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224 Chapter 2 Creating and Managing Projects
The exchange operation allows you to replace layers in your project even after you’ve
modified and animated them. If you’re unhappy with a particular element of your
composition, exchange it with a new one.
Important: You can only exchange layers that are linked to media files on disk. You
cannot exchange Motion-generated objects such as particle systems, generators, or
text objects.
This operation allows you to use temporary layers in your project until the finished
layer is available. For example, if you’re expecting artwork from another artist that’s not
yet available, you can use a temporary graphic with the same dimensions, and then
exchange it when the final artwork becomes available.
This operation is extremely useful for customizing projects created using templates. For
more information, see “Customizing Projects Created with Templates” on page 250.
Note: You can only exchange individual layers in the Layers tab. It is not possible to
exchange objects in the Media tab.
To exchange a layer in your project in the Layers tab:
1 Drag a file from the File Browser onto a layer in the Layers tab.
2 When a curved pointer appears, release the mouse button.
The original layer in the Layers tab is replaced by the new object.
To replace a layer in the Media tab:
1 Select the object you want to replace in the Media tab.
2 In the Inspector, open the Media tab.
3 Click Replace Media File.
A dialog appears.
4 Navigate to the file you want to use to replace the current source media.
5 Click Open.
The new media object replaces the current object in the Media tab along with all layers
or objects linked to the media object in your project.
The curved pointer appears when you drag
a new object over an existing object’s
thumbnail.