Apple Motion - 5.2 User Manual

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What is Motion?
Motion is a behavior-driven motion graphics application used to create stunning imaging effects in real time for a wide variety of broadcast, video, and film projects.
In Motion, you can:
Create sophisticated animations on the fly using any of more than 200 built-in motion and simulation behaviors, such as Spin, Throw, or Orbit, which allow you to add dynamic motion to your projects in real time, with no preview rendering time necessary.

Motion basics

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Build complex visual effects using one or more of nearly 300 filters such as Glow, Strobe, or Bleach Bypass.
Animate the traditional way, using keyframes and modifiable curves, to create precise timing effects.
Create polished text effects, from the simple (lower-thirds and credit rolls) to the complex (3D titles, animated effects, sequencing text).
Create custom effect, transition, title, and generator templates for automatic export to Final Cut Pro X. You can also modify the effects, transitions, titles, and generators that ship with Final Cut Pro.
Use rigging to map multiple parameters to a single control (for example, a slider that simultaneously manipulates size, color, and rotation of text) in Motion compositions or in templates exported to Final Cut Pro X.
Build compositions by selecting from royalty-free content, such as vector artwork, animated design elements, and high­resolution images.
Retime footage to create high-quality slow-motion or fast­motion effects.
Stabilize camera shake or create complex motion-tracking effects such as match moves and corner-pinning.
Perform advanced compositing and green screen effects.
Build fluid 3D motion graphics for show intros, bumpers, commercials, or title sequences.
Create sophisticated particle systems involving large numbers of automatically animated objects in 2D or 3D space.
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Build complex patterns of repeating elements using the powerful replicator tool, then animate the resulting collages in 2D or 3D space.
Publish your projects directly to websites such as YouTube and Facebook, or send your motion graphics to iTunes for syncing with Apple devices such as iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV.
Motion workflow
The basic process of working in Motion is described below. You don’t have to do every step, and you might do other tasks that aren’t listed here.
Create a project
You can create a blank project, open a preset composition, or create a template for use in Final Cut Pro X.
Add media
Typically, you import media to create a composition. You can, however, create entire projects using the built-in content that comes with Motion, such as preset particle emitters, text, or generators. Each media item added to your project becomes a layer in your composite.
Add or create effects
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Now the fun really begins. Whether you’re building simple animated backgrounds, creating green screen composites or 3D composites, or assembling complex motion-graphics animations, the effect possibilities are nearly limitless.
Share your composition
When your project is finished, you can publish your movie right from Motion to the web, or send it to iTunes, iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Apple TV. You can also burn a disc to give to others.
Motion interface at a glance
The Motion interface is divided into several functional areas.
Project Browser
When you open Motion, the Project Browser appears. Use this window to create new projects or open existing projects.
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For more information, see .
Main workspace
After you open a project via the Project Browser, the main workspace appears. Use this window to build, modify, and preview your motion graphics projects. The main workspace is divided into several functional areas, described in detail below.
Create a new project
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File Browser
The File Browser, located on the left side of the main workspace, displays all files on your computer and networked disks. Navigating the File Browser is similar to navigating a window in the Finder.
When you select a file in the File Browser, a visual preview appears in the top-left corner of the Motion workspace, along with the file’s metadata.
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Library
The Library, located on the left side of the main workspace, contains effects, content, presets, behaviors, filters, and other
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elements available in Motion. You can expand the Library content by adding fonts, music, or photos, or by saving content and effects that you create in Motion.
When you select an item in the Library, a visual preview appears in the top-left corner of the Motion workspace. The preview area also contains text information for the selected item, such as a description of the behavior, filter, or generator.
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Inspector
When you select an object in your Motion project—an image, video clip, or effect—its parameter controls become available in
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the Inspector, located on the left side of the main workspace, ready for adjustment.
There are four Inspector categories, each of which displays parameter controls for the selected object:
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Properties Inspector: Contains controls for setting basic attributes of the selected object, such as position, scale, and blending.
Behaviors Inspector: Contains controls for adjusting attributes of behaviors—animation and simulation effects that you can apply to objects in your project.
Filters Inspector: Contains controls for adjusting attributes of filters—visual treatments that you can apply to objects in your project.
Object Inspector: Contains controls that vary depending on the type of object selected. The name of this Inspector is also context-sensitive, changing depending on the type of object selected, such as Camera, Text, or Shape.
Heads-up display (HUD)
The most commonly used Inspector controls are also available in the heads-up display (HUD), a floating window that you can show or hide. For more information, see .
Project pane
The Project pane (located between the File Browser, Library, or Inspector and the Canvas) contains three lists, each of which
Transform layers in the HUD
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provides access to a different aspect of your project:
Layers list: Displays the hierarchy of objects (groups, layers, cameras, lights, behaviors, filters, and so on) in your project.
Media list: Shows the files imported into your project.
Audio list: Provides access to, and control of, audio files in
your project.
More than simple lists of items in a project, these panes let you organize key attributes of a motion graphics composition, including the stacking order of image layers, audio settings, and source media settings.
Canvas
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Canvas
The Canvas is the visual workspace where you modify and arrange objects in your composition. Adding layers and effects to your project is as simple as dragging them from the Library or File Browser to the Canvas. The composition in the Canvas is what will be output when you share a project.
The buttons centered at the bottom of the Canvas are transport controls. Use them to play your project and see how it looks over time.
Toolbar
You can access tools for editing and creating objects in the toolbar, located in the center of the Motion workspace. There are tools that transform objects in 2D or 3D space; tools that create text, shapes, and masks; buttons that add cameras, lights,
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generators, particle systems, and replicators; and pop-up menus that apply filters and behaviors to objects.
Timing pane
The Timing pane, located at the bottom of the Motion workspace, lets you view and modify the time component of a project’s contents. There are three panes that control a different timing aspect of a project:
Video Timeline: Provides an overview of objects in the project and how they’re laid out over time.
Audio Timeline: Provides an overview of audio components in the project and how they are laid out over time.
Keyframe Editor: Displays the animation curves for animated parameters and effects.
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Basic components of Motion
The composition you build in Motion, then save and share, is called a project. The basic components of your project—images, video clips, applied special effects, and so on—are represented in the interface as objects that you can select, drag, and manipulate in various ways. There are several categories of objects that you’ll use in every project:
Groups: The basic containers used in a project to organize imported media and Motion content and effects. A group can contain one or more objects, as well as other, nested groups.
Layers: A specific kind of object that you can see in the Canvas, including:
Images or video clips: Still pictures and movies that you import into Motion. See .Add and manage content
overview
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Shapes: Rectangles, circles, lines, and more complex shapes that you create in Motion using the shape tools. See .
Masks: A special type of shape used to create regions of transparency in layers. See
.
Paint strokes: Freehand shapes drawn in a single, continuous movement. See
.
Text: Type that you can add and animate in a project. See
.
Particle systems: Sophisticated animation effects composed of swarming small particles. You can create your own particle systems or apply the pre-built particle systems that come with Motion. See .
Replicators: Patterns of repeating visual elements you can create or apply to build cascading arrays of kaleidoscopic imagery. See .
Generators: Graphical images that come with Motion, including colors, bars, stripes, and gradients that you can add to your project. See .
Effects objects: Special effects that you apply to visual layers. Effects objects are not visible in the Canvas on their own; rather, they modify the visual layers you see in the Canvas. Motion includes the following effects objects:
Cameras: An angle of view that you can adjust or animate to create the illusion of panning, dollying, or zooming through your composition. See .
Shapes, masks, and paint strokes overview
Shapes, masks, and paint
strokes overview
Shapes, masks, and paint
strokes overview
Basic text overview
Particles overview
Replicator overview
Generators overview
Add a camera
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Lights: Simulated illumination sources that you can direct at any visible layer in the canvas. See .
Behaviors: Sophisticated animation and simulation effects that you can apply to the visual layers in your project. For example, you can use the Spin behavior to make a shape rotate over time at a rate you specify. See
.
Filters: Special visual effects used to modify the appearance of visual layers in Motion. For example, you can use a blur filter to make an image or shape appear to be out of focus. You can also animate filters. See
.
In Motion Help, the term object is often used to describe the superset of all elements (groups, layers, and effects objects) that comprise and act upon a composition. Layer, however, always refers to the image-based elements acted upon—the visual media you see in the Canvas.
About mice, keys, and multi-touch devices
If you have a two- or three-button mouse connected to your computer, you can right-click to access the same controls specified by the Control-click commands in this documentation.
Some keyboard shortcuts require you to use the Function key (Fn —next to the Control key) in conjunction with the keys specified in the user documentation. For more information about keyboard shortcuts in Motion, see .
Add lights
Behaviors
overview
Filters
overview
Keyboard shortcuts overview
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If you have a multi-touch device, such as a Magic Mouse or trackpad, you can use various gestures for interface navigation, scrolling, frame-scrubbing, and zooming. You can also use gestures to change the size of icons in the File Browser and Library. These gestures are discussed in their relative sections of the documentation.
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Create and manage projects overview
Creating a project is the first step in the Motion workflow. The easiest way to create a new project (or to open an existing project) is to use the Project Browser window. When you open Motion, the Project Browser appears.
Use the options in the browser to specify the type of project you want to open:

Create and manage projects

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A new standard (“blank”) Motion project
A previously opened Motion project
A predesigned composition template that you can customize
A new blank project based on one of the supplied Final Cut Pro templates (effects that you build in Motion for use in Final Cut Pro X)
Before opening the new project, you can also use the Project Browser to modify your project properties—resolution (width and height), frame rate, and duration. For example, you might want to choose properties that will match your planned output format.
Regardless of the project properties you choose, after you create a project, Motion lets you import nearly any kind of media file supported by QuickTime. Further, you can mix media files with different properties in the same project. For example, you can combine video clips of different frame sizes with graphics files. In the end, the file you output uses the frame size and frame rate specified by the project properties.
After you create a project, you can or save or revert it, play it back, or modify its properties.
Create a new project
You can create a Motion project from scratch, using the standard project settings in the preview area of the Project Browser. If none of the presets meets your needs, you can create a project with custom properties. You can also create projects prepopulated with selected media. Additionally, you can create projects based
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on or on
.
Create a basic project
1. Open Motion or, if it’s already open, Choose File > New (or press Command-N).
2. In the Project Browser, select the Blank category in the sidebar, then click the Motion Project icon.
3. Choose a resolution from the Preset pop-up menu and a frame rate from the Frame Rate pop-up menu in the right column, then click Open.
Important: Frame rates cannot be changed for existing projects.
A new, untitled Motion project opens. The project is not saved to your storage device until you choose a save command from the File menu. For more information on saving project files, see
.
Create a project with custom properties
1. Open Motion or, if it’s already open, Choose File > New (or press Command-N).
2. In the Project Browser, select the Blank category in the sidebar, then click the Motion Project icon.
predesigned motion graphics templates special
templates for use as effects in Final Cut Pro X
Save, autosave, and revert projects
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3. Click the Preset pop-up menu on the right side of the browser, then choose Custom.
Additional properties controls appear.
4. Set the resolution (width and height), field order, aspect ratio, frame rate, and default duration for your custom project.
5. Click Open.
A new, untitled Motion project opens using the custom properties you specified.
Create a project prepopulated with specific
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Create a project prepopulated with specific media files
1. Do one of the following:
Choose File > Import as Project or press Shift-Command-I.
Open the Project Browser, then click Create Project From File.
The Import Files as Project dialog appears.
2. Navigate to and select the one or more media files, Shift­clicking to select contiguous items or Command-clicking to select noncontiguous items.
As you select files, format settings at the bottom of the dialog become available. Settings inherent to the selected files remain dimmed, but propagate to the new project. For
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example, because movie files have an inherent frame rate, aspect ratio, and field order, those settings are dimmed in the Import Files as Project dialog.
3. If needed, set the frame rate, aspect ratio, field order, and audio mix settings.
Except for the Frame Rate parameter, these settings can be modified after the project is created, in the Properties Inspector. For more information, see
.
Note: If you selected an item from an image sequence, select the Image Sequence checkbox to have Motion use each image as a frame in a movie clip. For more information, see
.
4. Click Import as Project.
A new project populated with the media you selected opens.
SEE ALSO
Open an existing project
There are many ways to open an existing Motion project. You can open projects and templates via the Project Browser, the Motion
Project properties
Use templates overview Final Cut Pro templates overview
overview
About image sequences
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File menu, or the Finder.
Open a project from the Project Browser
1. In the Project Browser (press Command-N), then select a category in the sidebar to limit which items are displayed in middle of the browser.
2. Select an item from the middle of the browser.
A video preview, if available, plays in the preview area on the right.
3. If necessary, modify the resolution, frame rate, and default duration using the pop-up menus above the preview area.
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4. Click Open.
The Project Browser closes and the project you selected opens in the Motion workspace.
Open a project file from within Motion using the Open command
1. With Motion open, choose File > Open (or press Command-O).
The Open dialog appears.
2. In the Open dialog, navigate to the project file you want, then click Open.
Open an existing Motion project file that does not appear in the Project Browser
Using the buttons at the bottom of the Project Browser, you can also open a specific project that doesn’t appear in the Project Browser, but is accessible through the Finder.
1. In the Project Browser, click Open Other (or press Command­O).
The Open dialog appears.
2. In the Open dialog, navigate to a Motion project file, select it, then click Open.
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Open a recent project
Do either of the following:
In Motion, choose File > Open Recent, then choose a project from the submenu.
From the Project Browser, click Recent in the sidebar, select a project from the center of the browser, then click Open.
Open a project file from the Finder
From the Finder, do one of the following:
Double-click a Motion project file.
Select a Motion project file, then drag it onto the Motion application icon in the Applications folder or in the Dock (if you’ve placed a Motion application icon in the Dock).
Select a Motion project file, then choose File > Open (or press Command-O).
Control-click a Motion project file, then choose Open from the shortcut menu.
The project you selected opens in Motion workspace.
Tip: You can search for Motion projects via Spotlight in the Finder. For more information, see
.
Finder
Search for projects using the
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Close a project
Click the close button in the top-left corner of the project window (or press Command-W).
Search for projects using the Finder
Spotlight indexes the following properties of Motion projects, allowing you to perform advanced searches. Use Spotlight in the Finder (the magnifying glass icon in the OS X menu bar) to take advantage of this feature.
Project property Description
Layer name The name of a layer in a
project
Media name The name of a media
object in a project
Pathname The path to a media object
in a project
Text The content of a text
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object in a project
Description Text in the Project
Description field in the Properties Inspector
Marker name The name of a marker in
the Timeline of a project
Marker comment Text of a marker comment
in a project
Bypass the Project Browser
If you consistently create projects with a specific preset, template, or other starting project, you can bypass the Project Browser. This way, when you create a project, it’s opened in the Motion workspace with the settings you established.
1. Choose Motion > Preferences (or press Command-Comma).
The Motion Preferences window appears.
2. Click Project.
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3. In the For New Documents area, click Use Project.
Note: If you haven’t assigned a preset project, the setting reads: Use Project: Nothing Selected. When you choose a project, the text updates to reflect the name of the selected project.
4. Click Choose.
A window opens containing the contents of the Project Browser.
5. Select a category in the sidebar and a project type from the center area, then choose a preset (if available) from the right column.
6. Click Open.
The selected project is assigned to the Use Project option in the Project pane of the Preferences window. From now on, the Project Browser does not appear when you choose File > New (or press Command-N). Instead, a new project opens in the format set in Motion Preferences.
Create, edit, and delete project presets
If you commonly create projects using properties that don’t match any available preset, you can create a custom preset for future use. Presets are created, modified, and deleted in the Presets
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pane of Motion Preferences.
Note: The Default checkbox in the Presets pane of Motion preferences has no effect. To set a default project preset, see
.
Create a custom preset
1. Choose Motion > Preferences (or press Command-Comma).
2. Click Presets.
3. Click the Add button (+) beneath the presets list.
The Project Preset Editor appears.
Bypass the Project Browser
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4. In the Project Preset Editor, enter the following information:
a. Name: Type a name for the preset.
b. Description: Type a brief description of what that preset is
for, including significant characteristics such as frame size and frame rate.
c. Width and Height: Enter a frame size.
d. Pixel Aspect Ratio, Field Order, and Frame Rate: Choose
settings from the corresponding pop-up menus.
5. Click OK.
The new preset appears in the Presets pane and in the Preset pop-up menu in the Project Browser.
6. If you’re done creating project presets, close Motion Preferences.
Note: For more information on industry-standard frame sizes,
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pixel aspect ratios, field order, and frame rates, see
.
Duplicate and edit an existing preset
The project presets that come with Motion cannot be modified. However, you can duplicate an existing preset and then modify it.
1. In Motion Preferences, select a preset in the Presets pane.
2. Click Duplicate.
The duplicated preset appears underneath the original preset with “copy” appended to its title.
3. Select the duplicated preset, then click Edit.
If you select a built-in preset (designated by a lock icon), an alert dialog appears asking if you want to duplicate the preset.
4. When the Project Preset Editor appears, make your changes, then click OK.
Note: You cannot edit or delete locked project presets.
Delete a custom preset
1. In Motion Preferences, select a preset in the Presets pane.
2. Click the Delete button (–) underneath the presets list.
Supported
media formats
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Note: You cannot edit or delete locked project presets.
Save, autosave, and revert projects
It’s wise to save early and often as you work on your project. In addition to preserving your work for future use, Motion’s save commands can be used in other ways to manage the development of your project. For example, if you want to keep your current composition but create a variant version, use the Save As command to save a duplicate of the current project. If you want to gather all media used in a Motion project into a single folder, use the Collect Media option when you save. There are also commands that let you revert to a previously saved version of your project.
Save a project
1. Choose File > Save (or press Command-S).
If the project has not been saved, the Save As dialog appears.
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Note: If the project has been saved, the project file is updated without opening a dialog.
2. Enter a name into the Save As field, choose a save location on your storage device, then click Save.
Save a duplicate of a project
1. Choose File > Save As (or press Shift-Command-S).
The Save As dialog appears.
2. Enter a name into the Save As field, choose a save location on your storage device, then click Save.
Save a project and collect all project media into a folder
When saving a project, you can have Motion copy the all media files used in the project into a single folder, making portability and backup easier.
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1. Choose File > Save As (or press Shift-Command-S).
The Save As dialog appears.
2. Click the Collect Media pop-up menu, then choose Copy to Folder.
If you want to collect all media files in your project, including those not used in the current composition, select Include Unused Media.
3. Enter a new name for the file in Save As field, choose a save location on your storage device, then click Save.
Motion creates a folder with the name specified in the Save As field and places two items in the folder:
A project file with the same name as the folder
A folder named “Media” containing all media files used in the project
Important: When using the Save As command, use a name that’s different from the name of any previously saved versions of the same project. Otherwise, you run the risk of
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overwriting a version of the project that you want to keep.
Revert a project to the last saved version
The Revert to Saved command discards all changes you’ve made to a project since the last time you saved it.
Note: You can also use the application’s unlimited undo feature to achieve the same purpose in incremental steps. For more information on the Undo command, see .
Choose File > Revert to Saved.
Important: This command cannot be undone.
Autosave projects to a specific storage location
By default, Motion automatically saves backups of your project at set intervals. In the Cache pane of Motion Preferences, you can specify how frequently projects are autosaved, as well as the storage location of the autosaved project files. Autosaved project files are time- and date-stamped.
1. Choose Motion > Preferences (or press Command-Comma).
2. Click Cache.
3. In the Autosave area, select Use Autosave Vault (if it’s not already selected).
Edit menu
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By default, the Autosave Vault folder is located in your /Users/username/Movies/Motion Projects/ folder.
4. If you want to set a different location for the Autosave Vault folder, click Choose, select a new location, then click Choose.
Revert to an autosaved project
If you’ve been using the autosave feature to back up your project, you can revert your project to an earlier autosaved version.
1. Choose File > Restore from Autosave.
The Restore Project dialog appears.
2. Click the pop-up menu, then choose a saved project.
The autosaved project opens in a new project window.
Use templates
Use templates overview
There are two kinds of templates in Motion: composition templates and Final Cut Pro templates. This section discusses composition templates. For information on Final Cut Pro templates, see
.
Composition templates are premade, royalty-free projects that you can customize. They’re intended to simplify the process of
Final Cut Pro templates overview
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creating professional-looking titles and graphics, especially for recurring projects such as television series. Using composition templates, you can:
Create placeholder layers (called ) for easy placement of custom video or graphics.
Customize placeholder text without overriding effects or keyframes already applied to the template text.
Modify animation already applied to a template to suit your own timing needs.
SEE ALSO
Open a template
Motion templates—shown in the Compositions category in the Project Browser sidebar—are premade, royalty-free projects that you can customize. Each template contains graphics, text objects, and backgrounds.
You can also create custom templates for commonly used shots that you regularly create. For example, if you make titles for a news program, you can create templates for the opening title, interstitial graphics, bumpers, and other repetitious shots.
drop zones
Open a template Template guidelines Drop zones overview Organize templates in the Project Browser
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Create a project from a composition template
You can open a composition template from the Project Browser.
1. Open Motion, or if it’s already open, Choose File > New (or press Command-N).
2. In the Project Browser, select a category from the Compositions section in the sidebar.
The compositions for that category appear in the middle of the browser.
3. Click a composition to see its basic properties (resolution, duration, and frame rate) and an animated preview on the right.
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4. To create a project from the selected composition, click Open a Copy.
A new project opens in the Motion workspace. You can customize the project by editing the text or exchanging the graphic elements with your own. The changes you make to projects created using compositions do not overwrite the source template files.
Create a composition template from scratch
You can also build a custom template from scratch. Custom templates are standard Motion projects saved in a special way.
1. With a standard Motion project open, Choose File > Publish Template.
A save dialog appears.
2. Enter a name for the template and choose a category from the Category pop-up menu.
To create a custom category, choose New Category from the Category pop-up menu, enter a descriptive name, then click Create.
3. Choose New Theme from the Theme pop-up menu, enter a descriptive name, then click Create.
4. If you want the template project to retain media in the Media list that isn’t present in the composition, select “Include unused media.”
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5. If you want a preview of the template to appear in the Project Browser, select Save Preview Movie.
Note: If you want to add the template to a Final Cut Pro project, select the “Publish as Final Cut Generator” checkbox. For more information, see .
6. Click Publish.
The template is now available in the Project Browser, in the Compositions category you chose in step 2.
Replace template media using drop zones
Drop zones overview
Drop zones are placeholder graphics where template users can drag images or video to customize the project. When you modify one of the built-in composition templates that come with Motion, or create a composition template from scratch, you can add drop zone layers. A drop zone layer appears (in the Canvas and in the Layers list) as a rectangle with a downward arrow in its center. In the Canvas, the drop zone’s layer name appears in the center of the graphic. Any media item (image or footage) dragged into the region defined by the drop zone replaces the drop zone placeholder graphic.
Final Cut Pro templates overview
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Note: If there are multiple overlapping drop zones in the Canvas, the topmost one has priority when you drag an item over the zone. You can force all drop zones to appear by using the expose feature. For more information, see
.
Adding a drop zone to a Final Cut Pro X template in Motion enables Final Cut Pro users to easily assign media to an editing project. For more information about creating templates for use in Final Cut Pro, see .
SEE ALSO
Create drop zones
You create drop zones in either of two ways: by adding an empty drop zone object or by converting an existing layer into a drop zone. Any still image or video clip can be converted into a drop zone via the Image Inspector.
Control and expose drop
zones
Final Cut Pro templates overview
Create drop zones Modify drop zone images Drop zone controls Control and expose drop zones
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Add an empty drop zone
1. Choose Object > New Drop Zone or press Shift-Command-D.
A drop zone layer is added to the project.
2. Position and scale the drop zone layer.
3. If needed, rename the drop zone layer in the Layers list.
4. Open the Inspector and click Image to modify the drop zone parameters.
For more information about using these parameters, see
.
Resize a drop zone
1. In the Layers list or Canvas, select a drop zone.
2. In the toolbar, click the Select/Transform tool.
Drop
zone controls
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3. In the Canvas, drag a transform handle to resize the drop zone.
Tip: Press Shift while dragging to resize the drop zone proportionally.
Convert an image layer to a drop zone
1. Add a video clip or still image to your project.
2. Position or resize the image or clip where you want the drop zone to appear.
For information about positioning and scaling images, see
.
3. Open the Image Inspector and click the Drop Zone checkbox.
The drop zone parameters appear.
Transform layers in the Canvas overview
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4. To replace the original image with a drop zone graphic, click the Clear button.
An active drop zone replaces the original image. For more information about using remaining Drop Zone parameters, see
.
Modify drop zone images
After you add a source image to the drop zone, you can pan or resize the image within the boundary of the drop zone. You can add a solid color to the drop zone to fill empty areas that are the byproduct of panning or resizing the image.
Add an image to a drop zone
Do one of the following:
Drag an image from the File Browser or Library to the Drop Zone in the Layers list. When the pointer changes to a curved arrow, release the mouse button.
Drag an image from the File Browser, Library, or Media list (in the Project pane) to the Drop Zone in the Canvas. When the pointer changes to a curved arrow and the drop zone is highlighted in yellow in the Canvas, release the mouse button.
Drop zone controls
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In the Image Inspector, click To and select a media item in the project from the pop-up menu.
Scale a drop zone image in the Canvas
1. Select the drop zone.
2. Do one of the following:
In the Canvas, double-click the drop zone.
The Adjust Item tool is automatically selected.
In the toolbar, select the Adjust Item tool.
The drop zone bounding box appears as a dotted line.
3. Drag the scale handles in the Canvas to resize the image.
The image’s bounding box appears as a solid line and scales uniformly. Portions of the image that extend beyond the edges
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of the drop zone appear semitransparent.
Scale a drop zone image in the Inspector
1. Select the drop zone.
2. In the Image Inspector, drag the Scale slider. To adjust the horizontal or vertical scale independently, click the Scale disclosure triangle to reveal the X and Y subparameters.
Pan a drop zone image in the Canvas
1. Select the drop zone.
2. In the toolbar, select the Adjust Item tool.
The drop zone bounding box appears as a dotted line.
3. Place the pointer over the drop zone image, and, when the Pan tool appears, drag within the drop zone to pan the image.
The image’s bounding box appears as a solid line. The dotted line represents the edges of the drop zone. Portions of the image that extend beyond the edges of the drop zone appear semitransparent.
Pan a drop zone image via the Inspector
1. Select the drop zone.
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2. In the Image Inspector, adjust the Pan parameter X and Y settings.
Assign a background color to a drop zone
1. Select the drop zone.
2. In the Image Inspector, select the Fill Opaque checkbox.
Any empty portion of the drop zone is filled with black.
3. Use the Fill Color controls to choose a custom drop zone fill color.
SEE ALSO
Drop zone controls
You can add any media object to any drop zone, but the object might not have the same dimensions as the drop zone. Motion provides controls to help ensure that the image placed in the drop zone is handled as you want—scaling, stretching, and positioning the object correctly.
The Image Inspector contains the following drop zone controls:
Drop Zone: A checkbox (available in the Image Inspector of
Transform layers in the Canvas overview Transform layers in the Properties Inspector
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any image layers in your project) that, when selected, converts an image layer into a drop zone.
Source Media: An image well that appears after an image is converted into a drop zone. Drag a media item to the well from the Media list to change the current drop zone image.
To: A pop-up menu providing an alternative method of assigning media to the drop zone. The menu contains a list of media items in your project. Select an item to assign it to the drop zone.
Pan: Value sliders to pan the media within the drop zone. Adjust the X value slider to move the media horizontally and the Y value slider to move the media vertically.
Scale: A slider to uniformly scale the media in the drop zone. To resize the media horizontally or vertically, click the Scale disclosure triangle and adjust the X or Y parameter.
Fill Opaque: A checkbox that, when selected, fills the drop zone background with a color when the drop zone is scaled down or panned. If the Fill Opaque checkbox is not selected, the empty drop zone area remains transparent.
Fill Color: A color control to set a color when the Fill Opaque checkbox is selected.
Use Display Aspect Ratio: A checkbox that, when selected, resizes the drop zone according to selected Display Aspect Ratio Snapshot (in the Snapshots pane of the Project Inspector). For more information about display aspect ratios, see .
Clear: A button to remove media from the drop zone, replacing it with a downward-arrow graphic.
Add multiple display aspect ratios to a template
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Control and expose drop zones
When constructing your template, you can disable drop zones so you don’t accidentally apply media. Later, when using the template, you can turn drop zones back on.
You can also use the expose feature in Motion to reveal obscured drop zones in the Canvas. The expose command shows an exploded view of valid drop zones in the Canvas.
Turn drop zones on and off
Choose View > Use Drop Zones.
A checkmark appears next to the menu item when drop zones are enabled (which means they accept objects dragged to them). When no checkmark appears next to the menu item, drop zones are disabled (which means they ignore objects dragged to them).
Expose all drop zones in a project
1. Use the Library or File Browser to locate an item to import into the project.
2. While holding down the Command key, drag the item onto the Canvas.
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Objects in the Canvas shrink and separate in an exploded view so you can see them all. Moving the pointer over an object reveals its Layers list name.
Note: You cannot Command-drag non-image objects (shapes, Motion projects, particles, and so on) to the Canvas.
3. Drop the object onto its target.
The object replaces its target, and the Canvas view returns to normal.
Template guidelines
When you work with templates, consider the following guidelines:
Use descriptive group and layer names: Group and layer names in a template should describe each object’s function.
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For example, text objects in a titling template might be named “Main Title,” “Starring,” “Guest Star,” and so on. If you use visual elements in the template’s composition, their layer names should describe their function—“Background Texture,” “Divider,” and “Main Title Background,” for example. Descriptive layer names are especially important if others use the template.
formats, you can build different display aspect ratios into a single template. For example, when you create a template with a 16:9 aspect ratio, you can add an alternate version customized for 3:2 displays. For more information about creating alternate display versions in a single template, see
.
Place all media files used in a template in a central folder: To avoid problems with offline or missing media, move all media files for the template into a central folder on your computer before you begin the working on the project. Although customized templates are saved in the /Users/username/Movies/ folder on your computer, media added to the template remains in its original location on disk. A central location for all media resources ensures that files are not lost. Alternatively, you can use the File > Save As command, and use the Collect Media option. For more information, see .
Organize templates in the Project Browser
Add multiple display aspect ratios to a template
Save, autosave, and revert projects
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You can organize and access custom templates in the Project Browser. All templates are organized into categories. You can add, delete, and rename categories in the Project Browser.
Add a category in the Project Browser
1. Choose File > New From Project Browser.
The Project Browser appears.
2. Select a template type (Compositions, Final Cut Effects, Final Cut Generators, Final Cut Transitions, Final Cut Titles) from the sidebar (on the left).
3. Click the Add button (+) at the bottom of the sidebar.
4. Enter a name for the category in the dialog that appears.
5. Click Create.
The new category appears in the column at the left under the template type you selected.
Delete a category in the Project Browser
1. Choose File > New From Project Browser.
The Project Browser appears.
2. Select a category in the sidebar.
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3. Press Delete or click the Delete button (–).
An alert dialog prompts you to confirm the deletion.
The directory on your disk corresponding to that category is placed in the Trash, but is not deleted. Template files in that category’s directory are also placed in the Trash.
Delete individual templates from the Project Browser
1. Choose File > New From Project Browser.
The Project Browser appears.
2. Select a category from the sidebar, then select the template to delete.
3. Press Delete.
An alert dialog prompts you to confirm the deletion.
4. Click the Delete button (–).
Modify project properties
Project properties overview
When you create a project, you specify a set of project properties
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—Resolution, Frame Rate, Duration, and so on. You can change most of these properties at any time, even after you add objects to the project.
The Properties Inspector lets you define the most essential attributes of a project. By choosing different parameters, you can accommodate nearly any video or film format you need to output to. These properties are the default settings used when you export your project.
Project background color, as well as how the background color is rendered, is also modified in the Properties Inspector.
SEE ALSO
Edit project properties
The Project object in the Layers list must be selected for the project’s Properties Inspector to be displayed. If another object is selected, that object’s properties are displayed in the Properties Inspector.
Edit project properties Properties Inspector controls About project frame size
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Edit the properties of an existing project
1. Do one of the following:
Choose Edit > Project Properties (or press Command-J).
Select the Project object at the top of the Layers list, then open the Inspector and click Properties (if that pane is not showing already).
Control-click an empty area of the Canvas (in the gray area outside the project) and choose Project Properties from the shortcut menu.
The Properties Inspector opens.
2. In the Properties Inspector, change any necessary parameters.
Important: Project Frame Rate cannot be changed after a project is created.
The Properties Inspector for the project contains settings for
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video file format, timecode display, motion blur, and other project attributes.
Change the project background color
1. Do one of the following:
Choose Edit > Project Properties (or press Command-J).
Select the Project object at the top of the Layers list, then open the Inspector and click Properties.
The Properties Inspector opens. Two parameters in a project’s Properties Inspector affect the background color of a project and affect how a composition appears when exported out of Motion.
2. Set your project background properties:
Background Color: Use this color well to set the color appearing in the Canvas when no other object obscures the background.
Note: To export a project with a premultiplied alpha channel, Motion always renders against black.
Background: Use this pop-up menu to set whether the background color is rendered as part of the alpha channel. If set to Solid, the background color creates a solid alpha channel. If set to Transparent, the background color does not render as part of the alpha channel. In either case, the background color is visible in the Canvas.
For more information about transparency, see
About alpha
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.
Properties Inspector controls
When the Project object is selected in the Layers list, the Properties Inspector is divided into several control groups: General, Motion Blur, Reflections, and Description.
channels
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General controls
Use the controls in the General group to set or modify your project’s basic attributes.
Preset: A pop-up menu to choose a common video format to base your preset on. After choosing a preset, you can adjust
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the other parameters in the Properties Inspector to customize your format settings. For more information about managing Motion project presets, see
.
Width and Height: A value slider to define the size of the Canvas and the default output resolution of your project. Drag left or right over the values to decrease or increase them. Frame size is usually defined by the video format you plan on outputting to. For example, NTSC DV format video is 720 x 480, whereas PAL DV format video has a frame size of 720 x 576.
Pixel Aspect Ratio: A pop-up menu to set whether the project is created using square or nonsquare pixels. Computer displays, film, and high-definition video use square pixels, while standard-definition video uses nonsquare pixels. Choose Square for projects intended for the web, high-definition projects, and film, or choose a nonsquare pixel ratio corresponding to each international standard-definition broadcast format. A value slider to the right of this pop-up menu displays the numerical aspect ratio, in case you need to change the dimensions manually.
Field Order: A pop-up menu to set field order if the project uses interlaced video. Project field order should match the field order of the device being used to output the resulting QuickTime file to video. When working with progressive-scan video or film, choose None.
Frame Rate: A display field to see the project frame rate (in frames per second). Frame rate should match that of the format you output to. For example, film is 24 fps, PAL video is 25 fps, and NTSC video is 29.97 fps.
Create, edit, and delete project
presets
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Important: Frame rates cannot be changed for existing projects.
Duration: A value field to modify the project’s Timeline duration. Use the adjacent pop-up menu to define the duration units (Frames, Timecode, or Seconds).
Override FCP: A checkbox (available only in Final Cut Transition projects) that, when selected, overrides the default transition duration (as defined in the Editing pane of Final Cut Pro Preferences). For more information, see
.
Start Timecode: A value field to set the starting timecode displayed in the project.
Theme: A pop-up menu to assign a theme to the project.
Designed for 4K: A checkbox available only in Final Cut Effect,
Transition, Generator, or Title template projects. For more information, see .
Background Color: A color control to set the background color of the Canvas.
Background: A pop-up menu to define whether the Background Color is rendered as part of the alpha channel. Regardless of the selection, the Background Color is visible in the Canvas. Choose from these three options:
Transparent: The background color does not render as part of the alpha channel.
Solid: The background color creates a solid alpha channel.
Environment: The background color creates a solid alpha
channel and interacts with 3D projects, including blend
Final Cut Pro templates overview
Set template resolution
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modes and reflections. In the following images of the Canvas, Reflection is turned on for the elliptical shape (in the shape’s Properties Inspector). In the left image, the elliptical shape retains its original white color because Background is set to Solid. In the right image, the pink background is reflected in the elliptical shape because Background is set to Environment.
Motion Blur and Reflections controls
Below the General section of the Properties Inspector are two groups of controls that can affect how your project looks when exported: Motion Blur and Reflections.
The Motion Blur controls simulate the effect a camera’s mechanical shutter has on a frame of film or video when the camera or its subject is moving. In Motion, motion blur affects objects in your project that are animated using behaviors or keyframes, creating more natural-looking motion in your project, even though the animation is artificial. As with a camera, faster objects have more blur; slower objects have less blur.
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The Motion Blur section of the Properties Inspector has two settings:
Samples: A slider to set the number of subframes rendered per frame, where one frame represents 360 degrees. Higher Samples values result in a higher-quality motion-blur effect, but are more processor-intensive. The default Samples value is 8. The maximum possible value is 256.
Shutter Angle: A slider to define the size of the motion blur that appears for animated objects. Increasing the shutter angle increases the number of frames over which the shutter is open.
The following image shows a shape keyframed to move quickly across the Canvas horizontally.
In the next image, Motion Blur is enabled and Samples is set to the default value of 8.
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Note: When using larger Shutter Angle values, it may be necessary to increase the Samples value to eliminate unwanted artifacts.
In the above image, the Shutter Angle is set to the default of 360 degrees, which represents 1 frame. In the following image, Shutter Angle is set to 600 degrees.
The Reflections section of the Properties Inspector has one parameter:
Maximum Bounces: A slider to limit the number of recursive reflections that can occur when two or more shiny objects reflect one another. This parameter is intended to prevent an endless repetition of reflective bounces.
For more information about reflections, see .
Cast a reflection
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Description field
At the bottom of the Properties Inspector is a field where you can enter a brief description of the project, including significant characteristics of the project preset, such as frame size and frame rate.
About project frame size
When you change the frame size of a project (via the Width and Height parameters in the Properties Inspector), you effectively change the size of the Canvas, increasing or reducing layout space for objects in the project.
Changing the size of the Canvas does not change the size or position of objects in the Canvas. Further, because the coordinate system in Motion uses 0, 0 as the center of the frame, all objects remain arranged in their current positions relative to the center of the frame as the edge of the frame shrinks toward the center. This can result in objects being cut off as the frame shrinks past their edges.
In the following example, a project with a frame size of 1280 x 720 is reduced to 320 x 240. The 720 x 480 video clip is smaller than the original frame size but bigger than the reduced frame size.
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Note: Because Motion is resolution-independent, it’s not usually necessary to change your project’s frame size. You can output a project at any size, regardless of the current frame size, by changing the settings in Motion’s Share windows. For example, if you build a project with a frame size for standard-definition broadcast, you can still export a half-resolution version of the project to post on the web by exporting to the necessary size.
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Add and manage content overview
After you create a project, you add media—video clips, still images, special effects, and so on—to create a composition. Motion provides two easy ways to add this content to your project:
File Browser: Locate external video clips, still images, and audio files on your computer or on networked storage devices, then import this media into your Motion project. See
.
Library: Search for high-quality content that comes with Motion (text styles, animated graphics, special effects, and so on), then add this content to your Motion project. See
.
The File Browser and Library, located on the left side of the Motion workspace, display all of your available content in hierarchical, searchable lists. Here you can also preview selected content before you add it to your Motion project.
Media files imported from your computer or networked devices become source media. Source media can be scaled (resolution), cropped, exchanged or replaced, duplicated, revealed in the Finder, and so on. See .

Add and manage content

File
Browser overview
Library
overview
Source media overview
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Import media files
File Browser overview
The easiest way to import external media files (video, audio, and
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still images on your computer or a connected storage device) into Motion is via the File Browser. When you open a Motion project, the File Browser is displayed on the left side of the workspace. The File Browser shows a hierarchal list of all files on your computer and networked storage devices. Navigating the File Browser is similar to navigating a window in the Finder.
The File Browser is divided into several areas:
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Preview area: At the top of the File Browser, a thumbnail image displays a video preview of any file selected in the navigation areas of the browser, along with information about the selected file, including filename, media type, file size, and frame rate.
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Navigation pane: Just below the Preview area is a list of servers, storage devices, and folders available on your computer. Navigation arrows and a pop-up menu let you step forward or back through recently viewed folders and devices.
File stack: When you select a server, device, or folder from the navigation pane, the contents of the selected item are shown in the lower area of the File Browser.
View the File Browser
If the File Browser is not visible in the Motion workspace, you can easily show it.
Do one of the following:
Click File Browser in the top-left corner of the Motion workspace.
Choose Window > File Browser (or press Command-1).
Collapse or expand the pane containing the File Browser, Library, and Inspector
Click the “i” button in the lower-left corner of the Motion workspace.
If it’s your first import
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By default, Motion places imported media files in your project at the location of the playhead (the current frame in the Timeline). You can change that setting to have imported media always placed at the start of your project (frame 1).
Set the start point of imported media
1. Choose Motion > Preferences (or press Command-Comma).
2. In the Project pane, set “Create Layers At” to one of the following:
Current frame: New media layers are added at the current playhead position.
Start of project: New media layers are added at the first frame of the project.
Import standard media files
You can import media files (video clips, audio clips, and still images) into a Motion project one at a time or severally.
Note: Although you can import iTunes and photo files via the File Browser, it’s better to add them via the iTunes and Photo categories in the Motion Library. When you add iTunes and photo files via the Library, you can browse for files using the playlist or photo album features. For more information, see .Add iTunes and
photo files from the Library
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Import media files into a Motion project
1. Navigate through the File Browser to locate media files to import.
To open a folder in the File Browser, click a folder in the upper navigation pane, then double-click a folder in the lower pane; to return to a previously viewed folder, click the left arrow button beneath the preview area, or choose a folder from the pop-up menu beneath the preview area, or press Command– Up Arrow.
2. Select one or more files to import.
In list view, Shift-click to select multiple contiguous files; Command-click to select multiple noncontiguous files.
3. To stop preview playback, move the pointer over the preview area and click the Pause button; to mute preview audio, click the Play/Mute button to the right of preview thumbnail.
4. Do any of the following:
Drag the file or files from the file stack to a location in the Canvas.
Click the Import button at the top of the File Browser to add the file or files to the center of the Canvas.
Drag the file or files into the empty lower area of the Layers list.
Drag the file or files into the empty lower area of the Timeline.
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The media files appear in the Canvas and in the Layers list (as layers inside a new group at the top of the list).
Import media files into an existing group in the Layers list
You can also import media clips and images into an existing group in the Layers list.
1. Navigate through the File Browser and select one or more media files.
2. To nest the media files in an existing group in the Layers list, do one of the following:
Drag the files on top of a group in the Layers list. The imported files appear as new layers in that group, placed above existing layers in the group.
Drag the files between any layers in a group. A position indicator shows where the layers will be placed when you
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release the mouse button.
Drag the files into the Timeline, placing them between any layers nested in an existing group.
Note: For more information on adding objects to the Timeline, see .
Import media files without using them in the composition
You can also add media files to your project without having them appear in the composition. You do this by dragging a file into the Media list, thereby storing media objects you might want to use in the future. When you import this way, the imported media does not appear in the Canvas or in the Layers list. However, the media remains available in the Media list.
1. In the Project pane, click Media to open the Media list.
2. Do one of the following:
Drag media files from the File Browser into the Media list.
Click the Add button (+) in the lower-left corner of the Project pane; then, in the Import Files dialog, select a file to add and click Import.
With the Media list active, choose File > Import (or press Command-I); then, in the Import Files dialog, select a file to add, and click Import.
Control-click in the Media list, choose Import Media from the shortcut menu, then add a file via the Import Files
Timeline overview
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dialog.
To import an image sequence in the Import Files dialog, select the Image Sequence checkbox. If this checkbox is deselected, only files selected in the Import dialog are imported.
The resulting media objects are added to the Media list but don’t appear in the Canvas, Layers list, or Timeline.
Import media files using the Import command
You can also import media files without using the File Browser. To do so, use the Import command.
1. Do any of the following:
Choose File > Import (or press Command-I).
Control-click an empty area of the Canvas (in the gray area outside the project), then choose Import from the shortcut menu.
The Import Files dialog appears.
2. Navigate to and select one or more media files, Shift-clicking to select contiguous items or Command-clicking to select noncontiguous items.
If you’re selecting items from an image sequence, select the Image Sequence checkbox to have Motion use each image as a frame in a movie clip.
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3. Click Import.
The media files appear in the Canvas, and as layers inside new groups at the top of the Layers list.
Note: When you import multiple files using the Import command, each media file is placed in a separate new group in your Motion project. However, when you import multiple files via the File Browser, the files are placed in a single new group in your Motion project.
Import media files and create a new Motion project at the same time
You can also create a new project for files at the time of import. To do so, use the Import as Project command.
1. Choose File > Import as Project or press Shift-Command-I.
The Import Files as Project dialog appears.
2. Navigate to and select the one or more media files, Shift­clicking to select contiguous items or Command-clicking to select noncontiguous items.
3. If needed, set the frame rate, aspect ratio, field order, and audio mix settings.
If you’re selecting items from an image sequence, select the Image Sequence checkbox to have Motion use each image as a frame in a movie clip.
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4. Click Import as Project.
The media files appear in a new Motion project.
Import layered Photoshop files
You can also import layered Photoshop files. Many motion graphics professionals create layouts in Photoshop, then import the resulting multilayered file into Motion, where the layers are animated and combined with other imported and Motion­generated objects.
There are several ways to import layered Photoshop files:
With all Photoshop layers merged together as a single Motion layer
With each Photoshop layer preserved as a separate Motion layer, nested in a new group
By choosing a single Photoshop layer
When you import all Photoshop layers as individual Motion layers, Motion places them in a new group in the Layers list and Timeline. Each layer retains the position, opacity, and blend mode of its corresponding original Photoshop layer.
Although you can import Photoshop text layers, the text appears in Motion as noneditable bitmap graphics.
The following Photoshop effects are not imported into Motion:
Layer effects
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Layer masks
Adjustment layers
Paths
Shapes
Import a layered Photoshop file using the drop menu
1. Drag a layered Photoshop file from the File Browser into the Canvas, Layers list, or Timeline.
2. Before releasing the mouse button, pause until the Canvas drop menu appears and the pointer becomes curved.
This menu presents commands for importing the layered file.
3. Continuing to hold down the mouse button, choose a command from the drop menu, then release the mouse button:
Import Merged Layers: All layers of the Photoshop file are collapsed into a single Motion layer.
Import All Layers: A group is created, and each layer of the Photoshop file is preserved as a separate Motion layer in this new group.
[Individual layers]: Each layer in the Photoshop file appears as a separate item in the drop menu. Selecting a layer adds only that layer to the project, where it appears as a
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single Motion layer.
Note: When a Photoshop file contains more layers than can be displayed in the drop menu, the Choose Layer option appears in the drop menu. After you click the Choose Layer option, the Pick Layer to Import dialog appears.
Add a layered Photoshop file using the Import command
1. Choose File > Import.
2. Select the layered Photoshop file to import, then click Import.
The Pick Layer to Import dialog appears.
3. Choose a command from the Layer Name pop-up menu:
Merged Layers: All layers of the Photoshop file are collapsed into a single Motion layer.
All Layers: A group is created, and each layer of the Photoshop file is preserved as a separate Motion layer in this group.
[Individual layers]: Each layer in the Photoshop file appears as a separate item in the drop menu. Selecting a layer adds only that layer to the project, where it appears as a single Motion layer.
If you don’t like the layer you chose, you can pick a different one from the Photoshop file without deleting or importing again. You do so by selecting the recently imported
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Photoshop layer, then choosing a different Photoshop layer from the Layer pop-up menu in the Properties Inspector.
Import image sequences
Sometimes, animated sequences are delivered as a series of sequentially numbered still images. Motion lets you import these sequences as a single object, with each image used as a sequential frame in a movie.
Import a series of numbered still images as a single object
1. Click the “Show image sequences as collapsed” button in the lower-right corner of the File Browser.
The File Browser displays multiple items collapsed into a single object.
2. Drag the object from the File Browser to the Canvas, Layers list, Timeline, or Media list.
Note: Images from digital cameras are often numbered sequentially but are not part of an animation sequence. To import a single still image from a digital camera, deselect the
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“Show image sequences as collapsed button.”
For more information, see .
Sort and search in the File Browser
You can display and sort files in the File Browser in any of several ways. In the File Browser, you can also search for files located on your computer or on connected storage devices.
View the File Browser in list view
Click the List View button in the lower-right corner of the File Browser.
About image sequences
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View the File Browser in icon view
Click the Icon View button in the lower-right corner of the File Browser.
Change the size of the icons while in icon view
Do one of the following:
Click the Scale button in the lower-left corner of the File Browser, then drag the slider to the right to make the icons larger, or to the left to make them smaller.
On a Multi-Touch trackpad, pinch open to make the icons larger or pinch closed to make the icons smaller.
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Sort the File Browser list
When the File Browser is in list view, you can sort the list by any column. This can be helpful if you are looking for a specific file and know the approximate size or modification date.
At the top of the file stack, click the header of the column to sort.
The column header is highlighted and the contents of the window are sorted by that column.
Search for a file
Click the Search button at the bottom of the File Browser, then enter text in the Search field.
The contents of the file stack are filtered to include only files whose names contain the entered text.
Note: The Search field is not available unless the Search button is selected.
Clear a file search
Click the Clear button at the right side of the Search field.
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Manage folders and files in the File Browser
In the File Browser, you can rename, move, or delete files. You can also change how files are displayed.
WARNING: Renaming, moving, or deleting folders or files via the File Browser affects those items on your computer or networked storage device. This can cause other Motion projects to list the affected media as missing. To relocate missing media, see
.
Rename a folder or file
Do one of the following:
Control-click the file or folder, and choose Rename from the shortcut menu; then, when the text field becomes active, enter the new name, and press Return.
In the file stack, click the name of the folder or file once to select it, then click it again to activate the text field, enter the new name, and press Return.
Delete a folder or file
Do one of the following:
In the file stack, Control-click the file, then choose Move to
Reconnect offline media files
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Trash from the shortcut menu.
Drag the file from the file stack to the Trash icon in the OS X Dock.
Create a folder
Click the Add button (+) in the lower-left corner of the File Browser.
A new folder with the name “untitled folder” is added to your computer or networked storage device (in the location selected in the file stack of the File Browser).
Move a file into a folder
In the file stack, drag the file onto a folder icon.
The file is moved inside that folder.
Note: Changes you make to your file structure in the Motion File Browser are reflected in the Finder.
Display the location of a file in the Finder
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Control-click a file in the file stack, then choose Reveal in Finder from the shortcut menu.
Preview a media file in a separate window
Do any of the following:
Open a file in a viewer window: Control-click a file in the file stack, then choose Open in Viewer from the shortcut menu.
Open a file in QuickTime Player: Control-click a file in the file stack, then choose Open in QuickTime Player from the shortcut menu.
About media file types
Supported media formats
You can import the following video, still image, and audio formats:
QuickTime video codecs
Animation
DV - PAL
DV/DVCPRO - NTSC
DVCPRO - PAL
DVCPRO HD 1080i50, 1080i60, 1080p25, 1080p30, and
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720p50, 720p60
DVCPRO50 - NTSC
DVCPRO50 - PAL
Uncompressed 8- and 10-bit 4:2:2
HDV 1080i50, 1080i60, 1080p24, 1080p25, and 720p24, 720p25, 720p30
Motion JPEG
MPEG IMX 525/60 (30Mb/s, 40 Mb/s, 50 Mb/s)
MPEG IMX 625/50 (30Mb/s, 40 Mb/s, 50 Mb/s)
Photo - JPEG
Apple ProRes 4444 XQ
Apple ProRes 4444
Apple ProRes 422 HQ
Apple ProRes 422
Apple ProRes 422 LT
Apple ProRes 422 Proxy
XDCAM HD 1080i50, 1080i60, 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p30 (35 Mb/s VBR)
H.263
H.264
Other codecs
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MXF
Still image formats
Photoshop
BMP
GIF
JPEG
PNG
TIFF
TGA
OpenEXR
Other image formats
Layered Photoshop files
PDF files
Audio formats
You can import audio files with sample rates up to 192 kHz and with bit depths up to 32 bits. Mono and stereo files are supported. Multichannel audio files are also supported. Motion supports the following audio file types:
AAC (listed in the Finder with the .m4p file extension)
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AIFF
CAF
WAV
Important: You cannot import rights-managed AAC files, such as non-iTunes Plus tracks purchased from the iTunes Store.
For more information about the file formats supported by Motion, go to the Motion website at
.
About QuickTime movies
Motion supports QuickTime movies using any file format (codec) installed on your computer.
Although you can import movies in nearly any codec, avoid using highly compressed clips in projects. Excessively compressed clips can display undesirable visual artifacts. Fortunately, QuickTime provides many codecs ideal for moving uncompressed or minimally compressed video files between applications, including Apple ProRes 4444 XQ, Apple ProRes 4444, Apple ProRes 422 HQ, Apple ProRes 422, Uncompressed 8- and 10-bit 4:2:2, Pixlet, None, Animation, Apple M-JPEG A and B, DVCPRO-50, and DV/DVCPRO.
Some codecs support alpha channels, which define areas of transparency in the clip. If a QuickTime clip has an alpha channel, Motion uses the alpha channel in your project.
You can combine clips that are compressed with different codecs in the same project. You can also combine clips that have
http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/motion
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different frame sizes, pixel aspect ratios, and interlacing.
About high-resolution still image files
You can import still image files using most popular still image formats, including SGI, Photoshop, BMP, JPEG, TIFF, TGA, and JPEG-2. As with video clips, you can mix still image files with differing frame sizes and pixel aspect ratios. For a full list of eligible file types, see .
A common and effective use of still images in motion graphics work is the animation of high-resolution files. The dots per inch (DPI) qualification as defined in programs like Photoshop does not apply to video. If the dimensions of an imported image are larger than the frame size of the Motion project, the image extends beyond the borders of the Canvas.
You can reduce the scale of the image to fit the project’s frame size. You can also animate the image’s Scale parameter (in the Properties Inspector) to zoom into or out of the image, or animate its Position parameter to pan the image.
Because Motion is graphics-card dependent, file-size import limitations vary from computer to computer. When you import an image that is too large, an alert dialog appears, stating: “This media is too large to render at full resolution, and will be shown at a lower quality.” Click OK to import the image at a lower quality. For more information on recommended graphics cards, visit the Motion website at .
For guidelines about working with high-resolution graphics, see
.
Supported media formats
http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/motion
About high-resolution graphics
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When you import a still image, the image assumes a duration equal to the current duration of the project. Increasing the duration of the project does not increase the duration of an image that’s imported. Still images have infinite duration in Motion, so you can stretch them in the Timeline to be as long as necessary. For more information about modifying objects in the Timeline, see
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Set the import size of large still images
You can set an option in the Preferences window to import large still images at their original size or scaled to fit the Canvas size.
1. Choose Motion > Preferences (or press Command-Comma).
2. In the Still Images & Layers area of the Project pane, click the Large Stills pop-up menu and choose a setting.
Timeline overview
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There are two options:
Do Nothing: Imports the image at its original size.
In the following example, a 2311 x 1525 image is imported into a Broadcast HD 1080 project (1920 x 1080) with Do Nothing selected in Preferences. The image is larger than the Canvas.
Scale to Canvas Size: Imports and scales the image to fit the project size while maintaining the image’s native aspect ratio.
In the following example, the same image is imported with Scale to Canvas Size selected in Preferences.
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The image is scaled—the equivalent of using the Select/Transform tool to scale down the image in the Canvas while pressing Shift.
To confirm that the image is merely transformed and has not changed resolution, you can select the image file in the Media list, then open the Media Inspector.
The Fixed Width and Fixed Height parameters display the resolution of the original file.
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About image sequences
Numbered image sequences store video clips as individual still image files. Each image file has a number in the filename that indicates where it fits into the sequence. In a film clip that’s been digitally scanned, each file represents a single frame. In a video clip that’s been converted to an image sequence, each file contains both fields of a single video frame, with the upper and lower lines of the image saved together.
Image sequences use the same variety of file formats as still image files. Some of the most popular formats for saving image sequences include SGI, BMP, JPEG, TIFF, and TGA. Like still image formats, many of these image sequence formats support alpha channels, which are used by Motion.
Because image sequences have been around for so long, they remain the lowest-common-denominator file format for exchanging video across editing and compositing applications. Although QuickTime is increasingly used to exchange video clips between platforms, image sequences are still used, especially in film compositing.
As with QuickTime video clips, you can mix image sequences of
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different formats, using different frame sizes, pixel aspect ratios, frame rates, and interlacing.
Important: Any imported image sequence must contain three or more digits of padding—for example, “imagename.0001.tif.”
Collapse image sequences
The “Show image sequences as collapsed” button at the bottom of the File Browser lets you display image sequences as a single object, rather than as the collection of files on your disk.
Note: You can turn this feature off for numbered image files that aren’t used as an image sequence. For example, pictures taken with digital cameras often have numbered filenames that can be mistaken for an image sequence.
About PDF files
The PDF file format is a PostScript-based document format that accommodates PostScript-based graphics and text, as well as bitmap graphics. Areas of transparency in a PDF file are also transparent in Motion.
PDF files are capable of storing PostScript-based illustrations. Unlike graphics file formats such as TIFF and JPEG, which save images as a collection of pixels at a given resolution divided into
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red, green, and blue channels, PostScript-based illustrations are saved as mathematical descriptions of how the artwork is drawn. As a result, PDF files using PostScript-based artwork and text have infinite resolution.
The practical difference between bitmap files and PostScript­based files is that scaling a bitmap beyond 100 percent results in the image progressively softening the more you increase its size. PostScript-based illustrations remain sharp and clear no matter how large or how small you scale them.
When importing a PDF file, its size is relative to the original page size of the file. As a result, even small graphics can have a large frame size, with empty space surrounding the graphic. When exporting a graphic as a PDF file for use in Motion, you may want to scale the graphic to fit the page dimensions, or reduce the page size in the source application’s page preferences to fit the graphic’s dimensions.
Fixing the resolution of a PDF object
Although PDF files have unlimited resolution, large PDF objects can consume a lot of video memory, which can hinder performance in Motion. To avoid this problem, limit the resolution of each PDF image to save video memory. By using fixed­resolution parameters, the files are rendered once, ensuring better performance.
The fixed-resolution parameters for PDF objects are adjusted in the Media Inspector. Select the PDF source media in the Media list to activate the Media pane of the Inspector. Adjust the following controls to modify the PDF’s fixed-resolution parameters:
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Pixel Aspect Ratio: A pop-up menu to assign a nonsquare pixel aspect ratio to the file. In most cases, the “From file” menu option is the best choice because it assigns the PDF source file’s native aspect ratio. Choose a different menu item only if you want to override that native setting.
Fixed Resolution: A checkbox that, when selected, fixes the resolution of PDF source media to the size specified in the Fixed Width and Fixed Height sliders.
Fixed Height: A slider to set the maximum vertical resolution to which a PDF object can be smoothly scaled.
Use Background Color: A checkbox that, when selected, substitutes a custom background color for transparent portions of the PDF. Choose the background color in Background Color controls (described below).
Background Color: Color controls (available when Use Background Color is selected) to set the background color for transparent portions of the PDF.
Crop: Sliders (Left, Right, Bottom, and Top) to crop the edges of the PDF image, if necessary. These controls crop the PDF source media (and all layers linked to that source media). To crop an individual layer, use the Crop parameters in the layer’s Properties Inspector.
Mixed content in PDF files
Although PDF files can contain a mix of PostScript-based art,
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PostScript text, and bitmapped graphics, each format has different scaling properties. PostScript-based art and text scale smoothly, but bitmapped graphics embedded in a PDF file are subject to the same scaling issues as other bitmapped graphics formats. As a result, bitmapped graphics can soften if scaled larger than their original size.
Note: Form objects, buttons, and JavaScript objects that are present in an imported PDF file do not appear in Motion.
Multipage PDF files
You can import multipage PDF files. When you do, a parameter called Page Number appears in the Properties Inspector when the PDF object is selected. Drag the slider to set which page is displayed in the Canvas. Animate this parameter to display different pages over time.
Important: Multilayered PDF files are not supported. To import a multilayered illustration, export each layer as a separate PDF file and import these as a nested group of objects in Motion.
About alpha channels
Ordinary video clips and image files have three channels of color information: red, green, and blue. Many video and image file formats also support an additional alpha channel, which contains information defining areas of transparency. An alpha channel is a grayscale channel where white represents areas of 100 percent opacity (solid), gray regions represent translucent areas, and black represents 0 percent opacity (transparent).
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