and timeline (Window > Timeline) open, there's a dropdown menu available when you click the arrow:

it should look like this now:

I like playing the entire gif to have it load fully on the timeline to make the next step easier. To get the fade, you have to set keyframes for the changes in opacity.

You'll see a stopwatch at the left of the word "opacity", click it. This adds a keyframe at the point in the timeline you are at, indicated by the playhead (the redline).

To add keyframes after the first one, you have to click "add keyframe" which is the diamond on to left of "opacity":

Keyframes will make the text remain at the opacity it is set at in the layers panel every time the gif plays at that point.

(tip: the arrows by add keyframe helps you move from one keyframe to the next easier than dragging the playhead)

Finally, making the fade:

First, I set the keyframes for the section I want 100% visible; the start and end points. Make sure these two keyframes are with the opacity at 100% in the layers panel.

(You can change the settings of multiple keyframes at once by selecting them holding shift, you will see that they are selected when they turn yellow.)

For my gifs, I make my captions start at 20% opacity instead of 0% (you can choose whichever number suits you best). To do this, I go 6 frames before and after the section I want 100% visible.

Lastly, you have to move trim the start and end of the text layer to the first and last keyframe. You do this by dragging the beginning of the text layer in the timeline window to the first keyframe and doing the same for the last keyframe. It should look like this:

Note that if you change the opacity settings of the text layer after adding the first keyframe, even without adding a new keyframe, it will automatically make one to allow for the change in opacity settings.

You should have your text fading in and out where you want it.

You can edit the text if you want to, in my case here to add a comma, and the settings will not change because it is a text change not an opacity change.