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314Final Cut Pro User Guide
Modify surface appearance
Intro to 3D text materials in Final Cut Pro
3D titles in Final Cut Pro have properties designed to give them a natural and realistic
appearance. They respond to lighting conditions and exhibit shading, reflectivity, and other
attributes of real-world objects.
Attributes that define an object’s surface appearance are called materials.
After you create a 3D title, you can apply a preset material or create a custom material
composed of one or more material layers—image overlays that combine to create a
naturalistic 3D texture.
Think of material layers as the building blocks for creating an object in real life. For
example, you might begin creating an object by deciding what substance it should be made
of—wood, plastic, metal, and so on. Depending on what that basic substance is, the object
will have some fundamental properties, such as color, texture, and reflectivity. Next, you
apply paint or another finish to the object to change its color, sheen, and reflectivity. In
Final Cut Pro, you can even apply a “distress” layer to add a bit of texture, aging, or other
elements to make the object feel more organic and realistic.