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40 Chapter 1 3D Compositing
Lighting
Lighting can be applied to a motion graphics project to enhance the depth and scope
of compositions, or it can help in creating realistic environments for composites.
Motion’s lighting system only works on 3D groups and their children.
To add a light to a project:
m Choose Object > New Light (or press Command-Shift-L).
A light object is added to the Layers list, the Timeline, and the Canvas (represented
there by a wireframe icon), and the 3D transform tool in the Toolbar becomes active.
If you add a light to a project with no existing 3D groups, the following dialog appears:
If you select Keep as 2D, a light at the root level has no effect until you have at least
one root-level 3D group. By default, groups and objects display the shading from lights
as soon as lights are added.
How Lights Are Activated
A light is activated when it is a child of the following objects:
 The project (for example, a light is at the root level of the project)
 A flattened 3D group
Important: If you move a 3D group containing a light into a 2D group, the following
dialog appears, unless the group’s Flatten parameter is turned on:
Properties Affecting the Appearance of Lights
When you are adding lights to a scene, two groups of properties contribute to the
appearance of lights: light properties and object lighting properties. You can adjust
light properties by selecting a light object in your project, then modifying the
parameter values in the Light tab in the Inspector. You can manipulate object lighting
properties by selecting a nonlight object in your project (an image, movie clip, shape,
and so on), then adjusting the Lighting parameters in that object’s Properties tab.