Motion 4 User Manual
Copyright © 2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Your rights to the software are governed by the accompanying software license agreement. The owner or authorized user of a valid copy of Final Cut Studio software may reproduce this publication for the purpose of learning to use such software. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this publication or for providing paid for support services. The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Inc.
Contents Preface 13 13 14 14 Welcome to Motion About Motion About the Motion Documentation Additional Resources Chapter 1 15 15 17 18 About Motion and Motion Graphics General Motion Graphics Tools Tools and Techniques Specific to the Motion Application About Motion Projects Chapter 2 21 22 23 44 53 84 101 128 134 The Motion Interface Workspace Overview Utility Window Toolbar Canvas Project Pane Timing Pane Window Arrangements HUD Chapter 3 137 138 138 139 140 141 141 141 142 143 146 156 158 160
Chapter 4 161 161 162 164 166 168 171 171 177 179 Motion Menus Application Menu File Menu Edit Menu Mark Menu Object Menu Favorites Menu View Menu Window Menu Help Menu Chapter 5 181 182 184 186 189 191 193 195 197 202 Preferences General Pane Appearance Pane Project Pane Cache Pane Canvas Pane 3D Pane Output Pane Presets Pane Gestures Pane Chapter 6 205 205 219 226 232 243 248 251 252 253 259 264 280 Creating and Managing Projects Creating New Projects Managing Projects Browsing Media Files in M
317 319 343 345 349 Making Clone Layers Editing Opacity and Blending Parameters Drop Shadows Retiming Expose Commands Chapter 8 351 352 354 361 365 370 386 393 Using the Timeline About the Timeline Timeline Layers List Adding Objects to the Timeline Layers List Adding Objects to the Track Area Editing Objects in the Timeline Working in the Ruler Adding Markers Chapter 9 399 399 403 404 415 417 423 431 434 437 460 489 494 522 522 Using Behaviors Behavior Concepts Browsing for Behaviors Applying and Re
573 581 591 593 595 Modifying Keyframes Modifying Curves Mini-Curve Editor Animating on the Fly Keyframe Thinning Chapter 11 601 602 603 605 623 625 628 649 653 654 655 655 664 Working with Particles About Particle Systems Anatomy of a Particle System Using Particle Systems Creating Graphics and Animations for Particle Systems The Difference Between Emitter and Particle Cell Parameters Emitter and Cell Parameters Animating Objects in Particle Systems Viewing Animated Emitter Curves in the Keyframe Ed
72 775 776 779 781 782 789 808 812 813 825 835 837 844 845 Editing Text in the Inspector Editing Text Format Text Controls in the Format Pane Text Format-Related Tasks Editing Text Style Text Controls in the Style Pane Text Style-Related Tasks Using and Creating Preset Text Styles Editing Text Layout Text Controls in the Layout Pane Text Layout-Related Tasks Text Margin and Tab-Related Tasks Working with Text Glyphs Adding Behaviors and Filters to Text Using the Text HUD Chapter 14 849 850 853 876 879 8
957 959 959 961 972 974 992 1014 1021 1027 1028 1029 1052 1058 1061 Copying, Pasting, Moving and Duplicating Filters Reordering Filters Changing Filter Timing Blur Filters Border Filters Color Correction Filters Distortion Filters Glow Filters Keying Filters Matte Filters Sharpen Filters Stylize Filters Tiling Filters Time Filters Video Filters Chapter 17 1063 1064 1065 1066 1076 1105 1105 1128 1129 1131 1132 1133 1133 1151 1153 1157 1170 1174 1177 1178 1182 1184 Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Stroke
1208 1221 1224 1231 1241 Cameras 2D and 3D Group Intersection Lighting Shadows Reflections Chapter 19 1247 1248 1249 1250 1252 1252 1252 1257 1271 1274 1277 1278 1282 1283 1285 1304 Motion Tracking About Motion Tracking How a Tracker Works Motion Tracking Behaviors Shape Track Points Behavior Track Parameter Behavior General Motion Tracking Workflow Match Move Workflows Using a Non-Match Move Four-Point Track for Corner-Pinning Stabilize Workflow Unstabilize Workflow Track Points Workflow Track Paramete
Appendix A 1389 1389 1392 1393 1393 1395 1397 1399 About Rasterization Groups and Rasterization Text and Rasterization Shapes and Rasterization Particles and Rasterization Replicators and Rasterization Filters and Rasterization Shadows and Rasterization Appendix B 1401 1401 1404 1408 1410 1411 1413 1413 1414 1414 Video and File Formats Supported File Formats Standard Definition Versus High Definition Video Formats Popular Video Codecs for File Exchange What Is Field Order? Using Square or Nonsquare
1438 1438 1439 1440 1440 1442 1442 1443 1444 1445 Keyframe Editor Layers Library Media Tab Timeline Editing and Navigating Keyframing Commands Shape and Mask Commands Toolbar 3D Commands Using the Command Editor Appendix D 1453 1453 1458 1458 1462 Working with Final Cut Pro Using Motion with Final Cut Pro Rendering Motion Projects for Use in Final Cut Pro Using Motion Templates in Final Cut Pro Master Templates in Final Cut Pro Appendix E 1467 1467 1472 1477 1479 1486 Obsolete Text Behaviors Using th
Preface Welcome to Motion Motion is a behavior-driven motion graphics application that allows you to create stunning imaging effects for a wide variety of broadcast, video, and film projects. This preface covers the following: • About Motion (p. 13) • About the Motion Documentation (p. 14) • Additional Resources (p. 14) About Motion Motion lets you create sophisticated moving images and other visual effects on the fly and in real time.
About the Motion Documentation The Motion 4 User Manual (this document) contains detailed information about the Motion interface, commands, and menus and gives step-by-step instructions for creating Motion projects and for accomplishing specific tasks. It is written for users of all levels of experience. Additional Resources Along with the documentation that comes with Motion, there are a variety of resources you can use to find out more about the application.
About Motion and Motion Graphics 1 Motion graphics is a type of visual effects work most commonly associated with title sequences and show openers, bumpers and interstitials, and interface design like DVD menus. It is also frequently used in technical settings for simulations of moving systems such as traffic patterns or scientific models. Motion graphics usually incorporates multiple objects onscreen simultaneously and is typically governed by design considerations and a strong sense of visual impact.
Timing Tools The principal difference between traditional design and motion graphics design is that motion graphics design is time-based. Motion graphics artists are concerned with creating a well-composed and readable layout that can be manipulated over time.
Tools and Techniques Specific to the Motion Application As the field of motion graphics design has evolved, the tool sets in the most common applications have grown, but Motion takes a completely fresh approach to the task. It incorporates the cutting edge of software design and takes advantage of the latest powerful Apple hardware.
Mouse and Keyboard Shortcut Considerations 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 the user documentation (for example, Control-click the Toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar from the shortcut menu).
Groups and layers can be moved and animated by using behaviors or by setting keyframes. Filters can also be animated. A project represents a single flow of image data built from the bottom up. In a composite with a single group, the layers within that group are stacked above one another. Filters and behaviors that are applied to a layer appear beneath the object in the Layers tab.
The Motion Interface 2 This chapter introduces you to the Motion interface. It also describes how to work with all of the basic tools you need to get started. This chapter covers the following: • Workspace Overview (p. 22) • Utility Window (p. 23) • Toolbar (p. 44) • Canvas (p. 53) • Project Pane (p. 84) • Timing Pane (p. 101) • Window Arrangements (p. 128) • HUD (p.
Workspace Overview When you open Motion, the workspace fills your entire monitor, but the interface is actually made up of several independent windows. The sizes and arrangements of these windows are flexible to allow for the varying needs of different projects. There are additional panes and windows that can be displayed along with the default set. In the following example, the Project pane and Timing pane have been opened.
• Timing pane: The Timing pane appears at the bottom of the Canvas window and can be hidden to maximize the Canvas working area. The Timing pane contains three tabs that allow you to see and manipulate different aspects of the current project with an emphasis on how they are arranged in time. For more information, see Timing Pane. Utility Window When you open Motion, a utility window appears on the left side of the screen and contains the File Browser from which you can add files to your project.
In the default window layout, File Browser, Library, and Inspector tabs reside in a utility window on the left side of the Canvas. If you choose the Cinema layout, two utility windows are displayed, one on the left of the Canvas, containing the File Browser and Library, and one on the right side of the Canvas, containing the Inspector. As each of the three tabs can appear independently of one another, they are treated as separate entities below.
Note: When displayed in the Preview area, audio files contain a text description but no image preview. µ To play a preview of a file on disk Select the file in the File Browser. The preview starts playing. Note: If you do not want items to play automatically in the Preview area when you click them (in the File Browser or Library), you can turn off the “Play items automatically on a single click” checkbox in the General pane of Motion Preferences.
File Browser Sidebar The middle section of the File Browser contains navigational controls as well as a sidebar containing a list of servers, drives, and folders available on your computer. Forward/Back buttons Path pop-up menu View buttons Search field Clicking a drive or folder in the sidebar displays its contents in the file stack below. Above the list of drive and folder icons in the sidebar are several controls to navigate and sort the contents of the window.
You can Control-click a file in the File Browser stack to display a shortcut menu. For most items, the following options are available in the menu: • Open in Viewer: This option opens the file in a viewer window. • Open in QuickTime Player: This option opens the file in a QuickTime window. • Reveal in Finder: This option displays the location of the file in the Finder. • Rename: This option turns the name of the file into an active text field so that you can type a new name for the file.
To delete a folder or file Do one of the following: µ µ In the stack, Control-click the file, then choose Move to Trash from the shortcut menu. Drag the file from the stack to the Trash icon in the Dock. Warning: Deleting folders or files from within the Motion File Browser removes the files from your hard drive or network and places the files in your Trash. Organizing Your Files You can organize the files and folders displayed in the File Browser just as you manipulate files in the Finder.
µ To view the File Browser in list view Click the List View button to the right of the Path pop-up menu above the sidebar. List View Icon View In icon view, you can control the size of the icons using the scale slider at the bottom of the window. Scale slider µ µ To change the icon size Drag the icon scale slider to the right to make the icons larger and drag to the left to make them smaller.
Collapsing Animations Frequently, animated sequences may be delivered as a series of sequentially numbered still images. Motion can save you time by allowing you to import these sequences as a single object where each image becomes a sequential frame in a movie. To import a series of numbered still images as a single object 1 Click the “Show image sequences as collapsed” button. The File Browser displays multiple items collapsed into a single object.
Like the File Browser, the Library is divided into three sections. The top section is the Preview area; the middle section is the sidebar; and the bottom section is the file stack, where the actual effects and other objects are displayed. Library Preview Area The Preview area contains a visual preview and a Play button to show the multiple frames of moving footage, previews of filters, behaviors, generators, particle emitters, replicators, and so on.
Library Sidebar The middle section of the Library contains navigational controls as well as a list of folders of effect types and content available in Motion. Theme pop-up menu Forward/Back buttons Path pop-up menu View buttons Search field Clicking a folder in the sidebar displays its contents in the file stack below. Above the Library categories in the sidebar are several controls to navigate and sort the contents of the window.
• Emitters • Shapes • Gradients • Text styles • Shape styles • Layers or groups For more information about working with themes, see Working with Themes in the Library. Search field: Filters the contents of the file stack to include only those objects whose names contain the text you type into the Search field. Note: Folders containing no matches are filtered out. Library File Stack At the bottom section of the Library is the file stack, which displays the contents of the folder selected in the sidebar.
The Library contains the following categories: • Behaviors: Contains the Audio, Basic Motion, Camera, Motion Tracking, Parameter, Particles, Replicator, Retiming, Shape, Simulations, Text Animation, and Text Sequence behaviors. Different kinds of behaviors can only be applied to specific types of objects. For example, Text Animation and Text Sequence behaviors can only be applied to text. For more information on how to apply behaviors, see Applying Behaviors.
• Shape Styles: Contains a collection of preset shape styles that can be applied to shapes. You can drag the shape style directly to a shape in the project, or select the shape in the project first, select the shape style in the Library, then click Apply. Shape styles also appear in the Paint Stroke Tool HUD and the Shape Inspector. For more information, see Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes.
Note: To add behaviors and filters, a third option is available. You can select an object or objects in the project and use the Add Behavior or Add Filter icon in the Toolbar. You can also create custom particles and replicators (using an existing layer in your project) via the Make Particles and Replicator icons in the Toolbar. For more information on making custom particles, see Creating a Simple Custom Particle System.
µ To sort using the default themes, select the Content category, then choose the Folio, Traditions, or Learning theme from the Theme pop-up menu. Default themes are stored in your /Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/Motion/Library/ folder in the Themes file. To remove a theme 1 Choose the theme you want to remove from the Theme pop-up menu. The Remove Theme item becomes available in the Theme pop-up menu. 2 Choose Remove Theme from the Theme pop-up menu. The theme is removed from the list.
Icon View and List View The file stack can be displayed in icon view or list view. Icon view List view µ To view the Library in icon view Click the Icon View button to the right of the Path pop-up menu above the sidebar. µ To view the Library in list view Click the List View button to the right of the Path pop-up menu above the sidebar. List View Icon View In icon view, you can control the size of the icons using the scale slider at the bottom of the window.
You can save multiple objects to the Library as one file or multiple files. For example, if you create an effect using multiple filters and you want to save the cumulative effect of those filters to apply to other objects, you can save all of the filters as one item in the Library. Although you can save custom objects into their namesake folders, it is generally recommended that you save customized objects that you use frequently in the Favorites category.
When you Control-click the icon, the Edit Description option becomes available. This is a handy tool that allows you to enter custom notes about an item saved in the Library. Once you choose Edit Description, enter your notes in the text field and click OK. Inspector Every effect and element in Motion, from behaviors to particle systems to gradients, is controlled by a collection of parameters that modify the various attributes for that effect.
Note: Different parameters are available in the Properties tab depending on the type of object that is selected. For example, when a 3D group is selected, the Lighting parameter appears in the tab and the Crop, Drop Shadow, and Four Corner parameters do not. Behaviors When behaviors are applied to an object, the parameters associated with the behaviors appear in the Behaviors tab when that object is selected.
Note: A scene camera is a camera that is added to a project, as opposed to a default camera view that you choose in the upper-left corner of the Canvas, such as Top, Right, or Perspective. • Light: Appears when a light is selected and contains controls that allow you to change the light type, color, intensity, and so on. For more information on working with lights, see Lighting. • Media: Appears when an item is selected in the Media tab of the Project pane (for more information see Project Pane).
• Advanced: Contains controls that allow the dabs of a paint stroke to be animated like particles. • Geometry: Contains controls that allow you to change the shape type, to close or open a shape, and to individually adjust the position of a shape’s control points using value sliders. For more information on working with shapes, see Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes. • Emitter: Appears when a particle emitter is selected.
µ Choose Window > Create Locked Inspector. To unlock the Inspector Do one of the following: µ µ Click the unlocked lock icon in the upper-right corner of the Preview area of the Inspector. Choose Window > Create Unlocked Inspector. Toolbar Motion’s Toolbar is located at the top of the main window. The default set of controls provides access to all of the tools you need for manipulating objects in the Canvas and elsewhere in the application.
On the top-right side of the Toolbar is a series of icons that adjust the Motion interface. These controls hide and show the various panes, tabs, and windows that comprise the Motion interface. The following tables itemize each of the tools in the default tool set, by group. The first group is the View set. Once you have selected a tool and an object in the Canvas, you can switch between tools by pressing the Tab key. Press Shift-Tab to cycle through the tools in the reverse order.
Button Keyboard shortcut Description Adjust Glyph tool S (Press Tab to cycle through tools.) Available when a text object is selected, allows you to modify the position and X, Y, or Z rotation for individual characters (glyphs) in a text object. Adjust Item tool S (Press Tab to cycle through tools.) A contextual tool that allows you to modify special controls such as the center point of a Circle Blur, or the shape of a particle emitter or replicator, or the start and end points of a gradient.
Button Tool name Keyboard shortcut Rectangle tool R Creates a new rectangle shape in the Canvas and adds a shape layer to the Layers tab. Click at the position where you want one corner to appear and drag to the position of the opposite corner. Pressing Shift while you drag constrains the layer to a square. Circle tool C Creates a new circle shape in the Canvas and adds a shape layer to the Layers tab. Click at the position where one edge of the circle should begin and drag toward the opposite edge.
Mask Tools The Mask tools can only be accessed when a layer (a visible object in the Canvas, such as an image or replicator) or 2D group is selected. Using a Mask tool creates a new mask that hides portions of the selected layer. By default, the area inside the mask remains visible. Masks have their own set of controls available in the Inspector. For more information about masks, see Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes. The first button in each group activates any available subtools.
Icon Icon name Description New Camera Adds a new camera to the workspace. When you add a camera to a 2D project, a dialog appears asking if you want to convert your 2D groups to 3D groups. Although a camera can be added to a 2D project, the camera has no effect on a 2D group. Add Behavior Activates a pop-up menu of behaviors. Choosing an item from the menu applies that behavior to the selected object(s).
Icon Icon name Keyboard shortcut HUD F7, D F7 turns display of the HUD on and off. If the HUD is not displayed, press D. Once the HUD is displayed, pressing D cycles through the HUDs for the selected object. File Browser Command-1 Shows/hides the File Browser. Hides and shows the utility window if the File Browser is the only open tab. Library Command-2 Shows/hides the Library. Hides and shows the utility window if the Library is the only open tab.
Spaces and Separators In addition to adding and arranging controls in the Toolbar, you can add spaces, flexible spaces, and separators to arrange and group the contents of your Toolbar. • Separator: A separator adds a dotted vertical line between two controls. The separator has no function other than as an organizational tool. The default layout uses a separator between the effects icons and the interface icons. • Space: A space adds a single icon’s width of space between other controls.
Button Icon name Description Media Shows or hides the Media tab in the Project pane. Audio Shows or hides the Audio tab in the Project pane. Timeline Shows or hides the Timeline in the Timing pane. Keyframe Editor Shows or hides the Keyframe Editor in the Timing pane. Audio Editor Shows or hides the Audio Editor in the Timing pane. Template Browser Opens the Template Browser. For more information on using the Template Browser, see Creating New Projects from Templates.
µ Choose an option from the Show pop-up menu in the lower-left corner of the Customize Toolbar dialog. Icon & Text Icon Only Text Only Hiding the Toolbar Once you get familiar with the common controls and the keyboard shortcuts, you may want to hide the Toolbar altogether to simplify the interface and provide more room for the Canvas. To hide the Toolbar Do one of the following: µ µ µ Click the Toolbar button in the upper-right corner of the main window. Choose View > Hide Toolbar.
When you want to watch your project play back, the transport controls at the bottom of this window (below the Canvas) allow you to play your project at regular speed or frame by frame. The mini-Timeline lies just above the transport controls and below the main body of the window. This control provides a view of where selected layers in the Canvas begin and end in time. Mini-Timeline Transport controls Whatever you see in the Canvas reflects exactly what you get when you export or output your project.
µ To use the Canvas shortcut menu Control-click an empty area of the Canvas (in the gray area outside of the actual project) and choose an option from the shortcut menu: • New Group: Adds a new group to the project above any existing groups in the Layers tab. • Import: Opens the Import dialog, which allows you to import files from the Finder. • Paste: Pastes any item that has been copied to the Clipboard into a new group in the project. The new group is added above any existing groups in the Layers tab.
This procedure allows you to see the exact color and alpha values of the examined pixel. You can view the color numerically in one of three formats: • RGBA: The red, green, blue, and alpha components of the color are represented in values from 0–255. • RGBA (percent): The red, green, blue, and alpha components of the color are represented in values from 1–100. • HSV: The hue is represented from 1–360, and the saturation and value (luminance) are represented in values from 1–100.
You can also turn the Status Bar items on and off in the Appearance Preferences pane. To display Motion Preferences, choose Motion > Preferences. Canvas View Options This section discusses the various ways to view the Canvas using the view options menus just above the top-right corner of the Canvas. View options Zoom Level pop-up menu: The Zoom Level pop-up menu offers several different default zoom levels. Zooming the Canvas does not actually change the size of the images in your project.
Note: The Background pop-up menu in the General tab of the Project Properties dialog must be set to Solid in order to export the background color with the project. This option creates a solid alpha channel on export (when exporting using a codec that supports alpha channels). When the Background pop-up menu is set to Transparent, the color is visible in the Canvas, but does not render as part of the alpha channel. • Transparent: Shows the background area of the Canvas as transparent.
• Normal: The default setting, renders objects in the Canvas at a medium quality. Shapes are antialiased, but 3D intersections are not. Floating point (32-bit) footage is truncated to 8-bit. • Best: Renders objects in the Canvas at best quality, which includes higher quality image resampling, antialiased intersections, and antialiased particle edges. If the project contains any floating point QuickTime images, the floating point versions of those files are loaded and rendered in float.
When Motion Blur is enabled in the View pull-down menu (View > Render Options > Motion Blur) and you are using the default export preset (“Movie - current project and canvas settings”), your project is exported with motion blur. (The default codec used is Apple ProRes 4444.) When this default setting is used, any options chosen in the View pop-up menu (or the View pull-down menu), as well as settings in the Project Properties dialog, are exported.
When this setting is turned on in the View menu and you are using the default export preset (“Movie - current project and canvas settings”), your project is exported with frame blending. (The default codec used is Apple ProRes 4444.) When this default setting is used, any options chosen in the View pop-up menu (or the View pull-down menu), as well as settings in the Project Properties dialog, are exported. However, if you choose any other preset, frame blending is enabled based on the selected preset.
• Safe Zones: Turns display of the title safe and action safe guides on and off. By default, these guides are set at 80% and 90%. You can change these settings and the color of the guides in the Canvas pane of Motion Preferences. Note: You can also press the Apostrophe key (’). • Film Zone: Turns display of the film aspect ratio guides on and off. This can be helpful if you are creating a project for videotape that is to be transferred to film.
Holding the pointer over the 3D Compass exposes color-coded shortcuts to the reference camera views. Click any of the colored view icons, such as Front, Left, Right, Perspective, and so on to switch to that corresponding camera view. The Canvas animates as it changes to the new view. For more information on working with the 3D Compass and the different views, see Views. 3D Compass 3D Compass showing camera shortcuts • Inset View: Turns the Inset view in the Canvas on and off.
• 3D Grid: Turns the grid in the Canvas on and off. The 3D grid helps you stay oriented and can be used to guide the placement of objects in your project. The 3D grid only appears when you are in a 3D workspace. • 3D Scene Icons: Turns the display of the cameras and lights in the Canvas on or off. The scene icons appear in the Canvas as yellow wireframe icons. Lights appear with red (X), green (Y), and blue (Z) adjust 3D handles that let you transform and rotate the light object.
• Show Full View Area: When enabled, this setting lets you see the portion of a layer that extends beyond the edge of the Canvas. This setting is disabled by default, as it slows your project’s interactivity. • Use Drop Zones: Turns drop zones on and off. When turned on, a checkmark will appear next to the menu item, and drop zones will accept objects dragged to them. When turned off, drop zones will ignore objects dropped onto them. For more information on using drop zones, see Drop Zones.
• Two-up, side by side: Displays two windows in the Canvas, one next to the other. • Two-up, top and bottom: Displays two windows in the Canvas, one on top of the other. • Three-up, large window below: Displays three windows, two next to each other on top and a larger window below. • Three-up, large window right: Displays three windows, two stacked on the left side and a larger window spanning the right side.
• Custom: Whereas Draft, Normal, and Best automatically define the render quality settings, Custom allows you to pick and choose the individual quality settings in the Advanced Quality Options dialog. High Quality Resampling: Turns on high-quality resampling. Text Quality: Sets text render quality to Low, Medium, or High. When High is selected, it may slow down project interactivity.
2 Optional: Select a name and location for the saved file. 3 In the Export dialog, click the Options button next to the Export pop-up menu. 4 In the Output tab of the Export Options dialog, turn off “Use current project and canvas settings.” 5 Deselect the Field Rendering checkbox. Note: If you have already chosen another export preset from the Use pop-up menu in the Export dialog, “Use current project and canvas settings” is turned off.
The options in the Output tab become available, including Resolution, Color, Frame Rate, Camera, Lighting, Render Quality, Field Rendering, Motion Blur, and Frame Blending settings. When the Frame Blending checkbox is selected in the Output tab, the project is exported with frame blending regardless of the Frame Blending status in the View pop-up menu.
µ To zoom in and out of a specific area of the Canvas Hold down the Space bar and Command key (in that order), then drag the area of the Canvas you want to zoom. While still holding down the keys, click the mouse button to zoom in 50 percent increments of the current zoom level. Press Space bar-Command-Option (in that order), then click to zoom out in 50 percent increments of the current zoom level. Note: To pan the Canvas without selecting the Pan tool, hold down the Space bar and drag in the Canvas.
Note: Guides must be enabled in the View menu (press Command-Semicolon) to display the guides. The ruler units are in pixels, with the 0,0 point in the center of the Canvas. 3 When the guide is in the location you want, release the mouse button. To simultaneously add a horizontal and vertical guide to the Canvas 1 In the Toolbar, click the Select/Transform tool (or press S). 2 Drag from the corner in which the rulers meet into the Canvas.
Canvas in 3D Mode In addition to the traditional 2D project workspace, Motion provides a 3D workspace in which to arrange and animate objects, including groups, layers, cameras, and lights. When you switch to 3D mode, additional controls become available in the Canvas that reflect the new environment. A small set of 3D View tools appears in the upper-right corner of the Canvas window, and a 3D Compass appears in the lower-left corner.
µ To use the 3D View tools Drag the Pan, Orbit, or Dolly tool from the 3D View tools. Like a camera move, the view moves, rotates, or zooms. Pan Dolly Orbit Editing camera Important: The gray editing camera icon appears beside the 3D View tools when a user-created scene camera is active. This icon is a reminder that when you use the 3D View tools, you are moving the scene camera which will affect your export.
Scale handles appear around the edge of the object, and three colored 3D axis handles appear at the anchor point of the object. Each arrow-shaped handle corresponds to an axis along which you can move the object. 3D axis handles appear as colored arrows. 2 Drag the appropriate transform handle, and the object moves along the selected axis. The red axis is X (horizontal), the green axis is Y (vertical), and the blue axis is Z (depth).
To reset a transformed object 1 Select the object you want to reset. 2 In the Properties tab of the Inspector, click the Transform parameters reset button. Reset button For more information on working in 3D and using the 3D transform tools in the HUD, see 3D Compositing. Playing Your Project Use the transport controls at the bottom of the Canvas to play your project and see how it looks over time. You can set playback to loop as well as set playback to begin and end on certain frames in your project.
Go to next frame: Advances the playhead by one frame. Clicking the button (or holding down the shortcut key) advances the project one frame at a time. The keyboard shortcut is the Right Arrow (or Page Down) key. Note: If you are working on a Mac with a Multi-Touch trackpad, you can rotate right to go to the next frame. Play/Mute audio: Turns audio playback on or off. Note: Turning audio off may improve your playback performance. Record: Enables or disables animation recording.
The RAM Preview dialog appears, and displays a progress bar. When the RAM Preview is completed, the dialog closes. When a section of your project is currently stored in RAM, the Timeline and the mini-Timeline turn green to indicate which frames are stored. RAM Preview indicators RAM Previewing Regions Previewing large sections of your project using RAM Preview requires large quantities of RAM to store the frames. You may not have enough RAM to store all of the frames you want to preview.
Note: Working in 32-bit float color space has no effect on your RAM Preview. Although the project is rendered in float, the preview is down-converted to 8-bit for display on your monitor. Clearing the RAM Preview You can manually delete the RAM Preview to make room for a new RAM Preview or to free up RAM for other operations. µ To clear the RAM Preview Choose Mark > RAM Preview > Clear RAM Preview. Mini-Timeline The mini-Timeline lies just above the transport controls and below the Canvas.
To add an object to the mini-Timeline 1 Drag the object from the File Browser to the mini-Timeline. As you drag, a tooltip appears to indicate the frame where your edit will take place. 2 When you reach the desired frame, release the mouse button. The object is added to the project beginning at that frame. You can also add multiple objects to the mini-Timeline at once. You can choose to add the objects sequentially (one after another) or as a composite (all at the same point in time).
A tooltip appears to indicate the new In and Out point of the object, as well as the amount of change from the previous position. 3 When you reach the position you want, release the mouse button. To shorten or lengthen an object 1 Select the object to display it in the mini-Timeline. 2 Position the pointer over the beginning or ending edge of the object. The pointer changes to a trim pointer. Start of media Trim pointer 3 Drag the edge of the object to change its duration.
Note: You cannot slip a clip unless it has been trimmed first. For more information, see Slipping Objects. µ To snap the playhead to a project marker in the mini-Timeline Press Shift and drag the playhead in the mini-Timeline. Timecode and Current Frame Fields There are two timecode fields at the bottom of the Canvas, to the left and right of the transport controls. The field to the left is the current frame field that shows the frame or timecode number where the playhead is positioned.
µ To change the duration in seconds, minutes, or hours, type the following in the project duration field To set the duration in seconds, type the number of seconds followed by a period. For example, to create a 10-second project, type “10.” (10 followed by a period) in the field, then press Return. µ To set the duration in minutes, type the number of minutes followed by two periods. For example, to create a 10-minute project, type “10..” (10 followed by two periods) in the field, then press Return.
To switch between timecode and frame numbers Do one of the following: µ Click the current frame icon directly to the left of the current frame field. µ Click the duration icon directly to the left of the project duration field. Duration icon Clicking either icon switches between frame and timecode view for all controls in all open projects. Counting Time Motion offers two different ways of looking at the frame numbers for your project.
Project Pane The Project pane contains three tabs, each of which provides access to a different aspect of your project. The Layers tab displays the hierarchy of objects (groups, layers, cameras, lights, behaviors, filters, and so on) in your project. The Media tab shows all the files imported into your project, with an option to show the media whether or not it appears in the Canvas. The Audio tab provides access to, and control of, any audio files in your project.
You can also switch the arrangement of the windows so the Project pane appears on the right side of the Canvas. Note: When the Project pane is on the right side of the Canvas, and you are using a Multi-Touch trackpad, three-finger swipe in the opposite direction to show and hide the pane. µ To switch the sides of the Canvas and Project panes Choose Window > Layouts > Swap Project Pane and Canvas. The Project pane contains three tabs: Layers, Media, and Audio.
To display the Layers tab Do one of the following: µ Click the Project icon in the Toolbar. µ µ µ Choose Window > Layers. Press Command-4. If the Project pane is already visible, click the Layers tab at the top of the pane. The information is displayed in a column view and there are many controls to let you customize the view while you are working. You can resize or rearrange the columns and you can hide certain columns and display others that are not visible in the default set.
The button has an active and inactive state. Clicking the Isolate button for a layer or group sets that object to its original face-forward orientation (so you can apply a mask, for example). Clicking the button again returns to the previous view. Clicking the Isolate button for a camera takes you to that camera’s view. Note: When a group or layer is isolated, the name of the item replaces the current camera listing in the Camera menu (in the upper-left corner of the Canvas).
Note: Blend mode can also be changed by Control-clicking the item in the Layers tab (or Timeline layers list, then choosing a new Blend Mode option from the shortcut menu. Likewise the blend mode of an object can be modified in the object’s HUD, or in the Properties tab of the Inspector. Working in the Layers Tab You can customize the Layers tab in a variety of ways to accommodate different working styles and the needs of different projects.
To create a new group in the Layers tab Do one of the following: µ µ Click the Add button (+) in the upper-left corner of the tab. Choose Object > New Group (or press Command-Shift-N). A new empty group is added at the top of the list. Note: You can also create new groups when dragging files to the Layers tab from the File Browser or Library. For more information, see Adding Files to Your Project.
µ To stop filtering and return to the complete list Click the Clear button inside the Search field. The Search field is cleared and the Layers tab returns to the unfiltered view. Hiding and Showing Effects Masks, behaviors, and filters can be turned on and off in the Layers tab by using the buttons at the bottom-right corner of the tab.
Turning Effects On and Off When certain effects are applied to a layer or group, icons appear in the Name column for that item. This lets you know that such an effect is applied, especially if you have the effects hidden. There are icons for masks, filters, and behaviors. Additionally, these icons let you turn the effects on and off in the Canvas.
• Paste: Places the contents of the Clipboard in the current location. • Duplicate: Creates a new layer identical to the selection. • Delete: Removes the selected layer. • Group: Places the selected layers into a group. (For more information on working with groups, see Grouping and Ungrouping Layers.) • Ungroup: Restores the components to their ungrouped state if the selection contains a group. • Active: Turns the layer on or off. This is equivalent to clicking the activation checkbox in the On column.
To display the Media tab Do one of the following: µ µ µ µ Choose Window > Media. Press Command-5. If the Project pane is already visible, click the Media tab at the top of the pane. To display the additional columns in the Media tab, drag the divider between the Project pane and the Canvas (the vertical bar on the right side of the window). Media Tab Column Headers The Media tab provides a great deal of technical information about the media files in your project.
• Data Rate: Displays the number of bytes per second at which the media file plays. • Aud Rate: Displays the sample rate in the audio track, measured in kilohertz (kHz). • Aud Format: Displays the bits per sample (usually 8, 16, or 24) and the number of channels (usually mono, stereo, or multi-channel) of the audio track. • File Size: Displays the overall file size of the media on disk. • File Created: Displays the creation date of the media.
Adding and Removing Media The Media tab has controls to add new files and to remove existing files from the project. To add a file to the Media tab Do one of the following: µ Click the Add button (+) in the upper-left corner of the tab. In the Import Files dialog, navigate to the file you want to add to your project, select the file, then click Import. Note: To import an image sequence, turn on the Image Sequence checkbox.
When an item is selected in the tab, the shortcut menu provides the following commands: • Open in Viewer: Opens the selected item in the viewer window. This is equivalent to double-clicking a file in the File Browser. • Open in QuickTime Player: Opens the selected item in the QuickTime Player application. • Reveal in Finder: Switches out of Motion, and opens a Finder window where the Media file resides on disk.
µ To sort the items in a column by type of file in the Media tab Click the column header. Click the column header to sort by that column’s data type. Note: Sorting does not work in the Layers tab or Timeline layers list. The layers are sorted in the column and a small arrow appears indicating the direction of the sort. The arrow in the column header indicates the direction of the sort. µ To reverse the direction of the sort Click the header of the column that contains the small arrow.
Audio Tab The Audio tab lists all of the audio files and files that contain audio (such as a multitrack QuickTime movie) in your project. You can modify the levels of the individual files or modify the overall audio level of the project. For more information on working with audio in Motion, see Working with Audio. To display the Audio tab Do one of the following: µ µ µ Choose Window > Audio. Press Command-6. If the Project pane is already visible, click the Audio tab at the top of the pane.
Status: Contains Mute and Solo buttons to control audio playback for the file. When the Mute button is active, all sound from that file is removed from the mix. When the button is inactive, audio from the file plays back based on the level slider in the Name column. Mute Solo When the Solo button is active, other nonsoloed audio elements do not play. This allows you to temporarily play a single item without hearing the other files in the mix. You can solo more than one file.
Note: When importing a QuickTime movie that contains multiple audio tracks, select Mix to Stereo in the Import Files dialog to import the file with a single audio track. Select Import All Tracks to import the file with individual tracks. To remove a file from the Audio tab Do one of the following: µ Select the file you want to remove, then click the Delete button (–) in the upper-left corner of the tab. µ µ Control-click the file, then choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
When no items are selected in the tab, the shortcut menu provides a different set of commands: • Import Audio: This option appears when no files are selected in the Audio tab. Opens the Import Files dialog, which you can use to navigate to the audio file you want to import. • Paste: This option appears when no files are selected in the Audio tab. Pastes any audio data that is currently in the Clipboard into the Audio tab and Media tab.
All of this can be accomplished in the Timing pane, which appears at the bottom of the Canvas. To display the Timing pane Do one of the following: µ µ Drag the divider on the bottom edge of the Canvas. Click the Timing icon in the upper-right corner of the Toolbar. Timing icon µ µ µ µ 102 Choose Window > Timeline (or press Command-7). Press F6. Use a vertical three-finger swipe on a Multi-Touch trackpad. Choose Window > Layouts > Cinema (or press Option-Control-U).
Timeline The Timeline is the most general of the tabs in the Timing pane. It can display not only the visual elements in your project (the layers), but also audio tracks, cameras, lights, keyframes, and effects such as masks, behaviors, and filters. For more information on using the Timeline, see Using the Timeline. To display the Timeline tab Do one of the following: µ µ Choose Window > Timeline (or press Command-7).
On (not labeled): This column (identical to the On column in the Layers tab) contains an activation checkbox to the left of each object that turns the visibility of the object on and off. When the object visibility is turned off, you can still modify the object’s parameters and manipulate its onscreen controls. Name (not labeled): Identifies the object by name. (This column is identical to the Name column in the Layers tab.
Timeline Track Area The main part of the Timeline tab, to the right of the Timeline layers list, is called the track area. Objects in your project are each represented by a colored bar. Different colors represent different types of objects. For example, behaviors and filters are purple and audio layers are green. For a complete table of colors, see Timeline Tracks. Group tracks differ from individual object tracks in two ways.
The playhead tracks the frame currently visible in the Canvas. You can drag the playhead or reposition it using the transport controls described inPlaying Your Project. The playhead in the Timeline and the playhead in the mini-Timeline are linked. Moving one automatically moves the other. The play range indicators limit the area of the project to be played. For more on setting and using the play range, see Defining the Play Range.
Timeline Tab Display Options As with the Layers tab, you can choose to show or hide effects such as masks, filters, and behaviors. Additionally, the Timeline lets you display keyframes. You can also choose to display audio tracks and, if audio tracks are displayed, you can hide groups and layers. All of these display options are controlled by the row of buttons in the lower-left corner of the Timeline tab.
Audio files appear in a separate section from other objects. You can move the divider between the audio and video sections of the Timeline to show more or less of each section. Divider µ To turn on or off the display of audio files Click the Show/Hide Audio button in the lower-left corner of the Timeline tab. µ To turn on or off the display of layers and groups Click the Show/Hide Layers button in the lower-left corner of the Timeline tab.
µ Click one of the “Set timeline row size” buttons at the bottom of the tab. To change the width of the Timeline layers list 1 Position the pointer over the rightmost edge of the Timeline layers list. 2 When the pointer changes to the column adjust pointer, drag left or right. Adding and Removing Groups The Timeline has controls to add new groups and to remove existing layers from the project.
Note: To advance or rewind more rapidly, press Shift while dragging in the current frame value slider. µ With the Timeline active, type the timecode or frame number where you want to move the playhead. Press Return to jump to that frame. µ To move forward a specific number of frames Type a plus sign (+) and then the number of frames you want to move forward. µ To move backward a specific number of frames Type a minus sign (–) and then the number of frames you want to move backward.
Zooming in the Timeline As you get familiar with using the Timeline, you will find yourself wanting to focus on an individual edit point one second, and the next, you’ll want to see the overview of your whole project. Fortunately, you can quickly zoom in and out on the Timeline using a variety of different tools. The bottom of the Timeline contains a zoom slider and a scroller.
µ Choose View > Zoom Time View > To Play Range. Note: An object must be selected in the Timeline layers list in order to access the Zoom Time View options in the View menu. µ Control-click the ruler, then choose Zoom to Play Range from the shortcut menu. The Zoom Time View button switches between the Zoom to Play Range and Zoom to Project settings. If no play range is established, choosing Zoom to Play Range performs a Zoom to Project.
Keyframe Editor The Keyframe Editor is where you can view and modify the individual attributes of filters, behaviors, and other effects over time. Each parameter can be displayed as a curve showing how the parameter’s value changes over time. You can manipulate the points within that curve (called keyframes) to create a variety of powerful effects. For more information on using the Keyframe Editor, see Keyframes and Curves.
Keyframe Basics You animate an object by creating at least two keyframes for a parameter, such as Opacity, at different points in time in a project. A keyframe is a point in time that records any change in the value of a parameter. For example, to create an animation in which an object is completely transparent at frame 1 and becomes completely opaque at frame 120, you create two keyframes: an Opacity keyframe set to a value of 0% at frame 1 and an Opacity keyframe set to a value of 100% at frame 120.
When the selected object is not animated, nothing appears in the Keyframe Editor. • Modified: This option displays only the curves that have been modified for the currently selected object. This includes modifications that are not animated. For example, if you change the color of a shape (without animating the color change), the parameter appears in the Modified list because the color was changed from the default color. Animated parameters also appear in the list.
• New Curve Set: Allows you to create a custom curve set. • Manage Curve Sets: Allows you to manage (delete, duplicate, and so on) your custom curve sets. Note: For more information on using curve sets, see Custom Parameter Sets. Current Frame Field: The current frame field appears between the Show pop-up menu and the keyframe edit tools. Current frame field For more information, see Timecode and Current Frame Fields.
• Animation menu (not labeled): The last column contains a pop-up menu to control animation and keyframing attributes for that parameter. The menu contains the following items: • Enable/Disable Animation: Remains unavailable until keyframing is applied to the parameter, either by using the Record button or by directly adding a keyframe. Once the parameter is animated, the menu item is automatically renamed to Disable Animation.
• Reduce Keyframes: Applies a “thinning” algorithm to the keyframes for the selected parameter. This reduces the number of keyframes in a parameter while attempting to maintain a similar curve shape. For more information on keyframe thinning, see Keyframe Thinning. • Set to Curve Snapshot: If “Take/Show curve snapshot” is turned on (see Keyframe Editor Control Buttons.), this option reverts any keyframe changes made in the currently selected curve back to the most recent snapshot.
Show audio waveform: Turns on the display of audio waveforms for the selected object. When “Show audio waveform” is turned on and the project contains at least one audio file, a pop-up menu at the bottom of the Keyframe Editor allows you to view the waveform of the master audio track or any individual audio track in the project. The waveform of the track selected in this list is displayed in the Keyframe Editor. Click to display a list of audio tracks in the project.
Keyframe Graph The remainder of the Keyframe Editor tab contains the keyframe graph. This area displays all of the curves and keyframes for the selected parameters. Parameters are represented by different colors. Keyframes appear as diamonds and curves appear as solid lines. Areas before the first keyframe and after the last keyframe are represented by dotted lines. Selected parameters and keyframes appear white. You can manipulate keyframes directly by dragging them in the graph.
µ To zoom the Keyframe Editor using the zoom slider Drag the zoom slider left to zoom in or right to zoom out. The Keyframe Editor updates as you drag. µ To zoom the Keyframe Editor using the scroller Drag the handle of the scroller away from the center to zoom out and toward the center to zoom in. The Keyframe Editor updates as you drag. µ To zoom the Keyframe Editor using a Multi-Touch trackpad Pinch open to zoom in and pinch closed to zoom out.
Audio Editor Controls The left side of the Audio Editor contains four rows of controls for the audio track currently in view. The top row controls playback; the second row controls the In and Out points of the audio track; the third row controls the selected track’s level; and the fourth row controls the selected track’s pan settings. Playback controls Play range controls Level controls Pan controls Audio Playback Controls The playback controls in the Audio Editor do not control playback in the Canvas.
Audio Play Range Controls The second row provides two controls to set the In and Out points for the audio file. Changing a file’s In or Out point in the Audio Editor is reflected in the Timeline as well. The area of the track between the In and Out points is the region used when “Use marked region” is turned on in the playback controls. Note: The In and Out points of the master track cannot be modified.
• Add Keyframe: Adds a new keyframe at the current playhead position. To add a keyframe, you can also Option-click the Animation menu. • Delete Keyframe: Deletes a keyframe at the current playhead position. • Previous Keyframe: Moves the playhead to the first keyframe to the left of the current playhead position. • Next Keyframe: Moves the playhead to the first keyframe to the right of the current playhead position.
Audio Editor Keyframe Graph The remainder of the window contains the keyframe graph. This area contains the curves and keyframes for the level and pan of the selected track. Keyframes appear as diamonds, and curves appear as solid lines. Areas before the first keyframe and after the last keyframe are represented with dotted lines. The waveform of the selected track is displayed behind the curves. Audio track bar At the top of the graph a green bar shows the duration of the audio file.
Note: The playhead in the Audio Editor is not the same as the playhead in the Timeline and the Canvas. The Audio Editor playhead shows the current time within the selected audio track rather than the current time within the entire project. Audio Scrubbing You can choose whether or not you want to hear the audio play when you drag the playhead through the ruler in the Audio Editor. This is called audio scrubbing.
µ To change the start and end time using the audio track bar Select the track in the Audio tab, then drag either end of the audio track green bar (located above the waveform in the Audio Editor). Note: You cannot create marked regions for the master audio track. Changing the Playhead Position in the Audio Editor There are three ways to move the playhead within the Audio Editor. To change the playhead position Do one of the following: µ Drag in the center of the current frame field.
µ To zoom the Audio Editor using a Multi-Touch trackpad Pinch open to zoom in, and pinch closed to zoom out. Once zoomed in, you can use two-finger swipes to scroll left or right. Window Arrangements Different workflows require different sets of windows to be visible, and in different sizes. For example, when designing a layout for your composition, the bigger the Canvas, the better.
• Alternate: This layout displays two utility windows on the left, the top one containing the Inspector and the bottom one containing the File Browser and Library. The Canvas fills the remainder of the screen to the right. • Cinema: The Cinema layout also displays two utility windows. The window on the left side of the workspace contains the File Browser and Library. The window on the right side contains the Inspector. The Canvas is in the middle with the Project pane displayed.
Basic Window Controls In addition to choosing from the preset arrangements, you can manually arrange your windows, resize them, or minimize them to the Dock. µ µ µ To move a window Drag a window by the title bar to the new location. To resize a window Drag the resize control in the lower-right corner of the window to resize it to the desired size. To simultaneously resize adjacent windows Drag the boundary between the two windows (the black line along the edge of the window).
Tabs Motion uses tabbed windows to provide convenient access to multiple windows at once. You can switch between windows simply by clicking the appropriate tab. In addition, you can drag any tab out of its docked position to show the tabbed window in its own separate window. You can also drag a tab into another window. This lets you view multiple tabbed windows from the same group at one time.
Saving Custom Layouts Once you have the windows arranged to your liking, you can save your screen layout with a relevant title so you can switch back to it later. This makes it easy to set up layouts that help you perform certain tasks. For example, you might set up one layout that is good for editing curves, while another layout has an expanded Timeline for editing keyframes.
You can also create a new custom layout (based on the current state) by clicking the Add button (+) in the Manage Layouts dialog. µ To switch to a saved custom layout Choose Windows > Layouts, then choose the custom layout from the submenu. To delete a saved layout 1 Choose Window > Manage Layouts. The Manage Layouts dialog opens. 2 Select the layout you want to delete. 3 Click the Delete button (–) to remove the item from the list. 4 Click the Done button.
Full Screen Mode Motion has an option to cover your entire monitor with the Canvas. This is helpful for watching playback of your project without the distraction of the software interface. In this mode, all of the tools and controls that affect the Canvas remain active, though you have to rely on keyboard shortcuts and shortcut menus (Control-click) to change from one tool or control to another. You can access the menu bar by positioning your pointer at the top of the screen where the menu normally is.
The HUD also contains special controls for certain types of effects such as Basic Motion behaviors and particle systems. These unique controls allow you to set multiple parameters simultaneously and in an intuitive way. For example, the 2D Particle Emitter HUD contains a single control that provides a visual way to manipulate three different particle system parameters: Emission Range, Emission Angle, and Speed. You can read more about specific HUD controls in their namesake chapters.
Click the arrow to display a pop-up menu that lists all of the possible HUDs that can be displayed for the selected object. Note: Pressing D cycles through all HUDs for the selected object. When multiple objects of the same type are selected, a combined HUD appears, and “Multiple Selection” appears in its title bar. To switch between HUDs of a selected object Do one of the following: µ Click the downward arrow in the HUD title bar, then choose the HUD you want to view from the pop-up menu.
User Interface Controls 3 Motion has thousands of different parameters that allow virtually unlimited creativity and flexibility. However with so many different settings to adjust, it might seem daunting to master the whole interface. Fortunately, there are only a small number of user interface controls to modify those myriad parameters. This chapter describes each of those controls in specific detail.
Toolbar Controls Motion’s Toolbar is located at the top of the main window. There are tools that transform objects and the project view, as well as tools that create new layers, such as text, shapes, and masks. There are also icons to apply filters and behaviors, and to create particle systems and replicators. Icons at the right of the Toolbar show and hide the various windows and panes of the Motion interface.
Value Slider To the right of each slider is a second control, called a value slider. This control displays the parameter’s current numerical value and has arrow buttons on either side. Some parameters have sliders with effectively infinite ranges, such as scale, which can be set at any value positive or negative (although the indicator can only display 6 or 7 digits).
Note: In most cases, only the x and y axis value sliders are visible. The z axis value slider can be revealed by clicking the disclosure triangle next to the parameter name. The most common example of this type of control is the Position parameter, which sets the center point for an object. But this control also occurs for any parameter that defines a position in the Canvas, such as the center of a lens flare or the origin of a particle system.
Value Field This control allows direct entry of text to set the value of the parameter. An example of a parameter that uses a value field is the text entry field. Activation Checkbox Any parameter that must either be on or off uses a checkbox control. For example, the All Caps and Align to Path settings for text objects are controlled with checkboxes. Unlike those with sliders and dials, parameters controlled by a checkbox cannot be keyframed.
Value List Another type of pop-up menu. You can click the disclosure button to the right of the field to display preset values, or you can type a value directly into the value field. An example of a value list is Typeface. Parameter Selection Menu A special type of pop-up menu, specifically for Parameter behaviors. When a Parameter behavior is applied to an object, you need to identify which parameter the behavior should affect.
µ To use a source well Drag an object from the File Browser, Library, Layers tab, or Media tab into the empty box. Once accepted, the name and a thumbnail of the source object appears in the well and is used as a source for the effect. µ To replace the contents of a source well Drag a new object directly onto the well. The old source is replaced with the new one. µ To clear a source well Drag the icon in the well out. A “poof” animation occurs and the well is emptied.
• Click the eyedropper, then in the Canvas, click an object of the desired color. • Click the color well’s disclosure triangle and manipulate the individual Red Green Blue, (and when applicable, Opacity) sliders. Pop-Up Color Palette When you control-click a color well or click the adjacent pop-up arrow, a temporary color palette appears. Original color New color Click here to select a grayscale color.
To show the Colors window Do one of the following: µ µ µ µ µ Click a color well. Choose View > Show Colors. Press Command-Shift-C. To pick a color in the Colors window do one of the following Click the color of your choice from the picker area. Click the magnifying glass, then click anywhere on the screen to choose that color. Note: If the Colors window was opened by clicking a color well, a color chosen in the Colors window automatically loads into the color well.
Expanding Color Controls Sometimes you need precise numerical control over your colors. This can be helpful if you are trying to match two colors exactly, or when you want to adjust one of the color channels independently. It can also be helpful when choosing how a color should be animated, For example, you could keyframe the channels differently. Every group of color controls has a disclosure triangle, which, when clicked, reveals individual sliders for the component color channels in your selected color.
Gradient Editor To customize or modify the gradient, you must expand the controls to reveal the gradient editor. Gradient editor controls Controls in the Gradient Editor Use the gradient editor to change the color, color position, number of colors, opacity, direction, and interpolation of a gradient. Click the disclosure triangle to reveal individual controls for each of the parameters. The color and opacity of a gradient can be animated.
Interpolation: A pop-up menu that sets the interpolation of the color tag to Constant, Linear, or Continuous. • Constant: Creates a constant color distribution from the color or opacity tag, moving from left to right in the gradient. For example, if the left color tag in a three-color, left-to-right gradient is set to Constant, the gradient from the left tag to the center tag is solid. • Linear: Creates a uniform distribution of opacity or color between the tags.
Feather: Use the slider or value field to soften the gradient fill. Positive values soften the shape outward; negative values soften the shape inward. Using the Gradient Editor The gradient editor is a flexible and powerful tool, allowing you to create a wide variety of custom styles. To change the colors in a gradient 1 Click the gradient disclosure triangle to show the gradient editor. 2 To change the color of a color tag in the gradient editor, do one of the following: • Double-click a color tag.
2 Do one of the following: • Drag the tag left or right. Drag the color tag to change position of the color. Location slider • In the Location parameter, use the slider or value field to enter a specific value. A value of 100% is the rightmost position of the gradient, and a value of 0% is the leftmost position of the gradient. µ To change the spread of the gradient color or opacity Drag the small triangle between the color tag or opacity tag to change the location of the spread.
µ To add a color tag to a gradient To add a new color tag, position the pointer in the lower color bar where you want to add the new color, then click. A new color tag is added to the gradient. New color tag Click in the lower color bar to add a color tag. Note: Although the colors, opacity, and position of the tags of a gradient can be animated, the number of color tags and opacity tags cannot.
Tip: The lower the percentage of the opacity, the greater the transparency. Editing Color and Opacity Direction and Distribution You can quickly reverse the direction or evenly distribute the gradient color and opacity tags. µ To reverse the gradient color or opacity direction Click the Reverse Tags icon next to the opacity or color gradient. Reverse Tags icon (opacity) Reverse Tags icon (color) The tags are reversed.
2 Choose Save Gradient from the Gradient preset pop-up menu. Gradient preset pop-up menu 3 In the Save Preset To Library dialog, type the name of the gradient. 4 Click Save. The custom gradient appears in the Gradients category in the Library. Custom presets can be identified in the Library by the small user icon that appears in the lower-right corner of the larger gradient icon. The new gradient also appears in the Gradient preset pop-up menu.
Using the Onscreen Gradient Controls Onscreen controls provide a more interactive way to edit a gradient’s color, location of the color tags and opacity tags, opacity, and start and end points. You can also use onscreen controls to add color tags and opacity tags, as well as change their interpolation.
To add a color tag Do one of the following: µ Control-click the gradient control line at the location you want the new tag, then choose Add Color Tag from the shortcut menu. µ Double-click or Option-click the gradient control line at the location you want the new tag. µ µ To duplicate a color or opacity tag Option-drag the tag to its new position. To change the color of a gradient tag Control-click the tag, then drag the eyedropper in the pop-up color palette to select a new color.
µ To reverse the direction of the color gradient Control-click the gradient control line, then choose Reverse Color from the shortcut menu. µ To reverse the direction of the opacity gradient Control-click the gradient control line, then choose Reverse Opacity from the shortcut menu. µ To evenly distribute the gradient color tags Control-click the gradient control line, then choose Distribute Color from the shortcut menu.
The expanded mini-curve editor appears. Mini-curve editor Box tool Sketch tool Edit tool When expanded, the mini-curve editor shows a representation of the relevant animation curve. In the example above, the Range parameter is mapped to the X axis and the Spin Amount parameter is mapped to the Y axis. The procedure for adding keyframes in a mini-curve editor is slightly different than for adding them in the full-sized Keyframe Editor.
The Auto Fit checkbox sets whether Motion automatically scales the animation curve to fit within the confines of the mini-curve editor. Auto Fit turned on in the mini-curve editor Generic Inspector Controls In addition to the common parameter control types listed above, there are several other controls that are widely used within the Inspector tab. Reset button: Automatically restores the parameter value (or in some cases, an entire set of parameters) back to its default value.
Animation menu: Most parameters can be animated. This means that you can assign specific values to certain frames (keyframes) so the parameter value changes over time. Any parameter that can be animated has an Animation menu to the right of the parameter settings. Animation menu Depending on the current condition of the parameter, the Animation menu displays a different icon. For a table indicating the possible states, see Animation Menu States.
• Next Keyframe: Moves the playhead to the next keyframe for this parameter. The Next Keyframe command is only available if a keyframe exists later in the project. • Show in Keyframe Editor: Opens the Keyframe Editor if it is not displayed and displays the graph for the parameter you are modifying. Rasterization Indicator In the Properties tab of the Inspector, a small “LED” icon appears when a group is rasterized. This is called the rasterization indicator.
Motion Menus 4 The Motion menu bar provides access to nearly every control in the application. Many menu items are context sensitive, so they are dimmed when the command cannot be performed based on the current state of the application or what is selected. This section serves as a reference guide for all menus. Many of these commands have shortcut keys that perform the same command from the keyboard. These shortcuts are listed in parentheses after the description.
• Import: Opens a dialog that allows you to import a customized key command set. • Export: Opens a dialog that allows you to export a customized key command set. • Command Sets: Allows you to load a customized key command set. • Final Cut Pro Set: Sets the active keyboard to match the default key command layout in Final Cut Pro wherever possible. Select from English, Japanese, French, German, or Spanish. • Standard Set: Sets the active keyboard to the default key command layout.
• Close: Closes the currently selected window. If the Canvas is the currently selected window, and the project has not been saved, Motion asks you to save the project before closing the window. (Command-W; press Command-Option-W to close all windows.) • Save: Stores the current state of the selected project to disk. (Command-S; press Command-Option-S to save all open projects.) • Save As: Saves the current state of the selected project with a new name.
• Page Setup: Displays the standard system Page Setup dialog where you can set paper size and orientation for printing. (Command-Shift-P) • Print: Displays the standard system Print dialog, from which you can print the contents of the Canvas. (Command-P) Edit Menu This menu contains familiar commands such as Undo, Cut, Copy, and Paste and also contains commands to select and delete objects, modify project properties, and control the Motion spelling checker.
• Insert Time: Adds blank space into the Timeline. You can only use Insert Time after selecting a time range in the Timeline ruler. For more information on time ranges, see Defining the Play Range. • Split: Breaks an object into two objects, each on its own Timeline track. The split occurs at the current playhead position. If no object is selected, or the playhead is not positioned over a selected object, this menu item is dimmed.
Mark Menu This menu contains commands to set the beginning and end points of your objects, add markers to the Timeline, navigate through your project, and control animation of effects. • Mark In: This command does two different things. If no object is selected, it sets the beginning frame of the play range to the current playhead position. If an object is selected, it trims the In point for that object to the current playhead frame. (I) • Mark Out: This command does two different things.
• Recording Options: Opens the Recording Options dialog where you can set the granularity of keyframe recording. • Go to: This submenu contains all of the different commands to navigate to a particular frame within your project. All of these commands move your playhead to a new location. • Project Start: Moves the playhead to the first frame of the project. (Home) • Project End: Moves the playhead to the last frame of the project. (End) • Play Range Start: Moves the playhead to the project In point.
Object Menu This menu contains all of the commands for manipulating objects within Motion. This includes their placement in the layer hierarchy and physical alignment in the Canvas. • New Group: Adds a new empty group to the project. (Command-Shift-N) • New Camera: Adds a new camera to the project, and lets you specify whether to use 2D or 3D mode. (Command-Option-C) • New Light: Adds a new light to the project, and lets you specify whether to use 2D or 3D mode.
• Align Horizontal Centers: Lines up the selected objects on their horizontal center points. • Align Vertical Centers: Lines up the selected objects on their vertical center points. • Align Depth Centers: Lines up the selected objects on their Z (depth) center points. • Distribute Lefts: Spreads the selected objects evenly between the leftmost and rightmost objects based on their left edges.
Isolate is only available in projects that contain a camera. When an object can be isolated, a small Isolate button appears in the Layers tab. Click the button to isolate the object. When you isolate an object, the object name appears in the Camera menu in the Canvas as the name of your current view. Isolating a camera activates that camera’s view. • Lock: Locking an object prevents any changes from affecting that object. When the selected item is locked, the menu item has a checkmark beside it.
Each cloned item is copied and named “Clone Layer,” “Clone Layer 1,” and so on. When you clone a layer, the cloned layer is placed in its original group. When you clone a group, a new group is created that contains the clone. Cloned items are identified in the Layers tab with an icon for a cloned layer and an icon for a cloned group. Cloned image layer Cloned 3D group For more information, see Making Clone Layers.
• Correct for Aspect Ratio: Adjusts the display of the Canvas to simulate the nonsquare pixels that appear on a TV monitor. • Show Full View Area: Turns on or off the display of layers that are completely off or partially off the edges of the Canvas. Areas that are off the edges of the Canvas appear semi-transparent by default. • Use Drop Zones: Turns drop zones on and off. For more information on using Drop Zones, see Drop Zones.
• Select Active Camera: Selects the camera currently active in the Timeline. (Option-Control-C) • Reset View: Resets the camera view to its default orientation. (Option-R) • Fit Objects into View: Reframes the current camera to automatically fit the selected objects into the Canvas. (F) • Frame Object: Frames the selected objects in the active view. If no objects are selected, Frame Objects resets the reference camera to view all the objects in the scene.
• Resolution: This submenu sets the quality level of the Canvas. Reducing the resolution improves playback performance. Choose from Full (Shift-Q), Half, Third, and Quarter resolution. Each lower setting further degrades the image. The current setting is indicated with a checkmark beside the menu item. • Quality: Sets the display mode for objects in the Canvas, such as text and images, to Draft, Normal, Best, or Custom.
• Depth of Field: Turns off depth of field rendering to improve performance. When depth of field rendering is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Control-Option-D) • Motion Blur: Turns off motion blur rendering to improve performance. When motion blur rendering is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Option-M) • Field Rendering: Turns off field rendering to improve performance. When field rendering is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item.
• Handles: Turns the display of object handles in the Canvas on and off. The handles are the corner points that let you manipulate an object. When handles are displayed, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. • Lines: Turns the display of object border lines on and off. When lines are displayed, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. • Animation Path: Turns display of keyframe animation paths on and off. Animation paths are the lines that show where an object moves in the Canvas.
• 3D Scene Icons: Turns all 3D scene icons, such as lights and cameras on and off. The scene icons appear in the Canvas as wireframe icons, and each includes red, green, and blue handles that let you transform and rotate the camera or light. • Show/Hide Fonts: Displays (or hides) the Font dialog for selecting fonts and font attributes. (Command-T) • Show/Hide Colors: Displays (or hides) the Colors window for selecting colors. (Command-Shift-C) • Show/Hide Toolbar: Turns the display of the Toolbar on or off.
• Show/Hide HUD: Turns the display of the HUD on or off. (F7) • Show/Hide Background Task List: The Background Task List window displays any background processing when Motion performs optical flow retiming. For more information on optical flow, see the Optical Flow pop-menu item in Timing Controls in the Properties Tab. • File Browser: Turns the display of the File Browser on or off. If the utility window is not present, one is created.
• Audio Editor: Turns the display of the Audio Editor on or off. If the Timing pane is not visible, this command causes it to appear. If the Audio Editor is the only tab in the Timing pane, this command closes the pane. (Command-9) • Bring All to Front: If any Motion windows are hidden behind windows from other applications, this command moves the windows to the front. • Open Project/Untitled List: All open projects appear at the bottom of the Window menu. An unsaved project is listed as “Untitled.
Preferences 5 Motion Preferences allow you to customize your workspace, tailor the interface for different types of projects, and define the presets for new projects and for exporting finished movies. The Motion Preferences window contains nine panes that group global settings according to function: General, Appearance, Project, Cache, Canvas, 3D, Output, Presets, and Gestures. To open the Motion Preferences window, choose Motion > Preferences (or press Command-Comma).
General Pane The General Preferences pane contains settings that apply globally to all aspects of Motion, grouped into the following categories: Startup, Interface, File Browser & Library, Content Library & Templates, Media, and Keyframe Editor. Startup This section of the General Preferences pane allows you to define what Motion does when first opened. Choose an item from the pop-up menu. At Startup pop-up menu: This pop-up menu allows you to choose the default behavior when Motion is launched.
Drop Menu Delay: This setting determines how long you must wait before the drop menu appears when dragging to the Timeline, mini-Timeline, Layers tab, or Canvas. The drop menu provides additional choices for editing and importing objects into the project. Show Tooltips: This checkbox turns tooltips on and off across the application. Tooltips provide explanatory information such as names and basic usage techniques. They appear when you pause the pointer over tools and controls.
Media This section in the General Preferences pane contains the “Automatically manage unused media” checkbox. When the checkbox is selected, Motion removes unused media from the Media tab whenever you delete that media from the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline layers list. If you want to retain (in the Media tab) a copy of media that is no longer used in your project, deselect this checkbox. Keyframe Editor This section in the General Preferences pane contains the “Lock Keyframes in Time” checkbox.
• Color: This setting displays a solid color where transparent pixels appear. Background Color: When Color is chosen from the Background pop-up menu, this color well is enabled and allows you to select a new background color from the Colors window or pop-up color palette. Timeline This section of the Appearance pane lets you choose how to display the bars that appear in the Timeline to represent your objects. Choose a timebar style from the Timebar Display pop-up menu.
• HSV: This setting displays the color as hue, saturation, and value (brightness) where hue is a value from 1–360, and saturation and value are ranged from 1–100. Alpha is also displayed ranged from 1–100. Project Pane The Project Preferences pane contains settings for timing, display, and playback options. There are four categories of controls: Default Settings, Time Display, Still Images & Layers, and Playback Control.
Time Display The controls in this section of the Project Preferences pane set how the time counters across the application are displayed. Display Time As: A pop-up menu with two choices: • Frames: Displays all counters as incrementing frame numbers. • Timecode: Displays all counters as eight-digit timecode numbers. Frame Numbering: A pop-up menu that lets you choose whether frame counts begin at zero or one.
Playback Control These settings in the Project Preferences pane control how Motion plays back your project. Time View Updating: When the Timing pane is visible, you can set the view to automatically move along with your project’s playback. Make one of the following choices from the pop-up menu: • Don’t update: The Timing pane does not change as you play. This setting improves performance. • Jump by pages: As the playhead reaches the end of the current view, the window jumps forward.
Cache Pane The Cache pane contains settings to control the cache for projects. There are four categories of controls: Memory & Cache, Autosave, LiveFonts, and Optical Flow Retiming. Memory & Cache This setting in the Cache pane of the Preferences window lets you specify how much memory is allocated to the project cache. Project Cache: Enter a number in the value field to specify the percentage of your total system memory that you want to use for the project cache.
Customizing Autosave There are a number of ways to customize Autosave for your needs. To store auto-saved projects in a specific location 1 Choose Motion > Preferences (or press Command-Comma). 2 Click Cache. 3 In the Autosave group, turn on Use Autosave Vault. By default, the Autosave Vault folder is located in a folder called Motion Documents in the Documents folder of your home directory. µ To set a new location for the Autosave vault Click Choose, set a new location in the dialog, then click Choose.
Optical Flow Retiming When you retime footage, Motion needs to store the retiming files. This setting in the Cache pane of the Preferences window specifies where the retiming files are stored. You can choose to store the files in the same location as the source footage or specify your own location. In folder with source media: Click this button to save the retiming files in the same location as the source footage.
Full View Opacity: If Show Full View Area is enabled in the View menu, this setting controls the opacity of the part of a layer that extends beyond the edge of the Canvas into the background. When set to 100%, the layer is transparent. When set to 0%, the layer is fully opaque. Alignment These settings in the Canvas pane of the Preferences window control the color and display of the optional grid, rulers, and guides that appear in the Canvas.
Film Zone When producing output to be used for both television and film, it may be helpful to see the area of the TV frame that will be cut off when it is converted to film. The film zone settings allow you to display a guide that identifies the aspect ratio of the film gauge you are working in. Film zone guides can be turned on and off in the View menu or in the View pop-up menu at the upper-right corner of the main window.
Display Inset View: A pop-up menu that lets you control whether the Inset view appears on transform changes, on all changes, or manually. Inset View must be enabled in the View menu or View pop-up menu for the Inset view to appear. • On Transform Change: The Inset view appears when adjusting an object’s transform parameters such as position, rotation, or scale.
Output Pane The Output Preferences pane tells Motion to render the contents of the Canvas out to a video deck or monitor connected to your computer via FireWire or another port. This pane has one category of settings: External Video. To view Motion video output on a computer display connected to your computer 1 Choose Motion > Preferences. 2 In the Output pane, choose one of the display options from the Video Output pop-up menu.
Video Output: Set this pop-up menu to match the type of device connected to the monitor. When this is set to anything other than None, Motion outputs a new frame to the externally connected video monitor every time you release the mouse button (if the Canvas has changed). If no deck or video monitor is connected, the menu is set to None.
Update during playback: Plays the project out to the external video monitor while the project plays back in the Canvas. This option severely degrades performance. Update dynamically on parameter change: Sends a new video frame out to the external video as you adjust parameters (instead of only after releasing the mouse button). This option may severely degrade performance. Presets Pane The Presets Preferences pane contains presets for both project settings and export settings.
Duplicate: To duplicate a preset, select the preset you want to duplicate, then click Duplicate. Edit: To edit a preset, click the Edit button. If the Show pop-up menu is set to Project Presets, the Project Preset Editor opens. If the Show pop-up menu is set to Export Presets, the Export Options window opens. See Project Preset Editor and Export Options Window for more information. Project Preset Editor The Project Preset Editor dialog is where you make changes to a project preset.
Description: This field contains descriptive text to identify the preset. You can enter your own descriptive text in this field. The new text will appear in the Summary box in the Preset Preferences pane. Width and Height: These fields set the frame size for the preset. Pixel Aspect Ratio: Sets the pixel aspect ratio for the preset. This should match the type of media with which you are working. Field Order: Sets the field order for your project. DV projects typically use the Lower First setting.
The Export Options dialog contains the following settings: Information Fields The Name and Description fields display information about the selected preset. Name: This editable field contains the name for the preset. Description: Contains descriptive text to identify the preset. This text appears in the Summary box in the Preset Preferences pane. You can enter your own descriptive text in this field. The Video/Audio and Output tabs appear beneath the Name and Description fields.
Output Tab The Output tab contains the following controls: Use current project and canvas settings: When this checkbox is selected, the current project settings will override the current export settings. This allows one export preset to be used with multiple project presets. When this checkbox is deselected, you can create specific settings for the export preset.
Render Quality: Allows you to choose Draft, Normal, Best, or Custom quality for your final output. The better the quality, the longer the render time. For descriptions of Draft, Normal, Best, and Custom render qualities, see the Render pop-up menu section in Canvas View Options. Selecting Custom opens the Advanced Quality Options dialog. For more about the Advanced Quality Options dialog, see Advanced Quality Settings.
Input These settings in the Gestures Preferences pane control how Motion knows when your pen movements should be interpreted as gestures. Input Method: Lets you choose between observing the settings in your Mac OS Preferences and your Wacom Preferences or using gestures only when a trigger is enabled. When you set the input to require a trigger, your pen and tablet act as a mouse until you press one of the buttons on the pen or press a modifier key. This indicates that you are entering a gesture.
Creating and Managing Projects 6 A project file consists of a single composition that you are working on. Project files contain objects, which are linked references to source media files on disk, but they contain no media themselves. Project files simply house information about how a composition is assembled, what media files on disk are used, and what effects from the Library have been applied. They also contain any shapes, masks, and text objects that you create.
Motion is resolution-independent, meaning that it supports projects using a wide range of frame sizes and frame rates. Using Motion, you can create small movies for streaming on the web, standard definition and high definition movies for broadcast, or even film-resolution files for film output.
Welcome Screen The first time you open Motion, a Welcome Screen presents you with two ways to create a new project. You can click Start with a Template to open the Template Browser, or you can click Start with a New Project to create a new blank project file. By default, this screen always appears when you open Motion. If you don’t want to see this screen at startup, you can uncheck the “Show the Welcome Screen at startup” checkbox at the bottom. After you’ve made the desired selection, click Continue.
Eventually, you can extend this collection by creating your own templates of frequently used layouts. For example, if you regularly create titles and graphics sequences for a television series, you can create a group of templates for the show that contains layouts for every motion graphics shot you need. For future shows, you can then open these existing templates and customize them with updated text and graphics, without needing to recreate each layout from scratch.
A new project is created using the objects contained in that template. You can then customize the project by editing the text objects or exchanging the graphic elements it uses with your own. The changes you make to projects created using templates are not saved back to the source template file. For more information about using, modifying, and creating templates, see Customizing and Creating New Templates.
To create a new project 1 Choose File > New (or press Command-N). 2 Choose a preset from the pop-up menu, then click OK. A new project window is created. It is not saved to disk until you choose a save command from the File menu. For more information on saving project files, see Saving Projects. Note: If you have already set a default preset, Motion will open a new project window at that resolution, bypassing the Select Project Preset dialog.
To create a new project with custom project settings 1 Choose File > New (or press Command-N). Note: If you have already set a default preset, hold down the Option key and choose File > New From Preset (or press Command-Option-N). 2 Choose Custom from the bottom of the Preset pop-up menu. The Project Properties window appears. 3 Choose the appropriate settings in the General and Render Settings tabs, then click OK. A new project window is created using the settings you specified.
Note: When working in float space, you can quickly change the preview in the Canvas to 8-bit to speed your workflow by turning off Preview Float Bit Depth in the View pop-up menu. The View pop-up menu is located in the upper-right corner of the main window (below the Timing icon). This setting does not modify the actual output of the project. For more information on bit depth, see About Bit Depth.
• Environment: The background color creates a solid alpha channel and interacts with 3D projects, including blend modes and reflections. In the following images of the Canvas, Reflection is turned on for the elliptical shape (in the Properties tab of the 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.
The Render Settings tab is divided into two categories: 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 either the camera or its subject is moving. In Motion, motion blur affects objects in your project that are animated using behaviors or keyframes. This allows you to create more natural-looking motion in your project, even though the animation is artificially created.
In the next image, Motion Blur is enabled and Samples is set to the default value of 8. 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.
An RGB image can comprise image pixels with 256 shades of each of the primary colors—red, green, and blue. In this case, there are 28 (256) shades of each color component. This creates more than 16.7 million possible colors (256 x 256 x 256 > 16.7 million). The bit depth of an RGB image can be 24 (8 bits for each color), and the bit depth of an RGBA image (red, green, blue, and an alpha channel) can be 32 (8 bits for each color + alpha channel).
Note: Depending on your project, dithering can be useful or problematic. For example, enabling dithering in a project in which banding is present may reduce the appearance of the banding. In a float project, dithering may cause excessive noise in the project’s output. For this reason, a checkbox has been added to the General tab of the Project Properties window that allows you to turn dithering on or off. This setting applies to the display and export of a project.
b In the Description field, enter a brief description of what that preset is for. It may also be useful to call out significant characteristics of that particular preset, such as frame size and frame rate. c Enter a frame size into the Width and Height fields. d Choose a Pixel Aspect Ratio, Field Order, and Frame Rate from the corresponding pop-up menus. 5 Click OK. 6 If you’re done creating new project presets, close the Motion Preferences window.
Moving Presets Between Computers Each preset you create is saved as a separate file. If you’ve created one or more custom presets that you rely on, you may want to move them to other computers you use that have Motion installed. All user-created presets are stored in the /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/Motion/Presets/Project/ folder.
If the project has not already been saved, the Save As dialog appears. 2 Type a name into the Save As field, choose a location on your hard drive to save the file, then click Save. Note: If the project has already been saved, the project file is simply updated. To save a duplicate of a project 1 Choose File > Save As (or press Command-Shift-S). The Save As dialog appears. 2 Type a new name into the Save As field, choose a location on your hard drive, then click Save.
The Save As dialog appears. 2 Choose Copy to Folder from the Collect Media pop-up menu. Choosing the Copy to Folder option creates a folder with the name specified in the Save As field. A Motion project file of the same name is created within that folder, as well as a folder named “Media,” which contains all the media used in the project. If the Collect Media option is used, you have the option to specify whether unused media are collected as well.
Reverting Projects The Revert command discards all changes you’ve made to a project since the last time you saved it. The Revert command is especially useful as a tool for trying out numerous changes in your project. You can save your project in the state you like it, then make all the changes you want. If you don’t like the result, use the Revert command to immediately go back to the way it was before.
2 Do one of the following: • Double-click the project file. • In the Preview area, click the Import button. The project opens in a new Canvas. Opening Recent Projects Every project you open in Motion is automatically added to the Open Recent submenu in the File menu. You can choose a project from a list of projects that you’ve worked on recently from this submenu. Motion keeps the names of the previous projects you’ve worked on in the Open Recent submenu.
µ Option-click the close button. Moving and Archiving Motion Project Files If you want to move a Motion project file to another computer, you must also move all the media that the project uses along with it, including all QuickTime, still image, and audio files. In addition, if your project uses any third-party Motion plug-ins or nonstandard fonts or LiveFonts, you need to make sure that those are also installed on the computer you’re moving the project to, or they’ll be unavailable to your project.
Unused Media By default, media used by objects added to your project are managed automatically by Motion. If you delete an object from the Canvas or Layers tab, the source media is removed automatically from the Media tab. You can turn off this feature in the General pane of Motion Preferences. For more information, see Media. Searching for Projects Using the Finder Spotlight indexes certain properties of your Motion projects, allowing you to perform advanced searches.
Changing the Frame Size of a Project When you change the frame size of a project (in Project Properties) that already has objects within it, you essentially change the size of the Canvas. This adds to, or reduces, the amount of room available to lay out the objects in your project. It’s important to understand that changing the size of the Canvas in no way changes the size or position of any objects already placed within it.
Navigation Controls in the File Browser You use the File Browser to navigate every volume connected to your computer for media files to add to your Motion project. While similar to a Finder window, the File Browser has many custom controls specific to Motion that allow you to quickly locate and preview files you might want to use. Note: You can also browse for and import files directly from your iTunes and iPhoto libraries from within the Motion Library.
Sidebar: This area of the File Browser displays all the hard disks and removable media currently connected to your computer. You can also access networked volumes. Additional icons allow you to access commonly used folders in your home folder such as the Desktop, Documents, Movies, Music, and Pictures folders. File stack: Located beneath the sidebar, the file stack displays all the files and folders within the currently selected disk in the sidebar.
List View button: Sets the file stack to display each file and folder as a hierarchical list. A thumbnail of each file and folder appears to the left of each file and folder name within the Name column. To the right, several additional columns display information for the date, size, duration, and kind of each file. The contents of the file stack can be sorted by any single column by clicking that column’s header.
New Folder button: Allows you to create a new folder within the currently displayed location in the file stack. These new folders are created in the Finder and allow you to reorganize media files on disk from within Motion. Note: To delete a folder from the File Browser, select the folder, then press Command-Delete. Different Methods of Browsing, Searching, and Previewing Files This section contains procedures you can use to look for and preview files using the controls in the File Browser.
µ µ To sort the file stack in list view Click the header of any information column to sort by that category. Click the same column a second time to reverse the sort order, from ascending to descending, or vice versa. To search for a file Type a search term in the Search field. The file stack immediately updates with files that contain the search term anywhere within their filenames. Only disks or folders currently displayed in the file stack are searched. Character case is ignored.
About Networked Disks and Removable Media You should be careful when adding media files from a remote server to your project. Although the File Browser sidebar allows you to easily access the contents of disks on other computers on your network, doing so only places a link to that file in your project. The actual media file remains on the remote disk where you found it. As a result, whenever that remote disk becomes unavailable, the corresponding object in your project goes offline.
While you can import movies that use nearly any codec, it’s inadvisable to use highly compressed clips in your projects if you can avoid it. Clips that are excessively compressed may display undesirable visual artifacts.
Using High-Resolution Still Images A common and effective use of still images in motion graphics work is the animation of high-resolution files. The DPI of image files as defined in programs like Photoshop does not apply to video, as the dimensions of each imported still image are defined simply by the number of pixels. If the current dimensions of an image are larger than the frame size of your project, the image appears to be much larger, and by default it appears to be “zoomed in” to its maximum size.
In the following example, an 1146 x 756 image is imported into an NTSC D1 project (720 x 486) with Do Nothing selected in the Preferences. The image is much larger than the Canvas. • Scale to Canvas Size: Imports and scales the image to fit the project size while maintaining its aspect ratio. In the following example, a 1166 x 738 JPEG image is imported into an NTSC D1 project with Scale to Canvas Size selected in Preferences.
The image is scaled—the equivalent of using the Transform tool to scale down the image in the Canvas while pressing Shift. To observe that the image is merely transformed and has not changed resolution, select the image file in the Media tab of the Project pane, and then open the Media tab in the Inspector. The Fixed Width and Fixed Height parameters display the resolution of the original file. The image is scaled to fit the largest X or Y value of the image to that of the Canvas.
The image looks identical to an image that is scaled on import. However, its resolution has been changed so that the image fits the Canvas. To observe that the resolution of the image has changed, select the image file in the Media tab of the Project pane, and then open the Media tab in the Inspector. The Fixed Width and Fixed Height parameters display the new resolution of the imported image. Note: You can use the Fixed Width and Fixed Height parameters in the Media tab to further down-res the image.
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.
When importing Photoshop files, you can choose to import: • All the layers merged together as a single object • All layers as individual objects, nested together within a group • An individual layer as a single object When you import all layers as individual objects, Motion creates a new group in the Layers tab and Timeline, and nests each layer of the Photoshop file as an individual object within that Motion group.
When importing a PDF file, its size is relative to the original page size of the file. As a result, even small graphics may have a large frame size, with a lot of empty space surrounding the graphic. When exporting a graphic as a PDF file for use in Motion, you may want to scale the graphic up to fit more closely within the page, or reduce the page size in the source application’s page preferences to more closely fit around the graphic.
Note: Form objects, buttons, and JavaScript objects that are present in an imported PDF file do not appear in Motion. Multi-Page PDF Files You can import multi-page PDF files. When you do, an additional parameter called Page Number appears in the Properties tab when the PDF object is selected. A slider appears and allows you to set which page is displayed in the Canvas. This parameter can be animated to display different pages over time. Important: Multi-layered PDF files are not currently supported.
The only time it really matters which kind of alpha channel an object has is when Motion doesn’t correctly determine it. If an object’s alpha channel has been set to Straight in the Media tab when it’s really premultiplied, it may appear fringed with the premultiplied color around its edges. If this happens, you can select the problematic clip in the Media tab of the Project pane, then change its Alpha Type parameter in the Media tab of the Inspector.
Adding Media to Your Project Once you’ve created a new project, the next step is to add media files to your composition. All media types—movie clips, still images, audio files, or other objects appearing in the Motion Library—are added to your project using the same methods. Note: Layered Photoshop files have additional import options available from the drop menu. For more information, see Adding Layered Photoshop Files to a Project.
Prior to adding files, you must first select them in the File Browser. You can add files to a project either individually or in groups. To select files in the File Browser 1 Open the File Browser. 2 Select one or more files by doing one of the following: • Click a single file. • While holding down the Shift or Command key, click each file you want to select. • While holding down the Shift or Command key, click any selected file to deselect it.
A new group is created at the top of the Layers tab, and all files appear as layers nested within it. Each new layer’s start time in the Timeline is set to the position of the playhead in step 1. To add one or more files to an existing group 1 If the Create Layers At setting in the Project pane of Motion Preferences is set to “Current frame,” move the playhead to the frame in the Timeline where you want the first frame of the file to start.
Adding Layered Photoshop Files to a Project You can add a layered Photoshop file to your project by dragging it to the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline, by using the Import button, or by using the Import command. Using the Import button (in the Preview area) results in all layers of the Photoshop file being collapsed into a single layer, by default. To maintain the layers of the imported file separately, you need to use the drop menu or the File > Import command.
To choose a different Photoshop layer than was originally selected on import, select the Photoshop file in the Layers tab, then choose a layer from the Layer pop-up menu in the Properties tab of the Inspector. Adding iTunes and iPhoto Files from the Library You can add files from your iTunes and iPhoto libraries to a project via the Motion Library. This is very convenient, as the iTunes library and playlists and iPhoto albums appear in the Library subcategories.
Note: When importing large-scale images into Motion, you have the option to import the files as is, to scale the images to the size of the Canvas, or to change the resolution of the image to fit the Canvas. For more information, see Using High-Resolution Still Images. Managing Layers in Your Project When you add a file to your project, a corresponding layer appears in the Canvas, Layers tab, and Timeline.
For more information on a media object’s Media tab parameters, see Object Media Tab Parameters. Seeing the Relationships Between Objects There are two object parameters where you can see the relationship between objects in the Layers tab and objects in the Media tab. • The Media parameter appears in the Properties tab of the Inspector whenever you select an object in the Layers tab.
When you first open a project file with media that is unavailable, a dialog appears listing all the media files that can’t be found. Assuming the media has been moved to another folder or disk instead of being deleted, you have the option to search every disk connected to your computer to find them. If you know the location of the missing media, you can display a manual reconnection dialog to navigate directly to the files without having to search.
To reconnect the media files in this list using Reconnect 1 Click Reconnect. 2 In the manual reconnection dialog, navigate to the file’s location, then click Open. If a layer in your project file is offline and you do not immediately reconnect it upon opening the project, it appears as a checkered rectangle that occupies the entire bounding box of the layer.
You can also delete the object that appears in the Media tab. Doing this also removes all corresponding instances of that object in your project. To delete one or more objects from a project 1 Select one or more objects by doing one of the following: • To delete a single object, select it in the Layers tab, the Timeline, or the Canvas. • To delete multiple objects, Shift-click to select the objects. Note: In the Layers tab or Timeline, you can Command-click to select noncontiguous 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.
While Motion makes an effort to correctly interpret how objects you add to your project should appear, sometimes it isn’t possible to correctly identify how a source media file should be treated. Make sure that each object you add to your project has the correct settings in its Media tab so you can successfully mix and match objects with different pixel aspect ratios, alpha channel types, and frame rates.
Controls in the Media Tab of the Inspector The following controls let you modify the objects in the Media tab, which also affects all the instances of the object in the project. Inspector Media tab Separate layers in a Photoshop file do not use the following parameters. These parameters are used only when a PSD file is imported as “Merged.” Note: PDF files with transparent backgrounds do not have the Alpha Type or Invert Alpha parameters.
Alpha Type: An object’s alpha channel contains information that defines areas of transparency in the image or movie. When you import a QuickTime movie or an image file, its alpha channel is immediately recognized by Motion. There are six different ways to embed alpha channel information into files, which correspond to the options in this pop-up menu. Motion automatically assigns one of these options based on an analysis of the object when it is imported, but you can override this if necessary.
Field Order: When importing interlaced video, choose the field order with which the clips were captured. This should match the field order of the device used for capture. The interlacing is either Upper (Odd) or Lower (Even). If you choose incorrectly, you’ll notice immediately upon playback that the video appears to “stutter,” because the order of fields is accidentally reversed. When this happens, simply choose the opposite field order setting in this pop-up menu.
Timing: These parameters control the start, end, and duration of each media object. • Start: Sets the In point of the object, in both constant and variable speed modes. Adjusting this parameter always moves the object In point to the specified frame without affecting the duration of the object. • End: Sets the Out point of the object, in both constant and variable speed modes. Adjusting this parameter always moves the object Out point to the specified frame without affecting the duration of the object.
Using Media in the Library Motion ships with a collection of media and effects that you can use in your projects. The Library shares many controls and window panes with the File Browser. Both tabs are designed for the navigation of media that you want to add to your project. In general, all the controls work identically to those found in the File Browser, but the organization of listed media is different. Categories Subcategories The Library sidebar consists of a two-column pane.
Generators have all the property parameters belonging to other objects. Properties specific to each generator also appear in the Generator tab of the Inspector whenever a generator is selected. You can also save customized versions of generators in the Library for future use. For more information about the generators available in Motion, see Working with Generators. Image Units (Generators) The Image Units category appears in the Motion Library if you are running Mac OS X 10.5 or later.
You can use the font categories to preview the fonts that are available on your computer. You can also drag fonts and LiveFonts onto text objects to change the typeface they use. For more information about using fonts with text objects, see Using the Library Font Preview. Text Styles Text styles are presets that can be applied to text objects in your project to instantly change their style parameters. These style parameters include face, outline, glow, and drop shadow parameters.
Note: Dragging a media object into the Content category leaves its corresponding file on disk in its original location. For this reason, it’s recommended you centralize all media you plan on importing into the Library for future use into a dedicated and predictable location on disk, to prevent accidentally moving, renaming, or deleting those files.
Using Custom Objects from the Library When you drag a custom object from the Library to the Canvas, the center of the object is dropped at the location in which you release the mouse button. If you use the Apply button in the Preview area to add the object, the object is added at the center of the Canvas.
You can either close the project and install the necessary files on your computer, or go ahead and open the file. The following list outlines what happens when you open a project file without having the necessary media: • Missing Content: Missing content is treated like any other missing media object. The objects go offline, and you have the option to reconnect them at any time. For more information about reconnecting media, see Online Versus Offline Media.
A group can also contain other groups nested inside it. In this way, you can construct complex hierarchies of nested groups, with each nested group subordinate to the group that contains it, up to the topmost group. Enclosing group Nested groups One of the goals of organizing the layers in a project is to group layers that you want to work together as a unit. Doing so ensures that animation and effects that are applied to the enclosing group also affect all layers nested within that group.
Moving a selection in the Canvas moves all three layers simultaneously. Before moving group After moving group Regardless of how they’re nested, individual layers can always be animated independently. Subordinate groups can also be animated independently, although such animation and effects also affect all groups or layers that are nested underneath. The following example shows how you might create a hierarchy of groups to prepare for the animation of a human figure.
Note: In this example, each object’s anchor point has been moved to the appropriate axis of rotation for that object. For more information about changing an object’s anchor point, see Using the Adjust Anchor Point Tool. Both arms and both legs are also made up of a hierarchy of nested body parts. It then follows that these nested groups of layers, which connect to the torso, are themselves nested inside the Mannequin group.
When you rotate the selection in the Canvas, every object nested within that group rotates as a single item. Before rotating Left Arm group After rotating Left Arm group Another example of how you might make use of the group hierarchy can be seen through the application of filters and behaviors. If you apply a filter to a single layer within a group, the filter affects only that layer. All other layers within the group remain unaffected.
However, If you apply the same filter directly to the group, all layers nested within that group are affected by the filter, as if they were a single layer.
Doing so selects both layers, and also all layers in between. µ Click to the left of any layer’s thumbnail icon and drag up or down to select multiple layers. To select or deselect multiple noncontiguous layers or groups Do one of the following: µ µ Command-click any unselected layer or group to add it to the selection. Command-click any selected layer or group to deselect it. To select all layers or groups in the Layers tab Do one of the following: µ µ µ Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A).
When you have more than one group, you can move layers back and forth between them, changing their nested relationship in your project. To move a layer from one group to another 1 Select one or more layers. 2 Do one of the following: • Drag the selected layers to a new position underneath another group. A position indicator appears to show the new position the selection occupies when you release the mouse button.
Grouping and Ungrouping Layers You can also nest layers together within a new group using the Group command. You can group layers that appear within the same group, or you can group groups that are all nested at the same level relative to the hierarchy of your project. You cannot group groups that appear at different levels. To group selected layers together, nesting them in a new group 1 Select all the layers or groups that you want to group together. 2 Choose Object > Group (or press Command-Shift-G).
To show or hide one or more selected layers Do one of the following: µ Click the checkbox to the left of a single object or group in the Layers tab or Timeline. Activation checkbox µ µ Choose Object > Active (or press Control-T) to turn the layers on or off. Control-click a layer or group, then choose Active from the shortcut menu.
The project shown in the following image contains a particle system. Notice that the animated particles, although not visible once they move off the Canvas, make the group containing them very large. Particles bounding box Default size of a group containing particles You can crop the size of a group that contains growing objects using the Fixed Resolution checkbox in the Group tab of the Inspector.
When enabled, the Fixed Resolution parameter crops the group to the size specified in the Fixed Width and Fixed Height parameters. This means that if the group’s anchor point is offset, the cropping may not occur around the edges of the Canvas, and objects may become cut off. Anchor point Selected group with an offset anchor point before Fixed Resolution is turned on. Anchor point Selected group with Fixed Resolution turned on and set to project size. Notice that the text objects are cut off.
By default, the group’s resolution is set to the project size. An indicator appears to the right of Fixed Resolution, informing you that the group has been rasterized. For more information on rasterization, see About Rasterization. 4 To define a resolution other than that of the project, adjust the Fixed Width and Fixed Height sliders.
The locked layer’s bounding box in the Canvas turns red to indicate that it is locked. Collapsing and Uncollapsing Group Hierarchies Groups and layers in the Layers tab appear in a hierarchy that shows which layers are nested inside which groups. Nested layers and groups appear underneath and indented to the right of the group they’re nested within. To make the Layers tab easier to manage, you can collapse all layers that appear nested within a single group using that group’s disclosure triangle.
3 When you’re finished, press Return to accept the new name. The new name is also automatically accepted when you click another layer or group. Note: Once you change a layer’s name in Motion, there is no automatic way to change it back to what it was originally except for the Undo command. Searching for Groups and Layers If it’s difficult to find a single group or layer in a large project, you can use the Search field at the top of the Layers, Media, and Audio tabs.
Column Description Preview Displays a thumbnail of the media object. Name Lists the filename of the source media on disk to which the object is linked. If you change the name of corresponding linked objects in the Layers tab, this name doesn’t change. Kind Lists the type of file, whether it’s a still image, QuickTime movie, image sequence, or audio file. In Use Indicates whether or not the media is in use in the project.
µ µ To show or hide a column Click the right angle bracket (>) at the right of the column headers, then check or uncheck the columns you want to show or hide in the pop-up menu. To move a column to the right or left Drag any column header to the right or left to move it. To increase or decrease the size of each object’s thumbnail Do one of the following: µ µ Use the scale slider at the bottom of the Media tab. Drag the separator between the rows of objects.
Exchanging Objects The easiest way to customize a template-based project is to exchange the objects used in the template with your own objects, either from the File Browser or the Library. When you exchange an object, the new object appears in your project with the same parameter values used by the previous object. In addition, any filters, masks, behaviors, or keyframed parameters that were applied to the original object remain applied to the exchanged object.
Using Drop Zones Drop zones are a unique element in your arsenal of tools to use when creating a new Motion project and template. While you’re constructing your template, you may want to disable them so you don’t accidentally drop a clip into a drop zone. Then, later when using the template, you’ll want to be sure to turn them back on. µ To enable drop zones to accept clips Choose View > Use Drop Zones A checkmark appears next to the menu item. Drop zones will accept objects that are dragged to them.
Note: You cannot Command-drag non-image objects (shapes, Motion projects, particles, etc.) to the Canvas. Exposing the drop zones 3 Drop the object onto its target. The object replaces its target, everything moves and rescales back to their original positions, and the playhead moves to the first frame of the dropped object. Customizing Text Objects Text objects can be easily updated using the Text tool. Editing a text object does nothing to change the format, style, or layout of the text.
Using Objects, Behaviors, and Keyframes from Templates Occasionally, you may find that you want to use a keyframed parameter or behavior from a template in a project of your own. You can always create a new template-based project, select the keyframes or behaviors you want to use, copy them, and paste them into your own project. All the graphics objects used by the templates also appear in the Content category of the Library, within the Template Media subcategory.
µ Select an existing object in the Canvas, then turn on the Drop Zone checkbox in the Image tab of the Inspector. The Image tab of the Inspector contains controls to adjust the drop zone: Drop Zone: A checkbox that sets whether an object is a drop zone. Fit: A pop-up menu where you can choose between three different methods of object placement within the drop zone. Values include Fit, Center, and Stretch.
To save a project as a template 1 Choose File > Save as Template. The Save dialog appears. Note: It is recommended that you create a new custom theme in which to save your own templates. 2 If you want to create a new theme to add your new template to, click New Theme, type a name in the New Theme dialog, then click Create. 3 In the Save dialog, type a name for the template. 4 In the Theme pop-up menu, choose a theme in which to store your template.
To delete a category in the Template Browser 1 Choose File > Open Template. The Template Browser opens. 2 Select a category in the Theme column. 3 Press Delete. An alert dialog prompts you to confirm the deletion. 4 Click the Delete button. The directory on your disk corresponding to that category is placed in the Trash, but not deleted. Any template files in that category’s directory are also placed in the Trash. To delete individual templates from the Template Browser 1 Choose File > Open Template.
Basic Compositing 7 Compositing is the process of combining at least two images to produce an integrated final result. The process can be as simple as placing text over an image, or as complex as combining live actors with drooling space aliens that shoot laser beams from their eyes. Motion graphics artists move multiple objects simultaneously onscreen using a strong sense of visual design.
Compositing Workflow Once you import the objects you need for your project, the first step is to arrange the objects within the Canvas to come up with the general design of your piece. Even before you animate anything, you should decide what size each object should be, where everything should be positioned, if any objects need to be rotated to fit where they need to be, and so on. You can also make more extreme manipulations to create other effects.
The onscreen controls and the HUD controls all correspond to parameters that appear in the Properties tab of the Inspector. Each parameter corresponds to a different Canvas control, and adjustments made in the Canvas are simultaneously updated in the Inspector. For example, if you’re using the Select/Transform tool and you change an object’s scale by dragging its corner handles in the Canvas, the object’s Scale parameter is updated in the Properties tab of the Inspector.
There are four arrangement commands in the Object menu: • Bring to Front: Places the selected object in front of all other objects within the same group by moving it to the top of the nested group in the Layers tab and Canvas. Before After • Send to Back: Places the selected object behind all other objects within the same group by moving it to the bottom of the nested group in the Layers tab and Canvas.
Reordering Nonconsecutive Selections When you apply Bring Forward or Send Backward arrangement command on nonconsecutive selected layers, the layers move up or down the object hierarchy together, and any space between the layers remains. Nonconsecutive layers selected Bring Forward command applied When you apply Bring to Front or Send to Back arrangement command on nonconsecutive selected layers, the layers move up or down the object hierarchy together, and any space between the layers is removed.
µ To select a single object in the Canvas Click any object in the Canvas. To select multiple objects in the Canvas, or to add objects to a selection Do one of the following: µ µ µ Drag a selection box over all the objects you want to select. Holding down the Shift key, click all the objects you want to select. To add objects to a selection, holding down the Shift key, drag a selection box over objects you want to add to the selection.
Note: When an inactive object is selected, you also see only the bounding box for that object. For more information on how to select objects and groups in the Layers tab, see Selecting Layers and Groups in the Layers Tab. Rules for Transforming Selected Objects and Groups The way you transform selected objects depends on how many objects are selected. Transforming a Single Object If you select a single object, the changes you make only affect that one object. All unselected objects remain unaffected.
Transforming a Group If you select an entire group, all objects and groups that are nested within it are treated as a single object. One set of transform handles appears on a bounding box that encompasses every object within that group. All object transforms occur around a single anchor point belonging to the group. Before scaling After scaling 2D Transform Tools Before you transform an object in the Canvas, you should make sure that the pointer is set to the correct transform tool.
• Adjust Shear: Tilts objects, either horizontally or vertically. • Adjust Drop Shadow: Manipulates object drop shadows directly in the Canvas. • Adjust Four Corner: Stretches an object into different polygonal shapes. • Adjust Crop: Cuts off pixels from any of the object’s four edges. • Adjust Control Points: Manipulates control points on shapes, paths, and curves. • Adjust Glyph: Transforms individual letters in a text object.
Note: Press Shift-Tab to cycle through the transform modes in reverse. For more information about 3D transform tools, see 3D Transform Tools. Moving Objects in the Canvas The simplest thing you can do to start arranging the objects in your project is to move them around. With the exception of the Adjust Drop Shadow tool, all transform tools let you reposition objects, so this is the one operation you can perform regardless of the currently selected transform tool.
• Holding down the Command key, press the Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow key to reposition the selected objects one pixel at a time. • Holding down the Command and Shift keys, press the Right Arrow key or the Left Arrow key to reposition the selection ten pixels at a time. Tip: When repositioning very small objects, zoom into the Canvas to get a better view. For information on zooming in the Canvas, see Canvas Zoom Level.
Using Object Alignment Commands Several commands in the Object menu let you reposition any number of simultaneously selected objects to align with one another in various ways. These commands make it easy to quickly organize a jumble of objects into an even layout without having to manually line up each individual object.
• Distribute Lefts: Objects are moved horizontally so that the left sides of all objects are evenly distributed, from right to left, between the leftmost and rightmost objects in the selection. • Distribute Rights: Objects are moved horizontally so that the right sides of all objects are evenly distributed, from right to left, between the leftmost and rightmost objects in the selection.
Using the Select/Transform Tool The default transform tool is the Select/Transform tool, which activates onscreen controls that enable you to adjust an object’s scale, position, and rotation. Bounding box Scale handle Rotation handle Anchor point Scaling When you select an object, eight scale handles appear around the edge of the object’s bounding box. Drag the handles to resize the object. By default, the width and height of an object are not locked together when you adjust scale handles.
2 Do one of the following: • Drag one of the corner handles to resize the object’s width and height at the same time. By default, you can resize the width and height independently, by any amount. • Press Shift, then drag any of the corner handles to resize the object while locking its width and height together, maintaining the object’s current aspect ratio.
• Press Option while dragging any scale handle to resize an object around its anchor point, rather than unilaterally. Resizing while pressing the Option key Resizing without pressing the Option key As you drag the scale handles, an info window appears and shows you the new width and height percentages and the amount by which the object is changing. This amount is represented by a delta symbol. Note: Scaling the width or height of an object by a negative value reverses the image, flipping its direction.
As you drag the rotation handle, the original angle of the object is indicated by a small circle that appears on a larger circle surrounding the object’s anchor point. Additionally, an info window appears, showing you the new angle of rotation and the delta of change between the object’s former angle and the angle to which you’ve dragged it.
If you move an anchor point, however, the object no longer rotates around its own center, but instead rotates around the new anchor point. This not only affects the rotation of an object, but any moving and scaling operations performed upon that object as well. Changes made to an object’s anchor point are stored in the Anchor Point parameter of the Properties tab in the Inspector.
This is an isometric operation, so it doesn’t necessarily provide a realistic perspective effect. When you shear an object, this change is stored in that object’s Shear parameter, which can be seen in the Properties tab of the Inspector. Before shearing After shearing To shear an object in the Canvas 1 Click and hold the Select/Transform tool, then choose the Adjust Shear tool from the pop-up menu. 2 In the Canvas, drag one of the four shear handles to slant the object.
Using the Adjust Drop Shadow Tool The Adjust Drop Shadow tool activates onscreen handles can be used to change the blur, angle, and distance of an object’s drop shadow. Default drop shadow (before adjusting with the Adjust Drop Shadow tool) After adjusting blur, angle, and distance To adjust the drop shadow of an object in the Canvas 1 Click and hold the Select/Transform tool, then choose the Adjust Drop Shadow tool from the pop-up menu.
Using the Adjust Four Corner Tool The Adjust Four Corner tool activates onscreen controls that allow you to stretch an object into different polygonal shapes to create false perspective effects and simulate 3D effects and placement within your composition. Before corner-pinning After corner-pinning To corner-pin an object in the Canvas 1 Click and hold the Select/Transform tool, then choose the Adjust Four Corner tool from the pop-up menu.
Using the Adjust Crop Tool The Adjust Crop tool activates onscreen cropping handles that you can drag to resize the borders of an object. Cropping allows you to chop off each of the four edges of an object to eliminate parts you don’t want to see in your composition. Common examples of objects you’d want to crop are video clips with a black line along the right or left edge because of the video format or with vignetting around the edges because of a wide-angle lens.
To crop an object in the Canvas 1 Click and hold the Select/Transform tool, then choose the Adjust Crop tool from the pop-up menu. 2 In the Canvas, drag one of the eight handles around the edge of the object to crop it: • Drag the top, left, right, or bottom handle to only crop that side. • Drag one of the four corner handles to crop both corresponding sides simultaneously. • Press Shift while you drag to constrain corner edge cropping to the aspect ratio of the object.
For more information on working with shapes and masks, see Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes. Using the Adjust Glyph and Adjust Item Tools The Adjust Glyph tool, available when a text object is selected, activates onscreen controls that allow you to modify the position and X, Y, or Z rotation for individual characters (glyphs) in a text object. For information on using the Adjust Glyph tool, see Adjusting Glyph Attributes.
In addition to only being available in a 3D project, the Lighting and Reflection parameter groups in the Properties tab are only available for some objects under certain conditions. Use the following guidelines when working with lights and reflections: • The Reflection parameter group is not available for 3D particle emitters or 3D replicators. • The Reflection parameter group is not available for normal text objects.
Click the disclosure triangle next to the Rotation parameter to reveal additional subparameters: • Animate: This pop-up menu allows you to set the interpolation for animated 3D rotation channels to one of two options: • Use Rotation: The default interpolation method. Pattern elements rotate from their start rotation to their final rotation. Depending on the animation, the elements may twist this way and that before reaching their final orientation (the last keyframed value).
Preserve Opacity: When this checkbox is selected, the object appears only where another object is visible behind it in the composite. The front object uses the opacity value of the object behind it. For more information, see Preserve Opacity Option. Preserve Opacity turned off for the text circle object Preserve Opacity turned on for the text circle object Casts Reflections: Determines whether an object casts a reflection.
Receives Shadows: Controls whether or not neighboring objects’ shadows will affect the current object. When this checkbox is deselected, light will affect the object as if the shadow-casting object did not exist. Shadows Only: Allows an object to block light and cast a shadow, while the object itself does not appear in the scene. Note: For more information on using shadows, see Shadows. Reflection Parameters Reflectivity: A slider that controls the shininess of the object’s surface.
Click the disclosure triangle to display four crop parameters. Each slider defines the number of pixels to be cropped from each of the object’s four sides, relative to the outer edge of the bounding box that surrounds it. These parameters are similar to the crop parameters that appear when an object is selected in the Media tab, except that cropping an object in the Layers tab only crops the currently selected instance of that object in your project. Duplicates of that object remain untouched.
A clone layer is created and appears in the Canvas slightly offset from the original object. In the Layers tab, the clone layer appears with the default name “Clone Layer.” A Clone Layer icon appears next to the name. The clone layer inherits the following properties from its source object at the time of its creation Rotation, Scale, Opacity, Blend Mode, and Drop Shadow.
Editing Opacity and Blending Parameters The opacity and blending controls for each object appear both in the Properties tab of the Inspector, and in the default HUD for any selected object. Opacity By layering together objects with varying opacities, you can merge them together in ways not otherwise possible. For example, if you have two full-screen background images that you want to use together, you can set the opacity of the object in front to 50%, allowing the object in back to show through.
Blend Modes While the Opacity parameter simply defines a uniform level of transparency for an object, the blend modes allow you many more creative options to control how the overlapping images interact, based on the colors in each object. By default, each object’s blend mode is set to Normal, so that changes to an object’s opacity uniformly affect every part of the image equally. Blend modes can create transparency in an object regardless of the setting of its Opacity parameter.
Blend modes only affect the combination of an object with the objects below it. Any objects appearing above have no effect on this interaction, even if the object is transparent. In the following example, the text objects on the top level have no effect on the blended images below.
Preserve Opacity Option The Preserve Opacity checkbox allows you to limit an object’s visibility to areas of the Canvas where the object overlaps nontransparent regions of other objects. For example, you might place two overlapping objects into your project, as shown below: If you turn on Preserve Opacity for the Dolphin object in front, the result is this: The only area of the Dolphin object that is visible is the area that overlaps the sea life picture object behind it.
Preserve Opacity is an easy way to selectively reveal part of an object. In this example, by setting the blend mode of the top color wash layer to Exclusion, you get the resulting image: By selecting the Preserve Opacity checkbox for the color wash layer on top, only the overlapping parts are displayed, and the superimposed image only affects the Dolphin layer. µ To turn on Preserve Opacity Turn on an object’s Preserve Opacity checkbox in the Properties tab.
The effect that each blend mode has on overlapping objects depends on the range of color values within each object. The red, green, and blue channels within each overlapping pixel are mathematically combined to yield the final image. These value ranges can be described as blacks, midrange values, or whites. These regions are loosely illustrated by the chart below.
With the enclosing group set to Pass Through, the Swirls object stencils all other objects underneath it, including the Gradient object in the bottom group. The result is that all objects are stenciled against the background color. The Fishes object is likewise added to the combined stack of objects. Normal When a group is set to Normal, the layers nested within that group can only be blended with one another.
The Gradient object in the bottom group is left unaffected, although the transparency in the top group caused by the combination of the Add and Stencil Luma blend modes reveals it in the background. Other Blend Modes When you set a group to any of the other available blend modes, each layer nested within that group is blended according to its blend mode. The resulting image is then blended with the groups underneath, according to the selected blend mode for that group.
Object Blend Modes The following section describes how blend modes affect individual objects. All blend modes are presented in the order in which they appear in the Blend Mode pop-up menu. About the Examples in This Section Most of the examples in this section are created using the following two reference images. The resulting “Mondrian Monkey” illustrates how differently the color values from each image interact when using each blend mode.
Overlapping midrange color values are darkened based on the color of the background image. In areas where the background is lighter than the foreground, the background image is darkened. In areas where the background is darker than the foreground, the colors are inverted. The order of two objects affected by the Subtract blend mode is important. Boxes object on top Monkey object on top Darken Darken emphasizes the darkest parts of each overlapping image.
Suggested uses: The Darken blend mode is useful for using one image to texturize another selectively, based on its darker areas. You can also use Screen, Color Burn, and Linear Burn for variations on this effect. Multiply Like Darken, Multiply emphasizes the darkest parts of each overlapping image, except that midrange color values from both images are mixed together more evenly.
Color Burn Color Burn intensifies the dark areas in each image. Whites in the background image replace the foreground image, while whites in the foreground image become transparent. Midrange color values in the background image allow midrange color values in the foreground image to show through. Lighter midrange color values in the background image allow more of the foreground image to show through.
Add Add emphasizes the whites in each overlapping image and lightens all other overlapping colors. The color values in every overlapping pixel are added together. The result is that all overlapping midrange color values are lightened. Blacks from either image are transparent, while whites in either image are preserved. The order of two objects affected by the Add blend mode does not matter.
The order of two objects affected by the Lighten blend mode does not matter. Screen Like Lighten, Screen also emphasizes the lightest parts of each overlapping image, except that the midrange color values of both images are mixed together more evenly. Blacks in either image allow the overlapping image to show through completely. Darker midrange values underneath a certain threshold allow more of the overlapping image to show. Whites from both images show through in the resulting image.
Suggested uses: The Screen blend mode is especially useful for knocking out the blacks behind a foreground subject, instead of using a Luma Key. It’s mainly useful when you want the rest of the foreground subject to be mixed with the background image as well, based on its brightness. It’s good for glow and lighting effects and for simulating reflections. You can also use the Add, Lighten, and Color Dodge blend modes to create variations of this effect.
The order of two objects affected by the Linear Dodge blend mode does not matter. Overlay Whites and blacks in the foreground image become translucent and interact with the color values of the background image causing intensified contrast. Whites and blacks in the background image, on the other hand, replace the foreground image. Overlapping midrange values are mixed together differently depending on the brightness of the background color values. Lighter background midrange values are mixed by screening.
Suggested uses: The Overlay blend mode is particularly useful for combining areas of vivid color in two images. Soft Light Soft Light is similar to the Overlay blend mode. Whites and blacks in the foreground image become translucent, but interact with the color values of the background image. Whites and blacks in the background image, on the other hand, replace the foreground image. All overlapping midrange color values are mixed together, creating a more even tinting effect than the Overlay blend mode.
Overlapping midrange color values are mixed together differently depending on the brightness of the background color values. Lighter background midrange values are mixed by screening. Darker background midrange values, on the other hand, are mixed together by multiplying. The visible result is that darker color values in the background image intensify the foreground image, while lighter color values in the background image wash out overlapping areas in the foreground image.
Reversing the two overlapping images results in subtle differences in how the overlapping midrange color values are mixed together. Boxes object on top Monkey object on top Linear Light Linear Light is similar to the Hard Light blend mode, except that overlapping midrange color values are mixed together with higher contrast. Whites and blacks in the foreground image block the background image.
The methods used by the Pin Light blend mode to mix two images are somewhat complex. Overlapping midrange color values are treated differently depending on which of the four regions of the luminance chart they fall into. • Lighter and darker areas of the foreground image falling close to the whites and blacks are preserved. • Areas of the foreground image falling near the center of the midrange are tinted by the background color.
While the order of two objects doesn’t affect the overall look of two images blended using the Hard Mix blend mode, there may be subtle differences. Difference Similar to the Subtract blend mode, except that areas of the image that would be severely darkened by the Subtract blend mode are colorized differently. The order of two objects affected by the Difference blend mode does not matter. Exclusion Similar to the Difference blend mode, except that the resulting image is lighter overall.
The order of two objects affected by the Exclusion blend mode does not matter. Blend Modes That Manipulate Alpha Channels The Stencil and Silhouette blend modes let you use a single object’s alpha channel or luma values to isolate regions of background objects and groups. Note: Similar effects can be accomplished using shape and image masks. In addition, masks may provide you with a greater degree of control, depending on your needs. For more information, see Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes.
Limiting the Effect of Stencil and Silhouette Blend Modes Whenever you use the Stencil or Silhouette blend modes in a group that is set to the Pass Through blend mode, the resulting effect carries down through every object in every group that lies underneath it in the Layers tab, unless the group that contains it is rasterized. This is a powerful, but not always desired effect, because it prevents you from placing a background group to fill the transparent area.
Silhouette Alpha Silhouette Alpha is the reverse of the Stencil Alpha blend mode and is useful for cutting holes in objects underneath. Object used for silhouette Object underneath End result Silhouette Luma Silhouette Luma is the reverse of Stencil Luma. Behind The Behind blend mode forces the object to appear behind all other objects and groups, regardless of its position in the Layers tab and Timeline.
Drop Shadows A drop shadow, by default, is a dark, translucent, offset shape that falls behind an object, as if a light was shining on the object. Drop shadows are the same size as the object to which they’re applied, although blurring a drop shadow may enlarge it somewhat. They create the illusion of depth, with the result that the foreground object seems to pop out at the viewer. For this reason, drop shadows are frequently used to create the impression of space between two overlapping objects.
Important: Text objects have additional drop shadow parameters, located in the Style pane of the Text tab. For more information about text object drop shadows, see Adding a Drop Shadow. Adjusting Drop Shadows in the Canvas You can interactively modify an object’s drop shadow using the onscreen controls. The Adjust Drop Shadow Transform Tool Selecting the Adjust Drop Shadow transform tool in the Toolbar provides additional onscreen controls for selected objects with active drop shadows.
Color: Sets the drop shadow’s color. This color is black, by default. Opacity: Sets the drop shadow’s transparency. Blur: Specifies how soft the drop shadow is. Distance: Sets how close or far an object’s drop shadow is to the object. The farther away a drop shadow is, the more distance there appears to be between the object and anything behind it in the composition. Angle: Lets you change the direction of the drop shadow.
Retime Value: Displays the time value of the clip at a given frame. This parameter appears only when Time Remap is set to Variable Speed. When you set Time Remap to Variable Speed, two keyframes are automatically generated at the first and last frame of the clip. The two default keyframes represent 100% constant speed. Adding keyframes to this parameter and assigning them different Retime Values makes the speed of the clip ramp from one speed to another.
You can perform optical flow analysis on multiple clips simultaneously. The clips are processed in the order that Frame Blending is set to Optical Flow. Note: The more motion contained in a clip, the longer the analysis takes. For information on pausing, reordering, or stopping a clip analysis, see Displaying and Editing Retiming Tasks.
µ Click the analysis indicator (to the left of the transport controls underneath the Canvas). Click the analysis indicator to show the Background Task List. The Background Task List dialog appears. Pause button The Background Task List shows all processes Motion is working on in the background. Each task is labeled, has a progress bar, and displays text describing how far along the task is. You may interrupt current and pending operations by pressing the pause button next to the progress bar.
µ To reorder clip analysis In the Background Task List dialog, drag the clip you want to analyze to the top of the list. Analysis begins on the repositioned clip and is paused on the clip that was previously being processed. µ To automatically close the Background Task List dialog when analysis is complete In the Background Task List dialog, turn on the “Close when tasks are complete” checkbox.
All the layers in the project temporarily scale down and spread out over the Canvas. Each layer in the project is represented by a white frame in the Canvas. Moving the pointer over a frame shows the layer’s name. Canvas before invoking Expose All Layers command Canvas after invoking Expose All Layers command 3 Select the layer you want to work on.
Using the Timeline 8 The Timeline is one of the most flexible and valuable elements of the Motion interface. This is where you can control all of the timing aspects of your project. Whether you want to line up multiple layers to begin or end together, change which portion of a clip is used, or lengthen or shorten a particular object, the Timeline provides the tools you need. You can organize your objects to begin and end on the frames you choose.
About the Timeline The Timeline consists of the Timeline layers list on the left and a track area on the right. You can add images and clips to your project using the Timeline, just as you add files to the Layers tab or the Canvas. You can drag objects into the Timeline layers list, or drag them directly into the Timeline track area. The Timeline ruler, located above the track area, provides an exact reference for managing timing and synchronizing effects.
µ µ Choose Window > Layouts > Cinema. Press F6. Cinema Layout moves the Inspector to the right side of the interface and displays the Timing pane. µ If you are working on a Mac with a Multi-Touch trackpad, you can use a three-finger swipe up to display the Timing pane. Use a three-finger swipe down to hide the Timing pane. Note: To change interface layouts, choose Window > Layouts, then choose Standard, Alternate, or Cinema. You can also create and save your own layout arrangements.
When you select an object, the color changes to a darker shade, and the name of the object turns white. When the Timeline is in Filmstrip mode, the filmstrip frames are highlighted with a white border. See Specifying the Track Display for more information on how to set different Timeline view modes. Timeline Layers List The Timeline layers list mirrors the Layers tab in the Project pane and displays your project objects (groups, layers, filters, behaviors, and so on) and their stacking order.
Enabling Timeline Tracks To the left of each track in the Timeline layers list is an activation checkbox that turns that track on and off. When a track is turned off (disabled), it is ignored in the Canvas. Not only can you turn video or audio on and off, but you can also disable or enable effects such as masks, filters, and behaviors. Activation checkbox is turned off. Disabled track µ To turn visibility for an object on or off Click the checkbox at the left edge of the track you want to control.
When a layer or group is collapsed in this manner, it still appears in the Canvas window. Unlike enabling or disabling tracks, collapsing and expanding the Timeline layers list is only an organizational tool to help manage the view of the Timeline. Disclosure triangle µ To collapse or expand a layer or group in the Timeline Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the layer or group name. If no disclosure triangle is present, that object cannot be collapsed or expanded any further.
Locking Timeline Tracks Occasionally, you may want to prevent changes to a particular item. The lock icon at the right edge of the Timeline layers list allows you to lock an object and prevent any changes from affecting that object. An object that is locked in the Timeline also appears locked in the Layers tab in the Project pane. Lock icon Tracks appear locked in the Timeline.
The link icon changes to a broken link. 2 Move, trim, or slip the audio or video bar. The link icon also appears in the Layers tab in the Project pane. Before After Timeline View Options The lower-left corner of the Timeline contains several controls to customize what elements appear in the Timeline. Audio tracks are displayed in a separate partition in the Timeline. You can resize the partitions by dragging the divider for each partition.
Zooming in the Timeline You can zoom in and out in the Timeline using the Zoom/Scroll control, the zoom slider, or using a pinch open or pinch closed on a Multi-Touch trackpad. Each of these methods lets you zoom in and out of the Timeline horizontally, showing more or less time in the Timeline window. As you zoom in, you can see greater detail, which lets you place objects with greater precision. As you move the zoom slider, the Timeline remains centered on your current frame.
To adjust the height of the tracks Do one of the following: µ Drag the row separator between two layers in the Timeline layers list. When the pointer changes to an adjust pointer, drag up or down to modify the vertical size of the tracks. µ Click one of the “Set timeline row size” buttons. Specifying the Track Display You can choose several different ways to display the objects within the tracks in the Timeline.
Adding Objects to the Timeline Layers List You can add images and clips to your project by dragging them to the Timeline layers list. When you drag an image from the File Browser or Media tab into the Timeline layers list, you can choose whether add the new object to an existing group, replace an existing object, or create a new object. Once an object is added to the Timeline layers list, it appears in the layers lists and becomes a Timeline track in the track area.
2 When the position indicator appears, release the mouse button. A new group is created on top of other existing groups in the hierarchy or “stack” of groups and layers. To create a new group below existing groups 1 Drag an object from the File Browser, Library, or Media tab into the Timeline layers list, below the lower edge of the bottom object. Note: There are two different position indicators: The shorter indicator places the object in the existing group.
A black border highlights the group. 2 Release the mouse button. The object moves into the selected group and is placed above any existing objects within that group. You can also drag an object to a specific place in the new group by dragging it in between existing tracks in the new group. Motion’s groups and layers are “spring-loaded,” which means that when they are collapsed, dragging an object onto them causes them to temporarily expand, just like folders in the Finder.
Nesting Groups and Layers To help organize large groups of objects or to create certain kinds of special effects, you can place one group inside of another. This gives you the flexibility to create a group containing multiple objects, and then treat that entire group as a single object within another group. You could go further and take that “parent” group, combine it with some other groups, and treat that group as a single element, and so on. This is called nesting or grouping.
2 Press Delete. You can also Control-click an object, then choose Delete from the shortcut menu. All of the operations just described can also be performed with multiple tracks. For example, rather than just moving one object from Group 1 to Group 3, you can select two or three objects within Group 1 and move them all at once. µ To select more than one object or group track Command-click each of the tracks in the Layers list that you want to include in your selection.
Note: Cameras and lights that have been saved to the Library can be dragged to the Timeline. Dragging to a group track Dragging within an object track If you are dropping multiple objects, you can choose Composite or Sequential from the drop menu. Sequential imports objects one after the other. Note: If you release the mouse button before the drop menu appears, the default choice of Composite is applied. This means that the new layer appears on top of other objects in the Canvas.
Insert When you choose Insert from the drop menu, Motion leaves the existing object in the track, but pushes it forward in time to make room for the new item. For example, if you insert a five-frame movie into a group containing an existing object, the new movie is added to the Timeline at whichever frame you drop it, pushing the remaining frames of the original movie out five frames.
If the new object is shorter than the one currently in the group, the Overwrite option splits the duration of the existing object and deletes only the frames where the new object appears. Before After To overwrite an object 1 Drag an object from the Library or Media tab into the Timeline track area. As you drag, a tooltip appears to tell you the frame number at which you are located. 2 When you reach the frame where you want the new object to start, hold down the mouse button until the drop menu appears.
Note: You cannot use Exchange with audio files. To exchange an object 1 Drag an object from the Library or Media tab into the Timeline track area. As you drag, a tooltip appears to tell you the frame number at which you are located. 2 When you reach the object you want to exchange, hold down the mouse button until the drop menu appears. 3 Choose Exchange from the drop menu. The old object is replaced by the new object.
Alternatively, you can drop the multiple objects into the Timeline layers list. Doing so always results in a composite edit. Also, if you release the mouse button before the drop menu appears, a composite edit is applied. To add multiple objects sequentially 1 Command-select the files you want in the File Browser, Library, or Media tab, then drag them to the Timeline track area. 2 When you reach the frame where you want the new objects to start, hold down the mouse button until the drop menu appears.
Motion has several features that help you modify the objects in the Timeline. You can arrange your objects to begin and end at designated frames. You can also use powerful alignment and timing tools, such as snapping and markers. You can also modify keyframes in the Timeline. This section describes the various ways you can perform these actions. Motion uses the terms move, trim, and slip to describe the different ways of editing Timeline objects.
3 Choose Mark > Move Selected In Point (or press Shift-Left Bracket) to align the object’s beginning to the playhead or choose Mark > Move Selected Out Point (or press Shift-Right Bracket) to align the end of the object to the playhead position. Before After Moving Objects Shortcut In the Timeline, you can quickly move an object forward or backward a specific number of frames, or to a specific frame.
You can also trim an object by using the menu items and corresponding keyboard shortcuts to change an object’s In and Out points. This allows you to trim multiple objects simultaneously as well as make trimming changes on the fly while your project is playing back. You can only lengthen a footage layer if there are existing unused frames in the source media. If you need to extend an object and the source material doesn’t have enough frames, you can change its End Condition to Loop, Ping Pong, or Hold.
µ To trim an object and snap to neighboring items Press Shift as you drag the edge of the item in the Timeline. Snap-to lines appear, and the edge of the object you are dragging automatically lines up precisely with these lines. To change an object’s In or Out point 1 Select the object you want to trim. 2 Place the playhead on the frame where you want the new In or Out point.
For example, if you have a shot of a door opening that is 3 seconds long and you want to trim it down to only 1 second, you can use the Slip function to select which one-second section to use: the first second as the door leaves the jamb, the next second where it is flying open, or the last second where it bangs against the wall. Before After Note: You can only slip an object as far as the existing unused frames in the source media.
To split an object track 1 Select the object in the track area of the Timeline layers list for the object you want to split. 2 Place the playhead on the frame where you want the split to occur. 3 Choose Edit > Split. The object is broken into two pieces, each positioned on its own track. Deleting Objects Removing objects from your project can be just as important as adding them. Motion provides three ways to remove an object from the Timeline. • Delete: Removes the object, leaving a gap in the Timeline.
To ripple delete an object 1 Select the object you want to delete. 2 Choose Edit > Ripple Delete (or press Shift-Delete). To cut an object 1 Select an object you want to delete. 2 Choose Edit > Cut from the menu bar (or press Command-X). You can also Control-click the object, then choose Cut from the shortcut menu. Copying and Pasting Objects As in other applications, you can copy and paste objects. Copying leaves an object in place and copies it to the Clipboard for later pasting.
Paste Special In addition to ordinary pasting, Motion lets you paste as an insert, overwrite, or exchange edit. These three commands appear in the Paste Special dialog. Paste special can also be used with regions to perform a special type of paste. For more information, see Pasting into a Region Using the Paste Special Command. • Insert into time region: Pastes the Clipboard contents into the project, pushing existing objects farther down in time.
Displaying and Modifying Keyframes in the Timeline You can move or delete keyframes that are displayed in the Timeline. You can also display in the Timeline the animation curve for a selected keyframe in the Keyframe Editor. µ To display keyframes in the Timeline At the bottom of the Timeline layers list, click the Show/Hide Keyframes button. Show/Hide Keyframes button When the button appears dark gray, it is enabled. The keyframes appear below the object tracks.
The Keyframe Editor is displayed, the animation curve appears, and a new, untitled curve set is created. For more information on curve sets, see Filtering the Parameter List. Retiming in the Timeline By default, a 60-frame clip played back at 30 frames per second takes two seconds to display its 60 frames. If its In point is frame 1, its Out point is frame 60. Speed and duration are interactive; that is, if you increase the speed at which the clip plays back, its duration automatically decreases.
To lengthen the clip’s duration and slow down its playback speed 1 With the pointer over the start or end of the clip, press and hold down the Option key. The pointer turns into the retime pointer. 2 Drag the Out point of the clip’s bar to the right. As you drag, the tooltip displays the clip’s Duration and Speed. Looping a Clip When a looped clip reaches its last frame, it starts playing again from its first frame. Another way of extending a clip’s duration is by looping it.
Editing in the Group Track In addition to the ability to edit individual objects within groups, Motion allows you to do a variety of editing tasks directly in the group track, even if that track is collapsed. This allows you to collapse your tracks and do many of the functions typically limited to a dedicated nonlinear editor such as Final Cut Pro.
2 Drag the section left or right to move the object within the group forward or backward in time. Before After Moving and Editing Overlapping Objects You can move all overlapping objects of a group at once or edit a single object within a group. To move overlapping objects within a group 1 Click the area of the group track where the overlap is indicated. The selected area may exceed the overlapping region if an object extends beyond the overlap. 2 Drag the section to move all of the objects at once.
The boundaries of that one object are highlighted in the group track. 2 Move, trim, or slip the object independently from the other objects in the group. Trimming Objects in the Group Track Trimming the edges of the group bar automatically trims the edges of the objects within the group. If there is only one object, trimming the group bar simply trims that object. If there is more than one object lined up with the edge of the group, trimming the group automatically trims all of those objects.
You cannot trim the individual object tracks within the body of the group track. Before After Disconnecting the Group Track from Its Contents You can modify the group bar to be longer or shorter than the contents of the group. For example, you might shorten a group bar to hide a section of the objects within it. Objects that extend beyond the boundaries of the group bar (the thin blue bar at the top of the group track) are not displayed in the Canvas.
µ To trim an object without changing applied effects Press Command while you drag the edge of the object. Slipping Objects in the Group Track In addition to moving and trimming, you can slip certain objects directly in the group bar. Any portion of the group that contains only one object can be slipped. Areas where more than one object overlap cannot be slipped without expanding the group and directly manipulating the individual objects.
Navigating in the Timeline Motion provides many different controls for navigating the Timeline. You can directly drag the playhead to “scrub” through your project as quickly or slowly as you want, or you can jump to a specific frame. Additionally, you can automatically jump to object boundaries, markers, and other important indicators in the Timeline. To move the playhead to a new point in time Do one of the following: µ µ µ µ µ Double-click the current frame field, type a frame number, then press Return.
µ To move backward in seconds, type a Shift–Minus Sign, then type the number of seconds you want to move backward, and then type a period. For example, to move 2 seconds backward, type “–2.” (with a period after the number) in the field, then press Return. To move backward in minutes, type two periods after the number, and to move backward in hours, type three periods after the number.
To jump to the next keyframe Do one of the following: µ µ With the animated object selected, press Shift-K. With the animated object selected, choose Mark > Go to > Next Keyframe. To jump to the previous keyframe Do one of the following: µ µ With the animated object selected, press Option-K. With the animated object selected, choose Mark > Go to > Previous Keyframe. For information on displaying keyframes in the Timeline, see Timeline View Options.
To customize the playback Out point Do one of the following: µ In the ruler, drag the Out point marker from the right edge of the ruler to the frame where you want to set the Out point. µ µ Choose Mark > Mark Play Range Out. Press Command-Option-O. To reset playback In and Out points Do one of the following: µ µ Choose Mark > Reset Play Range. Press Option-X. The In and Out points reset themselves to the beginning and end of the project.
µ To expand or contract a region Position the pointer at either edge of a region to modify its end point. Click to the right to make it longer or to the left to make it shorter. Selected regions ordinarily apply to all tracks in your Timeline. However, sometimes you only want to select one or more tracks. This allows you to make complex selections across multiple layers and tracks. µ To move a region Position the pointer over the region, then drag to move the region.
Pasting into a Region Using the Paste Special Command Regions are also useful for performing a special type of paste command called paste special. You can define a region and paste objects into that region. You have three choices for how the paste into is performed. You can insert, pushing the existing region down in time, overwrite the existing contents of the region, or exchange the existing objects with the Clipboard contents.
Project Duration Motion projects default to ten seconds in length. You can change this duration to match the needs of your project. To learn how to change the default project duration, see General Tab of the Project Properties Window. To change the project duration Do one of the following: µ Drag in the project duration field in the lower-right corner of the Canvas. Dragging to the right extends the length and dragging to the left shortens it.
You can add two types of markers: project markers and object markers. Project markers are fixed to a specific timecode value in the ruler. Object markers are attached to an object and move around as you move the object. Object markers appear only in the Timeline. Project markers appear in the Timeline, Keyframe Editor, and Audio Editor. Object marker Project marker Object marker Note: Project markers are indicated in the mini-Timeline by a fine green line.
Note: You can also press Shift-M to add a project marker at the playhead position, whether or not an object is selected. To add an object marker 1 Place the playhead on the exact frame where you want the marker to appear. 2 Select the object where you want to add the marker, then do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Markers > Add Marker. • Press M. A red marker is added to the group bar. In this way, you can add markers while playing your project.
To delete all object markers Do one of the following: µ Select the group or layer containing the markers you want to delete, then choose Mark > Markers > Delete All Markers. µ Control-click the gray marker bar above the ruler in the Timeline, then choose Delete All Markers from the shortcut menu. Editing Marker Information You can edit the information for a marker, including its name, starting frame, duration, and color. You can also add comments to the marker.
7 Click the Type pop-up menu to choose a marker type: • Standard: The default marker for use in Motion • DVD Menu Loop: When you are using a Motion project as a menu background in DVD Studio Pro, the DVD menu normally plays through the entire Motion project, then starts over at the beginning of the project. When a loop point marker is defined, the DVD menu plays the Motion project to the end the first time through, then starts over at the loop point marker for subsequent loops.
Using Behaviors 9 You can use behaviors to animate objects using simple graphical controls. With behaviors, you can easily create basic motion effects or complex simulated interactions between multiple objects. You can add behaviors to objects (cameras, lights, layers, or groups) or properties in a project to create animated effects without needing to create or adjust keyframes. Drag a behavior onto an object, and the object is automatically animated based on the type of behavior you applied.
Behaviors can also be used to animate the parameters of nearly any particle system emitter, shape, mask, replicator, filter, generator, camera, or light. This allows you to quickly create animated backgrounds, dynamic filter effects, interesting camera and lighting effects, and incredibly complex particle systems, all using a few simple controls. Motion Tracking behaviors serve a different purpose than other behaviors.
• Particles behaviors are specifically designed to be applied to a particle emitter or cells within particle systems. These behaviors affect how individual particles are animated over the duration of their life. For more information, see Using Particles Behaviors. • Replicator behaviors are specifically designed to be applied to a replicator or cells within the replicator. These behaviors affect how the replicator cell parameters are animated over their pattern.
Behaviors Versus Keyframes It’s important to understand that behaviors do not add keyframes to the objects or parameters to which they’re applied. Instead, behaviors automatically generate a range of values that are then applied to an object’s parameters, animating over the duration of the behavior. Changing the parameters of a behavior alters the range of values that behavior generates. Keyframes, on the other hand, apply specific values directly to a parameter.
Browsing for Behaviors All available behaviors appear in the Library tab. Selecting the Behaviors category in the category pane of the sidebar reveals the behavior subcategories (text behaviors have two categories). Library categories Behavior subcategories Behaviors in the selected subcategory Selecting a subcategory reveals all behaviors of that type in the Library stack.
When you select a behavior in the Library stack, a short description and preview of the behavior appear in the Preview area. Note: To help you understand how each behavior works, the animated behavior previews provide hints in the form of animation paths and color coding. While most previews are self-explanatory, the Parameter previews show before/after examples of the behavior’s effect on an animated object, with the gear graphic turning red to show the object after the behavior takes effect.
Where Behaviors Appear When you apply a behavior to an object, it appears nested underneath that object in the Layers tab and in the Timeline. Nested behaviors as they appear in the Layers tab New behaviors you apply to an object appear above other behaviors that were applied previously. Parameter controls that let you adjust the attributes of a behavior appear in the Behaviors tab of the Inspector. Newly applied behaviors appear above those that have been previously applied.
Note: Behaviors can be hidden from view in the Layers tab using the Show/Hide Behaviors button in the lower-right corner of the Layers tab. For more information, see Hiding and Showing Effects. When any behavior is applied to an object in your project, a Behaviors icon (a gear) appears in the Animation menu to the right of the affected parameter in the Properties, Behaviors, or Filters tab where it’s applied. This icon shows you that a behavior is influencing that parameter.
For more information on combining behaviors and keyframes, see Combining Behaviors with Keyframes. Applying Behaviors You can apply behaviors directly to objects in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline. Some behaviors automatically animate specific parameters of the layer to which they’re applied. For example, the Throw behavior affects only an object’s Position parameter, and the Grow/Shrink behavior affects only an object’s Scale parameter.
To apply a behavior to an object in the Timeline, drag the behavior to the object in the Timeline layers list or the Timeline track area. Note: It is usually easier to drag a behavior to a camera or light in the Layers tab or Timeline than directly to the object in the Canvas. An advantage to applying behaviors from the Library is the ability to preview the animation created by the behavior in the Library Preview area.
When a behavior is applied to an object, the object parameters affected by that behavior are automatically animated based on the behavior’s default settings. For example, if you apply the Gravity behavior to an object in the Canvas, that object’s position is animated and it moves down, according to the Gravity behavior’s default setting. Default Behavior Duration In most cases, a behavior’s duration is the Timeline duration of the object to which it is applied.
Applying Parameter Behaviors Parameter behaviors function differently than other behaviors. All behaviors affect specific parameters of an object—when a Spin behavior is applied to an image, the Rotation parameter for that image is automatically affected; when a Fade In/Fade Out behavior is applied to a clip, the Opacity parameter for that clip is automatically affected, and so on.
2 Do one of the following: • Control-click a parameter in the Inspector, then choose a Parameter behavior from the shortcut menu. In this example, the Oscillate parameter behavior is applied to the Rotation parameter of a shape. • Control-click a parameter in the HUD, then choose a Parameter behavior from the shortcut menu. In this example, the Randomize parameter behavior is applied to the Feather parameter of a shape.
• Control-click a parameter in the Keyframe Editor, then choose a Parameter behavior from the shortcut menu. Once a Parameter behavior is applied to a parameter, the Inspector automatically opens to the Behaviors tab. Note: Use the Show pop-up menu to choose the parameters you want displayed in the Keyframe Editor. For more information, see Filtering the Parameter List.
Where Parameter Behaviors Appear Like other behaviors, Parameter behaviors appear nested underneath the objects to which they’re applied in the Layers tab and the Timeline, along with any other behaviors that have been applied to that object. Note: Although a Parameter behaviors appear nested under objects in the Layers tab, keep in mind that each Parameter behavior is applied to a single parameter of an object, and not the object itself.
Opening a parameter’s Animation menu in the Inspector displays the names of all the behaviors currently applied to that parameter. Choosing one automatically opens that item’s Behaviors tab. In this example, the Oscillate and Randomize Parameter behaviors are affecting the Size parameter of the Crystallize filter.
2 In the Behaviors tab of the Inspector, choose a new parameter from the Apply To (Go) pop-up menu. Modifying Behaviors Each behavior has a subset (or sometimes a complete set) of parameters that appear in the HUD. In addition, all behavior parameters appear in the Behaviors tab of the Inspector. Both the HUD and the Behaviors tab reference the same parameters, so changing a parameter in one automatically changes the same parameter in the other.
As you can see, the controls in the HUD consolidate two of the parameters available in the Behaviors tab into a single, graphical control. There are times, however, when it may be more desirable to use a behavior’s individual parameters to finesse the effect you’re trying to achieve with greater detail, including the ability to enter specific parameter values.
2 Open the Inspector, then click the Behaviors tab. All of the applied behaviors appear in the tab. Modifying Multiple Behaviors Simultaneously In most cases, you can modify the parameters of most behaviors of the same type at the same time. Note: The behaviors must be the same (such as two Throw behaviors) and they must be applied to separate objects.
Lock: Click the lock icon to lock or unlock a behavior. You cannot modify the parameters of a locked behavior. Enable/disable behaviors Lock Activation checkbox Name Enable/disable behaviors: A Behaviors icon (a gear) appears to the right of the name of each object with one or more behaviors applied to it. Clicking this icon turns all behaviors applied to that object on and off.
Copying, Pasting, and Moving Behaviors After you have added behaviors to an object, there are a number of ways you can copy and move them among the other items in the Timeline or Layers tab. Behaviors can be cut, copied, and pasted like any other item in Motion. When you cut or copy a behavior in the Timeline or Layers tab, you also copy the current state of all that behavior’s parameters. To cut or copy a behavior 1 Select a behavior.
Note: If you move a Parameter behavior to another object, it is applied to the same parameter it affected in the previous object—as long as the corresponding parameter exists. If the parameter does not exist, the parameter assignment (Apply To field) is set to none. Dragging a behavior from one object to another You can also duplicate a behavior in place. To duplicate a behavior 1 Select the behavior you want to duplicate. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Duplicate (or press Command-D).
Applying Multiple Behaviors to an Object There is no limit to the number of behaviors you can add to an object. When multiple behaviors are applied to a single object, they all work together to create a final animated effect. In general, each behavior applies a value to a specific parameter. The values generated by all behaviors that affect the same parameters are combined to create the end result.
For example, if you animate a layer using the Gravity (Simulation) behavior and then apply a Throw (Basic Motion) behavior, the layer moves downward as specified by the Gravity behavior and in the direction specified in the Throw behavior. Motion is applying the value of the Throw behavior to the value of the Gravity behavior, creating the end result.
Note: Motion has a specific order of operations for keyframes and behaviors. For more information, see Behavior Order of Operations. Changing the Timing of Behaviors You can change a behavior’s timing to control when it starts, how long it lasts, and when it stops. There are several ways to do this. You can use the Stop Parameter behavior to suspend one or more behavior’s effects on a single parameter. You can also trim each behavior in the Timeline.
For more information about applying Parameter behaviors, see Applying Parameter Behaviors. Trimming Behaviors When you apply a behavior to an object, the duration of the behavior in the Timeline defaults to the duration of the object to which it’s applied. The default duration of a behavior matches the duration of the object to which it is applied. A behavior can be modified to limit the duration of its effect.
Trimming the Out point of a behavior often sets the object to its original state beyond the Out point behavior. For many behaviors, using the Stop behavior to pause the object’s animation is a more efficient method than trimming its Out point. Another way to stop a behavior’s effect and leave the affected object in the transformed state is to adjust a behavior’s Start and End Offset parameters. See Changing the Offset of Parameter Behaviors for more information.
In the next image, the Orbit Around behavior is trimmed in the Timeline to a shorter duration (190 frames) than the object to which it is applied. Notice the change in the shape of the animation path: At frame 190, where the Orbit Around behavior ends, the object (the circle shape) stops moving around its target and continues moving off the Canvas. The Orbit Around behavior—the active force—is no longer present, but the motion of the circle does not stop.
The End Offset parameter lets you offset the end of the behavior’s effect relative to the last frame of its position in the Timeline. Using this slider to stop the effect, instead of trimming the end of the behavior in the Timeline, lets you freeze the behavior’s effect on the object for its remaining duration. The following example illustrates how to use the Start Offset and End Offset parameters with the Ramp behavior. To use the Start Offset and End Offset parameters 1 Select an object, such as a shape.
For example, if you apply the Random Motion behavior to a shape, that shape might weave around onscreen with a completely random animation path similar to the following: Random animation path If you turn the Random Motion behavior off temporarily and create an animation path using keyframes, you can create a completely predictable and smooth movement.
Combining Behaviors and Keyframes in the Keyframe Editor When you display a parameter that’s affected by a behavior in the Keyframe Editor, two curves appear for that parameter. An uneditable curve in the background displays the parameter as it is affected by the behavior. There are no keyframes over this first curve. Superimposed over the curve displaying the behavior’s effect is the parameter’s editable curve.
Raising or lowering a keyframe in the Keyframe Editor also raises or lowers the background curve, because the keyframe is modifying the values generated by the behavior. Important: The value displayed in the Inspector for the affected parameter reflects the final combined result of both keyframes and behaviors that are applied to that parameter. Editing a parameter’s values directly in the Inspector only results in changes made to the underlying parameter value, whether keyframed or not.
You can convert the behaviors that are applied to all parameters of an object into keyframes. Converting behaviors that have already been combined with keyframes turns the sum of all behaviors and keyframes affecting that parameter into a thinned series of keyframes (a curve with fewer keyframes). This results in a final animation curve that closely replicates the shape of the background curve that appeared in the Keyframe Editor. These keyframes can then be edited directly in the Keyframe Editor.
Applying Parameter Behaviors to a Behavior You can animate a behavior’s parameter by applying a Parameter behavior. For example, you can apply the Oscillate Parameter behavior to the Drag parameter of the Orbit Around behavior, then adjust the Start and End values to increase from 0 to 8 over time. This results in the orbit of the object slowly decaying, causing the object to fall toward the center of the orbit.
Converting Behaviors to Keyframes Behaviors are best suited for fluid effects in which precise timing is not a requirement. However, there may be projects in which you want finite control over the animated effects created with behaviors. If necessary, several of the behaviors can be baked into keyframes. This means that the animation curves created by the behaviors (which have no keyframes) can be converted into keyframed animation curves.
Saving and Sharing Custom Behaviors You can save any object in Motion to the Library, including cameras, lights, customized filters and behaviors, groups, and layers (customized particle systems, replicators, shapes, and text). Objects animated with behaviors or keyframes can also be saved to the Library and retain their animation when applied to another project.
2 In the Layers tab, select all of the behaviors you want to save and drag them to the stack, holding down the mouse button until a drop menu appears. 3 Choose “All in one file” or “Multiple files” from the drop menu, then release the mouse button. “All in one file” saves all the behaviors together. They are listed as one item in the Library. “Multiple files” saves the behaviors as individual objects in the Library.
µ To move a behavior to a custom folder in the Behaviors category Drag the behavior to the new folder in the Library sidebar. The custom preset is added to the new folder and to the All subcategory. µ To move a behavior to a custom folder in a Behaviors subcategory Drag the behavior to the new folder in the Behaviors subcategory in the Library stack. The custom preset is added to the new folder and to the All subcategory.
If you’ve created one or more custom behaviors that you rely upon, you may want to move them to other computers that have Motion installed. µ To copy a custom behavior to another computer Copy one or more Motion custom preset files to that computer’s /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/Motion/Library/ folder. Basic Motion Behaviors Basic Motion behaviors animate specific parameters of the object to which they are applied.
The Fade In/Fade Out behavior is useful for introducing and removing elements you’re animating in a project. For example, you could apply the Fade In/Fade Out behavior to text that moves across the screen to make it fade into existence, and then fade away at the end of its duration. Note: Fade In/Fade Out behavior cannot be applied to a camera or light.
Note: The Grow/Shrink behavior cannot be applied to cameras or lights. Tip: To scale particles over their lifetime, use the Scale Over Life particle behavior. For more information, see Using Particles Behaviors. Note: The vertical and horizontal growth rates can be set to independent values, for asymmetrical effects. The Grow/Shrink behavior is a good one to use with high-resolution graphics to zoom into an image, such as a map or photograph.
End Offset: A slider that lets you offset the end of the behavior’s effect relative to the last frame of its position in the Timeline, in frames. Adjust this parameter to make the behavior stop before the actual end of the behavior in the Timeline. Use this slider to offset the end of the Grow/Shrink effect from the end of the object. HUD Controls The Grow/Shrink HUD consists of two rectangular regions. The first, a rectangle with a dotted line, represents the original size of the object.
The first point on the path is the position of the object in the Canvas at the first frame of the behavior. Option-click anywhere on the path to add Bezier points, which allow you to reshape the motion path by creating curves. Motion path Note: To show or hide the motion path, choose Show Overlays from the View pop-up menu in the Status Bar. (The Animation Path option shows and hides the animation paths of other behaviors.) When you play the project, the object moves along the assigned path.
Parameters in the Inspector Path Shape: A pop-up menu that lets you define the shape of the path on which the object travels. • Open Spline: The default shape, a straight path defined by two points at the beginning and end of the path. You can choose to work with Bezier or B-Spline control points. Option-click (or double-click) anywhere on the path to add points. Use the outer control points to resize the circle or rectangle motion path shape.
Note: The Path Shape parameters work similarly to text on a path. For more information about working with text on a path, see Working with Text on a Path. Shape Type: When Path Shape is set to Open Spline or Closed Spline, this pop-up menu allows you to choose one of two ways to manipulate the shape of the path: Bezier or B-Spline. • Bezier: Lets you manipulate the keyframe curve manually by dragging the handles.
Phase: When Wave is the defined path shape, this dial defines the degrees of the offset of the waves from the start and end points of the path. When set to 0 degrees (default), the wave begins and ends at half the distance from the highest point to the lowest point in the wave. When set to 90 degrees, the wave begins and ends at the highest point in the wave. When set to –90 degrees, the wave begins at the lowest point in the wave. When set to 180 degrees, the waves are the same as 0 degrees, but inverted.
To align the rotation of an object to match all changes made to its position along an animation path, apply the Snap Alignment to Motion behavior. For more information, see Snap Alignment to Motion. Shape layer on path before Snap Alignment to Motion is applied Shape layer on path after Snap Alignment to Motion is applied Shape Source: When Geometry is the defined path shape, this image well defines the object (shape or mask) to use as the motion path source.
• Accelerate: The object moves along the path with increasing speed. • Decelerate: The object moves along the path with decreasing speed. • Natural: The speed in which the object moves over the path is determined by the shape of the path. For example, if the path is a U-shape curve, the object moves faster as it moves toward the low point of the U and slower as it moves up the edges.
Control Points: This parameter becomes available when the path shape is Open Spline or Closed Spline. Click the disclosure triangle to display the Position parameters for the motion path control points. The first value field is X, the second value field is Y, and the third value field is Z. Note: You cannot apply Parameter behaviors to the control points.
Moving the Object and Its Motion Path Moving an object automatically moves the object’s related motion path. µ To move the object and its motion path Select the object (not the Motion Path behavior), and move the object in the Canvas. Using Geometry for a Motion Path Shape The following section describes how to use geometry as the source for a motion path shape. You can use a shape that is animated with behaviors or keyframes as the source for a motion path.
To use the Custom Speed parameter 1 In the Inspector or HUD, choose Custom from the Speed pop-up menu. The Custom Speed parameter becomes available. By default, a keyframe is set at the first and last points of the behavior to create an animation of 0 percent to 100 percent, where at 0 the object is at the beginning of the path, and at 100 the object is at the end of the path. This is the same velocity used with the Constant preset. 2 Enable Record (press A).
Depending on the camera view, the object on the path may no longer be visible. For example, if the object has not been rotated in X or Y space and you are working in Top view, the camera is looking down perpendicularly (on the Y axis) on the object. The motion path and its points are still visible (as long as the Motion Path behavior is selected). In the following image, the motion path appears flat when viewed from above—the affected object only moves in X and Y space.
• If you chose (and/or modified) a default camera view (such as Top, Right, Left, and so on), choose Active Camera from the Camera menu, or choose View > 3D View > Active Camera. • With the camera selected, click the reset button in the Properties tab of the Inspector. Move The Move behavior places a point in the Canvas that creates a specific location for an object or group to move toward or away from.
Note: The Move behavior and the Adjust Item tool in the Toolbar must be selected to move the target. Use the Select/Transform tool to move the object. Strength: A slider defining the speed at which the object moves toward the target. With a value of 0, the object doesn’t move at all. The higher the value, the faster the object moves. Direction: A pop-up menu that sets whether the object moves toward the target point or away from the point.
Transition: This slider determines how long it takes for the object to go from its starting orientation to pointing at the center of the target object. This parameter is useful when the object is pointing at a moving target object. If Transition is set to 50% in a 300-frame project, and the target object is not moving, the point-at object takes 150 frames to point at (or orient to) the center of the target object and then stops moving for the duration of the behavior.
Snap Alignment to Motion This behavior aligns the rotation of an object to match all changes made to its position along an animation path. This behavior is meant to be combined with behaviors that animate the position of an object, or with a keyframed animation path you create yourself.
Spin Apply the Spin behavior to animate the rotation of an object, spinning it around a single axis. Using the Custom axis controls, the rotation does not have to occur on a principle axis (X, Y, or Z). If you trim the end of the Spin behavior to be shorter than the duration of the object to which it is applied, it remains at the angle of the last frame of the behavior, as long as there are no other behaviors or keyframes affecting that object’s Rotation parameter.
Axis: A pop-up menu that allows you to choose whether the object spins about the X, Y, or Z axis. You can also choose Custom, which yields additional Longitude and Latitude parameters. HUD showing axis set to the default Z Axis set to X Axis set to Y When Axis is set to Custom, additional Longitude and Latitude parameters become available. These parameters allow the object to spin at an angle (not locked to the X, Y, or Z axes).
The following image illustrates longitude and latitude. Y Latitude Z X Longitude • Latitude/Longitude: Available when Axis is set to Custom (or by dragging the center control of the Spin HUD), these parameters allow you to specify the axis of rotation. HUD Controls The Spin behavior’s HUD controls include an outer ring and an inner control. Drag along the edge of the outer ring to manipulate an arrow that indicates the direction and speed the object spins.
Throw The Throw behavior is the simplest way of setting an object in motion. Controls let you adjust the speed and direction of a single force that’s exerted on the object at the first frame of the behavior. After this initial force is applied, the object continues drifting in a straight line at the same speed, for the duration of the Throw behavior. A simple example of using the Throw behavior is to send a series of offscreen objects moving across the screen.
HUD Controls The 2D HUD lets you specify the direction and speed of the Throw behavior by dragging an arrow within a circular region. The direction of the arrow defines the direction of movement in X and Y space, and the length of the arrow defines speed (velocity). A slider to the right lets you adjust the scale of the HUD control, increasing or decreasing the effect the direction/speed control has over the object. Controls direction and speed of Throw. Adjusts scale of the direction and speed control.
• Random Motion • Wind Parameter Behaviors These behaviors can be applied to any object parameter that can be animated, and their effects are limited to just that parameter. The same parameter behavior can be added to different parameters, resulting in completely different effects. For example, you can apply the Oscillate behavior to the opacity of an object to make it fade in and out, or you can apply it to the rotation of an object to make it rock back and forth.
Audio This behavior allows you to animate nearly any parameter based on properties of an audio file, such as bass frequency. For example, the Audio parameter behavior can be applied to the Scale parameter of an object so that it scales up and down based on the amplitude of the bass, or to the Opacity parameter so that it fades in and out to the beat. For more information on using the Audio parameter behavior, see Audio Parameter Behavior.
Clamp This behavior allows you to define a minimum and maximum value for an animated parameter. In the following illustration, the center image has an applied Vortex behavior. The outer images circle around the center image, as indicated by the red animation path. The red lines indicate the animation paths of the outer image. In the following illustration, a Clamp behavior is applied to the X Position parameter of the image at the top of the Canvas.
The value is represented as a percentage, in pixels, or in degrees, depending on the parameter assignment. For example, if Clamp is applied to the Rotation parameter, the Min and Max values are degrees. If Clamp is applied to the X Position parameter, the values are in pixels. Apply To: The Apply To (Go) pop-up menu shows the parameter being affected and can be used to reassign the behavior to another parameter.
HUD Controls There are no HUD controls for this behavior. Adding a Custom Behavior Prior to creating a Custom behavior, you must first add the Custom behavior to an object in the Canvas. For more information on saving behaviors, see Saving and Sharing Custom Behaviors. To add a Custom behavior to an object Do one of the following: µ Select the object to which you want to add a Custom behavior, click the Add Behavior icon in the Toolbar, then choose Parameter > Custom from the pop-up menu.
µ To remove a parameter from the Custom parameter list Choose the parameter you want to remove from the Remove Parameter list. That parameter no longer appears in the Custom parameter list. Any keyframes that were applied to that parameter are deleted. Once you have animated all the parameters you added, you can save the Custom behavior into the Library for future use. For more information about saving Custom behaviors to the Library, see Saving and Sharing Custom Behaviors.
Start Offset: A slider that lets you delay the beginning of the behavior’s effect relative to the first frame of its position in the Timeline. Adjust this parameter to make the behavior start later. The units of this parameter are in frames. End Offset: A slider that lets you offset the end of the behavior’s effect relative to the last frame of its position in the Timeline, in frames. Adjust this parameter to make the behavior stop before the actual end of the behavior in the Timeline.
The values of the source parameter can be scaled to more accurately apply to the destination parameter, so for example a source parameter with a range of 1–100 can be scaled when applied to a parameter with a range of 0 – 1. The values can also be offset from the source, and the effect can be mixed with the destination value in a variety of ways to create different resulting effects.
Apply To: The Apply To (Target Parameters) pop-up menu shows the parameter being affected and can be used to reassign the behavior to another parameter. Because only certain parameters can be linked, you must set the Apply To parameter before eligible parameters will appear in this pop-up menu. Apply Mode: Pop-up menu to specify how the values from the source parameter affect the target parameter.
Apply Link When: Pop-up menu that enables you to limit when values from the source are applied to the target. There are five choices: • Any source value: When this item is selected, no limits are placed on the source parameter values. An Offset slider for each setting associated with the source parameter will appear at the bottom of the Behaviors tab. If the source parameter has a single slider, such as Opacity, there will be a single offset slider.
• Source value below maximum: When this item is selected, the link will apply only when the source value stays below a defined maximum value. If the source value exceeds the defined maximum, the link behavior will stop. When selected, the Clamp Source Values Within Range checkbox as well as offset and maximum sliders for each setting associated with the source parameter will appear at the bottom of the Behaviors tab.
• Source value between min and max: When this item is selected, the link will apply only when the source value stays within a defined range. If the source value falls below the defined minimum, or exceeds the defined maximum, the link behavior will stop. When selected, the Clamp Source Values Within Range checkbox as well as offset, minimum, and maximum sliders for each setting associated with the source parameter will appear at the bottom of the Behaviors tab.
• Source value outside min and max: When this item is selected, the link will apply only when the source value stays outside of a defined range. If the source value falls above the defined minimum, or below the defined maximum, the link behavior will stop. When selected, the Clamp Source Values Within Range checkbox as well as offset, minimum, and maximum sliders for each setting associated with the source parameter will appear at the bottom of the Behaviors tab.
Logarithmic The Logarithmic parameter behavior is the inverse of the Exponential behavior. Like the Exponential behavior, it creates more natural animations when scaling objects, especially when using high values. The Logarithmic parameter behavior applies a mathematical function to create a logarithmic curve (rather than linear) between the two values—the effect ramps up quickly, and then the effect slows down.
MIDI The MIDI behavior allows you to edit and animate object parameters using standard MIDI devices, such as a synthesizer. For the true motion graphics mixmaster. Parameters in the Inspector Control Type: Specifies the mode of the MIDI controller. The three available control types are: • Note: This mode is displayed when the control is a keyboard key on the MIDI device. • Controller: This mode is displayed when the control is a knob, dial, key, slider, or foot pedal on the MIDI device.
2 Control-click the parameter, then choose MIDI from the shortcut menu. The MIDI parameters are displayed in the Behaviors tab. By default, Control Type is set to Learning. Like all other Parameter behaviors, the Apply To field displays the parameter to which the behavior is applied. 3 On your MIDI device, tweak the control (such as the knob, dial, or key) that you want to use as the controller for the Opacity parameter.
For example, applying the Negate behavior to the Position parameter of an object with an animation path results in the animation path moving to the opposite quadrant of the Canvas. Note: If you want to reverse the motion taking place on an animation path, rather than flipping the shape of the animation path itself, use the Reverse parameter behavior.
Parameters in the Inspector Wave Shape: A pop-up menu that lets you choose the shape of the oscillation’s wave. The choices are Sine (default), Square, Sawtooth, and Triangle. • Sine: The default wave shape, the sine wave creates a smooth animation between values. For example, if Oscillate is applied to an object’s Opacity parameter, and the Wave Shape is set to Sine, the object gracefully fades in and out. • Square: The square wave creates abrupt changes in values.
• Sawtooth: The Sawtooth wave ramps upward over time and then drops sharply. For example, when Oscillate is applied to an object’s Opacity parameter, and the Wave Shape is set to Sawtooth, the object fades in slowly and fades out abruptly (like using a light dimmer to fade up a light, and then flicking the power switch off ). • Triangle: Similar to the sine wave, a triangle wave creates a smooth animation between values but with sharper changes at the transitions.
Half Range: When this checkbox is selected, the sine (or other wave shape) wave is essentially cut in half and does not cross over the value of 0. For example, when Amplitude is set to 100, the parameter oscillates between 100 and –100. When Half Range is selected, however, the parameter oscillates between 100 and 0. When Amplitude is set to –100, the parameter oscillates between –100 and 0.
HUD Controls The HUD lets you adjust the Phase, Amplitude, Speed, and Half Range parameters as well as change the parameter assignment of the Oscillate behavior. Related Behaviors • Ramp • Rate Creating a Decaying Oscillation When you are oscillating an object’s rotation or position, a common effect is to “decay” or “dampen” the animation over time. This means that the animation gradually slows or comes to a stop. You can achieve this effect using keyframes to slow the amplitude of the oscillation.
When the Oscillate behavior is selected, you can see the keyframed Amplitude value in the Keyframe Editor (when Animated is chosen from the Show pop-up menu). Quantize The Quantize behavior lets you create an incremental animation in any keyframed or behavior-influenced parameter. For example, if opacity is animated so that an object gradually fades in over time, you can add the Quantize behavior to make the object become opaque in steps. Note: The Quantize behavior only works with animated parameters.
Offset: A slider that offsets the steps. For example, when Quantize is applied to a Position parameter and Step Size is set to 100, an object “steps” in increments restricted to 100 pixels; thus, the step offset is 100, 200, 300, and so on. If Offset is set to 50, the step offset is restricted to 50, 150, 250, and so on. Apply To: The Apply To (Go) pop-up menu shows the parameter being affected, and can be used to reassign the behavior to another parameter.
Once you’ve arranged the different bars with their masks in the Canvas, you can apply Ramp behaviors to the X values of each mask to easily move each mask off to the side, giving the illusion that each bar is growing. Set the End Value parameter of each Ramp behavior to the length you want each bar to reach, and you’re done! Before After using Ramp behaviors to move the masks Parameters in the Inspector Start Value: The value that’s added to the parameter at the first frame of the Ramp behavior.
HUD Controls The HUD lets you adjust the Ramp’s Start Value, End Value, and Curvature parameters, as well as change the parameter assignment. Related Behaviors • Oscillate • Rate Randomize Creates a continuous sequence of randomly increasing and decreasing values, based on the parameters defining the range and type of values that are generated. Although the values created with this behavior appear to be random, they’re actually predetermined by the parameter settings you’ve chosen.
Link: This parameter appears when you apply this behavior to a two-dimensional parameter (such as Scale) or three-dimensional parameter (such as Position) that consists of X, Y, and/or Z values. Turn this checkbox on to keep the behavior’s effect on each value proportional. Affect Subobjects: This parameter only appears when the Randomize behavior is applied to a parameter of the Sequence Replicator behavior. When Affect Subobjects is selected, each object has a different random behavior.
Parameters in the Inspector Rate: A value slider that lets you set a rate of increase over time for the affected parameter. Measured in percentage increase per second. Curvature: This parameter lets you ease the acceleration with which the Rate behavior transitions from the Start Value to the End Value.
Stop The Stop behavior suspends parameter animation (created by keyframes or applied behaviors) of an object. For example, if you assign the Stop Parameter behavior to the Position parameter of an object that is moving across the screen and rotating, the object ceases to move across the screen but continues to rotate. Each behavior’s effect on the object is frozen at the first frame of the Stop behavior in the Timeline.
Wriggle Offset: A slider that allows you to offset the sequence of random values when you want to apply the same Wriggle behavior to multiple objects. By offsetting each object’s version of the Wriggle behavior, you can prevent objects from moving in sync. Noisiness: This slider adds an additional overlay of random variance to the Frequency you’ve set. Higher Noisiness values result in more erratic variations in the affected parameter.
Retiming Behaviors Retiming behaviors are applied to image sequences, QuickTime movies, and clone layers in order to change their timing. Retiming effects include creating hold frames, changing playback rate, reversing a clip, creating stutter or strobe effects, and so on. Important: Retiming behaviors can only be applied to QuickTime movies, image sequences, or clone layers.
Parameters in the Inspector Random Frames: A slider that sets the probability that a frame within the duration of the behavior is replaced with a random frame. When this value is set to 0, no random frames are inserted. When set to 100, every frame is random. The default value is 10%. Frame Range: A slider that defines the range from which the random frames are chosen, based around the current frame. The default value is 10 frames. Duration: A slider that sets the duration of the sequence of random frames.
Loop This behavior loops a segment of the clip within the duration of the behavior. The loop’s starting frame is derived from the start frame of the behavior. For example, if the behavior is applied at the start of a clip, and Loop Duration is set to 30, the first 30 frames of the clip loop repeatedly until the end of the behavior. At the end of the behavior, normal playback resumes from the frame at the end of the loop duration.
• Offset Frame: Allows you to offset the start frame of the replay. For example, if the behavior starts at frame 60 of the clip, and Start Frame is set to 30, when playback reaches frame 60, the clip starts playback at frame 90. If Start Frame is set to –30, the clip starts playback over from frame 30. Start Time: A slider that sets the start frame from which to replay the clip. The default is frame 1. HUD Controls The HUD contains the Start From and Start Time parameters.
Parameters in the Inspector Frame Offset: Sets the offset of the virtual playhead. Offset From: Sets the position from which the virtual playhead is offset. Values can be selected from First Frame or Current Frame. HUD Controls The HUD contains the Frame Offset and Offset From parameters. Set Speed This behavior allows you to change the speed (playback rate) of a clip. The speed specified in the behavior begins at the behavior’s In point and exists for the duration of the behavior.
Parameters in the Inspector Strobe Duration: A slider that sets the number of frames to hold. A value of 1 plays the clip at normal speed. The default value is 5 frames. HUD Controls The HUD contains the Strobe Duration parameter. Stutter This behavior randomly inserts hold frames, of random durations, into the playback of a clip. The effect is similar to a tape that sticks during play in a videocassette recorder.
Important: Several Simulation behavior parameters contain object wells into which target objects used as attractors, repellers, orbiters, and so on, are dragged. Dragging an object to a well may be tricky—be sure to click the object name in the Layers tab and immediately drag the object to the object well (without releasing the mouse button). The behavior must remain active even though you are dragging another object in the Layers tab.
Note: The Align to Motion behavior does not work on objects animated using the Motion Path behavior. Instead, use the Snap Alignment to Motion behavior (in the Basic Motion subcategory). Before using Align To Motion After using Align To Motion Unlike the Snap Alignment to Motion behavior, which produces absolute changes in rotation that precisely match changes in direction, Align To Motion has a springy reaction and creates a more lively effect.
Drag: A slider that adjusts whether or not the change in rotation made by this behavior overshoots the new direction of the object. Low drag values result in springy changes in rotation, where the object rotates back and forth as it overshoots changes in direction. High drag values dampen this effect, making the object’s rotation stick more closely to the changes made in rotation. Higher values also cause the object’s rotation to lag behind the object’s change in position.
Parameters in the Inspector Affect Subobjects: This parameter appears when this behavior is applied to an object that contains multiple objects, such as a group, a particle emitter, a replicator, or a text layer. When this checkbox is selected, all objects within the parent object are affected individually. When this checkbox is deselected, all objects within the parent object are affected by the behavior together, as if they were a single object. Object: An image well that defines the object of attraction.
Related Behaviors • Attractor • Drift Attracted To • Drift Attractor • Orbit Around • Spring • Vortex Attractor If you apply an Attractor behavior to an object, other objects that lie within the area of influence move toward it. You can manipulate the strength with which other objects are attracted, as well as the distance required for attraction to begin. Start of Attractor effect End of Attractor effect By default, objects overshoot the object of attraction and bounce around, never coming to rest.
• Related Objects: The default setting. Only other objects that are within the same group as the object of attraction are affected. • Specific Objects: Only objects appearing in the Affected Objects list are affected by the Attractor behavior. Affected Objects: A list that appears when Specific Objects is chosen in the Affect pop-up menu. Drag objects from the Layers tab into this list to be affected by the Attractor behavior when the Specific Objects option is selected in the Affect pop-up menu.
Related Behaviors • Attracted To • Drift Attracted To • Drift Attractor • Orbit Around • Spring • Vortex Drag This behavior lets you simulate the force of friction on a moving object, slowing it down over time. Applying the Drag behavior is an easy way to decelerate objects with multiple behaviors that create complex motion.
Parameters in the Inspector Affect Subobjects: This parameter appears when this behavior is applied to an object that contains multiple objects, such as a group, a particle emitter, a replicator, or a text layer. When this checkbox is selected, all objects within the parent object are affected individually. When this checkbox is deselected, all objects within the parent object are affected by the behavior together, as if they were a single object. Object: An image well that defines the object of attraction.
Related Behaviors • Attracted To • Attractor • Drift Attractor • Orbit Around • Spring • Vortex Drift Attractor Similar to the Attractor behavior, but by default objects within the area of influence move toward the object of attraction and come to rest, rather than overshooting the object of attraction and bouncing around. Parameters in the Inspector Affect: A pop-up menu that limits which objects in your project are affected by the Drift Attractor behavior.
Falloff Rate: This value determines how quickly the force of attraction between objects affected by this behavior falls off. A low Falloff Rate value results in objects quickly getting up to speed as they move toward the object of attraction. A high Falloff Rate causes objects to accelerate much more slowly. When Falloff Type is set to Exponential, the attraction falls off more quickly than when set to Linear. Influence: A slider that defines the radius of the circle of influence, in pixels.
Edge Collision This is a good behavior to use if you’re setting up complex motion simulations and you don’t want your objects exiting the Canvas. Objects with the Edge Collision behavior applied either come to a stop or bounce off after colliding with the edge of the Canvas frame.
Bounce Strength: The speed at which objects travel after colliding with an edge. A value of 0 causes objects to come to a complete stop when colliding with an edge that’s perpendicular to the direction of motion. Higher values cause an object to move faster after bouncing. This parameter only slows the object in the direction perpendicular to the bounced edge. Active Edges: Six checkboxes define which collision box edges are detected by the Edge Collision behavior.
Gravity This behavior causes an object, or the objects within a group (when Affect Subobjects is selected), to fall over time. The gravitational acceleration can be increased or decreased, resulting in a change to the rate of fall. Objects affected by the Gravity behavior continue to fall past the bottom edge of the Canvas (unless the Edge Collision behavior has been applied).
• Throw • Wind Orbit Around Similar to the Attracted To behavior, the Orbit Around behavior’s default parameter settings give the object sufficient initial velocity to orbit around another object in a perfect circle. Note: Behaviors such as Attractor and Repel applied to nearby objects may disrupt an object with the Orbit Around behavior applied to it.
Falloff Rate: This value determines how quickly the force of attraction between objects affected by this behavior falls off. A low Falloff Rate value results in objects quickly getting up to speed as they move toward the object of attraction. A high Falloff Rate causes objects to accelerate much more slowly. When set to Exponential, the attraction falls off more quickly than when set to Linear. Influence: A slider that defines the radius of the circle of influence in pixels.
Pole Axis: This parameter becomes available when the X, Y, and Z axes are enabled in the Include parameter. Because all points are at a fixed distance from the target or attractor object (the Pole Axis), the object can be visualized on a sphere of all possible orbits, with the target object at the center of the sphere. The Pole Axis defines the two points on the sphere that the orbit must pass through. • X: The following image illustrates Pole Axis set to X.
• Random: When Random is selected, the axes shift to a different random position. Direction: A pop-up menu that lets you set whether objects move around in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. HUD Controls The HUD has an image well you can use to assign an object of attraction, as well as controls for Strength, Falloff Type, Falloff Rate, Influence, Drag, axis and Pole Axis assignment, and Direction.
Random Motion The Random Motion behavior animates the position of an object and makes that object move around the Canvas along a random path. Animation path of a shape affected by the Random Motion behavior. The shape of the path is determined by the Seed parameter. Although the motion created with this behavior appears to be random, it’s actually predetermined by the particular group of parameters you’ve chosen.
Parameters in the Inspector Affect Subobjects: This parameter appears when this behavior is applied to an object that contains multiple objects, such as a group, a particle emitter, a replicator, or a text layer. When this checkbox is selected, all objects within the parent object are affected individually. When this checkbox is deselected, all objects within the parent object are affected by the behavior together, as if they were a single object.
Repel If you apply the Repel behavior to an object, that object pushes away all other objects within the area of influence in the Canvas. The strength with which objects are pushed away can be increased or decreased, as can the distance repelled objects travel. Object with Repel behavior Before After You can also specify which objects are affected by this behavior, creating an effect where only specific objects are moved, while others remain still.
Strength: A slider defining the speed with which repelled objects move away from the object. With a value of 0, repelled objects don’t move at all. The higher the value, the faster repelled objects move. Falloff Type: A pop-up menu that determines whether the distance defined by the Influence parameter falls off linearly or exponentially. • Linear: Repulsion between objects falls off in proportion to the object’s distance.
Object: An image well that defines the object to be repelled from. Strength: A slider defining the speed at which the object is repelled. With a value of 0, the object is not repelled at all. The higher the value, the faster the object is repelled. Falloff Type: A pop-up menu that determines whether the distance defined by the Influence parameter falls off linearly or exponentially. • Linear: Repulsion between objects falls off in proportion to the object’s distance.
Parameters in the Inspector Affect Subobjects: This parameter appears when this behavior is applied to an object that contains multiple objects, such as a group, a particle emitter, a replicator, or a text layer. When this checkbox is selected, all objects within the parent object are affected individually. When this checkbox is deselected, all objects within the parent object are affected by the behavior together, as if they were a single object.
Repel: With this checkbox selected, when the object gets closer to the object of attraction than the Relaxed Length value, the objects are pushed apart. When this checkbox is deselected, no repelling force is applied. Include X, Y, and Z: Buttons that allow you to specify the space in which the affected object moves back and forth around the assigned object.
• Name: This column lists the name of the object itself. Strength: A slider defining the speed at which the affected objects move about the object of attraction. Falloff Type: A pop-up menu that determines whether the distance defined by the Influence parameter falls off linearly or exponentially. The default is Linear. • Linear: Object attraction falls off in proportion to the object’s distance.
• Drift Attractor • Orbit Around • Spring Wind Apply the Wind behavior to an object to animate its position and move it in a specified direction. Unlike the Throw behavior, the velocity specified by the Wind behavior is a continuous force, and its parameters can be keyframed to achieve gradual changes in speed and direction. The Wind behavior is better than the Throw behavior when you want to vary the speed of the object being animated.
HUD Controls The HUD lets you specify the direction and speed of the Wind behavior by dragging an arrow within a circular region. The direction of the arrow defines the direction of movement in X and Y space, and the length of the arrow defines speed (velocity). A slider to the right lets you adjust the scale of the HUD control, increasing or decreasing the effect the control has over the object.
Additional Behaviors Audio, Camera, Motion Tracking, Particles, Replicator, Shape, and Text behaviors are designed specifically to be applied to their respective objects: Audio files, cameras, particle emitters or cells, replicators or replicator cells, shapes, and text. • For more information about Audio behaviors, see Audio Behaviors. • For more information about Camera behaviors, see Camera Behaviors. • For more information about Particles behaviors, see Using Particles Behaviors.
3 If you’d like, modify the color and opacity of the stars. For more information on modifying shapes, see Shape Parameters. 4 In the Layers tab, double-click the group that contains the stars, type “Stars” in the text field, then press Return. The group is renamed Stars. 5 Apply the Gravity behavior to the Stars group.
2 In the Edge Collision HUD (or Inspector), make sure the Affect Subobjects checkbox is deselected. When the Edge Collision behavior is applied to a group, and the Affect Subobjects parameter is turned off, the entire group is “bounced” off the bottom of the screen at the anchor point of the group. When the Edge Collision behavior is applied to a group and Affect Subobjects is turned off, the object (group) bounces at its anchor point off the bottom of the screen.
You create animation using the Orbit Around behavior by specifying a target object that other objects circle around. You set the target object by dragging the object to the Object well in the Orbit Around Behaviors tab. To use the Orbit Around behavior 1 Using the result of the previous example, delete the Edge Collision and Gravity behaviors from the project. 2 In the Layers tab, click the Add button (+) to create a new group, then rename the group “Center.
When the Orbit Around behavior is first applied, no animation occurs. This is because you must specify the layer that the group will orbit around. 6 Drag an object, in this case the “center star” layer, from the Layers tab and drop it in the Object well of the Orbit Around HUD or Inspector. This object becomes the target object around which the other objects orbit. You can alternately drag an object in the Layers tab onto the Object well of the Behaviors tab.
Example 3: Using the Vortex Simulation Behavior The Vortex behavior is the opposite of the Orbit Around behavior—Orbit Around causes one object to orbit around another target object, whereas Vortex exerts a force on all objects surrounding the object to which the Vortex behavior is applied. You can specify whether All Objects, Related Objects, or Specific Objects are affected by the Vortex. The following examples use the same group of layers (stars) used in Example 2: Using the Orbit Around Behavior.
3 In the Vortex HUD or Inspector, choose All Objects from the Affect pop-up menu. When All Objects is chosen, all objects in the project—regardless of the group in which they exist—are affected and move around the object to which the Vortex behavior is applied. Note: If you have a layer that is center-aligned with the layer that has the applied Vortex behavior (the gradient background in this example), the aligned layer is not affected by the Vortex behavior.
To affect only Specific Objects 1 In the HUD or Inspector, set the Vortex Affect parameter to Specific Objects (without moving any layers). 2 If it is not displayed, show the Behaviors tab in the Inspector. In the Vortex parameters, an Affected Objects list appears. 3 To apply the vortex to specific objects, drag the objects from the Layers tab to the Affected Objects list. Like the Object wells, you can drop the object when the curved arrow appears above the list.
As layers are added, the names of the objects as well as the group in which they exist appear in the list. When a group is dragged to the Affected Objects list, all layers within that group are added to the list. Click Remove to delete a layer from the Affected Objects list. Note: Objects from any group in a project can be dragged to the Affected Objects list. To remove an object, select the object in the list and click Remove.
Note: For more information about the drop menu, see Converting Between Shapes and Masks. 2 In the HUD or Inspector, set the Vortex Affect parameter to Related Objects. The objects in the group circle around the target object. Note: Other Simulation behaviors that also use the Affect parameter include Attractor, Repel, and Drift Attractor. Example 4: Creating a Clock Animation In this example, two Parameter behaviors are used to create an animated clock.
By default, the anchor point is located at the center of each object. Prior to adding behaviors to animate these layers, you need to move the anchor points so that the layers move the way they’re supposed to. In this example, the hands should spin about the center of the clock face, not the center of the hand itself, and the pendulum should swing from its top. 2 Choose the Adjust Anchor Point tool and move the anchor points of both hand layers and the pendulum layer to the center of the clock face.
This rotates the minute hand clockwise at a continuous rate. 5 Select the hour hand layer, Control-click its Rotation parameter in the Properties tab, then choose Rate from the shortcut menu. 6 In the Behaviors tab, set the Rate parameter to –4. When you play the project at this point, you can see that the hour hand and minute hand rotate clockwise at rates replicating the relative movement of real clock hands.
The pendulum layer doesn’t swing so widely. 9 Increase the speed to 50. This keeps with the overall fast-forward motion of the clock.
Keyframes and Curves 10 Although behaviors are ideal for instantly adding complex motion or effects to an object, keyframes provide additional precision and flexibility. Keyframes ensure that a particular event happens on the exact frame you choose. Most common effects utilize some keyframing. Whenever a movement or effect is timed to match a musical beat or a particular word in the soundtrack, a keyframe is the best tool for the job.
What Is Keyframing? Keyframing is the process of assigning a specific parameter value to an object at a specific point in time. For example, you might want a clip to be scaled to fill the screen exactly five seconds into your project. When you set more than one keyframe, Motion generates the in-between frames, resulting in a smooth change of that parameter over time. This is called interpolation.
When Record is enabled, a keyframe is created for any parameter that is adjusted. This includes parameters adjusted in the Canvas, Inspector, or HUD. In the Recording Options dialog (choose Edit > Recording Options or press Option-A), you can select the “Record keyframes on animated parameters only” option, which adds keyframes only to parameters that are already animated (keyframed)—even when Record is enabled. For more information, see Recording Keyframes on Animated Parameters Only.
You can also view and modify keyframes in the Timeline by clicking the Show/Hide Keyframes button. Keyframes appear as small blue (or white, when selected) diamonds beneath their parent object. Show/Hide Keyframes button Selected keyframe In the Keyframe Editor, you can see and manipulate a graph for every parameter in the application. Again, keyframes appear as diamonds, and the lines (or curves) connecting the keyframes indicate the values for the interpolated frames.
Ordinarily, when you make transformations to an object in the Canvas, the object remains in the new position or shape for its entire duration. In order to create change in an object over time, you must create keyframes. There are several ways to create keyframes while working in the Canvas. Using the Record Button One of the simplest ways to create keyframes is to use the Record button. When Record is enabled, a keyframe is created for any parameter that is adjusted.
You can also Control-click the object to display a shortcut menu with options for modifying the Pivot, Shear, Drop Shadow, Four Corner, and Crop parameters. For example, choose Transform from the shortcut menu to activate scale and rotation handles in the Canvas. For more information on object transformations in the Canvas, see Transforming Objects and Layers. When the Record button is on, each time you move the playhead to a new frame any change you make to an object automatically generates new keyframes.
Note: To view the animation paths of keyframed objects, ensure that Animation Path is selected in the View pop-up menu (in the upper-right corner of the main window, above the Canvas). When the Record button is off, changes you make modify the entire animation globally. For example, if an object is keyframed to fly from the lower left to the center of the screen, dragging the object to the right when the Record button is off moves the entire path to the right.
To move an object across the screen 1 Click the Record button (or press A) to turn on keyframe recording. 2 Place the playhead at the starting frame. 3 Place the object in a starting position. 4 Move the playhead forward. 5 Drag the object to the ending position you want. 6 Click the Record button (or press A) to turn off keyframe recording. If you play back your project, the object flies from position one to position two over the interval you set.
Manipulating Animation Paths in the Canvas When the animation path is displayed, you can directly manipulate the keyframes to reposition them and change the path that the object follows. When dragging a keyframe in the Canvas, the control point number, as well as the X, Y, and Z position values, are displayed in an info window at the pointer position. To add keyframes to an animation path 1 Option-click the path. A new keyframe point is added. 2 Drag the keyframe point to the new position.
To animate a clip’s opacity 1 Click the Record button (or press A) to turn on keyframe recording. 2 Place the playhead at the frame where you want to begin the fade. 3 Click the Opacity slider handle in the HUD. Even if you don’t change the slider’s value, clicking it sets a keyframe at that point in time. This way the object remains at its previous opacity from the beginning of the clip until that new keyframe, then begins the interpolation toward the next keyframe.
Animating Filters In addition to making changes to a clip’s basic attributes, keyframing can be used to modify nearly every parameter in the application. When the Record button is activated, any parameter displayed on the HUD becomes keyframeable. For example, as you apply filters to objects, the most important parameters are displayed on the HUD. Using keyframes, you can animate those parameters. In this way, you can create a shot that grows more blurry over time, or animate the width of a bevel effect.
8 Click the Record button (or press A) to turn off keyframe recording. The filter now changes over time to reflect your settings. This same technique can be applied to any parameter in any filter that appears in the HUD. Animating Behaviors In addition to animating filter parameters, you can also animate behaviors. Animating behaviors might appear complicated at first because most of the behaviors are already changing, but combining these features is a powerful way to greatly enhance behaviors’ usefulness.
2 Click the Record button (or press A) to turn on keyframe recording. 3 Place the playhead on the frame where you want the effect to begin. 4 Display the Inspector by clicking the tab or rearranging the screen layout to one that includes the Inspector. For more information on layouts, see Preset Layouts. 5 Click the Inspector tab where the parameter you want to modify is located (filters in this example). 6 Set the parameter to the beginning value. 7 Move the playhead to a new position.
Combining Behaviors and Keyframes Because it is possible to add keyframes to an object that may already have a behavior (or many behaviors) applied, it is possible that these two methods could conflict. For example, you might apply a Throw behavior toward the upper left, and at the same time add keyframes that instruct the object to move to the right.
Once you get the hang of how it works, you can use this method to enhance and control the effects of behaviors. For example, you could apply a Gravity behavior which causes an object to fall toward the bottom of the frame, but keyframe the object’s position to move across the screen from left to right. In this way, you can create the effect of the object falling as it moves.
• Add Keyframe: Adds a keyframe at the current frame in the project. If the playhead is positioned on a frame where a keyframe has already been added, this menu command is unavailable. To quickly add a keyframe without accessing the Animation menu in the Inspector, press Control-K. A keyframe is automatically added to the last modified parameter of the object (regardless of the status of the Record button) at the current time.
2 Click the Animation menu for the parameter you want to change, then choose Delete Keyframe. Note: To delete all of the keyframes for a parameter, choose Reset Parameter from the Animation menu. µ To reset all keyframes for a parameter Click the Animation menu for the parameter you want to reset, then choose Reset Parameter. All keyframes are removed for that parameter.
The reset button removes all keyframes applied to all of the parameters within the set and restores those parameters to their default state. Animating in the Timeline When keyframing, it is often very helpful to view your keyframes over time. This lets you line up keyframes with other important timing elements in your project such as edit points, sound cues, markers, and even other keyframes. These functions are available in the Timeline.
You can identify a keyframe’s value in the shortcut menu. Multiple keyframes on the same frame are all listed in the menu. µ To display a keyframe’s value Control-click the keyframe in the Timeline. A shortcut menu appears. The first items in the list are the keyframe values for any keyframes on that frame. Note: There is no way to add keyframes in the Timeline.
A shortcut menu appears. The first items in the list are the keyframe values for any keyframes on that frame. 2 Choose the keyframe value you wish to edit. 3 Type a new value into the value field, then press Return. Note: To exit an active value field without making any changes, press Esc. Aligning Keyframes with Other Objects One of the main advantages of manipulating keyframes in the Timeline is the ability to line up a keyframe with another important time marker.
If you press the Shift key while you drag, the keyframe snaps to the edges of other objects. You can use this same technique to align keyframes from one object to keyframes in another object. In this way, you can arrange two objects to both fade in or blur into focus at exactly the same frame. It doesn’t matter whether the objects are in the same group or not. To align keyframes of multiple objects 1 Click the Show/Hide Keyframes button in the Timeline. Any keyframes in the project become visible.
To align a keyframe with a marker 1 Click the Show/Hide Keyframes button in the Timeline. Any keyframes in the project become visible. 2 Identify the keyframe you want to move and drag it to the marker. 3 Press the Shift key while you drag to enable snapping. The keyframe snaps to the marker. Deleting Keyframes in the Timeline If you ever need to remove a keyframe, or clear all keyframes from a particular object, you can delete keyframes using the shortcut menu in the Timeline.
Trimming Keyframed Effects When the duration of an effect such as a filter or behavior in the Timeline is changed, keyframes applied to that object are scaled accordingly. This means that an effect keyframed to change over time speeds up or slows down if the object it is applied to is shortened or lengthened. Before After Changing the duration of an object does not modify keyframes applied to attributes in the Properties or Object tab in the Inspector.
You can prevent this automatic resizing by pressing Command while resizing an effect object. This changes the overall duration of the effect, but does not alter the speed at which the effect changes as determined by the keyframes. Pressing Command while you resize an object with effects applied trims the object without trimming the effects. This works the same way as trimming a group without modifying the durations of the component elements.
In the Keyframe Editor you can add and delete keyframes, as well as move them in two-dimensional space to modify their values (up-down) and their positions in time (left-right). You can also directly manipulate the curves themselves with the tools Motion provides. Furthermore, you can define a variety of interpolation methods, creating dramatically different types of effects.
Parts of the Keyframe Editor The Keyframe Editor is made up of a list of parameters on the left and a multi-functional graph on the right. Current frame field Show pop-up menu Keyframe editing tools Animation menu Curve graph Control buttons Zoom controls Show Pop-Up Menu The Show pop-up menu lets you filter the parameters displayed in the Keyframe Editor, allowing you to focus on only those parameters that you want to modify. For more information, see Working with the Show Pop-Up Menu.
Box: Drag a selection box to enclose and manipulate keyframes. Edit tool (default) Box tool Sketch tool Parameter List Any keyframeable parameters of your selected items can be displayed in the list on the left side of the Keyframe Editor tab. This includes object properties, filters, and behaviors. By selecting multiple items in the Layers tab or Timeline, you can compare parameters across multiple objects.
• Add Keyframe: Adds a keyframe at the current frame in the mini-Timeline. If the playhead is positioned on a frame where a keyframe has already been added, this command is unavailable. Note: As mentioned in the Animation menu section, you can use a keyboard shortcut to quickly add a keyframe by pressing Control-K. A keyframe is automatically added to the last modified parameter of the object. • Delete Keyframe: Deletes the current keyframe.
• Reduce Keyframes: Opens the Reduce Keyframes dialog, which allows you to apply a thinning algorithm to the keyframes for the chosen parameter. This reduces the number of keyframes in a parameter while attempting to maintain a similar shape to the curve. The thinning algorithm can be adjusted in two ways. Increasing the Maximum Error Tolerance results in fewer keyframes. Increasing the Smoothing Factor makes smoother curves between keyframe values.
Snapping: When Snapping is enabled, keyframes snap to markers, other keyframes, and other snappable items. Snapping enabled Show audio waveform: Turns on display of the audio waveforms for the selected item in the background of the graph. This lets you line up an effect to take place at the same time as an event that occurs in the audio.
There are times when the values of your keyframes may exceed the vertical resolution of the graph. For example, as you stretch a keyframe, you can drag it so far that you force the window to scroll. When you click this button, Motion automatically rescales the graph both vertically and horizontally so that your curve is entirely visible. “Fit visible curves in window” button The values of your keyframes are not changed.
When “Auto-scale vertically” is on, the range of the graph increases to accommodate your entire curve even as you change it. For example, if you drag a keyframe up to increase its value, as you drag past the top of the window, the whole graph is rescaled, rather than scrolled. This can be disconcerting at first because it might appear that your curve refuses to get bigger even as you drag your keyframe.
By default, only the animated parameters are active in the graph. Turn individual parameters on and off by clicking the activation checkbox to show or hide them in the graph. You can choose to display all parameters associated with a particular group or object by checking or unchecking the checkbox for that group or object. Animated Curve Sets Alternatively, you can elect to view only the parameters that are currently animated—in other words, parameters that already contain one or more keyframes.
To view only the Position parameters for a selected object Do one of the following: µ µ Choose Position from the Show pop-up menu. With the Keyframe Editor active, press P. The Position parameters for the selected object are displayed. To view only the Rotation parameters for a selected object Do one of the following: µ µ Choose Rotation from the Show pop-up menu. With the Keyframe Editor active, press R. The Rotation parameters for the selected object are displayed.
Custom Parameter Sets In addition to using the built-in curve sets, you can make and manage your own using the last two options in the Show pop-up menu. As you create and store custom parameter sets, they appear in the Show pop-up menu so you can switch quickly between them. Deleting, duplicating, and modifying custom sets is done in the Manage Curve Sets dialog (accessible from the Show pop-up menu). To create a new parameter set 1 Choose New Curve Set from the Show pop-up menu. A dialog appears.
µ Click the Animation menu for the desired parameter, then choose Show in Keyframe Editor. The parameter is added to the custom curve set. Note: If Animated is chosen from the Show pop-up menu when you use the Show in Keyframe Editor command from the Animation menu, a new untitled curve set is automatically created. µ With the Keyframe Editor active, hold down the Shift key and press one of the keyboard shortcuts for the built-in related curve sets. For more information, see Related Curve Sets.
The Manage Curve Sets dialog appears. 2 Select the name of the set you want to delete. 3 Click the Delete button (–) at the top of the dialog. The set is deleted. 4 Click Done to close the dialog. To duplicate a custom parameter set 1 Choose Manage Curve Sets from the Show pop-up menu. The Manage Curve Sets dialog appears. 2 Select the name of the set you want to duplicate. 3 Click the Duplicate button at the top of the dialog. The set is duplicated.
Although you can save animation curves into the Content category, it is generally recommended that you save items that you use frequently in the Favorites category—some Motion Library categories contain so many items that utilizing the Favorites or Favorites Menu categories may save you search time. Within the Favorites category, you can create additional folders to assist you in better arranging your custom items. You can also create new folders in existing categories.
Note: When you Control-click an animation curve icon in the Library stack, the Edit Description shortcut menu item becomes available. This is a handy tool that allows you to enter custom notes about an item saved in the Library. Once you choose Edit Description, enter your notes in the text field, then click OK.
Using the Edit Tool To use the following set of instructions, first select the Edit tool from the keyframe edit tools in the Keyframe Editor. Edit tool To change the value of a keyframe Do one of the following: µ Click the keyframe you want to modify, then drag the keyframe along the Y axis (up and down) to change its value. To change its position in time, drag along the X axis (left to right). Press the Shift key while dragging to constrain movement to one axis.
µ Double-click the keyframe you want to modify, type the new value into the value field, then press Return. Current frame Keyframe value This changes the value of the keyframe along the Y axis (up and down). Note: To get out of an active value field without making any changes, press Esc. µ Drag in the value slider in the parameter list. • Drag to the right to increase the value of the keyframe along the Y axis. • Drag to the left to decrease the value of the keyframe along the Y axis.
To delete a keyframe Do one of the following: µ Select the keyframe, then press Delete. Note: You can drag to select multiple keyframes. µ µ µ Control-click the keyframe, then choose Delete from the shortcut menu. Navigate to the keyframe, then choose Delete Keyframe from the Animation menu for that parameter. To delete all of the keyframes for a parameter Click the Animation menu in the parameter list, then choose Reset Parameter. Note: You can also use the Animation menu in the Inspector.
µ Shift-click the keyframes you want to select. If only the curve (and not the keyframes) appears white, the keyframes are not selected. Selected keyframes appear white. Once you have the keyframes selected, you can cut or copy them to move them to the Clipboard. µ To copy selected keyframes Choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). µ To cut selected keyframes Choose Edit > Cut (or press Command-X).
To select an entire animation curve Do one of the following: µ µ Select a parameter row in the parameter list of the Keyframe Editor. Shift-click or Control-click in the parameters list to select multiple parameters. Once you have the keyframed parameters selected, you can cut or copy them to move them to the Clipboard. µ To copy selected animation curves Choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). µ To cut selected animation curves Choose Edit > Cut (or press Command-X).
Dragging or clicking anywhere in the Keyframe Editor replaces existing keyframes. Parameter and sketch tool selected Drag in the graph to create new keyframes for selected parameter. Curve of new keyframes added to existing animation curve To add individual keyframes using the Sketch tool 1 Select the Sketch tool from the keyframe edit tools. 2 In the parameter list, select the parameter you wish to sketch. 3 Click in the curve graph to add a keyframe.
A selection box with eight handles appears in the curve graph. Selection box handle Selected keyframes Keyframed parameters before selection Once you have drawn a selection box, there are a number of ways to manipulate the box and keyframes therein. In general, you can drag any of the handles of the selection box to move them. Transforming Keyframes Repositioning the handles of the selection box is the same as dragging the handles of a bounding box of any object.
µ To deform the selection box asymmetrically Hold down the Command key and drag any of the corner handles of the selection box. Each corner handle moves independently of the other three corner handles of the selection box. Modifying Curves Perhaps the most powerful and valuable feature that the Keyframe Editor offers is the ability to make changes to the curves between the keyframes.
You can set different interpolation methods for different segments of the same curve. When different interpolation methods are applied to the different segments of an animation curve, the methods that are used in the curve appear with a dash next to their name in the Interpolation submenu (in the Keyframe Editor parameter list). In the following image, all interpolation methods are applied to the selected curve. The different interpolation methods are described in the table below.
Interpolation method Example Description Bezier Lets you manipulate the keyframe curve manually by dragging the handles. If multiple Bezier keyframes are selected, or Bezier is applied to the curve segment, the handles of all the selected keyframes are modified. Continuous This method behaves like Bezier interpolation, but without access to the handles (they are calculated automatically).
µ To change the interpolation method for an entire parameter In the Keyframe Editor, click the Animation menu and choose a method from the Interpolation submenu. The selected interpolation method (Constant in this example) is applied to the green curve. To change the interpolation method for multiple parameters 1 In the parameter list of the Keyframe Editor, Shift-click to select the parameters you wish to change.
The selected interpolation method is applied to all of the selected curves. Convert to Bezier Bezier interpolation method is the most flexible, allowing manual modification of the curve. Motion lets you convert any keyframe into a Bezier keyframe quickly and easily. µ To convert a keyframe into a Bezier keyframe While holding down the Command key, drag the keyframe in the keyframe graph. Bezier handles appear and your mouse movement automatically controls one of the handles.
µ To “lock” the handle’s angle while modifying While holding down the Shift key, drag the handle. Extrapolation In addition to setting interpolation for the areas between keyframes, you can define how Motion generates the values before the first keyframe and after the last one (extrapolation). When you set a such a method for a parameter, new keyframes are added beyond your original keyframes. This can be helpful when trying to extend the duration of an effect such as a moving background.
µ To apply the After Last Keyframe setting for a parameter In the Keyframe Editor, open the Animation menu for the parameter you want to change, then choose an item from After Last Keyframe submenu. The following table describes the extrapolation options available in the Before First Keyframe and After Last Keyframe submenus. Extrapolation method Example Description Constant (Default) The parameter remains at the exact value of the first and last keyframes in the extrapolated area.
To reverse keyframes 1 Select the keyframes you want to reverse. You can drag–select groups of keyframes. 2 Control-click a selected keyframe and choose Reverse Keyframes from the shortcut menu. The selected keyframes are reversed.
Note: Reverse Keyframes flips the timing of all keyframes within a selected range of keyframes, regardless of their selection state. Non-selected keyframes bounded by the selected keyframes are also reversed. A minimum of two keyframes must be selected for the action to have any effect.
Generate Keyframes Command Ordinarily, keyframe extrapolation occurs without actually creating any new keyframes. This lets you experiment with different methods. However, you can convert an extrapolation method into actual keyframes so you can further manipulate them. This is done using the Generate Keyframes command. You can choose how many of the extrapolation cycles you want converted into keyframes. Cycles after the number you chose are left in the extrapolated state.
3 Click OK to confirm your selection. Mini-Curve Editor A mini-curve editor is a scaled-down version of the Keyframe Editor. Appearing in the Inspector, mini-curve editors give you the functionality to create basic animations directly in the Inspector, without having to open the Keyframe Editor. Two Particle behaviors—Scale Over Life and Spin Over Life—have mini-curve editors in the Inspector (when the Increment Type parameter is set to Custom).
The expanded mini-curve editor appears. Mini-curve editor Box tool Sketch tool Edit tool When expanded, the mini-curve editor shows a representation of the relevant animation curve. In the example above, the Range parameter is mapped to the X axis and the Custom Spin parameter is mapped to the Y axis. The procedure for adding keyframes in a mini-curve editor is slightly different than adding them in the full-sized Keyframe Editor.
The Auto Fit checkbox sets whether Motion automatically scales the animation curve to fit within the confines of the mini-curve editor. Auto Fit turned on in the mini-curve editor Animating on the Fly Another powerful feature that Motion offers is the ability to create animations while your project is playing back. This is similar to how audio engineers adjust sliders for each of their different audio channels while listening to the mix.
2 Click the Play button or press the Space bar to begin playback. 3 As your project plays, adjust a parameter slider. 4 Disable Record. The changes you made during playback are recorded as keyframes for that parameter. You can view them in the Keyframe Editor. If you don’t like the animation you made, you can delete the keyframes and try again.
Both the position and speed of your movement are recorded and applied to the position keyframes for that object. Keyframes close together indicate slower movement. Keyframes spaced far apart indicate fast movement. You can further manipulate the path either by dragging individual keyframes, or re-recording a new animation path for that object. Keyframe Thinning Due to the way keyframing works, if the playhead is at a new frame, and you set a new value for a parameter, a keyframe is added.
You can simplify your keyframes in two ways: either while you are recording them, or afterwards, by simplifying an existing animation curve using the Reduce Keyframes command in the Animation menu for that parameter. Reduce Keyframes option (in Keyframe Editor’s Animation menu) applied to Position Y Recording Options The Recording Options dialog allows you to set the Keyframe Thinning setting, to record only on parameters that are already animated or to disable recording during playback.
Keyframe Thinning: There are three options of how thinning can be applied. • Off: No thinning is applied. Keyframes are applied at every frame where the parameter is changed. • Reduced: Motion eliminates keyframes that can easily be replaced with a simple curve. • Peaks Only: Only keyframes with dramatic value changes are recorded. Don’t record keyframes during playback: When this checkbox is selected, keyframes are not recorded while the project is playing back.
Disabling Animation While Playing If you leave the Record button on, keyframes are added whenever you make adjustments. If you want to restrict keyframing to when the project is not playing, you can disable that feature individually. To disable animation recording while playing 1 Choose Mark > Recording Options. The Recording Options dialog appears. 2 Select “Don’t Record keyframes during playback.” 3 Click OK.
A position keyframe is created. 4 Advance to a different frame and move the object into another position. A second position keyframe is created. 5 Choose Mark > Recording Options, and select “Record keyframes on animated parameters only” in the Recording Options dialog, then click OK. 6 Go to a frame in between the two position keyframes, and move the shape in the Canvas. A third position keyframe is added.
Working with Particles 11 Particle systems allow you to quickly and easily create sophisticated effects involving large numbers of automatically animated objects. You can use the included Particle Emitters library to add a pre-made particle system to your composition, or you can create your own custom particle effects using nearly any layer or group in your project. Particle systems in Motion are flexible enough to create many different kinds of effects.
About Particle Systems Particle systems consist of two basic elements: a cell and an emitter. Think of the cells as the “mold” for the particles that are generated by the emitter. You can use nearly any layer or group in Motion as a source for a particle cell, including images, shapes, text, movies, and image sequences.
Anatomy of a Particle System Every particle system is made up of an emitter and one or more particle cells. Each cell appears inside of the emitter in the Layers tab and the Timeline. Original objects (now disabled) Emitter Cell Behaviors applied to one particle cell The emitter and cells have separate sets of parameters that control the particle system’s behavior. If you imagine that a garden hose is a particle system, the nozzle acts as the emitter, while the water represents the flow of particles.
You can also track an emitter to a moving object in a clip, or apply existing tracking data in your project to an emitter. For more information on using the Motion Tracking behaviors, see Motion Tracking. In addition, you can add behaviors to each cell or to the emitter itself to create even more varied effects (simulation behaviors can be especially effective). Any behavior that you apply to a cell is in turn applied to each particle it generates. This lets you achieve almost limitless variation.
Using Particle Systems Despite their sophistication, particle systems are easy to set up and simple to use. This section describes how to use pre-made particle systems from the Particle Emitters category of the Library. Afterward, this section explains how to create a simple particle system of your own. Particle Systems and Layer Sizes Particle systems often create particles that grow or move off the Canvas before they die. This can make the size of a layer or group much larger than that of the Canvas.
Using the Particle Library The easiest way to add a particle system to your project is to use one of the presets in the Particle Emitters category of the Library. There are many types of particle effects to choose from. If you find one that is close to what you need, you can easily customize its parameters after you add it to your project. Particle systems are added to a project exactly like any other object. To add a particle system from the Library 1 In the Library, click the Particle Emitters category.
An animated preview of the selected particle emitter plays in the Preview area. While it is playing, you can drag the pointer around in the Preview area to see how the particle looks while in motion. Note: If the preview does not automatically start playing, click the Play button in the Preview area.
Motion Blur and Particles To achieve the optimal look for the following particle emitters, it is recommended that you enable motion blur in your project: • Jelly Bands • Light Transit 1 • Light Transit 2 • Light Transit 3 • Light Transit 4 • Rain Streaks • Silly String 1 • Silly String 2 Note: To enable motion blur, choose Motion Blur from the Render pop-up menu (in the Status Bar), or choose View > Render Options > Motion Blur (or press Option-M).
Note: You can also use a group as the source for an emitter cell, but keep in mind that your project’s interactivity may slow drastically. Particle Particle Emitter To create an emitter 1 Place a layer that you want to use to generate particles into your project. This example uses an image of a simple white circular gradient, such as the “basic blur” image located in the Library (in the Particle Images subcategory of the Content category).
Once an emitter is added to the project, the following occurs: • An emitter appears in the Layers tab and is selected. • A cell containing the image to be “particle-ized” appears underneath the emitter. • The original source layer (the cell source) is disabled. Note: Changes made to the original source layer, such as opacity or shearing, are respected in the particles even after the emitter is created. • In the Canvas, the emitter bounding box appears, which can be transformed using the onscreen controls.
By default, new cells emit one particle per frame in all directions (for 30 fps projects), and each particle moves 100 pixels per second away from the emitter over a lifetime of 5 seconds (150 frames in a 30-frames-per-second project). Emitter center point Particle system at frame 30 Note: The Initial Number parameter in the Emitter or Particle Cell tab of the Inspector allows you to change the default behavior so that a particle system begins with a burst of particles at the first frame.
Additional cells can be created by either selecting multiple sources when initially creating the emitter, or by dragging additional source layers onto the emitter in the Layers tab. Note: When multiple sources are used to create a particle system, the resulting emitter is positioned at the average of the sources’ position.
To modify the particles’ appearance using the Emitter HUD 1 In the Emitter HUD, drag the Scale slider to the left to reduce every particle’s size so that the individual particles are more identifiable. 2 In the HUD, click anywhere along the outer edge of the emission control and drag to define a narrow segment that limits the range of the angle at which particles are created (the emission range).
3 To make the particles drift upward, drag in the middle of the Emission Range segment, rotating the arrow counterclockwise until it points up and slightly to the right of the center control. The emission angle of the particles updates in the Canvas to reflect the new setting in the HUD. 4 Drag to lengthen the arrow so that it is approximately halfway between the center and the edge of the emission control to create a slowly drifting column of particles.
As you increase the birth rate, more particles are created, forming a nearly unified column of “smoke.” The particles move farther apart as they drift away from the emitter. As you can see, a single object can be used to create a credible column of smoke rising gently into the sky. While the HUD controls are quite powerful, the Emitter and Particle Cell tabs in the Inspector have many more parameters you can customize. For more information, see Emitter and Cell Parameters.
When 3D is enabled in the Emitter tab of the Inspector, the Emitter HUD offers additional 3D controls. In 3D, the emission control modifies the Emission Latitude and Emission Longitude parameters. Emission control 3D Emitter HUD When an emitter and the Adjust 3D Transform tool (in the Toolbar) are selected, the 3D Emitter HUD expands to display additional controls that allow you to transform the emitter in X, Y, and Z space, regardless of whether the group containing the emitter is 2D or 3D.
For particle systems containing multiple cells, the Emitter HUD parameters simultaneously modify the effect of each cell’s parameters relative to one another. This means that for a particle system consisting of two cells with different scale values, changing the scale in the HUD resizes both cells simultaneously. For example, increasing the scale in the HUD by 200% does not change the scale of both cells to 200%, but resizes the cells relative to their original scale values.
• Speed (2D only): Drag inside the emission control to shorten or lengthen the arrows to define how quickly particles move away from the emitter. Use the following modifier keys to more precisely manipulate the graphical emission control in the HUD: • Shift (while adjusting Angle): Restricts angles to 45 degree increments. • Shift (while adjusting Range): When working with a 2D emitter, restricts to 22.5-degree increments. • Command: When working with a 2D emitter, adjusts Angle only.
Drag the Emission Range slider (above the sphere) to define the range of degrees at which particles are generated. In other words, this control defines the size of the cone that the particles fill when generated in 3D space. Particle Emitters and the Properties Tab Emitter parameters can be modified in the Properties tab of the Inspector like any other object in Motion.
Transform Parameters As a particle system plays, the cells in the system are duplicated, according to the parameters for that system, to create each individual particle in the Canvas. Because all particles emerge relative to the position of the emitter (because the emitter can be a point, a circle, geometry, a sphere, and so on), changing the emitter’s position in the Canvas also changes the position of every particle in that system.
Modifying an emitter’s other transformation parameters (Rotation, Scale, Shear, and Anchor Point) changes the distribution of particles from that emitter and transforms each particle. For example, if you create an emitter, then modify its Shear parameter, the distribution of the emitted particles changes to reflect the new plane of the emitter, and the particles are sheared along the same plane.
Drop Shadow Drop shadows can be applied to a 2D particle system. When the Drop Shadow parameter is enabled for the source object (in the Properties tab in the Inspector), each generated particle appears with a drop shadow. For more information on working with drop shadows, see Drop Shadows. Note: This parameter is not available with the Box or Sphere emitter shapes, or when the 3D checkbox is selected in the Emitter tab of the Inspector.
For example, you can create a particle system that simulates an explosion by offsetting the appearance of three different types of particles. First, dense white particles emerge from the center. Half a second later, more diffuse orange particles appear around a larger area. One second after that, small sparks emerge from underneath both of these layers as they fade away. You can offset a cell in the Timeline or mini-Timeline to start before the emitter.
Graphics Size If you are unsure what size you want your particles to be, it’s a good idea to make your graphics larger rather than smaller. Increasing the size of particles beyond the size of the original graphic may introduce unwanted artifacts. One caveat, however, is that the larger the cell source size, the slower your interactivity. Particle Edges Keep in mind that the quality of the edges of your graphics can be extremely important for creating convincing particles.
Use Video Clips with Minimal Compression Ideally, QuickTime clips to be used as particles should be saved using a high-quality codec, such as Animation or Uncompressed 8- and 10-bit 4:2:2. Other codecs can be used, but they may introduce unwanted artifacts depending on the level of compression used. There is an option to use random start frames, which cause the clips to play out of sync relative to one another in the Canvas. There is also an option to play or not play the clip.
The Particle Cell parameters appear.
Single Cell Versus Multi-Cell Emitter Parameters If a particle system has only one cell, the Emitter tab displays all of the parameters for the cell, as well as the emitter’s own parameters. In this case, you can control every aspect of the particle system directly from this single tab, which saves you from having to go back and forth between the Emitter and Particle Cell tabs.
Changes made using the master controls modify the effect of each cell’s parameters relative to the other cells in the system. This means that for a particle system with three cells that have different Scale values, increasing the Scale parameter in the Emitter tab multiplies the Scale value of all three cells by the same percentage. This has the result of increasing or reducing the size of every particle in the system, while keeping the size of each particle relative to one another the same.
Emitter Parameters in the Inspector These parameters determine how particles are distributed and rendered in your project. The Emitter tab of the Inspector has a large number of parameters, some of which depend on how certain parameters are set within the tab itself. All the various combinations of parameters are described below. Shape: The first parameter in the Emitter tab is the Shape pop-up menu. When 3D is turned off, nine options are available.
• Line: Particles emerge from a line. Using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool) or the Properties tab of the Inspector, you can specify the length and location of the line. In the Inspector, you can set a specific number of points from which particles emerge. This emitter shape is good for creating sheets of particles that cascade over a wide area. The Line shape displays additional parameters. • Rectangle: Particles emerge from a rectangle along its edge, or in a tile or random fill pattern.
• Circle: Particles emerge from a circle-shaped emitter. Particles can be emitted in an Outline, Tile Fill, or Random Fill pattern. This emitter shape is good for surrounding an element in a composition with particles that emerge from its edge. Using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool), you can specify the size and location of the circle. Depending on the selected Arrangement, the Circle emitter shape displays additional parameters.
• Spiral: Particles emerge from a spiral pattern. Using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool), you can specify the size and location of the spiral. The Spiral shape displays additional parameters. • Wave: Particles emerge from a waveform. Using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool) or the Start Point and End Point parameters in the Emitter Inspector, you can specify the length and location of the wave. The Wave shape displays additional parameters.
To apply a shape as the geometry shape source for a particle emitter, drag the shape to the Source Shape well in the Emitter Inspector (once Geometry is chosen from the Shape pop-up menu). • Image: Particles emerge from within an area defined by an image or from only the edges of the image. The image may or may not have an alpha channel. If it does, the shape of the alpha channel can also be used to define the emitter shape. The Image shape displays additional parameters.
• Box: This option is available when the 3D checkbox is selected in the Emitter tab. Particles are emitted from a three-dimensional cube along its surface (Outline), or in a tile or random fill pattern. Using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool), you can specify the size and location of the rectangle. Drag the front horizontal edge to adjust height; drag the front vertical edge to adjust width; drag a back edge to adjust depth; drag a front corner to simultaneously adjust the width and height.
Size: This parameter is available when Rectangle or Box is chosen in the Shape pop-up menu. Defines the size of the rectangle or cube from which particles are emitted. This parameter is available whether the Arrangement is set to Outline, Tile Fill, or Random Fill. When Rectangle is the selected shape, the Width and Height parameters are available. When Box is selected, an additional Depth parameter is available.
Start Point: This parameter becomes available when Shape is set to Line or Wave. Two sliders that define, in X and Y coordinates, the first point of the line used as the emitter shape. Click the disclosure triangle to modify the Z position of the start point. You can adjust these values in the Canvas using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool). End Point: This parameter becomes available when Shape is set to Line or Wave.
Number of Arms: This parameter, available when Burst or Spiral is chosen in the Shape pop-up menu, defines the number of branches from which particles are emitted. The default value is 3. Spiral emitter shape set to default Number of Arms and Twists Spiral emitter shape with default Arms and Twists set to .70 Amplitude: This parameter, available when Wave is chosen in the Shape pop-up menu, defines half the distance from the highest point to the lowest point in the wave.
3D: When this checkbox is selected, the 3D emitter shapes (Box and Sphere) become available. Because all emitter shapes can be used in 3D space, additional 3D parameters are available for all emitter shapes when the 3D checkbox is selected: Render Particles, Emission Latitude, and Emission Longitude. These additional parameters appear in the Emitter Inspector and HUD. These parameters are available for all shapes, regardless of the Arrangement setting.
Important: When the 3D checkbox is selected, In Global 3D (Better) must be selected from the Render Particles pop-up menu in order for the 3D particles to cast shadows and to be affected by lights. Emission Latitude: Available when 3D is turned on, this control specifies the emission direction (in degrees latitude) of the particles. Emission Longitude: Available when 3D is turned on, this control specifies the axis of rotation (in degrees longitude) from which the particles are emitted.
Particle Cell Parameters in the Inspector The following parameters apply to the creation and motion of the individual particles generated by each cell within an emitter. Cell Controls appear at the bottom of the Emitter tab of the Inspector when a particle system is selected, and in the Particle Cell tab of the Inspector when a particle cell is selected.
Birth Rate: A slider that defines the birth rate of the cell. In other words, this parameter defines how many particles of this cell emerge from the emitter every second. Higher values create denser particle effects. Low birth rate particle system High birth rate particle system Birth Rate Randomness: A slider that defines an amount of variance in the Birth Rate of generated particles. A value of 0 results in no variance—particles emerge from the emitter at the same rate.
Life: A slider that defines the duration of every particle, in seconds. This parameter specifies how long each particle lasts before vanishing from existence. This effect is similar to how sparks disappear after flying away from a sparkler. Unless the Color Over Life parameter or Opacity Over Life parameter is used to fade each particle out over its life, particles immediately vanish at the end of their lifetimes.
Spin Randomness: A dial that defines an amount of variance in the spin of generated particles. A value of 0 results in no variance—all particles from the selected cell spin at the same rate. A value greater than 0 introduces a variance defined by the Spin parameter, plus or minus a random value falling within the Spin Randomness. Additive Blend: By default, particles are composited together using the Normal blend mode.
• Colorize: Particles are tinted using the color specified in the Color parameter. Additional Color and Opacity Over Life parameters appear. • Color: Available when the Color Mode is set to Colorize, specifies a color to use to tint the particles. You can also modify the alpha channel of each particle, altering its opacity. This parameter is unique to the cell object.
• Pick From Color Range: Particles are tinted at random, with the range of possible colors defined by the Color Range gradient editor. A point on the gradient is randomly chosen, so the relative sizes of each color region determine the frequency of the color being used. • Color Range: This gradient editor appears when Color Mode is set to Pick From Color Range. Use it to define a range of colors used to randomly tint new particles.
Note: When you use an image as a particle cell source and set a low Scale value, it is recommended that you set the render quality in the Render pop-up menu (in the Status Bar) or the View menu to Best (choose View > Quality > Best). Scale Randomness: A slider that defines an amount of variance in the scale of generated particles. A value of 0 results in no variance—all particles from the selected cell emerge with the same size.
Hold Frames: This parameter appears if the particle system was created from a QuickTime movie. Adjust the slider to change the number of times each frame of the source movie is repeated during playback. The larger the Hold Frames value, the slower your playback. Hold Frames Randomness: This parameter appears if the particle system was created from a QuickTime movie. Varies the number of frames to “hold.
• Wireframe: Each particle is represented by a bounding box. Because the bounding boxes are good indicators of each particle’s orientation in the system, this preview mode is useful for evaluating the movements of individual particles. For example, it’s easy to see the angle of rotation for particles that are spinning or following a complex motion path. • Image: Displays the full particle system effect. Note: Whatever is selected in the Show Particles As pop-up menu appears in your final render.
Animating Objects in Particle Systems You can add behaviors to a particle system’s emitter, or to the cells themselves, to quickly achieve sophisticated, organic effects with very little effort. You can animate any emitter using Basic Motion, Parameter, or Simulation behaviors. Emitter parameters and cell parameters can also be animated via keyframes.
µ To apply a behavior to an emitter Drag a behavior from the Library onto an emitter in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline. The behavior is applied to the emitter, which begins to move according to the parameters of the behavior. Note: Not all behaviors instantly activate an object when applied. For example, when a Throw behavior is applied to an object, the Throw Velocity parameter must be adjusted before the object moves.
µ In the Emitter or Particle Cell tab, Control-click a parameter, then choose a Parameter behavior from the shortcut menu. Using Particles Behaviors The Particles category in the Library contains two behaviors specifically for use with the cells or emitter in a particle system: Scale Over Life This behavior lets you grow or shrink the particles in a system over the duration of each particle’s life.
Custom Scale: This group of parameters appears when Increment Type is set to Custom. Use this mini-curve editor for more precise control over the Scale of particles in your particle system. • Custom Scale: Use this slider to adjust the value of the selected keyframe in the mini-curve editor. This parameter appears when Custom is selected in the Increment Type pop-up menu. • Over Life: Use this slider to adjust the position of the selected keyframe in the life of the particle.
Custom Spin: This group of parameters appears when Increment Type is set to Custom. Use this mini-curve editor for more precise control over the Spin of particles in your particle system. • Custom Spin: Use this control to adjust the value of the selected keyframe in the mini-curve editor. This parameter appears when Custom is selected in the Increment Type pop-up menu. • Over Life: Use this slider to adjust the position of the selected keyframe in the life of the particle.
Using Masks with Particle Systems As shown in the following images, you can apply masks to the cell source layer of a particle emitter. The effect of the mask on the cell source is carried through to the emitted particles. Original source layer Bezier mask applied to source layer Resulting particle system You can also apply masks to the emitter object itself. Rectangle mask (inverted) applied to the emitter object For more information on working with masks, see Masking a Layer or Group.
Applying Filters to Particle Systems Filters can only be applied to a particle system’s emitter. You cannot apply separate filters to individual cells. (Filters can be applied to the source of a particle cell, but not to a cell directly.) As a result, filters always affect the entire particle system, including every single cell, as if it were a single object.
This example uses a simple star graphic. 2 With the new layer selected, click the Make Particles icon in the Toolbar (or press E). Once an emitter is added to the project, the following occurs: • The emitter appears in the Layers tab and is selected. • A cell containing the image to be “particle-ized” appears underneath the emitter. • The original source layer (cell source) is disabled. • In the Canvas, the emitter bounding box appears, which can be transformed using the onscreen controls.
This creates a distributed group of particles that partially fills the Canvas. 6 To turn the particles into a uniform abstract mass, adjust the following parameters: • Set Life to 4. • Set Speed to 140. • Set Spin to 60. • Set Spin Randomness to 15. • Select Additive Blend. • Set Color Mode to Pick From Color Range. (Or, select another gradient from the Preset pop-up menu if you prefer.) • Set Scale to 65%. • Set Scale Randomness to 150. • Set Random Seed to 10000. • Advance to frame 100.
In this example, adding the Crystallize filter creates an even more abstract effect. You might also consider adjusting the color gradient, or applying color correction to make the background fit more appropriately with your foreground elements. 8 Adjust the Color Range opacity gradient so the particles fade in and out rather than popping into and out of existence.
This example uses the Flare01 image from the Particle Images subcategory in the Content category of the Library. This is a small image of a lens flare against black, with a built-in alpha channel. 2 With the flare object selected, click the Make Particles icon in the Toolbar (or press E). An emitter is added to the project, but nothing happens yet because the playhead is at the first frame of the project, and only one particle has been created.
This results in the following image: 4 To make the particles generated by each different cell mingle together, select the Interleave Particles checkbox in the Emitter tab of the Inspector. 5 Select the Flare01 cell in the Layers tab, then set the Scale slider in the Particle Cell tab of the Inspector to 15%. Doing this reduces the size of the particles generated by this cell. 6 Select the Spark12 cell in the Layers tab, then set the Scale slider in the Inspector to 45%.
All particles generated by that cell are now red. 8 Use the Opacity Over Life control to make this cell’s particles fade out over their life. 9 To make the spark particles spin as they move away, set the Spin parameter value to 60. 10 In the Layers tab, select the Flare01 cell of the particle system. Its parameters automatically appear in the Inspector. 11 Follow the procedure in Step 7 to make these particles light yellow.
13 To create a trail of particles, the emitter needs to be animated to follow the required motion path. Do the following to create a motion path for the particle system: a Place the playhead at frame 1. b Click the Record button (or press A) to turn on animation recording. c Select the emitter and drag the particle system to the lower-left corner of the screen. d Press End to go to the last frame of the project. e Drag the emitter toward the upper-right corner. f Disable Record (press A).
To turn the system into 3D particles 1 In the Emitter Inspector, select the 3D checkbox. 3D checkbox 2 If your project does not contain a camera, click the New Camera button in the Toolbar. If your project is a 2D project, a dialog appears asking if you want to switch your 2D groups to 3D. 3 Click Switch to 3D. A camera is added to the project, and your layers are turned into 3D layers. 4 In the 3D View tools (in the upper-right corner of the Canvas), drag the Orbit tool (the center tool).
If you want your particles to intersect with other rotated layers, choose In Global 3D (Better) from the Render Particles pop-up menu in the Emitter Inspector. In the following image on the left, Global 3D is selected so the particles intersect with other objects in the project that are transformed in 3D space. In the image on the right, Local 3D is selected so the particles do not intersect with other objects.
Using the Replicator 12 Patterns of repeating elements are prevalent in various types of motion graphics projects, from television title sequences, to news intros, to bumpers, to commercials. Creating these complex collages is usually very time-consuming, requiring careful duplication of elements, followed by tedious keyframing.
Replicator Concepts The replicator in Motion is specifically designed to build patterns of repeating elements with a minimum of effort. The elements of the patterns can consist of video, still images, shapes, text, or any other type of layer in a Motion project. For example, with very few clicks of your mouse you can create a “video wall” based on a single QuickTime movie, or a spinning pinwheel composed of basic shapes, or any other number of mesmerizing graphics arrays.
The Difference Between a Replicator and a Particle System Although the replicator and particle systems share many of the same parameters, they are very different tools. While both use layers (shapes, text, images, and so on) as cell sources and both generate onscreen elements from those cells, each produces a unique effect from those raw materials.
The layer you use as the source for a replicator’s cells helps determine the look of the replicator pattern. A single replicator can contain multiple source layers, resulting in different cells in the same pattern and arrangement. Single source layer (paw print) Two source layers (paw print and text) Replicators take advantage of Motion’s 3D capabilities. Certain replicator shapes are inherently 3D, and others can have points that exist in 3D space.
Replicators and Cells All replicators begin with a source layer: the object in your project that will be duplicated and arrayed onscreen in a custom pattern. When you create a simple replicator—by selecting the source layer you want to “replicate” and clicking the Replicate icon in the Toolbar—two new layers are added to your project: A replicator layer and a cell layer. The cell layer appears underneath its parent replicator layer in the Layers tab and Timeline layers list.
When you drag the source object over the Replicator layer (while continuing to hold down the mouse button), a drop menu appears. This menu gives you the option to add the object as a replicator cell or to add the object as a mask to the replicator. For more information, see Using Masks to Create Transparency. The replicator and its cell (or cells) have separate sets of parameters that control the look of the mosaic pattern you see in the Canvas.
Further, different parameters are also available depending on the selected arrangement for the shape. In the following image, notice that the Columns, Rows, and Tile Offset parameters are replaced with the Points and Offset parameters when the rectangle arrangement is changed from Tile Fill to Outline. Very different looks can be achieved by changing only a few parameters. As with any effect in Motion, replicator parameters can be keyframed in order to change a pattern’s dynamics over time.
You can add behaviors to the replicator or its cells to create even more varied effects (simulation behaviors can be especially effective). Behaviors applied to a replicator or a cell can be applied to each element of the pattern. This lets you achieve almost limitless variation and complexity that would take hours to animate using keyframes.
Using the Replicator Library Presets The easiest way to add a replicator to your project is to use a replicator preset from the Library. Because the Library replicators are pre-made using Motion content, they are for more generalized usage. If you find one that is close to what you need, you can easily customize its parameters after you add it to your project. Library replicators are added to a project exactly like any other object.
Once you have added a replicator preset from the Library, it acts exactly as it appeared in the Preview area. If necessary, you can edit the replicator parameters in the HUD or in the Replicator tab of the Inspector to suit your project. You can also replace the preset source with one of your own images, clips, shapes, or text layers as the source for the pattern cells. Note: You can only modify a replicator after it’s been added to a project. Once modified, you can save the replicator in the Library.
2 Select the object, then do one of the following: • In the Toolbar, click the Replicate icon. • Choose Object > Replicate. • Press L. Once a layer is replicated, the following occurs: • The replicator layer (labeled “Replicator”) appears in the Layers tab and is selected. • A duplicate of the original layer (the star shape) becomes the replicator cell. • The original source layer (the star shape) is disabled.
• In the Toolbar, the Adjust Item tool is selected so that you can immediately begin using the replicator’s onscreen controls. Adjust Item tool When the Adjust Item tool is selected, dragging the pattern’s bounding box resizes the replicator. Dragging in the Canvas (not over the bounding box outline) repositions the replicator object as a whole. • The Replicator HUD is displayed. Note: If you have hidden the HUD, press D. By default, the patterns created by the replicator are not animated.
The following example uses two shapes as source layers for a single replicator. To use multiple source layers for a replicator pattern 1 Shift-click to select the layers you want to replicate. This example uses a white circle shape and a red elliptical shape (both created with the Circle tool). Note: Command-click noncontiguous layers that you want to add to the replicator. 2 Do one of the following: • In the Toolbar, click the Replicate icon. • Choose Object > Replicate (or press L).
The cells of the default rectangle pattern are created from the source layers. When multiple cells create a replicator pattern, the elements appear at the same points on the pattern. The replicator is positioned at the average of the source’s positions.
The elements in the pattern are stacked according to the order they appear in the Layers tab and Timeline layers list. To change the stacking order of the layers, move the lower cell above the upper cell. Elliptical shape moved below white circle in Layers tab Once the cells are reordered in the Layers tab, the red ellipse element appears in front of the white circle element in the pattern.
µ To remove a cell from a replicator In the Layers tab or Timeline layers list, select the cell you want to remove, and then press Delete. The original source layers remain in the project. Basic Replicator Parameters in the HUD When a replicator is created from a source layer, the pattern is built using the default parameters in the Replicator tab of the Inspector. You can also use the Replicator HUD to easily change the most important of these parameters to suit your needs.
When a replicator and the Adjust 3D Transform tool (in the Toolbar) are selected, additional transform parameters become available in the HUD. For more information on using the HUD’s 3D transform controls, see 3D Transform Tools. Default replicator containing two cell sources (red star and white arc) Replicator set to Burst in the Replicator HUD Important: The Opacity, Blend Mode, and Shape parameters always appear in the Replicator HUD.
Blend Mode: A pop-up menu that defines the blend mode of the replicator. Changing this setting affects the pattern as a whole according to the layers composited beneath it in the Layers tab—it does not affect the interaction of elements that may be stacked on one another in a pattern. To affect the blending of elements within a pattern, you can enable Additive Blend in the Replicator tab of the Inspector. Note: For more information on blend modes, see Blend Modes.
Think of the Arrangement parameter as necessary only when you need to specify how elements are arranged in a closed shape (a circle, rectangle, or image). If Shape is set to Line, for example, the elements appear along that line—there is no “space” within which to arrange the pattern’s elements. Arrangement set to Tile Fill (default) Arrangement set to Outline Arrangement set to Random Fill Different parameters are available depending on what is selected from the Arrangement pop-up menu.
Origin: Specifies how the elements traverse across the pattern from a point of origin. For example, when using a Rectangle shape and Origin is set to Left, the elements sweep across the rectangle from left to right. When set to Upper Right, the elements build from the upper-right corner point of the shape to the lower-right corner. This parameter is available when the Arrangement is set to Tile Fill or Random Fill.
Important: Some operations that can be performed in the Properties tab, such as turning on Crop or Drop Shadow, as well the application of certain filters or a mask, cause a group to be rasterized. When a group is rasterized, it is converted into a bitmap image. Because all replicators live in groups, this affects how replicators interact with other objects within your project. For more information, see About Rasterization.
Scale Using the Scale parameter resizes the replicator, affecting the size of the pattern elements in X, Y, or Z space. To modify the size of the pattern without changing the size of its elements, use the parameters in the Replicator tab.
Lighting This parameter group is available only for 3D projects. A 2D or 3D replicator can interact with lights in a 3D project. As with all layers, the Shading pop-up menu (in the Lighting section of the Properties tab) must be set to On or Inherited for the lights to affect the replicator. For more information on using lights, see Lighting.
Drop Shadow A Drop shadow can be applied to a 2D replicator. The drop shadow of the replicator affects layers composited behind the replicator—if the pattern contains overlapping elements, the shadow does not appear on the individual elements. When the Drop Shadow parameter is enabled for the source layer (in the Properties tab in the Inspector), overlapping pattern elements appear with a drop shadow. Note: This parameter is only available when a 2D replicator shape is selected.
While the duration of the source layers has no affect on the replicator, the duration of each cell affects how long the elements created from that cell are visible in the project. You can change a cell’s duration by dragging either its position or its In and Out points in the Timeline. In this way, you can adjust the timing that defines when each cell type appears.
2 In the Toolbar, click and hold the Select/Transform tool, then choose the Adjust Item tool from the pop-up menu. Adjust Item tool Once the Adjust Item tool is selected, the replicator onscreen controls appear in the Canvas. Dragging the pattern’s shape adjusts the size of the replicator shape. For example, if the shape is a spiral or circle, dragging the shape changes the Radius parameter value. Dragging in the Canvas (but not directly on the shape) repositions the replicator in the Canvas.
If the replicator shape is a rectangle, dragging a corner or edge of its bounding box changes the Size parameter value. Depending on which handle you drag, you can constrain the transform to width, height, or depth (in a box-shaped replicator). Or you can drag a corner handle to scale the replicator in multiple dimensions simultaneously. Drag the top or bottom edge to adjust its height. Drag the left or right edge of the bounding box to adjust its width.
Drag the corner handles to adjust width and height simultaneously. Press Shift to adjust width and height uniformly. Advanced Replicator Controls When a replicator is created from a source layer, the default replicator parameters are used, resulting in a rectangular pattern consisting of five rows and five columns of elements. Although the HUD provides a fast way to modify the basic replicator parameters, the Replicator tab in the Inspector gives you total control over every aspect of that pattern.
For a replicator with only one cell (one source layer), the replicator and replicator cell controls appear in the same Replicator tab. In this case, you can control every aspect of the replicator directly from this single tab, which saves you from having to go back and forth between the Replicator and Replicator Cell tabs. For a replicator with multiple cells, the replicator parameters remain in the Replicator tab. The source wells for the layers used as cells are listed in the lower portion of the tab.
Each cell has its own Replicator Cell tab that contains all parameters for that cell. To access the cell-specific parameters, you must select a cell in the Layers tab or Timeline layers list. Cell selected in Layers tab Replicator Cell tab in Inspector Replicator Controls in the Inspector The controls in the Replicator tab give you complete control over every aspect of the pattern created by the selected replicator.
The Shape pop-up menu contains the following items: • Line: Elements are positioned on a line. Using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool) or controls in the Inspector, you can specify the length and location of the line. In the Inspector, you can set a specific number of points on the line—one element is positioned at every point (including the end points of the line). The Line shape displays additional Start Point, End Point, Points, and Offset parameters.
• Circle: Elements are positioned in a circle along the replicator outline, or in a tile or random fill pattern. Using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool), you can specify the radius and location of the circle. When Circle is selected, the Arrangement parameter becomes available. Depending on the selected Arrangement, the Circle shape displays additional parameters. In the following image, the circle’s Arrangement is set to Outline. • Burst: Elements are positioned in a flare pattern.
• Spiral: Elements are positioned in a spiral pattern. Using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool), you can specify the radius and location of the spiral. The Spiral shape displays additional Radius, Twists, Number of Arms, Points Per Arm, and Offset parameters in the Replicator tab. • Wave: Elements are positioned on a waveform. Using the onscreen control (with the Adjust Item tool) or the Inspector, you can specify the length and location of the wave.
• Geometry: Elements are positioned along the edge of a shape, defined by a spline object used as the shape source. The Geometry shape displays additional Shape Source, Points, and Offset parameters in the Replicator tab. Cells along the edge of the object defined in the Shape Source image well Object used as the Shape Source For information on using geometry (a shape) as a replicator shape, see Replicator Cell Controls in the Inspector.
• Box: This option is available when the 3D checkbox is selected in the Replicator tab. Elements are positioned in a three-dimensional cube along the replicator outline, or on its surface in a tile or random fill pattern. Using the onscreen controls (with the Adjust Item tool), you can specify the size and location of the rectangle.
Image Source: This parameter, which becomes available when the Shape parameter is set to Image, allows you load an image object as the source for the replicator shape. To set the image source, drag an image from the Layers tab or Timeline layers list to the Image Source well. Emission Alpha Cutoff: When the Image Source object contains an alpha channel, this slider defines the minimum opacity value that is necessary to create an element at that point on the source image.
Amplitude: This parameter is available only when Shape is set to Wave. Defines half the distance from the highest point to the lowest point in the wave. Higher values result in more extreme waves. Frequency: This parameter is available only when Shape is set to Wave. Defines the number of waves. The default is value is 1. Default Frequency value (1) Frequency value set to 2 Phase: This parameter is available only when Shape is set to Wave.
When Shape is set to Line or Wave, this parameter defines the number of evenly distributed element points on the line or wave. When the Adjust Item tool is selected, the points are visible in the Canvas. When Shape is set to Geometry, this parameter defines the number of evenly distributed element points around the shape. Offset: When Shape is set to Line or Wave, adjusting this value moves the elements along the line or wave.
Note: When the cell Color Mode is set to Over Pattern, a gradient is applied to the elements over the replicator pattern. In this example, the gradient begins yellow, becomes orange in the middle, and becomes red at its end. Gradient applied to replicator cells When Build Style is set to Clockwise, the gradient is applied to the pattern in a clockwise pattern. When set to Counter Clockwise, the gradient is applied in the reverse direction.
• By Column, Row, Rank: Builds the elements over the pattern by column, row, then rank starting from the Origin. • By Row, Rank, Column: Builds the elements over the pattern by row, rank, then column starting from the Origin. • By Column, Rank, Row: Builds the elements over the pattern by column, rank, then row starting from the Origin. • By Rank, Row, Column: Builds the elements over the pattern by rank, row, then column starting from the Origin.
Note: The default Columns value limit is 20. You can set a higher number in the value field. Rows: Specifies the number of horizontal rows (or vertical element points) on a grid over the selected replicator. In the case of an irregular shape (nonrectangular), points that fall outside of the shape are ignored. This parameter is available when the Arrangement parameter is set to Tile Fill. It is also available for Box and Sphere when Arrangement is set to Outline. Note: The default Rows value limit is 20.
Origin: This pop-up menu is available when Shape is set to Rectangle, Circle, Image, Box, or Sphere, and Arrangement is set to Tile Fill or Random Fill. Specifies how the elements traverse across the pattern from a point of origin. For example, when set to Left, the elements sweep across the pattern from left to right. When set to Upper Right, the elements traverse from the upper-right corner point of the shape to the lower-right corner.
• Edge: The elements originate along the edge of the pattern and build inward. Origin set to Center Origin set to Edge When Box is chosen from the Shape pop-up menu and Arrangement is set to Tile Fill or Random Fill, the Origin options are: • Front Upper Left: The elements originate in the front upper-left corner of the pattern and end in the back lower right. • Front Upper Right: The elements originate in the front upper-right corner of the pattern and end in the back lower left.
• Back Lower Right: The elements originate in the back lower-right corner of the pattern and end in the front upper-left. • Left: The elements originate at the left side of the pattern and end at the right side. The pattern is identical on each row. • Right: The elements originate at the right side of the pattern and end at the left side. The pattern is identical on each row. • Top: The elements originate at the top of the pattern and end at the bottom. The pattern is identical on each rank.
• Z Axis: The elements originate along the Z axis of the pattern and move outward. Note: The origin parameter also determines where the Sequence Replicator behavior starts its animation. For more information on the Sequence Replicator behavior, see Using the Sequence Replicator Behavior. Build Style: This pop-up menu is only available when Shape is set to Geometry. Specifies the direction in which the elements are placed along edge of the shape.
Reverse Stacking: Inverts the order in which the elements are stacked. To see the effect of this parameter, elements must be overlapping. Pattern with Reorder disabled: The element to the right overlaps the next cell to the left. Pattern with Reorder enabled: The element to the left overlaps the next cell to the right. Face Camera: When this checkbox is selected, the pattern elements actively face the camera when the camera or the replicator is rotated.
Displaying Replicator Cell Parameters The replicator cell parameters modify the individual elements in the onscreen pattern. In a replicator with only a single cell, the cell parameters appear in the Replicator tab, in the Cell Controls group. In a replicator with multiple cells, each cell has its own Replicator Cell tab that contains all parameters for that cell. To display the Cell Controls for a single-cell replicator 1 In the Layers tab, Timeline layers list, or Canvas, select a replicator layer.
2 In the Inspector, click the Replicator Cell tab. Replicator Cell Controls in the Inspector These controls appear at the bottom of the Replicator tab of the Inspector (for replicators with a single cell) or in the Replicator Cell tab of the Inspector (for replicators with multiple cells). Align Angle: When this checkbox is selected, the replicator elements automatically rotate to match the shape on which they are positioned.
Angle: Specifies (in degrees) the rotation of the replicator elements. When the 3D checkbox is selected, using the default dial or value slider (when the disclosure triangle is closed) modifies the Z angle. To modify the rotation of the pattern elements on all three axes (X, Y, and Z), click the disclosure triangle and adjust the individual X, Y, and Z dials. When the 3D checkbox is selected, this parameter displays the Animate pop-up menu.
In a 3D project, using the default dial or value slider (when the disclosure triangle is closed), modifies the Z angle. To modify the rotation of the pattern elements on all three axes (X, Y, and Z), click the disclosure triangle and adjust the individual X, Y, and Z dials. When the 3D checkbox is selected, this parameter displays the Animate pop-up menu. • Animate: A pop-up menu that sets the angle interpolation for keyframed animation of the Angle parameter.
Additive Blend: By default, replicator elements are composited together using the Normal blend mode. Select this checkbox to composite all overlapping elements using the Additive blend mode. This blending occurs in addition to the compositing method set in the Properties tab. The result is that the brightness of overlapping objects is intensified. This applies only to the replicator itself—the blend mode of the replicator layer determines how the result of the pattern is blended into the scene.
• Over Pattern: Elements are tinted based on how they are ordered in the pattern. When Over Pattern is chosen, the Color Gradient editor appears, allowing you to define the range of color of the pattern, beginning with the leftmost color in the gradient, and progressing through the range of colors until reaching the rightmost color at the end of the pattern. Gradual color changes do not appear in each element, but only across the pattern as a whole.
Color: A color well that becomes available when the Color Mode is set to Colorize. Use it to specify a color to use to tint the replicator elements. You can also alter each element’s opacity. This parameter is unique to the cell object. You can either click the color well to choose a color, or open the disclosure triangle and use the Red, Green, Blue, and Opacity channel sliders or value sliders. Opacity Gradient: This gradient editor appears when Color Mode is set either to Original or Colorize.
Scale Randomness: Defines an amount of variance in the scale of the replicator elements. A value of 0 results in no variance—all elements in the pattern are the same size. A value greater than 0 introduces a variance. The scale for an individual element is defined by the Scale parameter, plus or minus a random value falling within the Scale and the Scale End.
Source Start Frame Offset: This slider appears if you create a replicator pattern using a QuickTime object as the source for a cell, and if Random Start Frame is deselected. Offsets the start frame chosen in the Source Start Frame parameter over the pattern. At their origin, the elements play the animation from the frame specified in the Source Start Frame parameter. Each step away from the origin advances the start frame by the offset amount.
Important: If the Show Objects As parameter is set to a nonimage mode upon exporting the project, the project renders in that selected mode. • Points: Each element is represented by a single point. This is the fastest preview mode. When you choose Points, the Point Size slider appears, allowing you to increase the size of the points for easier viewing. In the following image, the Point Size is set to 8.
• Wireframe: Each pattern element is represented by a bounding box. Because the bounding boxes are good indicators of each element’s orientation in the pattern, this preview mode is useful for evaluating the movements of individual elements. For example, it’s easy to see the angle of rotation for elements that are spinning or following a complex motion path. • Image: Displays the elements as they are supposed to appear in your final render.
Using Image and Geometry Objects There are two ways that image and geometry objects can be used in a replicator: As an element source or as a shape source. When used as an element source, the image or geometry object is replicated to create the repeating elements in the pattern—the “tiles” in the onscreen “mosaic.” When used as a shape source, the image or geometry object specifies the shape of the replicator pattern on screen. In other words, elements are positioned along the edge of the image or shape.
To use a geometry shape as the source of the onscreen elements 1 Create or import the geometry object (shape or paint stroke) you want to use as the source for your repeating elements. 2 Select the geometry object, then do one of the following: • Click the Replicate button in the Toolbar. • Press L. • Choose Object > Replicate. The geometry is replicated.
Using Replicators in 3D Space Two of the replicator pattern styles available in the Shapes pop-up menu have 3D properties: Box and Sphere. The Box and Sphere shape options are available only when the 3D checkbox is selected in the Replicator tab. Box and Sphere replicators build a pattern of elements in 3D space. Whereas the 2D Rectangle and Circle replicator shapes have columns (in the Y plane) and rows (in the X plane), Box and Sphere have an additional Ranks parameter, which adds depth to the replicator.
The following illustrations demonstrate replicator pattern elements pulled into Z space. In the illustration on the left, the Burst replicator’s Z position is set to 0 and the white circle’s Z position is set to 225. An “Attracted To” Simulation behavior is applied to the replicator, with the white circle set as the target object. As the project plays, as shown in the center illustration, the replicator elements move forward in Z space toward the attractor.
The following images show masks applied to the source layer of a replicator. Mask applied to the replicator cell source layer When a masked layer is used as the source for a replicator cell, the mask is respected in the elements that appear onscreen. Original source Circle mask applied to source Masked layer used as replicator source Masks can also be applied to the replicator layer. Mask applied to replicator When the mask is applied to a replicator, the entire pattern onscreen becomes masked.
Note: Although masks cannot be applied to a 3D replicator, they can be applied to an object that is used as a pattern source for 3D replicator. For more information on working with masks, see Masking a Layer or Group. Animating Replicator Parameters Most of the replicator and replicator cell parameters can be animated with keyframing or by using Parameter behaviors.
This example uses a bow-shaped Bezier shape object that is filled with a custom gradient. 2 In the Layers tab, select the source layer and click the Replicate icon in the Toolbar (or press L). The default replicator object (rectangle shape with the tile fill arrangement) appears in the Layers tab and in the Canvas. The original source layer is disabled. 3 In the Replicator tab of the Inspector, do the following: a Select Circle from the Shape pop-up menu. b Select Outline from the Arrangement pop-up menu.
c If necessary, adjust the Radius parameter so that elements are not cut off in the Canvas. In this example, Radius is set to 145. d Increase the Points value until the elements overlap. An element is created at every point on the shape. In this example, Points is set to 30. e In the Cell Controls section of the Replicator tab, select Align Angle. Based on the location of the anchor point of the source layer, the replicator elements automatically rotate to match the curve of the circle.
f Select Additive Blend. Align Angle parameter Additive Blend parameter The color values in every overlapping pixel are added together, and all overlapping midrange color values are lightened.
4 Go frame 1 (press Home), and enable Record (press A). When Record is enabled, the Record button in the transport controls pulses red and all animateable values in the Inspector appear pink. Keyframes are created for any changes made to a layer. 5 In the Replicator tab, click in the Angle value field, type 0, and press Enter to create a keyframe. Note: You can create keyframes without using the Record button by Option-clicking the Animation menu icon of a parameter in the Inspector.
To change the anchor point of a replicator source layer 1 In the Layers tab, select the source. Although not required to adjust its anchor point, you can enable the source layer so you can see it in the Canvas. 2 In the Toolbar, select the Adjust Anchor Point tool. Adjust Anchor Point tool Note: You can also press Tab to cycle through the onscreen transform modes. 3 In the Canvas, drag the source object’s anchor point.
For more information on the Oscillate and other Parameter behaviors, see Parameter Behaviors. Displaying Replicator Animation Curves in the Keyframe Editor The replicator parameters in the Properties and Replicator tabs can be keyframed to create a change in values over time. You can view the resulting keyframe curves in the Keyframe Editor by choosing Animated from the Show pop-up menu in the Keyframe Editor.
The starting point for the sequence animation is based on the replicator’s origin or build style. For example, if a spiral replicator’s Origin parameter is set to Center, the sequence animation begins at the center of the spiral and moves outward; if the Origin of a rectangle replicator with a tile fill is set to Upper Left, and the Build Style is set to Across, the sequence begins with the elements in the upper-left corner of the pattern, then moves toward the lower-right corner.
Underneath the Parameter pop-up menus are the Sequence Control parameters, which determine how the added parameters affect the onscreen elements. These controls include options for setting the direction of the animation, whether the animation is applied per element or to the whole pattern, the number of times the animation cycles through the pattern, and so on.
To add and animate parameters in the Sequence Replicator behavior 1 With the Sequence Replicator behavior selected in the Layers tab, display the Behaviors tab in the Inspector. 2 In the Parameter row, do the following: a Choose Rotation from the Add Parameter pop-up menu. b Choose Opacity from the Add Parameter pop-up menu. c Choose Scale from the Add Parameter pop-up menu. The added parameters appear above the Add and Remove pop-up menus. No animation occurs until you set a value for the parameters.
In addition to creating a more graceful animation, changing the Spread value can also dramatically change the appearance of the pattern. 5 Set Opacity to the lowest value you want the elements to become in the animation. In this example, Opacity is set to 0. Each element fades from 100% opacity to 0% opacity over the pattern for the duration of the Sequence Replicator behavior. Note: If the elements already contain some transparency, they fade from their original opacity value to 0%.
The animation begins at the original value for any added parameter, then transforms to the value you specify in the Sequence Replicator parameters. The animation begins at the origin of the pattern (set in the Origin or Build Style parameter of the Replicator tab or HUD) and moves through to the end of the pattern.
The sequence goes through a full animation cycle starting at the original value of the cells, moving to the value set in the Sequence Replicator, then returning to the original value of the cells. This is similar to combining the To and From Sequencing options. 5 Choose All from the Unit Size pop-up menu. The sequence animation affects all replicator elements simultaneously. The default is Object, which applies the sequence animation to the elements of the replicator based on the origin of the pattern.
Sequence Replicator Controls Use the following parameters to modify the sequence animation. With the exception of the Add and Remove Parameter pop-up menus, all of the following parameters also appear in the Sequence Replicator HUD. Parameter: Use the Add and Remove pop-up menus in the Parameter row to add and remove replicator cell parameters. When you choose an item from the pop-up menu, additional controls appear in the Behaviors tab above the Parameter row.
Sequencing: This pop-up menu specifies how the sequence animation moves through the elements of the pattern, based on the change from the original parameter value to the value set in the Sequence Replicator parameters. The starting point for the sequence animation is based on the selected Origin or Build Style parameters (in the Replicator tab).
• Custom: Allows you to use animation originally created in the source layer’s parameters (except alpha parameters) or to keyframe how the animation moves through the values set in the Sequence Replicator parameters over an individual element. Each element undergoes the same value sequence. When Custom is chosen from the Sequencing pop-up menu, the Source parameter becomes available. Source parameter becomes available when Sequencing is set to Custom.
• All: Applies the sequence animation to all replicator elements simultaneously. When Unit Size is set to All, every replicator pattern cell is affected simultaneously. • Custom: Allows you to specify the percentage of elements in the pattern that are affected by the sequence animation at once. Although you can create keyframes for the Custom option, it is not required in order to affect the sequence.
Custom allows you to define an area of elements—based on percentage—that are affected by the sequence. Unit Size set to Custom allows you to define the percentage of cells affected as the sequence moves through the pattern. When Custom is chosen from the Unit Size pop-up menu, the Start and End parameters become available. Start: This parameter is available when Custom is chosen from the Unit Size pop-up menu.
• Ease In/Out: The sequence animation begins slowly, increases to normal speed as it moves toward the middle of the duration of the replicator pattern, and slows as it reaches the end of the replicator pattern. • Accelerate: The sequence animation increases in speed. • Decelerate: The sequence animation decreases in speed. • Custom: Allows you to keyframe how the animation moves through the replicator pattern.
2 Set the values for the added parameters. In this example, the Scale parameter is added and the Scale value set to 200%. Sequence behavior applied to replicator with Scale parameter set to 200%, Sequencing set to Through, and Spread set to 4 For more information on adding parameters to the Sequence Replicator behavior, see Adding Parameters to the Sequence Replicator Behavior. 3 Choose Custom from the Traversal pop-up menu. The Location parameter becomes available.
The animation moves through the replicator pattern based on its keyframed locations. In this case, the scale moves erratically back and forth around the circle, rather than in a constant direction. Using Parameter Behaviors with the Sequence Replicator Behavior Like all other layers in Motion, you can add Parameter behaviors to the Sequence Replicator parameters to create even more varied, complex effects without keyframing.
The Parameter behavior is added and appears above the Sequence Replicator behavior in the Behaviors tab. A Parameter behavior icon appears in the Animation menu of the Sequence Replicator parameter. Behavior icon Note: When the Wriggle or Randomize Parameter behavior is added to a Sequence Replicator parameter, the Affect Subobjects checkbox becomes available. Select the checkbox if you want each element in the pattern to display a different random behavior.
To apply a behavior to a replicator Do one of the following: µ µ Drag a behavior from the Library onto a replicator in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline. Select the replicator in the Layers tab, Timeline layers list, or Canvas, click the Add Behavior icon in the Toolbar, then choose a behavior from the shortcut menu. The behavior is applied to the replicator, which begins to move according to the parameters of the behavior. Not all behaviors instantly activate a layer when applied.
Simulation Behaviors and Keyframes A good rule to keep in mind is that any Simulation behavior, as well as the Throw and Spin behaviors (in the Basic Motion behaviors category), applied to a replicator disables all animation that affects the position or rotation or the individual elements. To return to any keyframed animation that was created before you applied the behavior, simply disable the behaviors. To disable a behavior, deselect its checkbox in the Inspector, Layers tab, or Timeline layers list.
Saving Custom Replicators to the Library Once you have created a replicator that makes you particularly happy, you can save it as a replicator preset in the Replicator or Favorites category of the Library for future use. Once you place a custom replicator in the Library, it can be used just like any other replicator preset. To save a custom replicator to the Library 1 Open the Library and select either the Replicators, Favorites, or Favorites Menu category.
Creating and Editing Text 13 In motion graphics, typography communicates much more than just basic information—titles, dates, and tag lines. Visual and kinetic type on the screen can also provoke an immediate and often powerful emotional response. A title sequence can set the mood for the film it introduces. A specific combination of text and animation can instantly identify a broadcast network.
• Editing Text in the Inspector (p. 772) • Editing Text Format (p. 775) • Text Controls in the Format Pane (p. 776) • Text Format-Related Tasks (p. 779) • Editing Text Style (p. 781) • Text Controls in the Style Pane (p. 782) • Text Style-Related Tasks (p. 789) • Using and Creating Preset Text Styles (p. 808) • Editing Text Layout (p. 812) • Text Controls in the Layout Pane (p. 813) • Text Layout-Related Tasks (p. 825) • Text Margin and Tab-Related Tasks (p. 835) • Working with Text Glyphs (p.
Using Text as Particle and Replicator Source Objects Text layers can be used as source cells for particle emitters and replicators to quickly create stunning graphics. If you later modify the source text, Motion automatically updates the replicator and particle system. If the text used as a cell source has applied behaviors or filters, the effect is carried over into the replicator or particle system.
• To create text at the start of the project, select “Start of project.” This means that all text is created at the beginning of the project by default, regardless of the playhead location. Create Layers At options Adding Text In Motion, you create text directly in the Canvas using the Text tool, enter text in the Inspector, or bring in a text file. Once text is added to your project, you can easily apply filters to the text or animate the text using behaviors or keyframes.
2 In the Toolbar, click the Text tool (or press T). Text tool 3 Click in the Canvas. The cursor flashes in the Canvas at the insertion point. Before you enter any text, an empty text layer is added to the project and the Text HUD appears. Empty text layer 4 Type the text you want. Once text is added, the following occurs: • The text appears in the Canvas. • The text layer in the Layers tab is named with the entered text. • The entered text appears in the mini-Timeline.
• The entered text appears in the track bars of the group and layer in the Timeline. Note: By default, the text Layout Method (adjustable in the Layout pane of the Text tab) is set to Type. The Type layout option creates no right-hand margin, so if you enter a long string of text, it extends on a single line beyond the Canvas until you create a manual line break (press Return). This mode is useful for working with short text and panning text across the Canvas.
Adding Paragraph Text in the Canvas Whereas clicking in the Canvas with the Text tool prompts basic text entry, dragging the cursor in the Canvas prompts paragraph-style text entry. Paragraph text is contained within margins that cause the text you type to wrap automatically to the next line. You can adjust the margins of the paragraph to create a column of text as narrow or as wide as you like.
Note: You can also type new paragraph text in the Text editor field of the Format pane (in the Text Inspector). For more information, see Adding Text with the Text Editor. Working in the Canvas, you can adjust the margins of the text entry field without affecting the scale of the text. To adjust the width or height of the text margins without scaling the text itself Do one of the following: µ With the Text tool selected, drag one of the text entry field’s onscreen scale handles.
µ In the Text Inspector, click the Layout pane and adjust the Left Margin, Right Margin, Top Margin, or Bottom Margin values. Margin controls Note: When text is deleted from a paragraph, the paragraph margins remain in their original locations.
Paragraphs and 3D Space Text can be modified when working in 3D space. As a camera rotates, the onscreen text entry controls rotate with the text. Although the controls (the ruler, text entry field, and scroll control) may appear to change in scale, this is only a perspective shift caused by the movement of the camera.
3 Click in the Text editor and begin typing. Text editor You can also edit existing text in the Text editor and use the Mac OS X spelling checker. To edit existing text using the Text editor 1 In the Layers tab, select the text to be edited. Note: You can also select the Text tool (in the Toolbar) and click the text you want to edit in the Canvas The selected text appears in the Text editor. 2 Make your changes in the Text editor. Changes are immediately reflected in the Canvas.
Note: The spelling checker is not available when working with text in the Canvas. Adding a Text File to a Project Plain text (TXT) or Rich Text Format (RTF) files can be added to your project. Once the text is added to your project, it can be edited in the same manner as text created within the project. The appearance (font, size, layout, and so on) of the text imported from an RTF file is preserved; the text appearance in a TXT file is based on the settings in the Text Inspector.
About Rich Text Format Files When a Rich Text Format (RTF) file is added to a project, the following occurs: • The formatting (font, style, line spacing, outline [set in the Styles pop-up menu in the TextEdit document], and so on) of the text is preserved in the project. • Double-clicking in the text in the Canvas activates the text entry field, which includes a horizontal ruler at the top of the text and a scroll control at the right of the text.
2 Do one of the following: • In the Canvas, drag a tab (the small white triangle) in the ruler. • In the Layout pane of the Text Inspector, use the Tabs controls to adjust the position and layout of the tabs. To remove a tab 1 Double-click in the text to display the onscreen text entry field, ruler, and scroll control. Note: The Text tool must be selected in order for the ruler and tabs to appear in the Canvas. 2 Drag the tab (the small white triangle) off the ruler and release the mouse button.
• In the Format pane of the Text Inspector, click in the text editor and choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). Text as a Layer Once created, text becomes a layer in your project.
Using the Text Tools As previously mentioned, text becomes a text layer when created. There are two ways to edit a text layer: • As with any other layer in Motion, you can edit text using the parameters in the Properties tab in the Inspector, or by using the onscreen controls. • You can edit the text characters using the Text parameters in the Text tab of the Inspector or in the HUD.
Note: When the Select/Transform tool is selected, you can double-click the text to automatically enter text-editing mode. When Motion is in text-editing mode, the Text tool is highlighted in the Toolbar. • Adjust Glyph tool: Use this tool to select and transform glyphs (individual characters of text objects). Once text is created, click the Select/Transform tool, hold the mouse button down, and select the Adjust Glyph tool from the pop-up menu.
Previewing Fonts When you select a font in the Fonts category of the Library, a preview of the font is displayed in the Preview area of the Library. To preview a font in the Library 1 In the Library, click the Fonts category. 2 Click the font subcategory you want to preview. Note: The first subcategory, All Fonts, contains all fonts from the other subcategories. If you are in list view, the font list appears in the stack. If you are in icon view, the font thumbnails appear in the stack.
Changing Fonts There are two ways to use the Library to change the font of text in the Canvas. The first method is to drag a font to the text object in the Canvas. The second method is to select a text object in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline, select a typeface in the Library, then click the Apply button in the Preview area. To change the font by dragging a new font to the Canvas 1 In the Library, click the Fonts category and then the font subcategory.
4 In the Preview area, click Apply. Apply button The text is changed to the selected font. Navigating the Font List To quickly locate a font by its name in the font stack, you can type the first few letters of the font name. To select a font by typing the first few letters of its name 1 Click any font name or thumbnail in the font stack. 2 Quickly type the first two letters of the font name.
The Text tab is divided into three panes: Format, Style, and Layout. The Format pane contains text basics, such as font, size, and tracking. Text characteristics such as face, outline, and blur are controlled in the Style pane. The Layout pane contains text layout controls, such as margins, justification and text on a path. Click to show the Layout pane. Click to show the Style pane. Click to show the Format pane.
To reset a group of parameters, such as the text Face controls or the Sequence controls of a text behavior, click the reset button in the Inspector. To reset a single parameter within a group, click the Animation menu, then choose Reset Parameter. Reset button Editing Text With Applied Sequence Behaviors Text Sequence behaviors automatically create animations that sequence text style and text format attributes through the text characters.
For more information on the outline controls, see Editing Text Outlines. For more information on using color wells, see Color Well. µ To change the default text alignment (left) Select the text, then do one of the following: • In the Layout pane of the Text Inspector, choose an option from the Alignment pop-up menu. • In the text HUD choose an option from the Alignment pop-up menu. For more information on text layout, see Editing Text Layout.
µ To show the Text Format pane In the Inspector, click the Text tab, then click the Format button. Text Controls in the Format Pane This section describes the parameters in the Format pane of the Text Inspector. Of the following Format parameters, Family, Typeface, Size, and Tracking also appear in the Text HUD. Font Type: Sets the set of fonts displayed in the Collections and Family lists below. System Fonts is the default; you can also choose LiveFonts.
Family: Sets the font (the set of characters, letters, and symbols of a single font) for the text. Typeface: Sets the type style, such as Bold, Condensed, and so on. The available typefaces are specific to the selected font family. Size: Determines the size of the text. You can enter a value in the value field or use the slider. To change the font size, drag the Size slider left or right. The value of the Size in the HUD and the Inspector is limited to 288 points.
Affects Layout: This checkbox determines how the layout of the text on its path is affected by changes in scale. For example, when Affects Layout is deselected and text is on an open spline path (and Wrap Around is deselected in the Layout pane), increases in scale bunch up the text characters along the length of the path and decreases in scale spread the characters out over the length of the path.
Monospace: When enabled, this checkbox applies a fixed amount of space between each text character. All Caps: This checkbox sets all text characters to uppercase. All Caps Size: When the All Caps checkbox is selected, this slider sets the size of the uppercase characters based on a percentage of the font point size. Text: Type directly in Text editor (the darker shaded area) to add and edit text in the Inspector. For more information, see Adding Text with the Text Editor.
The font family list appears. Font Family list arrow 3 Drag the pointer in the font list up or down to preview fonts. As you drag through the font family list, the text changes in the Canvas to the currently selected font. 4 Once you have chosen a font, release the mouse button. Note: You can also use the scroll bar , the wheel of a three-button mouse, or a two-finger swipe on a Multi-Touch trackpad to move up and down the font list.
2 In the Canvas, position the insertion point (click the mouse button) in between the characters you want to kern, and do one of the following: • Use the Kerning slider or value field to set a specific kerning value. • Press Control-Right Arrow to increase the space between the characters by one-pixel increments. • Press Control-Left Arrow to reduce the space between the characters by one-pixel increments.
For information on the Glow controls, see Text Glow Controls in the Style Pane. For information on performing tasks using the Glow controls, see Text Glow-Related Tasks. For information on the Drop Shadow controls, see Text Drop Shadow Controls in the Style Pane. For information on performing tasks using the Drop Shadow controls, see Text Drop Shadow-Related Tasks. µ To show the Text Style pane In the Inspector, click the Text tab, then click the Style button.
Note: When a LiveFont is applied to text, an additional Color Mix parameter is available in the Color controls. For more information, see Using LiveFonts. For information on editing text color, see Changing the Text Color. For more information on applying a gradient to text, see Applying a Gradient to Text. For more information on using textures, see Text Texture-Related Tasks. Opacity: Sets the text opacity, regardless of the selected fill option (Color, Gradient, or Texture).
Texture Subparameters in the Style Pane You can use an image, movie, shape, layer, or group as the fill for text. You do this with the Texture option in the Face controls of the Style pane. For information on using the Texture controls, see Text Texture-Related Tasks. The texture parameters respect any filters applied to the source image, but not any transforms applied to the image. For example, if the image used as the source texture has a glow filter applied, the glow appears in the text’s texture.
Image: Drag the image you want to use as the source texture into the image well. Frame: When using a movie or an image sequence as the texture source, use the slider or value sliders to specify the start frame for the texture. Hold Frame: When using a movie or an image sequence as the texture source, select the Hold Frame checkbox to freeze the frame specified in the Frame parameter. The selected frame is used as the texture for the text layer’s total duration.
Color/Gradient/Texture: Sets the text outline color, gradient, or texture, depending on which item is selected in the “Fill with” pop-up menu. Click the disclosure triangle to adjust additional parameters. Opacity: Sets the opacity of the text outline. Blur: Sets the softness of the text outline. Width: Sets the thickness of the outline. Layer Order: Specifies whether the outline is drawn over or under the text face. Four Corner: Controls the position of the outline attribute.
Note: You can warp the glow of text independently of its other style parameters. For more information, see Adjusting Glyph Attributes. Glow: A checkbox that enables and disables the text glow effect. Glow is disabled by default. Fill with: Choose an item from the “Fill with” pop-up menu to set the fill for the glow. As with the Face and Outline controls, you can set the glow fill to Color, Gradient, or Texture. Color/Gradient/Texture: Sets the color, gradient, or texture of the glow effect.
• Top Left: Offsets the text glow from the upper left of its original position. Enter a value in the left value slider to offset the text fill in X space; enter a value in the right value slider to offset the text fill in Y space. Click the disclosure triangle to access the X and Y position values. Text Drop Shadow Controls in the Style Pane Use the Drop Shadow controls to create a drop shadow on text, and to adjust the shadow color, opacity, offset from the text layer, softness, and angle.
Four Corner: Controls the position of the drop shadow attribute. This allows for outline warping effects. Click the disclosure triangle to reveal the following controls: • Bottom Left: Offsets the text drop shadow from the lower left of its original position. Enter a value in the left value slider to offset the text fill in X space; enter a value in the right value slider to offset the text fill in Y space. Click the disclosure triangle to access the X and Y position values.
Note: You can also modify the style attributes of a glyph with the Adjust Glyph tool. For more information, see Working with Text Glyphs. Changing the Text Color You can change text color using the Colors window, the color well in the text HUD, or the color well in the Style pane of the Text Inspector. Note: To adjust the individual color channels, you must use the Style pane of the Text Inspector. To set the text color in the HUD 1 Select the text. 2 If the HUD is not displayed, press F7 (or D).
4 Do one of the following: • Click the color well, then use the Colors window to set the text color. Color well • Click the arrow button to the right of the color well (or Control-click the color well) then click in the pop-up color palette to select a color. Drag in the lower palette to set the color to a grayscale color. Displays original color. Displays new color. Click here to select a grayscale color. • Click the eyedropper tool to the right of the Color well, then click a color in the Canvas.
Applying a Gradient to Text In the Inspector, you can apply a gradient fill to a text. The gradient can be customized and animated using the Gradient editor. Note: The text gradient controls are nearly equivalent to the gradient controls for shapes, particles, and replicators, with a few parameter exceptions. For example, the text gradient controls include a dial to specify the direction of a linear gradient.
In the Canvas, the default gradient is applied to the selected text. Applying a Preset Gradient to Text There are two ways to apply a preset (or saved) gradient from the Library to text. The first method is to use the Gradient preset pop-up menu in the Text Inspector. The second method is to drag a gradient from the Library to text. To apply a preset gradient in the Text Inspector 1 Make sure a gradient is applied to the text to which you want to apply a preset gradient.
To apply a preset gradient from the Library 1 In the Library, click the Gradients category. 2 In the stack, select a gradient. A preview of the selected gradient appears in the Preview area.
3 Do one of the following: • Drag the gradient to the text in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline. • Make sure the text is selected, then click Apply in the Preview area. After the preset gradient is applied to a text object, the preset can be edited with the Gradient editor. Changing Text Opacity There are a few different ways to change the opacity of text: • Because a text layer is like other layers in Motion, you can adjust its opacity in the Properties tab.
The text opacity is dynamically updated as you drag the slider, and the opacity of the text as a layer is adjusted. The Opacity parameter in the Properties tab of the Text Inspector is updated. To set the opacity in the Properties tab of the Text Inspector 1 Select the text. 2 In the Inspector, click the Properties tab. 3 In the Blending controls, drag the Opacity slider or enter an opacity value in the field. The Opacity parameter in the HUD is updated.
3 In the Face controls, drag the Blur slider, or enter a blur amount in the value slider. Blur parameter The text softness is dynamically updated as you drag the slider. Resetting the Text Face Controls You can reset the text to its original fill, opacity, and blur using the Inspector. µ To reset the text face parameters Click the reset button in the Face parameter row. Reset button Text Texture-Related Tasks Use the Texture controls in the Style pane to apply and edit texture effects.
4 Click the Texture disclosure triangle. Image well By default, no texture is applied to the text. 5 In the Layers tab or Media tab (of the Project pane), drag the image you want to use for the texture to the Image well. The image appears in the well and is applied to the text. When text is filled with an image, the texture is applied to each text character. To learn how to make the texture continuous through all text characters, see Applying a Continuous Texture to a Text Layer.
2 In the Layers tab or Media tab, drag the image you want to use to replace the existing texture to the Image well. The new image appears in the well and is applied to the text. Note: When an image (or a movie clip) is replaced in the Layers tab or Media tab, and that image is used as a texture source, the texture for the text is replaced with the new image. To remove a texture Do one of the following: µ Click the Texture parameter reset button.
µ To change the position of a texture In the Texture controls, do one of the following: • Press Command, then drag in the Image well. The image moves in the well and is offset in the text in the Canvas. • Adjust the Offset values. The left value slider represents the X position values; the right value slider represents the Y position values. Click the disclosure triangle to display the labeled X and Y value sliders.
Note: Keep in mind that when Record is enabled, a keyframe is created for any change you make to an object in your project. 4 To position the texture, do one of the following: • Press Command, then drag in the Image well. • Use the Offset value sliders to enter an offset value. The image within the text moves, and a keyframe is created in the Offset parameters. Text layer with texture applied 5 Move the playhead to the next frame where you want to set a keyframe. 6 Move the texture to the new position.
7 Go to frame 1 (or the start frame of your animation) and play the clip. The texture offset is animated. 8 Disable Record. Note: You can also use the Animation menu in the Inspector to manually set keyframes without enabling Record. For more information, see Keyframes and Curves.
To use text to mask an image 1 In the Layers tab or Canvas, select the layer you want to use as the texture. 2 Choose Object > Add Image Mask (or press Command-Shift-M). A blank image mask layer is added to the image.
The text masks the image. For more information, see Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes. Text Outline-Related Tasks These tasks are useful when editing text Outline parameters, including outline color, softness, opacity, and layer order. Adding a Text Outline To create a text outline, select the Outline checkbox in the Style pane of the Text Inspector. To create an outline for text 1 Select the text. 2 In the Inspector, open the Style pane of the Text tab.
Note: The Outline fill controls—Color, Gradient, and Texture—are equivalent to the controls for the Face parameters. For information on using these controls, see Text Face Controls in the Style Pane. µ To change the color of a text outline Click the color well, then select a color from the Colors window. µ To adjust the opacity of a text outline Use the Opacity slider or value field to change the opacity of the outline.
Note: You can display just the text glow by deselecting the Face parameter checkbox (and any other active parameters). Editing Text Glow Use the Glow controls to soften the opacity or blur of the text glow, to change the size of the glow, or to set and edit the fill of a glow. For more information about adjusting text glows using onscreen controls, see Working with Text Glyphs. Note: The Glow “Fill with” options—Color, Gradient, and Texture—are equivalent to the controls for the Face parameters.
Adding a Drop Shadow To create a text drop shadow, select the Drop Shadow checkbox in the Style pane of the Text Inspector. To add a drop shadow 1 Select the text. 2 In the Inspector, open the Style pane in the Text tab. 3 In the Drop Shadow parameters, select the Drop Shadow checkbox. The default black drop shadow is applied to the text. Adjusting the Drop Shadow Parameters Use the Drop Shadow controls to change the color or opacity of the shadow and to adjust the softness of the shadow.
µ To change the distance of the shadow from the text In the Distance parameter, drag the slider or use the value slider. The distance the shadow is offset is represented in pixels. µ To change the angle of the shadow from the text Drag the Angle dial in a circular motion or use the value slider. µ To reset the text drop shadow parameters Click the reset button in the Drop Shadow parameter row.
2 Select a style from the stack.
A preview of the style is displayed in the Preview area. 3 Do one of the following: • Select the text to which you want to apply the style, then click the Apply button in the Preview area. • Drag the style from the stack to the text in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline. The text style is applied to the text. To apply a text style from the Text Inspector 1 Select the text to which you want to apply a style. 2 In the Style pane of the Text Inspector, choose an item from the Style Preset pop-up menu.
Resetting Text Style Use the reset button in the Inspector to reset the text style controls to the default parameter settings. µ To reset all text style parameters Click the reset button in the Style Preset parameter row. Saving a Custom Text Style Once you have modified parameters in the Style pane (such as Gradient or Glow) or Format pane (such as Tracking or Slant), you can save the style that you have created to the Text Styles category in the Library.
The custom preset is saved to the Text Styles category in the Library. Custom presets can be identified in the Library by the small user icon that appears in the lower-right corner of the larger text style icon. Customized text style saved in Library Editing Text Layout The Text Layout pane contains controls for type layout, such as alignment, justification, line spacing, and text on a path. You can also create a “typewriter” effect using the Type On parameter in the Layout pane, or set text on a path.
µ To show the Text Layout pane In the Inspector, click the Text tab, then click the Layout button. Text Controls in the Layout Pane This section describes the parameters in the Layout pane of the Text Inspector. Of the following Layout controls, the Line Spacing and Alignment also appear in the Text HUD.
Non-Path Text Controls in the Layout Pane Use the Text Layout controls in the Layout pane of the Text Inspector to specify general arrangement of your text. These controls allow you to make text flow in a single line, in a paragraph with set margins, or on a path. Layout Method: Specifies whether the text layout is set to Type, Paragraph, Path, Scroll, or Crawl. Note: When Layout Method is set to Scroll or Crawl, the Adjust Glyph tool is not available.
Double-clicking the text in the Canvas when Layout Method is set to Paragraph displays a ruler and scroll control around the text entry field. Note: When text is deleted from a paragraph text entry field, the paragraph margins do not automatically scale. For information on modifying or creating a paragraph, see Adding Paragraph Text in the Canvas. • Path: Creates text on a path and makes the Path Options parameter group available.
• The Offset, Rotation, and Affects Layout parameters in the Format pane are not available. • When Scroll is selected from the Layout Method pop-up menu the text is flattened, so the Flatten, Render Text, and Face Camera parameters are not available. For more information, see the Flatten parameter description below. For more information on safe zones, see Safe Zone.
Flatten: In 3D groups, text characters on a path may be influenced by behaviors in ways that interfere with linear alignment. For instance, a simulation behavior might pull nearby text characters out of their plane. Selecting the Flatten checkbox forces text characters to remain in a 2D plane. When Flatten is selected, the text can still interact with other objects in 3D space, but only as a flattened image, like a card. Unflattened text on a 3D path can weave through other elements in a project.
• The Flatten checkbox must be selected to apply a mask to text. The mask tools in the Toolbar are not available when the checkbox is deselected. Note: When a text layer that is rotated in Z space is flattened, the text that is further away from the camera (further away in Z) appears smaller. For more information, see Working with Objects Inside 2D Groups and Flattened 3D Groups. Render Text: This pop-up menu allows you to choose between two different rendering methods for text.
The Anchor Point pop-up menu has four options: • Character: Rotates each character as if each glyph has its own anchor point. • Word: Rotates each word as if each word has its own anchor point. • Line: Rotates each line as if the individual lines had their own anchor points. • All: Rotates all of the text as a single object. Position: Defines the position of the anchor point specified in the Anchor Point pop-up menu. Click the disclosure triangle to display the individual X, Y, and Z parameters.
Note: There is also a Text Animation behavior called Type On which creates a forward type-on effect without setting any keyframes. The Type On parameter group has the following controls: • Start: Sets the start point of the type-on effect (from the left side of the text). When set to the default 0%, the text is fully “typed on.” When set to 100%, the text is fully “typed off.” If the value animates from 0 to 100 over time, the text types off from left to right.
• Closed Spline: A closed path in which the last point is in the same location as the first point. You can choose to work with Bezier or B-Spline control points. Option-click (or double-click) anywhere on the path to add points. • Circle: A simplified version of Closed Spline, in which the X radius or Y radius can be adjusted to create a circle or an ellipse. • Rectangle: A closed path in which the width and the height can be adjusted to create a square or a rectangle.
Start Point: When Wave is selected in the Path Shape pop-up menu, this control become available. Sets the location default start point on the wave’s path. The left value slider sets the X coordinate of the start point. The right value slider sets the Y coordinate of the start point. The start point can also be adjusted using the wave’s onscreen controls (active by default when the Text tool is selected). End Point: When Wave is selected in the Path Shape pop-up menu, this control becomes available.
Path Offset: Determines where the text begins on the path. Animate this value to move text along a path. At 0%, the first text character is at the left end of the path; at 100%, the first character is at the right end of the path. Wrap Around: Available when Path Shape is set to Open Spline or Wave (an open path shape), wraps the text from the end of the path around to the first point of the path.
Left, Right, Top, and Bottom Margins: Available when Layout Method is set to Paragraph, Scroll, or Crawl, defines the text margins in the Canvas. For more information on working with margins, see Text Margin and Tab-Related Tasks. Tab Controls in the Layout Pane When a Rich Text Format file is imported, any tabs in the RTF file are retained in the Motion project. This information is displayed in the Layout pane of the text Inspector.
• Tab value slider: Drag in the slider or use the left and right arrows to adjust the position of the tab. For more information on working with tabs, see Text Margin and Tab-Related Tasks. Text Layout-Related Tasks These tasks are useful when editing text Layout parameters, which include working with text on a path and creating a type-on effect. Creating Text on a Path To place text on a path, you create the text and then apply the Path layout method (via the Layout Method pop-up menu).
Working with Text on a Path You can create text on a line, circle, rectangle, wave, or along the edge of a shape or mask. An Open Spline text path can be manipulated to move through 3D space. You can change the shape of a text path, add or remove control points, as well as animate the text along the path. Text on a path can still be edited—you can change text characters or fonts, tracking, kerning, and so on. Text Style parameters can also be modified for text on a path.
µ To adjust the text path With the Text tool selected, drag a control point to change the shape of the path. When additional text characters are added to text that is already on a path, the default path may appear too short. In the following images, the first image shows the original text placed on a path. The second image shows additional text. Notice that in the second image with the added text characters, the path is shorter than the text.
When dragging, press Shift to constrain the path to a straight line. Once a path has been extended, you can add control points for extra control over the shape of the path. µ To add or modify text path control points Option-click or double-click the path to add a control point. Note: Control points can only be added to Open Spline or Closed Spline paths. µ To remove a control point, select the point, then press Delete. You can also Control-click the point and choose Delete Point from the shortcut menu.
Note: The text path onscreen controls are available for all camera views. This example uses the Top view. 3 With the Text tool selected, drag a control point to adjust the text path in X, Y, or Z space. Note: Manipulating text on a path in 3D only works when Path Shape is set to Open Spline or Closed Spline. Text on a path in 3D Top view. The right and left control points are set to positive Z values. If you lose the path selection, select the text layer in the Layers tab.
5 To reset the camera view, do one of the following: • Choose Active Camera from the Camera menu. • Choose View > 3D View > Active. Tip: When working with text in a 3D project, especially text that moves close to the camera, set the Render Quality in the Render pop-up menu (in the Status Bar below the Inspector icon) or the View menu to Best before exporting (choose View > Quality > Best). Use Normal when working in your project, as Best mode dramatically slows your project’s interactivity.
To use geometry for a text path source 1 Import (or draw) the shape you want to use as the path source. 2 Select the text on a path, then choose Geometry from the Path Shape pop-up menu. The Shape Source well appears in the Inspector. 3 From the Layers tab, drag the shape to the Shape Source well. 4 When the pointer becomes a curved arrow, release the mouse button. A thumbnail of the shape appears in the well and the shape is used as the source shape for the text path.
µ To select another geometry source for a text path shape Click the To pop-up menu (located next to the Shape Source image well) and select the layer you want to use as the text path’s shape source. Animating Text on a Path Text can be animated to move across the text path. To animate text on a path 1 Create the path for the text to travel along. 2 Go to the frame where you want to begin the animation, and enable Record.
A positive value moves the text toward the right and a negative value moves the text toward the left. You can enter values greater than 100% or less than 0% in the value slider. A value greater than 100% moves the text completely off the path to the right; a value less than 0% moves the text off the path to the left. In the following image, the Path Offset is set to 105%, so the text is completely off the right end of the text path.
To create a type-on effect 1 Select the text. 2 Go to the frame where you want the animation to begin. 3 Enable Record. Record button 4 In the Layout pane, set the End value of the Type On parameters to 0. The text disappears (is “typed off”). Note: You can also use the Animation menu rather then enabling Record in the transport controls. Click the Animation menu icon beside the End parameter, then choose Add Keyframe.
To create a type-on effect in which the text characters “pop” on, turn off the Fade In checkbox. Note: You can use the Type On parameter when the text Layout Method is set to Type, Paragraph (multiline text), or Path. Tip: Remember that you can apply Parameter behaviors to nearly any parameter in Motion.
Tabs are displayed in the Canvas and in the Layout panel of the Text Inspector. Note: Text alignment is controlled with the Layout Method pop-up menu in the Layout pane. To add a tab 1 Ensure the text is set to Paragraph (or Scroll) in the Layout Method pop-up menu. 2 In the ruler above the text entry field in the Canvas, do one of the following: • Click to add a left tab. • Double-click to add a center tab. • Control-click and choose an option from the create tab shortcut menu.
µ To change a tab type in the Canvas Double-click a tab icon in the ruler. The tabs cycle through the right, center, left, and decimal types. µ To change a tab type in the Inspector In the Tabs section of the Layout pane of the text Inspector, choose an option from the Tab type pop-up menu. The tabs icon is updated in the ruler in the Canvas. To move the tabs 1 Double-click in the text to display the text box, ruler, and scroll control.
When the Adjust Glyph tool is selected and Attribute is set to Transform Glyph (in the text HUD), onscreen transform controls appear. These controls are identical to the 3D onscreen transform controls. For more information on using these controls, see 3D Transform Onscreen Controls. The Attribute parameter is also available in the Sequence Text behavior, which allows you to sequence any of the glyph effects through text. For more information on using the Sequence Text behavior, see Sequence Text Behavior.
Selecting Characters with the Adjust Glyph Tool You can select a single text glyph or multiple text glyphs with the Adjust Glyph tool. When more than one glyph is selected, the last Shift-clicked glyph appears with the transform tools. This is known as the “focused glyph.” A box appears around the other selected characters. Any selected glyph (focused or not) is affected by transforms applied to the focused glyph.
µ To deselect a group of selected glyphs Choose Edit > Deselect All (or press Command-Shift-A). The glyphs are deselected and the Adjust Glyph tool remains selected in the Toolbar. µ To select a glyph(s) in another text layer With an active Adjust Glyph tool selection, click the text layer in the Layers tab or Timeline layers list that you want to modify. If no glyph was previously selected in the new text layer, the first glyph is active.
2 In the Format pane of the Text Inspector, click the Animation menu icon for the Rotation parameter and choose Reset Parameter. Animation menu icon The glyphs return to their original rotation. To reset a repositioned glyph 1 If the glyph is not selected, select the Adjust Glyph tool from the 2D transform tools in the Toolbar, then select the glyph or Shift-select a group of glyphs.
Adjusting Glyph Attributes The onscreen controls for adjusting a glyph’s style attribute are similar to the shearing and four corner onscreen controls. You can also warp a glyph’s attributes in the Text Inspector. To warp a glyph’s style attribute in the Canvas 1 Select the text object that contains the glyph(s) that you want to modify, then select the Adjust Glyph tool from the 2D transform tools in the Toolbar.
To warp a glyph style attribute in the Inspector 1 Select the text object that contains the glyph(s) that you want to modify, then select the Adjust Glyph tool from the 2D transform tools in the Toolbar. 2 Select the attribute you want to modify (Face, Outline, Glow, or Drop Shadow) from the Attribute pop-up menu in the Text HUD.
Attribute: Specifies the glyph attribute to be modified. • Transform Glyph: Displays onscreen controls that allow you to scale, move, or rotate the glyph. • Face: Displays onscreen controls that allow you to shear or four-corner warp the face (color fill) of the glyph. • Outline: Displays onscreen controls that allow you to shear or four-corner warp the outline of the glyph. • Glow: Displays onscreen controls that allow you to shear or four-corner warp the glow of the glyph.
To apply a behavior to text Do one of the following: µ In the Library, select a behavior, then drag it to the text in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline. µ Select the text to which you want to apply a behavior, click the Add Behavior icon in the Toolbar, then choose a behavior from the pop-up menu. Add Filter icon Add Behavior icon The Text HUD is replaced with a behavior HUD.
Note: If no HUD is present when the text is selected, press F7 or D to display the Text HUD. Family pop-up menu Typeface pop-up menu When a text layer and the Adjust 3D Transform tool (in the Toolbar) are selected, the 3D transform tools become available in the HUD. These additional controls allow you to transform the text object in X, Y, and Z dimensions, regardless of whether the group is 2D or 3D. For more information on using the 3D transform tools in the HUD, see 3D Transform HUD Controls.
Blend Mode: The text blend mode is set to Normal by default. Use the Blend Mode pop-up menu to choose another mode for the selected text. Note: The Properties tab also contains controls to change the blend mode of the text. When you change the blend mode of text in the Text HUD, the blend mode is also changed in the Properties tab and vice versa. Family: By default, the text font family is set to Geneva (if installed on your system).
Note: The text Size sliders (in the HUD and in the Inspector) are limited to 288 points. To set the text to a larger point size, type a number in the Size field in the Format pane of the Text Inspector. Text Size field Tracking: Tracking applies a uniform value between each text character. Tracking is set to 0 by default. To change the tracking value of text, drag the Tracking slider left (for a negative tracking value) or right (for a positive tracking value).
Animating Text 14 Text can be animated using behaviors, keyframes, or a combination of both. While you can apply different behavior types (Basic Motion, Parameter, or Simulation) to text, Motion has special class of text behaviors. Text behaviors create animation by applying a range of values to text parameters specific to titling effects—without creating keyframes. For more information on Basic Motion, Parameter, and Simulation behaviors, see Using Behaviors.
• Scroll Text Behavior (p. 876) • Text Tracking Behavior (p. 879) • Type On Behavior (p. 880) • Preset Text Sequence Behaviors (p. 882) • Saving a Modified Text Behavior to the Library (p. 888) • Using Other Behaviors with Text (p. 889) • Using Behaviors to Animate Text in 3D (p. 890) • Animating Text with Keyframes (p. 891) • Animating with the Adjust Glyph Tool (p. 893) • Using LiveFonts (p.
The Text Sequence behaviors includes six classes of preset sequence behaviors: Basic, Continuous, Energetic, Glow, Highlighter, and Subtle. These behaviors employ the parameters of the Sequence Text behavior (in the Text Animation category). Although the Text Sequence behaviors are all presets—the parameters are already selected and animated—you can still add, remove, or modify any parameter that is available to the Sequence Text behavior.
2 In the Library, select the Behaviors category and then select Text Animation or Text Sequence from the Behaviors subcategories. Text Animation behavior subcategory Text Sequence behavior subcategory Stack 3 Select a text behavior in the stack. Like other behaviors in Motion, a preview of the animation plays in the Preview area. Keep in mind that the preview merely represents the default animation of the behavior, which can be modified.
4 Do one of the following: • Drag the behavior to the text in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline. • Click the Apply button in the Preview area. The Text HUD is replaced with the text behavior HUD. To apply a Text behavior from the Add Behavior icon 1 Select the text layer (or layers) to which you want to apply the behavior. 2 In the Toolbar, click the Add Behavior icon, then choose a Text Animation or Text Sequence behavior from the pop-up menu.
Using the Sequence Text Behavior Applying and activating a Sequence Text behavior is a two-step process: First, you add the Sequence Text behavior to a text layer. Second, you assign the parameters of the text that you want to animate, either in the Behaviors tab of the Text Inspector or by manipulating the text object with the onscreen controls.
The upper area of the Sequence Text controls contains the Add and Remove pop-up menus, which are used to select the text parameters to be sequenced, or to remove parameters once they have been added. The second group of parameters are the sequence Controls, which include options for setting the direction and speed of the animation, whether the animation is applied per character, per word, per text layer, and so on. In this simple example, Opacity, Scale, and Glow scale are sequenced.
2 In the Parameter row, click the Add pop-up menu, then choose Format > Opacity. The Opacity parameter is added in the Behaviors tab above the Add and Remove pop-up menus. 3 In the Inspector, set Opacity to 0 and play the project (press Space bar). Because the Sequencing parameter is set to From by default, the opacity sequences from the value set in the behavior (0%) to original value of the text (100%). 4 Click the Sequencing pop-up menu and select To.
6 In the Behaviors tab, set Scale to 250%, set Glow Scale to 250%, then set Spread (in the Controls group) to 4. The opacity sequences to the values defined in the behavior from the original values. The increased spread value softens the sequence between the characters.
To create a sequence animation using onscreen controls 1 With the Sequence Text behavior applied and the first letter (glyph) selected, do one of the following: • To sequence the position of the text, drag the character in the Canvas to a new position.
In the Behaviors tab, the Position parameter is automatically added to the Format category (above the Add and Remove parameter pop-up menus). The values in the Position parameter can be modified in the Inspector (using the Position value sliders) as well as in the Canvas (by dragging the glyphs of the text object. Position is added to the sequence parameters. • To sequence the rotation of the text, rotate the selected glyph in the Canvas. To display the rotation controls, hold the Command key down.
In this example, the text is rotated on its Y axis. In the Behaviors tab, the Rotation parameter is automatically added to the Format category Format category (above the Add and Remove parameter pop-up menus). • To sequence the scale of the text, scale the selected glyph in the Canvas by dragging a scale handle. (To scale the text uniformly, press Shift while dragging the scale handle in the Canvas.
When a glyph is selected with the Adjust Item tool, a section of the mini-Timeline and Timeline are highlighted. This area shows when the currently selected glyph is affected by the sequence behavior. Highlighted area indicates the animation location (in time) of the selected glyph. µ To remove a parameter from the sequence behavior In the Parameter row of the Behaviors tab, choose a parameter from the Remove pop-up menu. The parameter is removed from the behavior.
Using the Text Style Pane With the Sequence Text Behavior Parameters that you want to include in a sequence animation are assigned in the Sequence Text behavior. Attributes that are modified in the Style pane of the Text Inspector (Face, Glow, Outline, or Drop Shadow) do not sequence. Therefore, if you want to modify a specific parameter but want it to remain unchanged over the course of a sequence animation, modify that parameter in the Style pane of the Text Inspector.
2 In the Behaviors tab, choose Custom from the Sequencing pop-up menu. 3 Drag the playhead to the frame where you want to begin the animation, then click the Record button (or press A) to turn on keyframing. When keyframing is on, parameters that can be animated appear pink in the Inspector. 4 Do one of the following: • In the Behaviors tab, choose Format > Position from the Add pop-up menu, then use the Position value sliders to define the beginning (or ending) position of the text.
For more information on working with animation paths, see Manipulating Animation Paths in the Canvas. Note: If you change the Sequencing parameter to another option, such as Through Inverted or To, and then change Sequencing back to Custom, the custom animation path is retained.
3 In the lower portion of the Behaviors tab of the Inspector, choose Glow from the Attribute pop-up menu. The onscreen controls appear that allow you to shear or four-corner adjust the attribute.
4 Do one of the following: • To shear the glow, drag a shearing handle. • To warp the glow, drag a corner handle. Note: You can also use the value sliders in the Four Corner parameter in the Behaviors tab. Click the Four Corner disclosure triangle to show the Bottom Left, Bottom Right, Top Right, and Top Left controls. Some characters may not appear affected when you drag in the Canvas. However, when you play the project, all characters are affected. 5 Play the project.
Onscreen controls appear that allow you to distort the text attribute. No parameters are added to the Inspector (above the Add pop-up menu) until the onscreen controls are adjusted. 2 Do one of the following: • To shear the glow, drag a shearing handle. • To warp the glow, drag a corner handle. Once you adjust a handle, the Four Corner parameter is added to the sequence above the Add and Remove pop-up menus. Note: You can also use the value sliders in the Four Corner parameter in the Behaviors tab.
When you choose Format > Character Offset from the Add pop-up menu, the Character Set pop-up menu appears in the Behaviors tab. There are two menu options: Preserve Case & Digits and Full Unicode. Choose Preserve Case & Digits to ensure that offset characters respect the case and number of the original text. For example, with this option selected, an uppercase letter will remain uppercase as other letters cycle through its position.
• Through: Specifies that the sequence goes through a full animation cycle starting at the original value of the parameter, moves to the value set in the sequence behavior, and then returns to the original value of the parameter. For example, if the original opacity value is 100%, and opacity is set to 0% in the Sequence Text parameters, the text unit begins completely opaque, becomes transparent, and then becomes completely opaque again.
• Edges to Center: Sequences from the outer edges of the text inwards. • Random: Randomizes the direction of the sequencing. When Random is selected from the Direction pop-up menu, the Random Seed parameter becomes available. Random Seed: Available when Direction is set to Random, allows you to change the current “randomness” (seed number) of the direction of the sequence by typing a new number or clicking the Generate button.
• Over Entire Duration: The setting chosen in the Speed pop-up menu is applied one time for the length of the behavior. For example, if Speed is set to Accelerate, the rate of the sequence animation increases as it moves through the text over the entire duration of the behavior, regardless of the number of loops. • Per Object: The setting chosen in the Speed pop-up menu is applied one time for each object for every loop.
Variance: This group of controls allows you to randomize the attributes assigned to sequence through the text. For example, if you add variance to a scale sequence, the text scale is randomized rather than moving strictly from the original Scale value to the Scale value defined in the sequence behavior. These sliders control the frequency of the randomness. When sequencing is set to To, From, Through, or Through Inverted, it is useful to see how the Variance numbers affect the randomness.
• Minimum: Defines the lower boundary of the variance for the sequenced parameter value. For example, if you set Minimum to 25% for a sequence that is animating text scale, the minimum size that the text unit will scale to is 25% of the Scale value set in the behavior. Note: When Custom is selected from the Sequencing pop-up menu, Minimum (and Maximum) is replaced with the Amount parameter. • Maximum: Defines the upper boundary of the variance for the sequenced parameter value.
In the following images, the text position is sequenced. Fix is set to Start Point. • End Point: When variance is applied, the values defined in the Sequence Text behavior (above the Add and Remove pop-up menus) at the start and at the end of the behavior are fixed to the last frame of the behavior. In the following images, the text position is sequenced. Fix is set to End Point.
Note: The Attribute pop-up menu also appears in the HUD when the Adjust Glyph tool is selected in the Toolbar. For more information on using the glyph tool, see Working with Text Glyphs. • Transform Glyph: Displays the glyph onscreen controls, allowing for the selection of individual characters of a text object for direct manipulation. For more information about sequencing using the glyph onscreen tools, see Using the Custom Sequencing Option.
In the following image, the yellow glow is offset from the white text based on the size of the text characters because Relative is chosen from the Position Type pop-up menu. Scroll Text Behavior The Scroll Text behavior allows you to quickly create scrolling or crawling text. Scroll Text can also be applied to other objects, such as shapes and images, to create integrated credits, prologues, and so on.
The text stops scrolling, the ruler appears at the top edge of the text, and the scroll control becomes available at the right edge of the text. To continue playback, deselect the text by pressing Esc or clicking in an empty area of the Layers tab or the Timeline layers list. For more information on the scroll controls, see Non-Path Text Controls in the Layout Pane. 4 To customize the scroll, use the parameters in the Behaviors tab of the Inspector.
Scroll Direction: Sets the direction of the text scroll to vertical or horizontal. • Vertical: Scrolls the text vertically in the Canvas. • Horizontal: Scrolls the text horizontally in the Canvas. Speed Control: Sets the speed of the scroll or crawl to Automatic, Fixed, or Custom. • Automatic: The speed of the scroll is determined by the length of the behavior in the Timeline. In other words, the length of the behavior determines how long it takes the entire layer to scroll or crawl across the Canvas.
Allow Layout Override: Allows the text layout be manually changed. For example, when horizontally scrolling imported RTF text, the text is automatically placed in a single line. If the Allow Layout Override checkbox is selected, the text retains its paragraph form. Note: This parameter is available only when the Scroll Text behavior is applied to a text layer. Start Off-Screen: When this checkbox is selected, the text is automatically moved to an off-Canvas position for the start of the scroll.
Use the Text Tracking parameters to modify the rate and end offset of the character tracking. The identical Text Tracking behavior parameters appear in the Text Tracking HUD and in the Behaviors tab of the Inspector. Text Tracking Controls Use the Text Tracking parameters to control the rate and end offset of the tracking animation. Rate: Controls the rate of the change in tracking values. The higher the rate, the greater the tracking values.
By default, the text “pops” on. To create a softer fade-in effect, enable Fade In in the Type On HUD or Inspector. Because the Type On behavior is applied to the duration of the text layer to which it is applied, it takes the duration of the layer to complete the type-on effect. You can modify the timing of the effect by resizing the mini-Timeline or Timeline bar. Use the following guidelines to modify the default Type On behavior. The Type On controls include only a single parameter: Fade In.
Note: You can also slow the type-on effect by extending the behavior beyond the duration of the text layer. Type On Controls The Type On behavior contains only the Fade In parameter. Fade In: When selected, each text character fades in rather than appearing with the default “pop” effect. Note: You can also create this type of animation using Type On parameter group in the Layout pane of the Text Inspector. For more information, see Creating a Type-On Effect.
To modify the Flare In behavior 1 Select the text layer to be animated, click the Add Behavior icon in the Toolbar, then choose Text-Glow > Flare In. At the first frame, the text is not visible because Face opacity and Glow opacity are animating from 0% to 100%. 2 Click Play (or press the Space bar). The text characters fade in from 0% to 100% percent opacity, and sharpen in from a blur value of 10. A glow rides the effect in as the text appears.
Note: In the Canvas, an editable animation path appears with the selected text. This is because Sequencing is set to Custom. For more information, see Using the Custom Sequencing Option. 4 In the Parameter row of the Behaviors tab, choose Format > Rotation from the Add pop-up menu. A Rotation parameter is added to the sequence.
Tip: Because most of the preset text sequence behaviors are keyframed, it is often helpful to see where the keyframes occur when customizing. Click the Timing icon in the Toolbar, or choose Window > Timeline to show the Timeline. In the Timeline, click the Show/Hide Keyframes button. The keyframes are displayed on the behavior’s bar. Show/Hide Keyframes button 5 Move the playhead to frame 1, then click the Record to turn on keyframing. 6 In the Behaviors tab, set the Rotation dial to 90.
As the project plays, the text rotates from 90 degrees to 0 degrees. You can quickly change the color or other attributes of the text glow by using the Glow controls in the Style pane of the Text Inspector. Changing the Default Settings in the Text Sequence Behaviors Text Sequence behaviors use default text settings, such as glow color (yellow) and alignment (left). You can quickly change these settings in the Inspector.
3 Choose Center from the Alignment pop-up menu. Setting the In and Out Points of the Text Behaviors The In and Out Points of text behaviors are defined in the same manner as all other objects. For more information, see Trimming Objects. Changing the Speed of Text Behaviors When a behavior from the Text Animation group is added to a text layer, the behavior is the duration of that text layer. Most of the behaviors from the Text Sequence group, however, are much shorter than the duration of the text layer.
• Go to the frame where you want to set the new Out point, then choose Mark > Mark Out (or press O). For more information, see Trimming Objects. Saving a Modified Text Behavior to the Library As with all modified behaviors, filters, generators, and so on, you can save a modified text behavior to the Library. To save a modified behavior to the Library 1 Select the behavior you want to save.
Using Other Behaviors with Text Because text is like all other layers in Motion, you can apply any Basic Motion, Parameter, or Simulation behavior to text layers. Because the characters of text make the object a group, you can create some unique animations using the Simulation behaviors. This section provides a quick overview to working with nontext behaviors applied to text. For more information on using behaviors, see Using Behaviors.
The text characters are swept around the screen in a vortex pattern. If the text characters start to move off the screen, they collide with the edge of the screen. Related Objects is the default setting in the Affect parameter of the Vortex behavior, which means that all objects within the same group are affected. You can change this to Specific Objects to select which layers are affected, or change it to All Objects.
For example, you can apply an Orbit Around behavior to a text layer and assign a target object that is offset in Z space. With Affect Subobjects selected and all three axes (X, Y, and Z) enabled in the Orbit Around behavior, the text characters circle about the target object in X, Y, and Z space. When the Face Camera checkbox is selected (in the Text Layout pane), the text characters actively face the camera if the camera or text is rotated.
Using Keyframes Versus Using Behaviors The text animation method you use (keyframing or behaviors) depends on your project, or more specifically, your timing needs. In general, if you need a very specific action to happen at a specific point in time in your project, use keyframing. For example, if you want text to be completely transparent at frame 1, become completely opaque at frame 60, become transparent again at frame 90, and opaque again at frame 120, use keyframing.
To create text opacity keyframes 1 Move the playhead to the frame where you want to start the opacity animation. 2 Open the Style pane of the Text Inspector and drag the Opacity slider to set the first Opacity value. 3 Move the playhead to the frame where you want to end the opacity animation. 4 Using the Opacity slider, enter an end Opacity value. 5 Disable Record. 6 To view the completed animation, return the playhead to the first frame and press the Space bar.
4 Move the playhead to the frame where you want the animation to begin, and click the Record button (A) to turn on keyframing. 5 In the Canvas, select and drag one or more glyphs to a new position—the start position of the animation sequence. 6 Go to the frame you want the animation to end, and drag the glyphs to their ending positions. An editable animation path is created for the keyframed glyphs. You can add and remove control points and change the shape of the path in the Canvas.
Using LiveFonts The Motion Library includes LiveFonts that can be applied to text. LiveFonts are complete animated character sets. To preview the LiveFonts 1 In the Library, click the LiveFonts category. The available LiveFonts are listed in the stack. 2 Click a LiveFont in the stack. The preview of the animated font plays in the Preview area. The following image shows the original text prior to the application of the LiveFont.
To apply a LiveFont to text Do one of the following: µ Drag the LiveFont from the Library to the text in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline. Depending on the frame where you apply the font, the font may not appear, may appear partially drawn, or may appear complete. µ Select the text, select the LiveFont in the Library, then click the Apply button in the Preview area.
Modifying Applied LiveFonts Use the following guidelines to modify the default LiveFont animation. The LiveFont parameters only appear in the Format pane of the Text Inspector once a LiveFont is applied to text. Because LiveFonts are movies, they are applied with default timing settings. You can modify the timing settings, such as randomness, play direction, start time and so on, using the LiveFont Timing parameters.
Play: Sets the LiveFont movie to play Forward, Backward, or Ping Pong. This is not the same as the Direction parameter. Using the Freehand font as an example, when Play is set to Backward, the text begins completely drawn and erases (in the direction specified in the Direction parameter). Loop: Sets the number of times the LiveFont movie plays through. The default setting is 1, meaning that the LiveFont plays one time. A value of 3 means that it plays through three times.
To define a mix value between the default LiveFont color and the new color, click the disclosure triangle in the Face Color controls and adjust the Color Mix slider or value slider. A Color Mix value of 0% leaves the LiveFont at its original color; 100% completely changes the LiveFont to the new color. Drag to adjust LiveFont color To apply the Outline, Glow, or Drop Shadow parameters to the LiveFont, select their respective checkboxes in the Style tab of the Text Inspector.
Working with Generators 15 Generators are objects in the Library that you add to your project to instantly create solids or patterns such as colors, bars, stripes, noise, or gradients. Some generators create animated patterns, while most create static, patterned images. This chapter covers the following: • About Generators (p. 901) • Adding a Generator (p. 902) • Modifying Generators (p. 903) • Generator Parameters (p. 916) • Text Generators (p.
Like all other objects in Motion, generators can be moved, rotated, duplicated, copied and pasted, and animated. Generators can be reordered in the Layers tab and set to different blend modes. Also, as with other objects, you can apply behaviors to generators and apply Parameter behaviors to the parameters of a generator. You can also apply filters to generators, or use a generator as the source for a particle cell.
The generator preview appears in the Preview area. If the generator is animated, such as Swirly, the generator plays in the Preview area. You can click the Play/Pause button to stop playback of the generator preview. Play/Pause button 3 Drag the generator to your project. As with all other objects, you can add the generator to your project by dragging it to the Canvas, the Layers tab, or the Timeline. The generator and its HUD appear in your project. (If the HUD in not visible, press F7.
The default Checkerboard generator appears in the Canvas, Layers tab, and in the Timeline, and the HUD appears. Checkerboard generator in Layers tab Checkerboard generator HUD The Checkerboard generator HUD contains controls for editing and animating the checkerboard, such as Opacity, Blend Mode, Width, Height, Color, Size (of the checkers), and Contrast. The only Checkerboard parameter that does not appear in the HUD is Pixel Aspect Ratio (which appears in the Inspector).
Color 1 is replaced with the new color. Note: You can save a color in the swatches area along the bottom of the Colors window. Click in the color bar (to the right of the color picker tool), then drag the color chip to a white swatch and release the mouse button. Drag a color chip from here. Position the color chip over a white swatch and release the mouse button. 3 Click the Color 2 color well and select a new color.
Color 2 is replaced with the new color. 4 Drag the Size slider to change the size of the squares. The checker size is 80 by default. Drag the slider to the left to make smaller checkers, and to the right to make larger checkers. To scale the generator (rather than the size of the checkers), use the Width and Height parameters. Note: You can also use the standard object scaling methods—the onscreen transform controls or the Scale parameter in the Properties tab of the Inspector.
Editing Generators Using Onscreen Controls The onscreen object transform tools, such as Transform, Shear, Anchor Point, Drop Shadow, and so on, can be used to modify a non-text generator. Changes made to the generator using these tools are reflected in the Properties tab. The Adjust Item tool is the only tool that directly modifies a generator parameter, usually the Center or Offset parameter. These changes are reflected in the Generator Inspector.
Note: You can also animate the parameters of an animated generator. For information on using Parameter behaviors to animate a generator, see Applying Behaviors to Generators. To animate the Checkerboard generator parameters 1 Go to the frame where you want to begin the animation. 2 Enable Record (press A). 3 Set the initial generator parameter values: a Drag the Size slider to set the initial checker size.
To save a customized generator to the Library 1 To rename the modified generator, double-click the generator name in the Layers tab. 2 Type the new generator name, then press Return. 3 In the Library, navigate to the Generators category. Note: You can also save the modified generator in another category, such as Favorites. 4 From the Layers tab, drag the modified generator to the Library stack.
The modified generator is saved in the Generators category and appears organized alphabetically in the stack. Custom items saved in the Library are identified with the user icon in the lower right of the icon. Customized generator saved in Library Sharing Saved Generators By default, any generator that you save in the Library is stored in your user folder: /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Motion/Library/Generators/.
3 Control-click the Spike Opacity parameter, then choose Randomize from the shortcut menu. The Randomize parameter behavior is applied to the Spike Opacity parameter, and the Behaviors tab is automatically displayed so you can adjust the Randomize parameters.
When a Parameter behavior is applied to a parameter, a Behaviors icon appears in the Animation menu for that parameter. In this example, the Behaviors icon appears in the Animation menu for the Spike Opacity parameter. Behaviors icon 4 Click Play (or press the Space bar). Because the Randomize parameter behavior is applied to the opacity of the star spikes, the star appears to flicker.
To increase or decrease the effect of the flicker, you can modify the Randomize parameters. To quickly jump to the Randomize parameters from the Generator tab, click the Behaviors icon, then choose Randomize from the pop-up menu. For more information on using Parameter behaviors, see Parameter Behaviors. Using Generators as Particle Cell Sources Like other objects, generators can be used as a source for particle cells. The following example uses the Soft Gradient generator.
To use a generator as a particle cell source 1 Add the Soft Gradient generator to your project. 2 In the HUD or Generator tab of the Inspector, lower the Radius value. This example uses a Radius value of 40. 3 Lower the Width and Height values. In this example, Width is set to 82 and Height is set to 75. The size of the gradient and its bounding box are scaled down. 4 With the generator still selected, do one of the following: • Press E. • In the Toolbar, click the Make Particles icon.
Once an emitter is added to the project, the Emitter object is selected In the Layers tab, the generator object (the Soft Gradient) becomes an emitter source for the new particle cells, and the original reference object (the Soft Gradient) is disabled. In the Canvas, the emitter bounding box appears, which can be transformed using the onscreen controls or the Inspector. The particle appears in the Canvas in the same location as the original object.
Generator Parameters The following sections describe the common parameters and details of each generator. Parameters in Common All generators have a reset button and Width, Height, and Pixel Aspect Ratio controls, which are located in the Generator tab of the Inspector. The controls specific to each type of generator are discussed later in this chapter. • Reset: Click to reset the generator to the default settings. Reset button • Width: Sets the width of the generator, in pixels.
Caustics The Caustics generator creates an animated, simulated water surface. The size, speed, refraction, brightness, and color of the Caustics pattern can be modified and animated. You can use the Caustics generator to add light patterns to a project, or as the source object for an image map. Default Caustics generator Modified Caustics generator over an image Parameters in the Inspector Size: Sets the size of the shapes and spaces in the pattern.
Cellular The Cellular generator creates an animated pattern that looks like cells moving under a microscope. You can change the color, size, and speed of the cells. Default Cellular generator Modified Cellular generator Parameters in the Inspector Size: Sets the size of the cells in the pattern. Values range from 3 to 64. Speed: Sets the speed of movement of the light patterns. Values range from 0 to 2. Gradient: Sets the color gradient used for the cells.
You can also use the Adjust Item tool to adjust this parameter using the onscreen controls. For more information, see Editing Generators Using Onscreen Controls. Color 1: Picks the first color in the checkerboard. Use the disclosure triangle to display Red, Green, Blue, and Opacity sliders for more precise color selection. Color 2: Picks the second color in the checkerboard. Use the disclosure triangle to display Red, Green, Blue, and Opacity sliders for more precise color selection.
You can also use the Adjust Item tool to adjust this parameter using the onscreen controls. For more information, see Editing Generators Using Onscreen Controls. 1st Layer Strength: Sets the strength of the first layer of clouds. Values range from 0 to 1. 2nd Layer Strength: Sets the strength of the second layer of clouds. Values range from 0 to 1. 3rd Layer Strength: Sets the strength of the third layer of clouds. Values range from 0 to 1.
Concentric Shapes The Concentric Shapes generator creates a repeating pattern of shapes. Concentric Shape Circles Concentric Shape Polygons Parameters in the Inspector Shape: A pop-up menu that specifies whether the concentric shapes are circles or multi-sided polygons. There are two choices: • Circles: Creates concentric circles. • Polygons: Creates concentric polygons with a minimum of three sides.
For more information on the Gradient editor, see Using the Gradient Editor. Color 1: Available when 2 Color is selected from the Color Type pop-up menu, sets the first color in the generator. Using the default settings, this color appears in the center of the concentric shapes. Color 2: Available when 2 Color is selected from the Color Type pop-up menu, sets the second color in the generator.
Gradient The Gradient generator initially creates a nonanimated blue-and-red linear gradient. You can change the gradient from linear to radial, add and remove colors in the gradient, and change the gradient start and end points. You can save a modified gradient to the Gradient category in the Library and later apply it to shapes, text objects, or particle cells. The gradient controls can be keyframed to create a moving, color-changing gradient.
Grid The Grid generator creates a grid pattern made of two different colored lines. By default they are white lines on a black background. Using the controls in the Inspector, you can customize the colors and line widths of the grid, and add additional graph paper lines. Default Grid generator Modified Grid generator (brown lines over a blue background that is set to .23 opacity, over a butterfly image) Parameters in the Inspector Offset: Sets the coordinates of the center of the grid.
HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Line Color, BG Color, BG Opacity, Feather, Line Width, Autofit, BG Width, BG Height, Graph Paper Lines, Graph Line Color, and Graph Line Frequency. Lens Flare Lens flares result from a bright light source pointed right at a lens, refracting off multiple elements in the lens assembly of a camera. This filter allows you to add a simulated lens flare to an object. This filter can be used to simulate a bright light source in the picture.
Streak Noise Level: Sets the level of noise in the streaks of the lens flare. Values range from 0 to 20. Ring Radius: Sets the radius of the ring of the lens flare. Values range from 0 to 1. Ring Width: Sets the ring’s width, with values ranging from 0 to 1. Glow Falloff: Sets how fast the glow falls off of the lens flare. Values range from 0 to 20. Streak Map: An image well that displays a thumbnail of the map chosen for the streaks of the lens flare. For information on using image wells, see Source Well.
Brightness: Sets the brightness of the sheet. Color: Picks the color of the membrane. Use the disclosure triangle to display Red, Green, and Blue sliders for more precise color selection. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Speed, Start 1–4, End 1–4, Offset, Brightness, and Color. Noise Where would motion graphics artists be without a noise filter or generator? To make animated noise, you can keyframe the Random Seed parameter in the Noise HUD or Inspector.
One Color Ray The One Color Ray generator creates a ray pattern based on variations of a color. You can select the color, the degree of variance, the number of divisions represented, and rotation of the pattern. One Color Ray generator One Color Ray generator modified Parameters in the Inspector Color Space: A pop-up menu that sets the color space. Generally, if you are working in NTSC, use YIQ. If you are working in PAL, use YUV. Offset: Sets the coordinates of the ray pattern’s center.
Outer Cutoff: Defines an outer stopping area for the generator. The lower the value, the more the outer edges of the generator are cut off. Objects composited below the generator in the project appear in the cutoff areas. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Color, Color Variance, Divisions, Sharpness, Waviness, Frequency, Phase, Inner Cutoff, and Outer Cutoff. Op Art 1 There are three Op Art generators to help confuse your background-foreground senses.
Op Art 2 Another Op Art generator that creates mathematically oriented patterns using a repetition of simple shapes. Although some static patterns create a visual illusion of movement, you can keyframe the Op Art parameters to create actual moving moiré patterns. Default Op Art 2 generator Modified Op Art 2 generator (composited over a second image with Blend Mode set to Soft Light in the Properties tab) Parameters in the Inspector Scale: Sets how close or far away the dots appear.
Op Art 3 Yet another Op Art generator that creates mathematically oriented patterns using a repetition of simple shapes. Although some static patterns create a visual illusion of movement, you can keyframe the Op Art parameters to create actual moving moiré patterns. Default Op Art 3 generator Modified Op Art 3 generator (with Random Tile filter) Parameters in the Inspector Line Thickness: Sets the thickness of the lines in the pattern. Color 1: Sets the first color of the generator.
Soft Gradient The Soft Gradient generator creates a soft-edged, radial gradient. The gradient contains an alpha channel so that you can place the generator over another image in the project. You can change and keyframe the color, size, and position of the Soft Gradient. Default Soft Gradient generator Modified Soft Gradient generator over image (yellow radial gradient in upper-left corner) Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the gradient.
Parameters in the Inspector Type: A pop-up menu that specifies whether a “modern” or “classic” spiral is created. • Modern (Linear): Creates a “modern” spiral pattern: The color swirls remain evenly spaced as they move toward the center of the spiral. When Modern is selected, the Scale parameter becomes available. • Classic (Exponential): Creates a “classic” spiral pattern: The color swirls become thinner as they move toward the center of the spiral.
• Gradient: Allows you to add many colors to the spiral, creating soft transitions between the colors. Spiral colors are determined by the Gradient Editor. You can create a custom gradient, or apply a preset gradient to the spirals. For more information on using the Gradient Editor, see Using the Gradient Editor. Color 1: Available when 2 Color is selected from the Color Type pop-up menu, sets the first color of the spiral.
Star The Star generator creates a glowing star shape that contains an alpha channel. The scale, width, angle, epsilon (which fine-tunes the size of the star spikes), and opacity of the spikes can be modified and keyframed, as well as the position, color, and radius of the star. Default Star generator Multiple modified Star generators over gradient Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the star.
Stripes The Stripes generator creates a default image with vertical bands of two alternating colors. You can change and keyframe the position, colors, size, and contrast of the stripes. By animating the Center parameter, you can create an animation in which the stripes continuously move across the screen without the need to resize and pan the object across the Canvas.
Swirly The Swirly generator creates an animated pattern in one of three different styles called Pulse, Spiderweb Spin, and Spiky. Once you select a style, you can modify and animate the scale, rotation, persistence, radius, amplitude, and number of passes of the pattern. Default Swirly generator Modified Swirly generator Parameters in the Inspector Scale: Sets the size of the swirly shape. Rotation: Sets the rotation of the initial shape. Persistence: Sets the number of times the shape is repeated.
Two Color Ray The Two Color Ray generator creates a ray pattern alternating between two colors. You can select the colors, the number of divisions represented, and rotation of the pattern. Default Two Color Ray generator Two Color Ray generator modified Parameters in the Inspector Offset: Sets the coordinates of the center of the ray pattern. Coordinates are calculated from the center of the object, which is the coordinate origin.
HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Color 1, Color 2, Divisions, Rotation, Contrast, Waviness, Frequency, Phase, Inner Cutoff, and Outer Cutoff. Text Generators Whereas other generators create background images and patterns, text generators use text characters to create text-based animations, such as timecode, time and date, or text animation created from a plain text (.txt). file.
Speed: A pop-up menu that sets the behavior of the text as it appears and disappears onscreen. Choose any of several options: • Constant: The text appears and disappears at a steady speed from the first word or line to the last word or line in the text file. • Ease In: The text appears at a slow speed. • Ease Out: The text disappears at a slow speed. • Ease Both: The text appears and disappears at a slow speed. • Accelerate: The text appears and disappears with increasing speed.
3 Select the text file you want to use, then click Open. The text file is loaded into the generator. If you are at the first frame of your project and depending on what is chosen from the Speed pop-up menu, the text may not appear in the Canvas until you play the project. 4 Press the Play button. The text appears and disappears line by line. Use the parameters in the Generator pane to modify the animation. For more information, see File.
• Currency: Currency is used for the generator. The default is U.S. dollars. To change to another currency, chose an option in the Region pop-up menu. • Percent: Percent is used for the generator. • Scientific: Uses scientific numbers for the generator. • Spell Out: Spells out the numbers in the generator. • Binary: Uses the binary numeral system for the generator. The binary system uses two symbols (0 and 1) to represent numeric values. • Hexadecimal: Uses hexadecimal numeral system for the generator.
Random Seed: If you don’t like the current random number count, you can change the seed number by typing a new number or clicking Generate. This changes the random calculations to display different numbers. Random Hold Frame: When the Random checkbox is selected, specifies how long (in frames) each number is held onscreen. For example, If Random is selected and Random Hold Frame is set to 20, a number is displayed for 20 frames, then the next number is displayed and held for 20 frames, and so on.
Time Format: A pop-up menu that sets the time format used in the generator. Choose one of four options: • None: No time is displayed in the generator. (The date appears in the generator if any option other than None is chosen from the Date Format pop-up menu.) • Short: Displays the time in hours and minutes. • Medium: Displays the time in hours, minutes, and seconds.
• Long: Displays the time in hours, minutes, seconds, and time zone. Date Format: A pop-up menu that sets the date format used in the generator. Choose one of five options: • None: No date is displayed in the generator. (The time appears in the generator if any option other than None is chosen from the Time Format pop-up menu.) • Short: Displays the month, day, and year in all-numeral style. • Medium: Displays the month abbreviated to three letters without a period, the day, and the year.
Offset: Available when the Current Timecode checkbox is selected. Specifies an offset value to the current timecode. This parameter can be animated using keyframes. Value: Available when the Current Timecode checkbox is deselected. Specifies the timecode value that is displayed. This parameter can be animated using keyframes. Format: Sets the timecode format to HMSF, HMS, or frames. • HMSF: Timecode is displayed in hours, minutes, seconds, frames format.
Using Filters 16 Motion includes more than 100 special effects to modify the appearance of your clips. Such effects are called filters. In the same way different font choices add flavor to text, filters add flavor to images. Fonts can help to determine mood or style. The filters you select can shape the character of your project. A sepia tone color correction on an object can make the viewer think of days gone by. You can use a kaleidoscope filter to transform an object into something completely new.
• Time Filters (p. 1058) • Video Filters (p. 1061) About Filters When desktop publishing was first introduced, people tended to fill their publications with numerous fonts on a page, simply because they could. The result was often as amateurish as it was enthusiastic. And with Motion’s easy-to-use filters, you might be tempted to adorn your kinetic graphics projects with a surfeit of visual effects. This is what’s known a bad idea.
Once a filter is selected in the stack, a preview and brief description of the filter appears in the Library Preview area. To browse for a filter 1 In the Library, click the Filters category. A list of subcategories appears on the right side of the library. 2 Click a filter subcategory. A list of filters in that subcategory appears in the stack. 3 Click a filter in the stack to select it. A preview and short description of the selected filter appear in the Preview area at the top of the Library.
To apply a filter Do one of the following: µ µ Drag a filter to an object in the Canvas, Layers tab, or the Timeline. µ Select an object in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline, and in the Toolbar, select the Add Filter icon, then select a category and a filter to apply. Select an object in the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline, then select a filter from the Library stack and click Apply in the Preview area.
Improving Performance with Filters When applying filters to several different layers in Motion, it is recommended that you apply the filters to the layers’ parent group. Also, when applying filters to very large groups (such as a group containing a growing particle system), you should select the Fixed Resolution checkbox in the Group tab of the Inspector.
The most recently applied filters appear at the top of the Filters tab of the Inspector. Filters tab When you apply a filter to an object, the filter retains its default settings. For example, the Bevel filter applies a border with a Light Angle of 0 degrees, Bevel Width of 0.2, Opacity of 0.8, and Light Color set to white. You can modify those default settings in the Filters tab or the Inspector or in the HUD.
Adjusting Parameters in the Inspector and HUD Each filter has its own distinct set of parameters. These parameters can be adjusted in one of two places: the Filters tab of the Inspector or the filter’s HUD. As with all parameters in Motion, the HUD contains the most essential parameter controls for modifying a filter, whereas the Filters tab in the Inspector contains the filter’s entire list of editable parameters.
In most cases, you interact manually with the parameters of a filter. The following image shows the Filters tab in the Inspector for the Hatched Screen filter. The Hatched Screen filter has six controls: Center, Angle, Scale, Skew, Stretch, and Contrast. Hatched Screen filter in the Inspector Use the dial, slider, the value slider, or value field to set and enter values for each parameter as you see fit.
2 Go to the frame where you want to add a keyframe. 3 In the Inspector, click the Animation menu for the parameter you want to animate, then choose Add Keyframe from the menu. Adding a keyframe in the Animation menu 4 Change the value of the parameter to the desired value. 5 Go to the next frame where you want a keyframe. 6 Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you are finished. Note: Remember to add a keyframe before adjusting a parameter value.
4 Control-click Amount, then choose Randomize from the shortcut menu. The Behaviors icon appears in the Animation menu, and the Behaviors tab opens in the Inspector. Behaviors icon Adjusting the Amount parameter in Randomize changes the amount of variance between the random values. A small number causes small variations in the random values, and a larger number means larger variations in the values. For more detailed information about the Randomize behavior, see Randomize.
Enabling, Renaming, and Locking Filters When you apply a filter to an object in your project, it appears in three different places—the Layers tab, the Timeline, and the Filters tab of the Inspector. While the Filters tab in the Inspector contains all of the editable parameters for any filter that has been applied to an object, the Layers tab and Timeline have three primary controls for each filter that appears.
The filter is applied with all its parameter settings intact. Note: Pasting a filter does not paste it at the current playhead location. To quickly move the filter to the playhead location, press the Shift key while you drag the pasted object. As you approach the current playhead location, it snaps into place. µ To move a filter Drag the filter from its current location to another layer to which you want to apply the filter. Original location The destination is highlighted.
Reordering Filters When multiple filters are applied to a single object, they appear beneath that object in the Timeline or Project pane. You can change the order in which they are applied to the object, to change how they interact. Some filters yield better results depending on the order in which they are applied. For instance, you wouldn’t want to apply a color correction after a blur.
Once applied, a filter’s duration can be modified to affect the object over a different amount of time than the object’s duration. For example, applying the Soft Focus filter to an object results in that object being blurred for the entire object’s duration in the Timeline. Changing In and Out points of the Soft Focus filter, however, changes when the blur is applied to the object.
Blur Filters Blur filters take many forms in Motion. They can be used practically to simulate the real-world blurring that occurs due to the depth of field in photographed material, or they can be used creatively to make all sorts of designed effects. Motion provides a wide variety of blur filters you can use for any task. Channel Blur Gives you control over blurring each color channel of an object.
Circle Blur Creates a circular blur within an image, specified by a center point that sets the center of the blur effect, and a radius that sets the size of the affected region. The amount of blur within the affected area can also be customized. This filter is useful for quickly blurring a limited area within an image. For more sophisticated control of the image region to be blurred, try the Compound Blur filter. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. For more information on rasterization, see About Rasterization. Original image Map image Compound Blur applied Parameters in the Inspector Amount: Sets the radius of the blur. Blur Map: An image well that displays a thumbnail of the map chosen. Map Channel: A pop-up menu to select the channel to be blurred. The blur is applied to the red, green, blue, alpha, or luminance channel. Invert Map: Sets whether or not the blur map is inverted.
Defocus A more accurate model of the out-of-focus effect that occurs through a real-world camera lens. The Defocus filter blurs an image while creating a controlled glow effect in brighter areas of the image. The resulting object has a lens aperture-shaped structure around the highlights. The shape of the blurred glow around the affected highlights can be customized. Use this filter when you are trying to blur one image to match video or stills that were shot with a camera.
Directional Blur Blurs an object along a specific angle. This filter creates a blurred streaking effect. Note: Remember that the more filters you use in a project, the more you impact the performance of Motion. Original image Directional Blur applied Parameters in the Inspector Amount: Sets the radius of the blur. Angle: Sets the angle of the direction of movement. Crop: Sets whether or not the blur is cropped at the object’s original boundaries.
Gaussian blur is entirely appropriate for most motion graphics tasks, and can be animated for a variety of focus-control effects. However, to more accurately simulate camera focus, the Defocus filter may be more appropriate. For more information on the Defocus filter, see Defocus. Original image Gaussian Blur applied Parameters in the Inspector Amount: Sets the radius of the blur. Horizontal: Sets the percentage of the Amount applied in the horizontal direction.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Point 1 upper left, Point 2 lower right Parameters in the Inspector Point 1: Sets the position of the start point of the gradient. Point 2: Sets the position of the end point of the gradient. Amount: Sets the radius of the blur. Crop: Sets whether or not the object is cropped at its original boundaries. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the blurred image.
Sensitivity: Sets the sensitivity of blur detection. The higher the value, the lower the threshold of movement required to result in motion blur. Quality: Sets the quality of the blur calculations. A higher value increases the quality of the resulting blur. Smoothness: A pop-up menu that sets the smoothness of the blur. Display: A pop-up menu that sets how the Movement Blur is displayed. Menu choices are Motion Blur and Optical Flow. Motion Blur shows the blurred image.
Radial Blur This filter creates a rotational blur centered on a point. The effect is similar to the motion blur you would see if an image were spinning quickly. Original image Radial Blur applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the radial blur. Angle: Sets the angle of rotation of the blur. Subsampling: Sets the number of samples. Crop: Sets whether or not the object is cropped at its original boundaries.
Soft Focus This filter creates an effect that’s similar to duplicating an object, using the Screen blend mode to composite it against itself, and then blurring one of the overlapping objects. The advantage of this filter is that you can do this all within a single filter. The Strength parameter controls how much of the blurred image is added back to the original image, while other sliders let you control the overall, horizontal, and vertical amount of blur.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Variable Blur (outside of circle) Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the circle. Amount: Sets the percentage of the blur. Inner Radius: Sets the inner radius of the circle. Outer Radius: Sets the outer radius of the circle. Crop: Sets whether or not the object is cropped at its original boundaries. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the blurred image.
Center: Sets the position of the center of the blur. Crop: Sets whether the object is cropped at its original boundaries. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the blurred image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Amount. Border Filters Border filters allow you to frame objects in a composition in various ways. Bevel Creates a bevelled border around the edges of an object by superimposing an angled frame over the original image.
Simple Border Creates a solid color border of variable width around the edges of an object. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Border applied Parameters in the Inspector Width: Sets the thickness of the border. Color: Picks the color of the border. The color controls can be expanded with the disclosure triangle to include Red, Green, Blue, and Opacity sliders to more precisely select the color of the border.
Note: Because the Widescreen filter is masking the object to which it is applied, the object is not cropped and retains its original shape. Original image Widescreen applied Parameters in the Inspector Aspect Ratio: A pop-up menu that sets the aspect ratio of the mask. Values include: 1.66:1, 1.70:1, 1.78:1, 1.85:1, 2.35:1, 2.55:1, and 3.00:1. Offset: Sets the position of the mask relative to the Y center of the object. Values range from –1.
Although this may seem to be the first filter to use if you want to correct for improper exposure in an image, the drawback of this filter is that it boosts or lowers everything in an image at once. This means that raising the brightness in an image raises it everywhere, including in the shadows. The result is that a brightened image may look washed out. On the other hand, this filter can come in very handy as a way to modify the edges and effects of shapes, masks, particle systems, and generators.
Red - Green: Sets the amount of input green added to the output red. The default value is 0, which leaves the red channel unmodified. As this value increases, the output value of red increases by the amount of input green multiplied by the value of Red - Green. Red - Blue: Sets the amount of input blue added to the output red. The default value is 0, which leaves the red channel unmodified.
Alpha - Green: Sets the amount of input green added to the output alpha. The default value is 0, which leaves the alpha channel unmodified. As this value increases, the output value of pixels with nontransparent alpha increases by the amount of input green multiplied by the value of Alpha - Green. Alpha - Blue: Sets the amount of input blue added to the output alpha. The default value is 0, which leaves the alpha channel unmodified.
Channel Swap Substitutes the color value of a color channel with that of either a selected channel, or its inverse. If you select Blue from Red, the value of blue in the object will match the value of red across the entire object. The Channel Swap filter can be used in a variety of ways, including simply inverting the alpha channel of an object.
Color Balance Color balance generally refers to the overall tint of an image reflecting the color temperature of the primary source of light. For example, sunlight is generally bluer than interior tungsten light, which tends to be more orange. Although most film and video is shot to make sure that the whites in an image are a true neutral white, different film stocks and video color balance settings result in slight tints in the image.
HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Shadow Red, Shadow Green, Shadow Blue, Midtone Red, Midtone Green, Midtone Blue, Highlight Red, Highlight Green, and Highlight Blue. Color Reduce Reduces the full range of color in an image down to two, three, or four colors that you select. Depending on the number of substitute colors you choose in the Reduce To parameter, this filter breaks down the full range of colors in the image into a color range for each Match Color parameter that’s available.
Match Color 4: Picks the color of the fourth selection color for reduction. This parameter is used only if Reduce To is set to 4 Colors. Replace With: Picks the color that is substituted for the selection determined by Color 4. This parameter is used only if Reduce To is set to 4 Colors. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the color-corrected image.
HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Remap Black To, Remap White To, and Intensity. Contrast Adjusts the contrast of an object. Original image Contrast filter applied Parameters in the Inspector Contrast: Sets the amount of contrast to be applied to the object. Pivot: Sets the point around which the contrast is adjusted. The point of contrast adjustment is the level which is displayed if Contrast is set to 0.
Parameters in the Inspector Desaturation: Sets the amount of desaturation. Values range from 0 (no change) to 1.00 (full desaturation). Luminance: Sets how the luminance type is calculated. Values can be selected from the following: NTSC, PAL, Film, Red, Green, and Blue. If NTSC, PAL, or Film is selected, luminance is calculated based on weighting for those standards; if a channel is selected, luminance is calculated using that channel.
Gamma The Gamma filter adjusts the relative distribution of brightness within the midtones of an image, while leaving the white and black points alone. The perceived result is to brighten and darken the areas of medium brightness within an image, while leaving the highlights and shadows untouched. This avoids a washed-out result. This is one of the most useful filters for correcting poor exposure in images, and should almost always be used first before trying the Brightness filter.
Parameters in the Inspector Gradient: Selects a gradient preset to be applied to the object, or is used to edit a custom gradient. For more information on using the Gradient editor, see Using the Gradient Editor. Offset: Sets an amount, in degrees, that the color wheel is offset to determine color application. Values start at 0 degrees. Repeats: Sets the number of times the gradient repeats over the course of its range. Repeat Method: Sets the method by which the gradient is mapped when repeating.
The saturation controls the intensity of the color in an image, with a high saturation resulting in vivid color, and a low saturation resulting in a grayscale image with no color at all. The Value slider, on the other hand, adjusts the overall brightness or darkness of all colors in an image, including the blacks and whites in a desaturated image.
Invert Inverts all color and brightness in an image. This filter can be used to turn a scanned negative image into a properly displayed positive. Original image Image inverted Parameters in the Inspector Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the color-corrected image. HUD Controls None. Levels This filter provides controls to remap the white and black points of an image, along with a Gamma control to adjust the midtones, all at once.
• Gamma: Sets the amount of gamma correction. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the color-corrected image. HUD Controls None. Negative Simulates the effect of turning an image into a film negative. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Negative applied Parameters in the Inspector Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the color-corrected image. HUD Controls None. Reduce Banding Reduces the amount of banding in the image.
Parameters in the Inspector Noisiness: Sets the amount of noise to introduce into the object. Movement: Sets whether or not to animate the noise in the image. Mix: Sets the amount of the original image to mix with the color-corrected image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Noisiness. Saturate Increases or decreases the amount of color in an image by a specified amount. This filter can be used to mute the color in an image, making brighter colors less saturated.
This filter is good for that “old-time western” look. Original image Sepia filter applied Parameters in the Inspector Amount: Sets the amount of sepia tone applied to the object. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the color-corrected image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Amount. Threshold Reduces all colors in an image to a duotone, with the additional ability to limit the range of midtones that are preserved in the image.
Dark Color: Sets the color used to represent the dark interpreted areas of the object. The color controls can be expanded with the disclosure triangle to include Red, Green, and Blue sliders, for more precise color selection. Light Color: Sets the color used to represent the light interpreted areas of the object. Correct For Alpha: This setting renders semi-transparent pixels correctly. Enable this setting if the edges of the filtered image show artifacts.
YIQ Adjust Allows color adjustment in YIQ color space. The YIQ color space definition was formerly used to describe an NTSC broadcast signal. Parameters in the Inspector Y: Sets the intensity of the Y color channel. I: Sets the phase of the I color channel. Q: Sets the phase of the Q color channel. Mix: Sets the amount of the original image to mix with the color-corrected image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Y, I, and Q.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Basic 3D applied Parameters in the Inspector X Rotation: Sets the amount, in degrees, that the object is rotated along the X axis. Y Rotation: Sets the amount, in degrees, that the object is rotated along the Y axis. Z Rotation: Sets the amount, in degrees, that the object is rotated along the Z axis. Distance: Sets the distance the object is pushed away from the Canvas. Perspective: Sets the amount of perspective shift placed on the object.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Black Hole applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the black hole. Amount: Sets the amount of force pulling on your object. Values range from 0 (no gravity) to 1000 (the entire object is pulled into the black hole). Mix: Sets the amount of the original image to mix with the distorted image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Amount.
Scale: Sets the direction and scale of the bulge. Lower values make the image appear to bulge inwards; higher values make the image appear to bulge outwards. Mix: Sets the amount the original image to mix with the distorted image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Amount and Scale. Bump Map This filter uses a source object to define a bump pattern which can be used to deform an object, with parameters to control the amount of distortion.
Disc Warp Stretches the image outward around a circular region. As the radius of the warping region increases, the image is warped outward with a greater amount of distortion. The color of the resulting disk is determined by the color value of the pixel where the center is placed. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Disc Warp applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the disk. Radius: Sets the size of the disk.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Displace applied with a jellyfish as map image Parameters in the Inspector Map Image: An image well that displays a thumbnail of the map chosen. Horizontal Scale: Sets the horizontal scaling of the object. Vertical Scale: Sets the vertical scaling of the object. Repeat Edges: Sets whether or not the edges of the object are repeated. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the distorted image.
Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the droplet effect. Radius: Sets the radius of the droplet effect. Height: Sets the height of the droplet ripples. Thickness: Sets the width of the rippling waves from the droplet. Crop: Sets whether the object is cropped at its original boundaries. Mix: Sets the amount of the original image to mix with the distorted image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Radius, Height, and Thickness.
HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Twist, Horizontal Shake, Vertical Shake, Layers, and Random Seed. Fisheye Distorts an object as if it were seen through the view of a fisheye lens. The result is an extremely wide-angle warping effect which is also known as barrel distortion. You can try using the Fisheye filter with a negative Amount value as an imprecise way to correct for certain types of barrel distortion in images that were shot using a wide-angle lens.
Flop Reverses an image horizontally, vertically, or in both directions. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Flop filter applied Parameters in the Inspector Flop: Sets the direction in which the object is flopped. Values can be selected from the following: Horizontal, Vertical, or Both. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the flopped image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Flop.
Angle: Sets the angle at which the fun house mirror is set. Mix: Sets which percentage of the original image is blended with the distorted image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Width, Amount, and Angle. Glass Block This filter cuts an object into a series of tiles and offsets the portion of the image within each tile to create a duplicated pattern effect. The number of tiles into which the image is broken, and the amount that each portion of the image is offset, can be customized.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Glass Distortion (diamond image) applied Parameters in the Inspector Distort Input: An image well that displays a thumbnail of the image map chosen. Center: Sets the position of the center of the tiling of the glass distortion. Fit: Sets the relative scale of the map image. X Scale: Sets the horizontal scale of the map image. Y Scale: Sets the vertical scale of the map image. Amount: Sets the amount of offset.
Parameters in the Inspector Size: Sets the size of the hexagons, in pixels. Refraction: Sets the amount of distortion present in each hex. Border Size: Sets the width, in pixels, of the border of each hex. Border Color: Picks the color of the border of the hexagons. Use the disclosure triangle to display Red, Green, and Blue sliders, for more precise color selection. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the distorted image.
Poke This filter distorts an image by bowing the top, bottom, and sides inward, and appears to push the object into the Canvas at the specified Center point. As the value of the Amount parameter increases, the more the sides bow in. The Black Hole filter has a similar effect but also removes part of the image at the center point. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Poke applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the poke.
Tip: This filter works very well with objects containing horizontal or vertical lines, such as the Stripes or Checkerboard generators. A similar effect can be created with any image by adding the Line Screen or other related filters. Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the center point of the distortion from Polar to Rectangular or Rectangular to Polar. Polar to Rect: When this checkbox is selected, specifies that a Polar to Rectangular distortion be applied to the image.
Refraction Creates a glass-distortion effect on an image, with an optional height map. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Refraction applied with a height map Parameters in the Inspector Softness: Sets the amount of softness applied to the refracted edges. Refraction: Sets the amount that the image is distorted. Height Map: An image well that displays a thumbnail of the height map chosen. The height map is used to determine the edges along which the image is refracted.
Ring Lens This filter creates a ring of distortion over the image. The result can be a donut-like bulge in the image. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Ring Lens applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the lens. Radius: Sets the radius of the ring. Thickness: Sets the thickness of the ring as a percentage of the radius. Values range from 0 (no thickness) to 1.00 (no hole in the center of the ring lens).
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Ring Warp applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the rings. Radius: Sets the radius of the rings. Refraction: Sets the amount of refraction. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the distorted image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Radius and Refraction. Ripple Creates animated ripples over the surface of an object.
Amplitude: Sets the width of the waves. Crop: Sets whether the object is cropped at its original boundaries. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the distorted image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Amplitude. Scrape Smears an image along an angle defined by the Rotation parameter. The Scrape effect starts at the center point, and continues to the edge of the object. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Sphere filter applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the sphere. Radius: Sets the radius of the sphere. Crop: Sets whether the object is cropped at its original boundaries. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the distorted image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Radius. Starburst Radiates solid-colored rays out from the center of your object.
Radius: Sets the radius of pixel sampling for ray color determination. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Radius. Stripes By default, this filter turns your object into a series of vertical stripes. The angle of generated stripes can be changed using the Angle parameter. The stripe colors are derived from pixel values along a line through the center point at the angle specified by the Angle parameter.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Target applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the target. Angle: Sets the angle of the line used to select pixels for the bands of circles in the target. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Angle. Twirl Twirls an image like a fork twisting a plate of spaghetti.
Twirl: Sets the amount of twirl. Center: Sets the position of the center of the twirl. Crop: Sets whether the object is cropped at its original boundaries. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the twirled image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Amount and Twirl. Underwater Applies an animated distortion to your object, as if it is being viewed through water. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Wave filter applied Parameters in the Inspector Amplitude: Sets the amplitude of the waves. Wavelength: Sets the length of the waves. Offset: Sets the offset of the wave. Vertical: Sets whether the waves run vertically or horizontally. Repeat Edges: Sets whether or not the edges of the object are repeated. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the distorted image.
Aura This is a highly stylized filter that adds light or dark halos around well-defined areas of an image. The resulting glow appears solarized, and the underlying image creates outlines that show through the glow effect. Original image Aura applied Parameters in the Inspector Inner Radius: Sets the amount the aura extends inward from its point of origin. Outer Radius: Sets the amount the aura extends outward from its point of origin. Brightness: Sets the brightness of the aura.
Bloom This filter simulates the effect of extremely overexposed highlights on film. Highlights above a certain threshold are blurred, brightened, and recomposited with the original. All unaffected regions of the image interact with the glow effect, but otherwise retain their detail. Original image Bloom applied Parameters in the Inspector Amount: Sets the amount of the bloom. Brightness: Sets the brightness of the bloom. Threshold: Sets the luminance threshold at which the bloom starts.
Dazzle This filter adds glowing star-shaped accents to the highlights in an image. This filter can be customized to create anything from subtle highlights to outrageous, colorful flashes of color. Original image Dazzle applied Parameters in the Inspector Amount: Sets the radius of the spikes from the glow of Dazzle. Angle: Sets the angle of rotation of the spikes from Dazzle. Brightness: Sets the amount of brightness of the glow of Dazzle. Threshold: Sets the luminance threshold of the glow.
Gloom This filter creates a muted, dark glow. The image is darkened, and areas of fine detail are evened out into larger regions of color. It’s spooky. Original image Gloom applied Parameters in the Inspector Radius: Sets the radius of the gloom. Amount: Sets the amount of gloom. Values range from 0 (no gloom) to 2 (maximum gloominess). Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Radius and Amount.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Light Rays applied Parameters in the Inspector Amount: Sets the amount of the light ray effect. Larger values extend the length of the rays. Center: Sets the position of the center point of the light source. Glow: Sets the brightness multiplier of the light rays. Expansion: Sets the distance the light rays extend outside the boundary of the source object. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image.
Parameters in the Inspector Radius: Sets the size of the glow. Brightness: Sets the brightness of the glow. Inner Color: Picks the inner color of the glow. Use the disclosure triangle to display Red, Green, and Blue sliders for more precise color selection. Outer Color: Picks the outer color of the glow. Range: Sets the gradient position between the two glow colors. Horizontal: Sets the amount of horizontal glow. Vertical: Sets the amount of vertical glow.
Outer Glow: Picks the color of the outer part of the glow. Use the disclosure triangle to display Red, Green, and Blue sliders for more precise color selection. Crop: Sets whether or not the object is cropped at its original boundaries. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Intensity, Size, Rotation, Inner Glow, and Outer Glow.
Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the keyed image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Key, Color Level, Tolerance, Edge Thin, and Invert Matte. Color Key This filter can pull a key based on any color you select. Bear in mind that if the color is too close to that of the subject you’re trying to isolate, parts of your foreground subject may disappear as well.
Luma Key Luma Key pulls a key from your object based on a selected brightness level. This can be effective if you’re keying a subject that was shot against a solid white or black background, and exposed so that there are no absolute highlights or shadows within the foreground subject. Despite this, shadows and highlights in the image usually make this a difficult filter with which to pull a perfect key.
Primatte RT The Primatte RT filter is a high-quality keying filter, which renders the blue or green areas of the image transparent, allowing one or more background images to show through. Original image Primatte RT filter (Backing Color set to Green), so background cheetah shows through Parameters in the Inspector Output Type: Sets the output type of the keyer. Select values from the following: Foreground, Background, Processed Foreground, and Matte. Backing Color: Pick the backing color for the matte.
An Example Using Primatte RT Getting the Primatte RT basics down is easy. Here’s an example. To create a simple composite using Primatte RT 1 Import a background image into your project. 2 Import the foreground image for which a matte needs to be generated. 3 Select the foreground object, and turn off the background to directly observe the filter’s effects. 4 Apply the Primatte RT filter to the object.
The Primatte RT filter makes a guess as to the non-subject color you are trying to remove. It makes a guess based on the dominant color present in the image, which may or may not be the color of the background. For example, if the image is a large red object that obscures most of a green screen, Primatte RT selects Red as its base sample. In this case, however, Primatte RT correctly guesses that you’re trying to key out the blue color.
Matte Filters Matte filters are used to modify mattes. Matte Choker This filter increases or decreases the semi-transparent area of an object’s alpha channel by performing a gamma correction (similar to the Gamma color correction filter) to all regions of the alpha channel falling between solid black and solid white. This allows you to widen or narrow the semi-transparent areas within an object, while leaving all 100-percent solid and transparent areas unaffected.
HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Shrink and Feather. Sharpen Filters These filters sharpen images by creating a high contrast overlay that emphasizes edges within the image. Sharpen Sharpens an image by enhancing the color contrast around edges within the image. Original image Sharpen filter applied Parameters in the Inspector Intensity: Sets the intensity of the sharpening. Amount: Sets the amount of the sharpening.
Unsharp Mask Similar to Sharpen, this filter provides many more options to refine and control the amount of sharpening applied to the image. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Unsharp Mask filter applied Parameters in the Inspector Radius: Sets the amount of the mask’s effect. Amount: Sets the amount of the multiplier used to sharpen the object’s edges. Threshold: Sets the threshold of luminance difference to be considered as a high contrast range, between 0 and 1.
Add Noise This filter adds an overlay noise of the selected type to an image. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Add Noise filter applied Parameters in the Inspector Amount: Sets the amount of noise added to the image. Type: Sets the type of noise added to the image. Values can be selected from White Noise (Uniform), Pink Noise (TV Static), and Gaussian Noise (Film Grain). Monochrome: Sets whether the added noise is monochrome or color.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Parameters in the Inspector Focus Amount: Sets the amount of blur applied to the image, simulating a projector lens going in and out of focus. Focus Variance: Varies the amount defined in the Focus Amount parameter. For example, if Focus Amount is set to 3 and Focus Variance set to 1, the Focus Amount varies between 2 and 4. Brightness Amount: Simulates underexposed footage or an inconsistent projector bulb by lightening and darkening the image.
Grain: Sets the amount of grain, allowing you to simulate different types of film stock. Frequency of Change: Defines how often (in frames), the values set in the parameters with variance are recalculated. For example, if Frequency of Change is set to 30, and Jitter Amount and Jitter Frequency are set to values greater than 0, the jitter parameters are recalculated every 30 frames, creating additional randomness. Random Seed: A slider that lets you pick a new random seed number.
Scan Line Thickness: Sets the thickness of the video field scan lines added to the image. Scan Line Distance: Sets the distance between each of the video field scan lines added to the image. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Waviness, Roll, Static, Color Synch, Saturate, Scan Line Brightness, Scan Line Thickness, and Scan Line Distance.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Circles applied Parameters in the Inspector Size: Sets the size of the facets. Falloff: Sets the amount of alpha blending done at the edges of the each facet. Invert: Sets whether the facets are elliptical or tiles with elliptical cut-outs. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Size, Falloff, and Invert.
Relief: Sets the amount of the offset. Crop: Sets whether or not the image is cropped beyond its original borders. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Direction, Relief, and Crop. Crystallize This mosaic filter simulates the effect of viewing an image through a pane of glass with irregular facets patterned into it. These facets give an image a crystallized appearance.
Edge Work This filter reduces an image to a high-contrast, grayscale version of itself. The detail in this grayscale image can then be reduced and smoothed using various parameters to create an image that resembles something hand-drawn. Depending on the amount of smoothing you apply, many different effects are possible with this filter. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Edges applied Parameters in the Inspector Intensity: Sets the intensity of the edges. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Intensity and Mix. Extrude Gives an object simulated depth, by creating a “front” and “back” side, then offsets them and extrudes the edges so they connect.
Clipping: Sets the distance at which the extrusion is clipped. Back Size: Sets the size of the back object, as a proportion of its original size. Face Brightness: Sets a brightness level applied to the face of the object. Front Brightness: Sets a brightness level applied to the front of the object. Back Brightness: Sets a brightness level applied to the back of the object. Extrude Style: Selects the method used to extrude the sides of the object. Shading or Gradient can be selected.
Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Angle, Scale, and Contrast. Hatched Screen This filter reduces an image to a black and white version of itself, simulating a halftone pen-and-ink method of shading an image, in which the shadows and highlights of an image are recreated using hatched patterns of lines. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups.
Highpass This filter emphasizes areas of detail in an image, and stylizes the colors in the resulting image to create a psychedelic display. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Highpass applied Parameters in the Inspector Radius: Sets the amount of variance of detail to consider. Values range from 0 (entire range of color) to 100 (only the most detailed portions). Amount: Sets the amount of emphasis.
Brightness: Sets the level of brightness of the object. Ambient: Sets the amount of ambient light hitting the object. Highlight Brightness: Sets the amount of brightness applied to the highlights of the object. Highlight Sharpness: Sets the degree of sharpness applied to the highlights of the object. Light Rotation: Sets the angle, in degrees, at which the ambient light hits the object. Depth: Sets the amount of depth between the flat and raised areas.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Line Art applied Parameters in the Inspector Threshold: Sets the threshold of edge detection. Smoothness: Sets the level of smoothness of transition between the lines and the background. Paper Color: Sets the color of the paper. The color controls can be expanded with the disclosure triangle to reveal Red, Green, and Blue sliders to more precisely select the color. Paper Opacity: Sets the opacity of the paper.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Line Screen applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the line screen. Angle: Sets the angle of the line screen. Scale: Sets the scale of the line screen. Skew: Sets the amount of skew of the line screen. Stretch: Sets the amount that the line screen is stretched. Contrast: Sets the relative amount of contrast between light and dark areas.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image MinMax dilating dark areas Parameters in the Inspector Mode: Sets the mode of the effect. The following modes are available: Minimum and Maximum. Radius: Sets the radius of the effect. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Mode and Radius. Noise Dissolve Dissolves an object by adding a pattern of noise to it.
Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Dissolve Amount and Random Seed. Pixellate This filter turns an image into a mosaic of blocks using colors taken from an object. The scale of the blocks can be increased or decreased. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Pixellate applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the pixellation effect.
Posterize This filter reduces the number of colors in your object to a set number per color channel, adjustable using the Levels parameter. Original image Posterize applied Parameters in the Inspector Levels: Sets the number of levels of posterization. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following control: Levels.
Parameters in the Inspector Front: Sets the position of the center point of the front of the height map, determining the direction to which the height vertices are projected. Values are coordinates. Front Size: Sets the size of the front object, as a proportion of its original size. Back: Sets the position of the center point of the back of the height map, determining the direction from which the height vertices are projected. Values are coordinates.
Speed: Sets the speed of the simulation. Perspective: Sets the angle of perspective on the object. Glow: Sets the amount of the glow on the slit. Glow Color: Picks the color of the glow of the slit. Use the disclosure triangle to display Red, Green, and Blue sliders for more precise color selection. Offset: Sets the amount of offset between what is above and what is below the slit. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image.
HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Rotation, Speed, Perspective, Glow, and Glow Color. Texture Screen This filter uses a source object specified by the Map Image parameter to screen the target. The source object used can be any image, movie, or shape you want. By default, Texture Screen behaves as if there were a black image applied to the Map Image well, which makes the target appear desaturated and washed out. To learn how to add an object to the Map Image well, see Source Well.
HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Map Image, Angle, Skew, Stretch, Scale, Contrast, Threshold, Noise Contrast, and Noisiness. Vectorize Color Makes the object appear as multicolored polygons. Four colors are substituted over the entire color range of the object. Original image Default colors set in Vectorize Color Parameters in the Inspector Resolution: Sets the resolution of the polygons. The smaller the value, the smaller the size of polygons in the resulting image.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Vignette applied Parameters in the Inspector Size: Sets the size of the vignette. The larger the size, the more of the object is affected by the vignette. Falloff: Sets the amount of feathering applied to the border of the vignette. The higher the falloff, the softer the edge of the vignette. Blur Amount: Sets the amount of blur applied to the part of the image affected by the vignette.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Wavy Screen applied Parameters in the Inspector Amplitude: Sets the amplitude of the waves. Wavelength: Sets the wavelength. Scale: Sets the scale of the waves. Contrast: Sets the contrast of the screen. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Amplitude, Wavelength, Scale, and Contrast.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Kaleidoscope applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the position of the center of the kaleidoscope. Segment Angle: Sets the angle at the tip of each triangular tile. Offset Angle: Sets the rotation of the whole kaleidoscope. Values range from 0 to 360. Partial Segments: This checkbox sets whether partial segments are used to complete the radius of the kaleidoscope.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Kaleidotile applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the origin of the kaleidotile effect. Width: Sets the width of the panels of the kaleidotile effect. Height: Sets the height of each of the panels. Angle: Sets the angle of rotation of the panels. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Width, Height, and Angle.
Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Horizontal Offset and Vertical Offset. Parallelogram Tile Simulates looking through a kaleidoscope with facets made of parallelograms. It is not automatically animated, but by animating the Angle parameter you can simulate the effect of twisting the kaleidoscope to rotate the image pattern. This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Perspective Tile applied Parameters in the Inspector Top Left: Sets the position of the top-left corner of the grid. Top Right: Sets the position of the top-right corner of the grid. Bottom Right: Sets the position of the bottom-right corner of the grid. Bottom Left: Sets the position of the bottom-left corner of the grid. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls None.
Radius: Sets the radius of each tile. Feathering: Sets the amount of feathering applied to the edges of each tile. Seed: Sets a number to be used as a seed for tile placement and stacking. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Radius, Feathering, and Seed. Tile This filter tiles an image. The number of duplicates of the image that appear depends on the value of the Scale parameter.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Triangle Tile applied Parameters in the Inspector Center: Sets the origin of the tile. Angle: Sets the angle of rotation of the triangles. Tile Size: Sets the size of the triangles. Mix: Sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Angle and Tile Size.
HUD Controls The HUD contains the following controls: Delay, Number, Decay, and Amount. Scrub Moves a virtual playhead around a clip, allowing you to change the timing of the clip without moving it in the Timeline. Additionally, this filter allows you to animate the offset parameter, often with interesting results. Try adding the Scrub filter to a clip, then applying the Randomize behavior to the Frame offset, with the “Offset from” parameter set to Current Frame.
This filter causes rasterization in 3D groups. Original image Decay is turned on, and Trail On is set to Light. Parameters in the Inspector Duration: Sets the duration of the trails. Echoes: Sets the number of echoes trailing behind. Decay: Sets whether the trails decay over time or disappear at the end of the duration. Trail On: Sets the kind of values that trigger the trails. This pop-up menu can be set to Light or Dark.
Video Filters Video filters are more utilitarian in nature, and can be used to help prepare a project for broadcast output. Broadcast Safe This filter limits the range of luminance or chrominance in an image to the broadcast legal limit. Parameters in the Inspector Video Type: Sets the rule set to be used for filtering image data. Value can be NTSC or PAL. Fix Method: Sets the type of fix to be made to the image. Value can be Reduce Luminance or Reduce Saturation.
Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes 17 Motion has a flexible tool set that you can use to create simple shapes, complex illustrations, and paint effects right in your project. The same techniques you use for drawing can also be used to mask objects to produce a wide variety of transparency effects, to crop out parts of still images, and to rotoscope moving subjects. This chapter covers the following: • About Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes (p.
About Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes Shapes and masks are vector-based objects that are drawn and edited using control points that define mathematical curves. Each control point in a shape defines some sort of corner or curve, and the actual spline that makes up the shape connects these control points together like a connect-the-dots drawing. You can edit or animate any shape by moving and editing its control points or by applying a Shape behavior.
The Difference Between Shapes, Paint Strokes, and Masks Shapes are primarily used to create all kinds of visual elements. They work like any other object, except that they are created in Motion and are stored within your project file. A single shape can be used as a background or colored graphic in a composition, or you can create complex illustrations using many shapes. Each illustration below is composed of shapes created within Motion.
Masks, on the other hand, are used to create regions of transparency in layers. While shapes work as objects by themselves, masks must be assigned to an object to have an effect. For example, if you have a picture in which you want to isolate the foreground subject, you can create a mask to cut out the background. Object Mask Masked object Like any other layers, shapes, masks, and paint strokes can be animated using behaviors and keyframes. Shapes also have their own special category of behaviors.
B-Splines can also be used to draw shapes, but unlike Bezier controls, B-Splines are manipulated using only points—there are no tangent handles. Furthermore, the points themselves do not lie on the surface of the shape. Instead, each B-Spline control point is offset from the shape’s surface, pulling that section of the shape toward itself as if it was a magnet, in order to create a curve. By combining the influence of multiple B-Spline points, you can create different curves.
Note: The Bezier Mask tool is located in the Mask tools section of the Toolbar. Bezier Mask tool The Bezier Tool HUD appears. (If it does not appear, press F7.) To change the color of the shape before it is drawn, use the color controls in this HUD. Select the Outline checkbox to create an outline with the shape. The Width slider adjusts the width of the outline. Once the shape is created, the Shape HUD appears. Note: Outlines can be added and edited after a shape is drawn.
Tip: If you need a closer look at what you’re doing, magnify the Canvas while drawing a shape. Use Command-Equal Sign (=) to zoom in and Command-Hyphen (-) to zoom out. You can scroll around by pressing the Space bar as you drag in the Canvas. If you have a Multi-Touch trackpad, it’s even easier: pinch open or closed to zoom in or out, and use a two-finger swipe to scroll around. 4 To finish the shape, do one of the following: • Click the first point you drew to create a closed shape.
To draw a B-Spline shape 1 Click the B-Spline tool in the Toolbar (or press B). B-Spline tool Note: If the Bezier tool is selected, pressing B once selects the B-Spline tool. If another tool is selected, such as the Text tool, press B twice to select the B-Spline tool. The B-Spline Mask tool is located in the Mask tools section of the Toolbar. B-Spline Mask tool The B-Spline Tool HUD appears. (If it does not appear, press F7.
As you create new B-Spline control points, keep the following rules in mind: • The control points you draw influence the shape of the curve from a distance. They do not lie directly on the surface of the curve. • To create more detailed curves, create more points. However, it’s a good habit to use the fewest number of points necessary to create the amount of detail you need. Shapes with an excessive number of points can be difficult to edit later on.
• In many instances, it is easier to create a loose group of control points first and then adjust them afterwards to create the precise curve you need in a later step. Starting with a loose collection of points Fine-tuning the illustration later 4 While drawing a shape, you can move and adjust the control points you’ve already created prior to finishing the shape. You can adjust any control point except the first one you created, because clicking the first point closes the shape.
• Press Return to finish an open shape at the last point you made. • Double-click anywhere in the Canvas to define the last point of an open shape. Note: You can press Esc at any time while drawing a shape to cancel the entire operation and delete the shape. Immediately after finishing a shape, the Shape HUD appears and the Adjust Control Points tool is selected, which allows you to edit the shape you’ve just created. Press Shift-S to change to the Select/Transform tool.
A weight handle appears. 3 Drag the weight handle away from the control point to sharpen the path. Drag it towards the control point to smooth the path. Drawing Masks Using the Freehand Mask Tool This section describes how draw a freehand mask. Like the Paint Stroke tool, the Freehand Mask tool allows you to create a shape in one movement, rather than drawing the shape in a point-by-point fashion (like a Bezier or B-Spline shape).
• Adjust the Feather slider to soften the mask. Positive values spread the feathering outward, while negative values feather the shape inward. Original image before masking 3 Touch the stylus on the tablet to begin drawing the mask in the Canvas (if using a mouse, click in the Canvas, but don’t release the mouse button). Continue drawing around the object you are masking. To close the mask, finish the line at the mask’s starting point.
Creating and Editing Shapes Use the Bezier and B-Spline shape tools to create any kind of line or shape you need. Once you draw a shape, you can adjust the fill, outline, and feathering to suit your needs. Note: You can only feather shapes that have the outline turned off. To make a freehand shape using the Bezier or B-Spline tool 1 Select the Bezier or B-Spline tool (press B). 2 Click in the Canvas to create the necessary control points for the line you need.
For more information, see Shape and Mask Drawing Tools. 3 When you’re ready to close the shape, click the first point you created. 4 By default, new closed shapes are filled. To make the shape empty, select it, then deselect the Fill checkbox in the Shape HUD. Filled shape Empty shape To edit a shape’s fill 1 Select a shape, then open the Shape tab in the Inspector. 2 In the Style pane of the Shape tab, do any of the following: • To turn a shape’s fill on or off, click the Fill checkbox.
Positive values spread the feathering outward, while negative values feather the shape inward. Feathered out Feathered in Tip: You can also blur a shape in other ways using filters. For more information, see Applying Filters to Shapes. Creating Rectangles, Circles, and Lines The Rectangle and Line tools create simple linear shapes. The Circle tool creates a simple Bezier shape. Once drawn, a shape can be converted to a Linear, Bezier, or B-Spline shape in the Inspector.
2 Click in the Canvas to define the first corner of the rectangle, then drag until the resulting rectangle is the size you want, and release the mouse button to finish drawing. Note: To create a perfect square, press Shift while you drag. To draw the rectangle from its center, press Option while you drag. 3 Once the shape is created, press S or Esc to exit shape-drawing mode and activate the Select/Transform tool. To make a rounded rectangle 1 Create a rectangle shape as described above.
To make a circle 1 Click the Rectangle tool and, holding the mouse button, select the Circle tool (or press C). The Circle Tool HUD appears. To change the color of the shape before it is drawn, use the color controls in the HUD. Select the Outline checkbox to create an outline with the shape. The Width slider adjusts the width of the outline. Once the shape is created, the Shape HUD appears.
The Line Tool HUD appears. To adjust the color and width of the line before it is drawn, use the controls in the HUD. 2 Click in the Canvas to define the start point of the line, and keep holding down the mouse button. 3 Drag until the resulting line is the length you want, then release the mouse button. Tip: Pressing Shift while dragging constrains the line movement to 45-degree angles. Important: Because a line is really an outline, all of the Outline parameters in the Inspector apply to a line.
When using an airbrush or image brush preset, the Paint Stroke tool creates a shape outline that is comprised of dabs. Dabs—analogous to the cells of a replicator or particle emitter—define the appearance of the stroke. While particle cells emit a variety of different particle types, airbrush paint strokes have only a single dab type. The dabs can be very close together or spaced widely apart along the stroke.
Using the Write On parameter, you can record a stroke so that it “draws” over time. In this case, a Write On Shape behavior is applied to the stroke using as its settings the time it took to draw the stroke and the speed at which each section of the stroke was created. These settings can be modified after the stroke is created. A Write On behavior can also be applied after a paint stroke has been created. For more information on using the Write On behavior, see Write On.
When a paint stroke is created with the Write On checkbox selected, a Write On behavior is applied to the stroke. Like any other behavior, you can modify its parameters in the HUD or Inspector. For more information on using the Write On behavior, see Write On. 4 Draw your stroke in the Canvas. Once the stroke is complete, press S or Esc to select the Select/Transform tool. The Paint Stroke Tool HUD is replaced with the Shape HUD. The Paint Stroke HUD parameters are identical to all other shape HUDs.
Width: A slider that defines the width of the paint stroke. Pen Pressure: When creating paint strokes, this pop-up menu allows you to determine stroke properties derived from the pressure of your pen prior to creating the stroke. This parameter is not available for solid brush types. Choose from one of the following: Note: Only strokes drawn using a stylus and tablet will have recorded pressure variations. • Nothing: Pen pressure is ignored. • Width: The harder the pen pressure, the wider the stroke.
• Spacing: The faster you move the pen, the greater the spacing between the dabs of the stroke. To adjust the spacing of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the spacing controls in the Stroke or Style pane. • Angle: The faster you move the pen, the greater the angle of the stroke dabs. To adjust the angle of the dabs after the stroke is created, use the angle controls in the Stroke pane. • Jitter: The faster you move the pen, the larger the amount of jitter on the stroke.
How to Edit Shapes There are two ways to edit shapes. You can edit them in their entirety, like any other object, using the Transform tools, or you can adjust them point by point using the Adjust Control Points tool. The shape-editing techniques in this section apply to both shapes and masks. You perform most of your detailed editing using a shape’s individual control points. The Transform and Shear tools are better for overall transformations of an entire shape.
To use control point snapping on multiple shapes 1 In the View menu of the Toolbar, ensure that Dynamic Guides are turned on. 2 Choose View > Snap to ensure snapping is turned on. When active, a check mark appears next to the menu item. 3 Select the shape you want to edit, click the Select/Transform tool, and while holding down the mouse button, choose the Adjust Control Points tool from the pop-up menu.
To transform a Bezier or B-Spline shape 1 Click the Select/Transform tool. 2 Click a shape. 3 Move, resize, or rotate the shape. Note: To quickly enter control point adjustment mode in the Canvas, double-click the shape. When you move, resize, rotate, or shear a shape, you also transform its control points to match the new orientation of the shape. Original shape Shape after moving, rotating, and scaling. Note that the control points have also moved.
Note: Overlays must be enabled in the View menu (or the Canvas View menu) in order to see the control points and spline of a shape. In addition, if Handles are turned off in the View > Overlays submenu (or the Canvas View menu), you cannot see a shape’s Bezier or B-Spline control points when editing. When editing shapes, make sure that Handles are turned on. Once you display a shape’s control points, you need to select one or more control points to edit them.
Note: When your pointer is positioned over a control point, a Tool Info window appears identifying the control point name. When dragging a control point, the Tool Info window displays the point’s name and coordinates. You can choose whether or not to display this info by choosing View > Show Tool Info or pressing Option-T. µ To select every control point on a shape Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A).
As you drag one or more selected control points, the rest of the shape automatically stretches or curves to accommodate the change. Selecting three points µ Moving all three points simultaneously Press Command-Left Arrow, Command-Right-Arrow, Command-Up Arrow or Command-Down Arrow to nudge a point by one pixel (or Command-Shift to nudge by 10 pixels). To constrain the movement of selected points 1 Select one or more control points.
2 Drag the line segment. The distance between the two points remains constant, but the line can be moved freely. Press Shift to constrain the movement horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. 3 Click anywhere outside the selection, or switch to a different tool to release the selection. Transforming Multiple Control Points You can scale and rotate a group of points as if they were a single object by using the Transform Control Points command.
Note: Transform Control Points is only available when at least two points on the same spline are selected. 3 Scale, rotate, offset the anchor point, and reposition the group of points as if they were a separate object. 4 Click anywhere outside the selection, or switch to a different tool to release the selection.
4 Reposition any one point and all points will be modified accordingly. Note: The Transform Control Points command cannot be applied to groups of control points selected across multiple objects. Tip: You can modify points on a mask and points on a shape simultaneously. However, you must manually select the mask in the Layers tab before its points can be added to the selection.
Adding more control points does not immediately change a Bezier shape, unless you drag Bezier curve points as you create them. Before adding Bezier point After adding Bezier point Adding more control points to a B-Spline shape, on the other hand, nearly always changes its shape. Before adding B-Spline point After adding B-Spline point To add control points to the end of an open shape 1 Select an open shape with the Adjust Control Points tool.
You can reopen the shape by deselecting the Closed checkbox. To create an open shape from a closed shape Do one of the following: µ Control-click a point on the shape, then choose Open Curve from the shortcut menu. The segment before the point (in a clockwise order) is removed from the shape. This action causes the selected point to become Control Point 1 and the remaining points to be renamed accordingly. If the originally closed shape was filled, the Fill checkbox remains selected.
Locking Control Points You can lock individual control points in a shape to fix them in place and prevent them from being accidentally adjusted. A shape with locked points can still be moved. Locking a control point simply prevents it from being adjusted while you edit a shape using the Adjust Control Points tool. To lock and unlock points 1 Choose the Adjust Control Points tool, then select a shape. 2 Control-click a control point, then choose Lock Point from the shortcut menu.
To convert control points from corners to curves and vice versa Do one of the following: µ µ Command-click a curved point to turn it into a corner (Linear) point. µ Control-click one or more selected points, then choose Linear or Smooth from the shortcut menu to change the control point type. Command-drag a corner point to turn it into a curved (Bezier) point, creating adjustable tangent handles.
µ Control-click a handle control point and choose Break Handle from the shortcut menu to break the relationship between opposing handles. µ Option-drag a broken tangent or Control-click a handle control point and choose Link Handle from the shortcut menu to lock the angle of the tangents together again. The tangents now maintain their relationship when moved and rotated.
The simplest, and usually fastest, way to manipulate B-Spline curves is to move one or more B-Spline points closer to or farther away from one another. When B-Spline points are moved closer to one another, a sharper curve is created. B-Spline points that are farther away from one another create shallower curves. Shallow curve Sharper curve (B-Spline points are closer.) Each B-Spline control point tugs on a section of the shape, pulling it toward itself.
To switch a B-Spline control point among three degrees of curvature Do one of the following: µ Command-click one or more selected B-Spline control points to switch between three progressively sharper amounts of curvature. Very Smooth B-Spline point µ Smooth B-Spline point Linear B-Spline point Control-click a B-Spline point, then choose Very Smooth, Smooth, or Linear from the shortcut menu. You can also adjust B-Spline control points along a sliding scale by holding down the Command key and dragging.
Modify any Outline parameter you want. In this example, the outline is widened and colored orange. Default circle shape with Outline checkbox deselected Circle shape with Outline checkbox selected Note: A line shape has no fill and is a paint stroke upon creation. 3 If you don’t want the shape filled, deselect the Fill checkbox in the Shape HUD or Inspector. Note: Solid must be chosen from the Brush Type pop-up menu in the Style pane of the Shape Inspector for the shape fill options to remain available.
4 In the Style pane of the Shape tab, choose Airbrush from the Brush Type pop-up menu. Once the Brush Type is changed to Airbrush (or Image), the following occurs: • The stroke softens because it is using a soft brush type. A paint stroke is comprised of dabs and the brush type is the source for the dabs. The brush profile can be modified to vary opacity within the brush. You can apply a custom opacity gradient to the brush profile. • The Stroke pane becomes available.
For a complete description of these parameters, see Style Pane Controls in the Inspector, Stroke Pane Controls in the Inspector, and Advanced Pane Controls In the Inspector. In the example below, the Additive Blend parameter is enabled in the Style pane. Additionally, the Color Over Stroke, Spacing Over Stroke, Width Over Stroke, Brush Scale, and Brush Scale Randomness parameters are modified in the Stroke pane.
Shape Style: This pop-up menu allows you to apply a preset shape style (from the Shape Styles category in the Library) to the selected shape. In addition to the preset styles, any custom styles you have saved to the Library also appear in this list. Fill: By default, this checkbox is selected for new closed shapes, which are filled with the color specified in the Fill Color controls. The Fill parameters allow you to modify the fill of a shape.
Note: You cannot feather an object when the Outline checkbox is selected.
Outline: When this checkbox is selected, the shape outline appears in the Canvas and the outline controls become available. By default, this checkbox is deselected for closed shapes and on for open shapes and paint strokes. When you select the Outline checkbox, the Brush Type, Brush Color, Brush Opacity, Width, First and Last Point Offsets, Order, and other controls become available.
• Image: Allows you to use a layer as a dab source. When Brush Type is set to Image, the Stroke and Advanced panes become available in the Shape Inspector. • Brush Color: Lets you pick a color to use for the outline or paint dabs. These color controls are identical to the shape Fill Color controls (and all color controls throughout Motion). Note: When Stroke Color Mode (in the Stroke pane) is set to Color Over Stroke or Pick From Color Range, Brush Color is not available.
When a movie or image sequence is the brush source, additional parameters appear. For more about Movie or image sequence parameters, see Additional Parameters When Brush Source Is a QuickTime Movie or Image Sequence. • Brush Profile: Available when Airbrush is the selected Brush Type, this gradient editor allows you to create varying levels of opacity within the brush. The brush profile uses the same opacity controls as a standard gradient editor. For more information, see Gradient Controls.
• Joint: When Solid is the selected Brush Type, this pop-up menu lets you choose how hard corners on a shape’s outline are drawn. There are three options: • Square: All corners are squared off. Square Joints • Round: All corners are rounded. Round joints • Bevel: All corners are cut at an angle.
• Start Cap: Pop-up menu that lets you choose the shape of an open outline’s start cap (the shape of the edge of an outline). This option is only available when Solid is the selected Brush Type. There are five options: • None: The stroke ends at the control point. • Square: The cap is squared off. • Round: The cap is rounded. • Bevel: The cap is cut at an angle. • Arrow: The cap is a customizable arrow.
• Order: A pop-up menu lets you choose whether an outline is drawn over or under the shape fill color or gradient. The effect is more apparent with thicker outline widths. • Over Fill: Outlines appear on top of the selected fill of the shape. Over Fill • Under FIll: Outlines are obscured beneath the selected fill of the shape.
Random Start Frame: A checkbox that introduces variation to image brush strokes using multi-frame source objects. If the checkbox is selected, each dab will pull from a random frame in the source. The dab will either start animating from this random frame or remain still depending on whether the Play Frames checkbox is selected or deselected. This pattern of randomness can be adjusted by using the Random Seed button under the Stroke Pane.
Stroke Pane Controls in the Inspector Once an airbrush or image paint stroke has been created using the Paint Stroke tool, a set of paint stroke controls becomes available, combining controls similar to those of a particle system or replicator. Use these controls to set the Stroke Color Mode and Brush Scale parameters, and to adjust the Opacity, Spacing, Width, and Angle Over Stroke parameters.
Opacity Over Stroke: An opacity control that appears when Stroke Color Mode is set to Use Brush Color. Use it to change the opacity of dabs based on their location on the stroke. This gradient control is limited to grayscale values, which are used to represent varying levels of transparency. White represents solid dabs, progressively darker levels of gray represent decreasing opacity, and black represents complete transparency.
Color Range: A gradient editor that appears when the Stroke Color Mode is set to Pick From Color Range. Use it to define a range of colors used to randomly tint the stroke’s paint dabs. The direction of the gradient colors is not relevant, only the number of colors that appear within the gradient. The Color Range parameter has the same controls as the Color Over Stroke parameter. For information on using gradient editors, see Gradient Controls.
In the following illustrations, the Spacing Over Stroke curve in the mini-curve editor is adjusted so that a greater value is used at the start of the stroke, and 100% is used at the end of the stroke. The dabs at the beginning of the stroke are spaced more widely apart and get closer at the end of the stroke. Two controls let you fine-tune the curve in the graph: • Spacing Over Stroke: Use the sliders or enter a number in the value field to change the value of the selected keyframe.
Width Over Stroke: This mini-curve editor allows you to customize the width of the dabs over the length of the stroke. You can create a curve that gradually increases the dabs’ width over the length of the stroke, create a curve that varies the dabs’ width over the length of the stroke, and so on. Select or add a keyframe in the graph to make changes to the Width Over Stroke and Stroke Length parameters. The start value for the dab width is based on the value set in the Width parameter in the Style pane.
• Stroke Length: Stroke Length is mapped horizontally on the mini-curve editor graph and provides a visual representation of the position of the changes in width value (keyframes) over the length of the stroke. Use the sliders or enter a number in the value field to change the value of the selected keyframe. The Width Over Stroke parameter can be adjusted directly on the selected paint stroke in the Canvas. For more information, see Using the Width Over Stroke Onscreen Controls.
Brush Angle: Specifies (in degrees) the rotation of the stroke dabs. Using the default dial or value slider modifies the Z angle. When the Local 3D checkbox is selected, additional Brush Angle Randomness controls become available. Click the disclosure triangle to expose X, Y, and Z rotation dials and the Animate pop-up menu. • Animate: Available when the Local 3D checkbox is selected, this pop-up menu allows you to change the interpolation for animated 3D rotation channels.
Using the default dial or value slider modifies the Z angle. To individually modify the rotation of the dabs in X, Y, and Z space, or to access the Animate parameter, click the disclosure triangle when the Local 3D checkbox is selected. • Animate: Available only when the Local 3D checkbox is selected, this pop-up menu allows you to change the interpolation for animated 3D rotation channels. Click the Brush Angle Randomness disclosure triangle to display the Animate parameter.
Use the following guidelines when working in 3D with paint strokes: • Even in a 2D project, a paint stroke’s general properties can be adjusted in 3D space. For example, you can modify the Z parameter using the Position, Scale, Rotation, and Anchor Point controls in the Properties tab of the Inspector. • Paint strokes do not receive reflections (controlled in the Properties tab of the Inspector) unless the Local 3D checkbox is deselected.
Jitter Over Stroke: This mini-curve editor allows you to customize the scatter of the dabs over the length of the stroke. You can create a curve that gradually increases the dabs’ jitter over the length of the stroke, a curve that varies the dabs’ jitter over the length of the stroke, and so on. Select or add a keyframe in the graph to make changes using the Jitter Over Stroke and Stroke Length controls. • Jitter Over Stroke: This parameter is divided into two channels.
To use the onscreen Width Over Stroke controls 1 In the Canvas, Control-click the paint stroke, then choose Stroke from the shortcut menu. Small control points (+) appear at each keyframe along the red spline. 2 Click the control point that represents the keyframe you want to adjust. Control handles appear on either side of the control point. 3 To increase the width of the dabs, drag away from the point; to decrease the width of the dabs, drag toward the point.
Note: When a Simulation behavior is applied to a paint stroke, the Affect Subobjects parameter only appears in the behavior if Dynamics is selected for the paint stroke. Click the disclosure triangle to reveal the following additional Dynamics controls: Emission Angle: A dial and value slider that set the direction in which the paint dabs travel. This parameter works in conjunction with the Emission Range parameter.
These controls are identical to the Apply Pen Pressure (Shape behavior) parameters. For a description of the Pen Pressure parameters, see Shape Behaviors. The inspector parameters can be used in combination with these shape behaviors to affect more than one parameter (such as Opacity, Width, or Jitter) of the stroke using the same pressure data.
• Bezier: Control points can be a mix of Bezier curves and hard angles, creating any sort of shape. The control points of a Bezier shape lie directly on its edge. • B-Spline: Control points are all B-Spline points, with different degrees of curvature. B-Spline control points lie inside, outside, or on the edge of the shape, and are connected by the B-Spline frame. Note: To show or hide the display of the B-Spline frame, choose View > Overlays > Lines.
Shape HUD Parameters A shape or completed paint stroke must be selected to display the Shape HUD. If the HUD does not appear, press F7 or D. Additional parameters appear in the HUD along with the standard Opacity, Blend Mode, and Drop Shadow controls. For more information on these standard parameters, see Parameters in the Properties Tab. Fill: Select this checkbox to enable the shape fill. When selected, you can choose the fill color using the adjacent color controls.
For example, the face in the illustration above uses a gradient, but the eyes are a different solid color. This is only possible using two shapes. Organizing Objects Used in Multi-Shape Illustrations You can arrange related layers in a project into groups. When you create illustrations using multiple shapes, it is helpful to take advantage of the organizational tools in Motion by grouping shape layers together.
Locking Layers and Shapes While Editing Illustrations You can lock layers and shapes that are behind the shapes you’re drawing and editing in the foreground to avoid accidentally selecting and modifying the wrong one. Layers and shapes can be locked and unlocked at any time. To lock a layer or shape, use the lock icons in the Layers tab or Timeline layers list.
You can use one or more masks to punch holes inside shapes using the mask drawing tools. You can also apply image masks to a shape, which allow you to use any object to define transparency. For more information on using masks and image masks, see Using Masks to Create Transparency. Original shape Shape with a mask set to Subtract Applying Filters to Shapes You can apply filters to shapes, just like any other layer.
Important: Once you apply a filter to a shape, you can no longer smoothly increase the size of that shape using the object’s transform controls. This is because filters change shapes from vector objects to bitmapped objects. As a result, they scale like other bitmapped objects, which display artifacts if they’re enlarged too much. For more information on using filters, see Using Filters. Animating Shapes You can animate shapes using both behaviors and keyframes.
Note: These parameters are identical to the Pen Pressure parameters in the Advanced Pane of the inspector. You can choose to use either the Advanced Pane parameters or this shape behavior to apply the pressure data to the paint stroke. A combination of Pen Pressure parameters in the Advanced Pane and Apply Pen Pressure shape behaviors can be used to affect more than one parameter (such as Opacity, Width, or Jitter) of the stroke using the same pressure data.
HUD Controls The parameters in the HUD are identical to the parameters in the Inspector. Apply Pen Speed When using a stylus or mouse to create paint strokes, this behavior allows you to affect the width, opacity, spacing, angle, or jitter of the paint stroke based on the speed of your pen strokes. Note: A paint stroke created by using a mouse can be affected by the Apply Pen Speed behavior. The parameters in the HUD are identical to the parameters in the Inspector.
Scale: Determines the magnitude of the effect. Defines the output range for the dabs based on the mapped values between minimum (0) and maximum (1) speed, multiplied by the value defined in the slider (or value field). This amount is then applied to the channel (width, opacity, and so on) by multiplying (for width, opacity, spacing, and jitter) or adding (for angle). This control is independent of the Scale parameter in the Stroke pane.
• Axis: When Axis is chosen from the Calculate Tilt pop-up menu, the Tilt Axis parameter becomes available. • Polar: Uses the tilt of the stylus as if it were an angle. When viewed from above, the stylus points in a certain direction. That angle represents a polar value. Tilt Axis: A dial and value slider that becomes available when Calculate Tilt is set to Axis. This parameter allows you to define the axis along which the tilt is measured. Min Tilt: Adjusts the minimum threshold of tilt sensitivity.
Parameters in the Inspector Wave Shape: A pop-up menu that lets you select the shape of the oscillation’s wave. The options are Sine (default), Square, Sawtooth, and Triangle. For more information on wave shapes, see Oscillate. Phase: A slider that lets you adjust the point of the specified oscillation at which the behavior starts. This parameter allows you to put multiple shapes with identical Oscillate behaviors out of phase with one another so that they don’t all look the same.
• Line: Each vertex’s oscillation is generated from a line. You can change the location of the line using the onscreen controls (dragging the ends of the blue dotted line) or using the using the Start and End coordinates in the Inspector. Use the onscreen start and end points to change the position of the line. HUD Controls The Oscillate Shape HUD contains the Wave Shape, Phase, Amplitude, Speed, and Alternate Phase parameters.
When the Randomize Shape behavior is applied to a shape, all control points of the shape are affected by default. When the behavior is selected in the Layers tab, affected control points are highlighted in white on the blue shape behavior spline. To disable one or more control points, click the control points. A disabled point appears blue. Drag to select multiple control points. The white control point is enabled and affected by the behavior.
• Add and Subtract: Values generated by this behavior are added to and subtracted from other behaviors and keyframes that affect the same parameter. Frequency: A slider that lets you adjust the amount of random variation per second. Higher values generate faster variations, whereas lower values generate slower variations. Noisiness: A slider that adds an additional overlay of random variance to the Frequency you’ve set. Higher Noisiness values result in more erratic variations in the affected parameter.
The Sequence Paint behavior is very similar to the Sequence Text and Sequence Replicator behaviors, which allow you to animate the Rotation, Color, Opacity, Scale, and Position parameters in sequence through the characters of a text layer or the elements of a replicator pattern. The Sequence Paint behavior adds Width to that list of parameters, allowing you to create sequenced animation through the dabs of a paint stroke.
• Position: Defines the offset of the dabs from their original position. Click the disclosure triangle next to the Position parameter to reveal separate X, Y, and Z Position subparameters. For example, to create an animation in which the dabs move upward in the Y axis over the paint stroke, enter a positive value in the Y Position field.
• Custom: Allows you to keyframe how the animation moves through the values set in the Sequence Paint parameters over a stroke. Each dab undergoes the same value sequence. When Custom is selected, added parameters must be animated to yield any effect. Unit Size: A pop-up menu that specifies whether the sequence animation is applied to the stroke as a whole, to its individual dabs, or to a custom range. • Dab: Applies the sequence animation over each dab as its own entity. Dab is the default setting.
Loops: Sets the number of times the animation sequences through the paint stroke over its duration. Note: Loops is not available when the Traversal parameter is set to Custom. Location: Available only when Custom is selected from the Traversal pop-up menu, this slider defines the location of the stroke where the animation is in effect. For more information on using the Custom Traversal option, see Using the Sequence Replicator Custom Traversal Option.
Wriggle Shape This behavior works similarly to the Randomize behavior, but with a slower effect (think of a shape that’s had one too many espressos before dance class). When the Wriggle Shape behavior is applied to a shape, all control points of the shape are affected by default. When the behavior is selected in the Layers tab, affected control points are highlighted in white on the blue shape behavior spline. To disable one or more control points, click the control points. A disabled point appears blue.
• Add and Subtract: Values generated by this behavior are added to and subtracted from other behaviors and keyframes that affect the same parameter. Frequency: A slider that lets you adjust the amount of random variation per second. Higher values generate faster variations, whereas lower values generate slower variations. Wriggle Offset: A slider that allows you to offset the sequence of random values when you want to apply the same Wriggle behavior to multiple shapes.
Parameters in the Inspector Shape Outline: This pop-up menu determines whether the stroke is drawn, erased, or drawn and erased. • Draw: Draws the stroke over the duration of the behavior. • Erase: The stroke is completely drawn at the beginning of the behavior and is erased over the duration of the behavior. • Draw and Erase: The stroke is drawn, then erased over the duration of the behavior. • Erase and Draw: The stroke is completely drawn at the beginning of the behavior, is erased, then is drawn again.
• Natural: The speed in which the stroke is drawn along the path is determined by the shape of the path. For example, if the stroke is a U-shape curve, the stroke is drawn along more quickly as it moves toward the low point of the U, and more slowly as it moves up the edges. • Recorded: This option only appears if there is a recorded time over which the stroke was drawn. In other words, if a shape is converted to a paint stroke, this parameter does not appear.
The Paint Stroke Tool HUD is replaced with the Shape HUD. In the Layers tab, a Write On Shape behavior is automatically applied to the stroke. To modify the Write On parameters, select the behavior and use the HUD or the Behaviors tab in the Inspector. The speed at which the stroke is “painted” (including the duration it took to draw the stroke) is mapped over the time extent (in frames) of the stroke. The faster a stroke is drawn, the shorter the duration of the Write On behavior.
3 Play the project (press the Space bar). The outline is drawn over the length of the behavior. 4 To adjust the speed at which the stroke is painted, adjust the duration of the behavior in the Timeline or mini-Timeline. 5 To adjust the properties of the stroke, use the Shape tab in the Inspector. For more information, see Shape Parameters. Keyframing Shape Animation You can also keyframe a shape’s animation parameter to animate adjustments to its individual control points.
The shape’s control points appear in the Canvas. In this example, the selected shape is the lower lip of the mouth illustration. 2 Enable Record (press A). Record button 3 Move to the frame where you want to change the shape, then make any necessary changes to the shape’s control points. In the Keyframe Editor (and also in the Timeline, if the Show/Hide Keyframes button is turned on), a keyframe appears for each adjustment you make at a new frame.
Every time you make a change to the shape at a new frame, you automatically create a keyframe in that shape’s Shape Animation parameter. 5 When you are done animating the shape, disable Record. The animated shape object interpolates between each keyframed shape. If you don’t like how the interpolation is working, you can add more keyframes to force the control points to follow the path you want.
Each customized shape or shape style saved to the Library is saved as a separate file in the Motion folder of the Application Support directory. For example, a saved custom shape named “red heart” in the Shapes category of the Library appears in the Users/username/Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/Motion/Library/Shapes/ folder. Items that are saved to the Library appear in the Finder with a .molo extension (“Motion Library object”). These items cannot be opened from the Finder.
3 When the drop menu appears, choose “All in one file” or “Multiple files.” “All in one file” saves all the shapes together, and they are listed as one item in the Library. “Multiple files” saves the shapes as individual objects in the Library. 4 To rename the file, do one of the following: • Control-click the icon, choose Rename from the shortcut menu, then type a descriptive name. • Select the icon, click “current name,” then type a new descriptive name.
• Control-click an empty area of the Library stack (the lower section of the Library) then choose New Folder from the shortcut menu. Note: You may have to expand your stack window or use icon view to access an empty area. The new untitled folder appears in the Library stack. The new folder does not appear in the Library sidebar. 3 Double-click the name of the folder, type a new name, then press Return.
µ To delete a custom folder from a subcategory in the Library stack Control-click the folder in the Library stack, then choose Move to Trash from the shortcut menu. Note: You can also delete the folder from the Finder. The folder is stored in the Users/username/Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/Motion/Library/ folder. Important: Deleting a custom object or folder cannot be undone.
• Freehand Mask (used like the Paint Stroke tool) • Bezier Mask • B-Spline Mask Note: You can also use an Image Mask to mask a layer. For more information, see Applying Image Masks to a Layer. Important: A mask cannot be applied to a nonflattened 3D group. (To flatten a 3D group, select the Flatten checkbox in the Group tab of the Inspector.) A mask can be applied to a layer within a 3D group. To add a mask to a layer that has been manipulated in 3D space, use the Isolate button.
To mask a layer 1 Select a layer in the Canvas or Layers tab. 2 Choose a mask drawing tool (the Rectangle Mask tool, the Circle Mask tool, the Freehand Mask tool, the Bezier Mask tool, or the B-Spline Mask tool). Note: If you haven’t selected a layer, the mask tools are not available. 3 Begin drawing the shape you need in order to mask the layer. For more information about how to draw and edit shapes, see Shape and Mask Drawing Tools.
• When using the Freehand Mask tool, join the end of the mask to the target circle at the beginning of the mask. If you don’t reach the beginning of the mask, the mask shape is automatically closed when you lift the stylus or release the mouse button. Note: Unlike standard shapes, masks are always closed. After you’ve finished drawing the mask, its effect is immediate, and the mask you created appears nested underneath the layer to which it’s applied in the Layers tab and Timeline.
To isolate a layer 1 In the 3D project, select the layer that you want to mask. In this example, the center leopard image is the layer to be masked. The Isolate button appears to the right of the layer name. Note: A project must contain a camera in order to access the Isolate option. 2 Click the Isolate button or choose Object > Isolate. Inactive Isolate button Note: You can also Control-click the layer or group and choose Isolate from the shortcut menu.
3 To return to your previous view (the view before you isolated the layer), click the Isolate button again. Active Isolate button Note: Clicking a camera’s Isolate button activates that camera’s view. Combining Multiple Masks Often, you may find that it is impossible to create the mask shape you need using only a single mask.
Whatever the reason, you can easily combine multiple masks for any object by adjusting each mask’s Mask Blend Mode parameter in the Inspector to create any combination. Mask Blend Mode pop-up menu Each mask’s blend mode determines whether the mask adds to, subtracts from, or replaces a layer’s previously existing alpha channel. Additionally, blend modes affect how masks interact with one another.
Predictably, masks set to Subtract have the opposite effect, creating black areas in the layer’s alpha channel and making those parts of the object transparent. This is particularly useful for cutting holes in an object. Result of first mask Additional masks subtracted from the first Intersecting Masks In many instances, you may find that you want to cut out parts of an object, while leaving the rest of the object alone. Using a mask set to Intersect is a good way to do this.
You can feather mask edges either outward or inward. The direction in which you feather a mask is dictated by the subject you’re masking. When rotoscoping a subject, a combination of masks using both inward and outward feathered masks may be necessary for the best results. Feathered in (color channel) Feathered in (alpha channel) Feathered out (color channel) Feathered out (alpha channel) To feather the edge of a mask 1 Select a mask. 2 Open the Mask tab in the Inspector.
For example, you could apply the Crystallize filter to a mask to stylize its edges. This results in jagged edges that resemble facets of crystal around the edges. Original mask (color channel) Original mask (alpha channel) Crystallize filter applied to alpha channel (color channel view) Crystallize filter applied to alpha channel (alpha channel view) When applying filters to masks, it’s useful to bear in mind that masks are just grayscale images.
Applying Behaviors to Masks You can apply behaviors directly to masks. When you apply a behavior to a mask, the mask is animated like any other layer. However, since the mask only affects the transparency within a layer, and not the position, rotation, or scale of the layer itself, the result is similar to that of a “traveling matte,” where the mask moves within the layer to which it’s applied, hiding and showing different areas of the image as it moves.
2 Move to the first frame where the mask animation should begin, then draw a mask that accurately isolates the subject. 3 When you’re finished drawing the first mask, enable Record (press A). Record button 4 Move to the first frame of the Timeline where you want to change the shape of the mask, then make any necessary changes to its control points. In this example, the best place to start when rotoscoping the dolphin is the frame in which all the fins are showing.
By noting these changes, you can attempt to reduce the amount of keyframing by making your first keyframed mask shape adjustments at these major changes in speed and direction. Because animated masks are automatically interpolated to change from one keyframed shape to another, you can let Motion do some of your work for you. Note: If at any time the mask is deselected, you need to select the mask you’re working on in the Layers tab so that its control points become visible in the Canvas.
You can also create, delete, and edit the timing of a mask’s Shape Animation keyframes directly in the Keyframe Editor. For simplicity, each change you make to a mask is recorded as a single keyframe, no matter how many control points you edited. The Shape Animation parameter only allows keyframes set to Constant—you cannot use any other form of keyframe interpolation. The process used to animate both masks and shapes is identical. To see an example of shape animation, see Animating Shapes.
Shape Type: This pop-up menu lets you change the type of control points that are used to define the mask. For example, if you originally created a Bezier mask, you can choose B-Spline from this menu to change how the mask is drawn. Changing the shape type might dramatically change the mask’s form even though its control points remain fixed at their original coordinates. There are three options: • Linear: All of a mask’s control points are joined by hard angles, and the resulting mask is a polygon.
If the layer already contains an alpha channel, a mask set to Add mode isolates only the masked section of the original alpha channel. Original alpha channel of butterfly clip Circle mask set to default. Add mode applied to butterfly clip. • Subtract: Subtracts a mask from the alpha channel. This is useful for creating holes in the middle of objects, or for masking out additional regions of an image that are untouched by other masks.
• Replace: This setting uses the current mask to completely replace the object’s original alpha channel, as well as any other masks that are applied to the same object that appear underneath the current mask in the Layers tab. You can add additional masks above, set to whatever blending mode you like. In the following example, the circle mask is overriding the rectangle, since it is at the top of the masks that are nested within the gradient object.
Roundness: Controls the roundness of the corners of a mask. This facilitates the creation of rounded rectangle masks, as well as generally smoothing the edges of any mask. Preserve Scale: This checkbox controls whether the Roundness setting is absolute or relative to the overall mask size. When enabled, the roundness will remain at the same approximate percentage of curvature as the object is scaled. When disabled, the curvature will vary as the overall mask changes size.
Image masks can also be used to assign masks that were created in other applications. For example, you can import an animated mask that was created in another application and exported as a QuickTime movie into your Motion project, then use it as an image mask. When you use a layer as an image mask, you can choose which of the layer’s channels to apply to create transparency via the Source Channel pop-up menu in the Image Mask tab of the Inspector.
3 With the image mask selected, do one of the following: • Open the Image Mask tab in the Inspector, then drag the layer you want to use as the mask into the Mask Source well. Mask Source well • Drag the layer you want to use as the mask into the Mask Source well in the HUD. Important: Be sure to click and drag in one movement to successfully drop a layer in an image well. If you select the layer to use as the source, then release the mouse button, you lose the selection.
Filtering image masks works identically to filtering shape masks. For more information, see Applying Filters to Masks. Applying Behaviors to Image Masks You can also apply behaviors to image masks to create animated transparency effects. For more information, see Applying Behaviors to Masks. Image Mask Parameters Once you’ve added an image mask to a layer, the following parameters become available in the Image Mask tab of the Inspector.
• Luminance: Uses the aggregate luminance from the red, green, and blue channels as a grayscale mask. Mask Blend Mode: A pop-up menu that determines how an image mask interacts with the alpha channel of the layer to which it is applied. When a layer has multiple image masks, each mask can have a different Mask Blend mode. When this happens, each mask adds to, or subtracts from, the layer’s alpha channel according to the selected mode.
Garbage Masks The second step in many keying shots is to create a garbage mask to crop out unwanted objects in the shot that can’t be keyed, such as the edge of a blue screen stage, lighting rigs, or tape that appears in the background. You can also use a garbage mask to conceal parts of the background that are too difficult to key without the loss of foreground detail. µ To create a garbage mask Select a keyed layer and use one of the mask tools to draw a mask around the foreground subject.
The following images show an example of a key that needs to be manually masked. The top image is the original shot to be keyed, and the bottom image is the keyed shot. The lion image key leaves black spots or “dirt” on the key. If left uncorrected, the background image would show through the lion in these areas. In these cases, you can duplicate the original layer, mask the part of the subject that’s being incorrectly keyed, and composite it over the keyed version to fill it back in.
Make sure that the mask is entirely within the subject being keyed. Note: The holdout mask must be animated if the subject is moving. 4 On the newly duplicated layer, delete the original keying filters since they’re unnecessary. If you’ve used a Spill Suppressor filter, don’t delete it, since it’s probably changing the color of the subject. 5 Feather the edge of the holdout mask you’ve just created, to make sure that it blends in with the object you initially keyed.
If you attempt to key the entire subject with a single keying filter, chances are that you need to use such extreme settings that a lot of edge detail is lost. In such cases, masks can be used to isolate different parts of a subject, so that you can apply different keying settings to each area. To segment a subject into separate keying zones 1 Create a new group, and place the layer you’re keying within the new group.
The shape is converted into a mask. If the layer to which the mask is applied is not centered in the Canvas, the position of the mask will be slightly offset. This is because the position of the converted mask is dependent upon the original position of the shape relative to the center of its parent group. Note: If the object receiving the mask has previously been scaled, when converted to a mask, the shape will automatically be scaled too, which may produce unexpected results.
2 In the Layers tab, drag the shape object onto an emitter or replicator and pause, holding down the mouse button. A drop menu appears. 3 Choose Add Mask To Emitter or Add Mask to Replicator. The shape is converted into a mask on the particle emitter or replicator. Note: The 3D checkbox must be deselected in the Emitter or Replicator tab of the Inspector for the drop menu to appear. To convert a shape to a mask on text 1 In the Layers tab, select the text layer you want to mask.
For example, if you’ve applied a keying filter, you can use the following filters to modify the resulting alpha channel even though no mask appears for that layer in the Layers tab or Timeline. • Channel Blur: This filter, found in the Blur category of the Filters library, lets you selectively blur the alpha channel. You can set the amount of horizontal and vertical blur independently.
• Feather: A slider that allows you to adjust edge translucence. Lower values reduce the amount of translucence in a matte, but this results in harder edges around holes and edges in the alpha channel. • Mix: A slider that sets what percentage of the original image is blended with the filtered image. Values range from 0 to 100%.
3D Compositing 18 3D compositing introduces a number of new concepts to the art of motion graphics. At first glance, these concepts might seem daunting. But you already have an advantage: Because you move around in a real three-dimensional world, you’ll likely find the virtual 3D world of the Motion Canvas intuitively familiar. This chapter covers the following: • Real-World Coordinates (p. 1187) • 3D Transform Tools (p. 1189) • 3D Workspace and Views (p. 1199) • Cameras (p.
Coordinates and Object Position in Space The location of an object in Motion can be described in these terms as well. The coordinate system used by Motion specifies the center of the Canvas as 0, 0, 0. Moving an object to the left subtracts from the X value, while moving to the right adds to the X value. Moving an object up adds to the Y value, and moving an object down subtracts from the Y value. Moving an object closer adds to the Z value, while moving further away subtracts from the Z value.
3D Transform Tools There is no inherent difference between 2D and 3D project files in Motion. At any point, you may decide to start working with groups or layers in 3D. Doing so requires no preplanning on your part; in fact, it’s possible to go back and forth between manipulating objects in 2D and 3D space. This section covers the tools you can use to move objects around in the Canvas. The image in the screen shot above has just been imported into the scene and is positioned at the scene’s origin.
Two things happen immediately when you select the 3D Transform tool. The onscreen controls change, and the object’s HUD changes. 3D Transform Onscreen Controls When you select the 3D Transform tool, three colored arrows appear in the Canvas near the center of the image. Each arrow corresponds to one of the three coordinate axes. In the default view, the Z axis points directly out toward you, so that only the tip of the blue Z arrow is visible.
An info window displays the current Rotation values as well as the distance the object has been rotated. X axis rotation handle active Rotating the object around the X axis To freely rotate an object around all axes using the onscreen controls 1 Select the object you wish to rotate. 2 Place the pointer over any of the rotation handles, then press and hold down the Command key. All three rotation rings appear.
3D Transform Onscreen Controls Display It is possible to display a subset of the 3D transform onscreen controls. • Press the Comma key (,) to display the axis arrows (but not the rotation handles or scale handles). • Press the Period key (.) to display the rotation handles (but not the axis arrows or scale handles). • Press the Slash key (/) to display the scale handles (but not the axis arrows or rotation handles).
• Move XZ: Drag here to move the selected object in the Canvas along the X and Z axes. Dragging right or left increases or decreases the value of X. Dragging up or down increases or decreases the value of Z. Hold down the Command key when dragging to constrain movement to the axis corresponding to the initial direction of the drag. Tip: As in the Inspector, holding down the Shift key while you drag in the HUD makes larger changes. Holding down the Option key while you drag makes smaller changes.
When you add a new group to a Motion project, that group is created at the origin coordinates of its parent. In the case of a root-level group (a group that is not nested within any other groups in the Layers tab), the parent is the project itself. An object placed inside of a group has its position described relative to its parent: the group. Group at X=50, Y=50, Z=50 Group Inspector In the previous example, a group has been positioned at X, Y, and Z coordinates of 50, 50, and 50, respectively.
Rotation values are also relative to an object’s parent. Group with Z Rotation set to 45 degrees Image with Z Rotation set to 90 degrees inside group with Z Rotation set to 45 degrees Important: World and view transforms are limited to the HUD and onscreen controls; all transforms made in the Inspector are relative to an object’s parent’s space. Layer Order and Depth Order When compositing in 2D, the Layers tab shows the layer order, which determines which objects appear on top of other objects.
If you were to move Group A below Group B in the Layers tab, Group B would be rendered on top of Group A. Group B on top in Layers tab Result in Canvas The Layers tab also shows object relationships in terms of parenting. The parent-child relationship is displayed in the Layers tab through the use of indenting and disclosure triangles.
Important: The children of 3D groups are composited in depth order by default. Layers tab Objects sorted in depth order in Canvas With the 3D groups above, objects are composited in depth order; their position in the Layers tab does not correlate to their position in 3D space relative to the camera. In the above example, the Blue A group is above the Red A group in the Layers tab but it appears behind the Red A group in the Canvas because it is depth-sorted.
3D Transformations in 2D Groups All objects have 3D transformations available, even when in 2D groups. All can be rotated around any axis and moved along any axis. Keep in mind that objects in 2D groups are not depth-sorted, and cannot intersect, regardless of their position in 3D space. 2D parent group in the Layers tab Groups sorted in layer order in Canvas Both of these groups are positioned at the same point in 3D space, but because they are layer-ordered, group A does not intersect with group B.
3D Workspace and Views In a 3D workspace, everything is seen from the viewpoint of a camera. The default views presented in the 3D workspace are reference cameras that can be used and manipulated to help place and animate objects but are not used for rendering output. If you wish to render specifically from one of the camera views, you must create a scene camera. For more information on cameras, see Cameras.
Orthogonal cameras do not show perspective. Perspective cameras—and scene cameras that you add to a project—distort the view the way a real-world camera would. Object rotated in orthogonal camera view Object rotated in perspective camera view In order to have access to reference camera views and camera controls, you must first add a camera to your scene. To add a scene camera to a Motion project 1 Choose Object > New Camera (or press Command-Option-C).
Once you add a camera to a project, the Camera menu becomes available in the upper-left corner of the Canvas. Camera menu 3D Canvas Overlays There are six 3D overlays that can appear in the Canvas: the Camera menu, the 3D View tools, the Inset view, the 3D grid, the 3D Compass, and the 3D scene icons. You can turn the display of each of the overlays on or off in the Canvas.
Camera Menu The Camera pop-up menu, located in the upper-left corner of the Canvas, lists the currently active camera view. Choose from a list of reference cameras and scene cameras, as well as several view-related commands. Camera menu The Camera menu is divided into three sections: • The top section allows you to select the currently active camera as well as any other scene cameras you have added to the project.
There are three 3D View tools: • Pan: Drag in this box to move the camera along the X and Y axes relative to the current view. • Orbit: Drag in this box to orbit the camera around the currently selected scene object. If nothing is selected, the camera orbits around its focal plane. For more information on the camera focal plane, see Camera Controls. Orbit can affect X, Y, and Z Position values, as well as X and Y Rotation values.
3D Compass Located in the lower-left corner of the Canvas, the 3D Compass acts as an orientation and shortcut device. It has active and passive states, depending on whether the pointer is positioned over it. In its passive state, it displays the orientation of the three world axes (X, Y, and Z). In its active state, the compass presents color-coded shortcuts to the reference (orthogonal and perspective) cameras.
Inset View When you move an object, an Inset view appears in the lower-right corner of the Canvas, showing the scene from a different camera’s point of view. If you are currently viewing the scene through the active camera, the Inset view shows the Perspective camera’s point of view. If you are currently viewing the scene through any other camera, the Inset view shows the active camera. Use the Inset view to see the results of changes that you make in orthogonal views.
3D Scene Icons 3D scene icons are the onscreen representations of cameras, lights, and edge-on lines. An edge-on line is drawn when an object’s edge is facing the camera—which normally results in an invisible object. This allows you to select objects that would otherwise be invisible. None of the 3D scene icons appear in exported images and movie clips. Edge-on line indicator Camera’s angle of view Light Camera Tip: Double-click a camera scene icon to select it and change the current view to that camera.
• Four-up: Displays four windows, all the same size. View Layouts pop-up menu µ To open multiple windows in the Canvas Choose a layout from the View Layouts pop-up menu. The Canvas displays the layout you choose. When working with multiple views, the last view you clicked in is the active view. The active view is indicated by a yellow border. Only the active view can contain onscreen controls. The view in the upper-left quadrant is active.
Note: The active view in the Canvas is not the same as the “Active Camera.” For more information, see Active Camera. Cameras In 3D mode, anything you see in the Canvas represents the viewpoint of a camera, either a default reference camera or a scene camera that you create. You can explicitly create cameras that can be used to look at your scene from different points of view. You can place, animate, and apply behaviors to cameras in your scene.
Camera Controls You can modify a scene camera’s properties via the Camera HUD or the Camera and Properties tabs in the Inspector. Parameters in the Inspector Camera Type: A pop-up menu that sets the type of camera used. There are two options: Framing (the default value) and Viewpoint. A Framing camera has its origin at the focal plane.
Note: When you animate the Angle of View parameter on a Framing camera, the result is an opposing dolly effect. An opposing dolly zooms in the opposite direction that the camera moves. When you animate the Angle of View parameter on a Viewpoint camera, the result is a regular camera zoom. Angle of View = 45 deg Angle of View = 80 deg Framing camera Near Plane: A slider and value slider that set the distance at which the camera begins to see objects.
Scaling a Camera You can use the Scale parameter in the Properties tab of the Inspector to scale what a camera sees. Changing the Scale value does not affect a camera’s Angle of View parameter. Changing the Scale value only affects Framing cameras. About Camera Scaling To better understand camera scaling, imagine if you shrank down to only a few inches tall. While the world around you hasn’t actually changed size, it would appear, to you, to be much larger.
Note: The Walk Camera tool is only available when Active Camera, Camera, or Perspective is selected from the Camera menu. For more information on the Camera menu, see Camera Menu. Walk Camera tool To use the Walk Camera tool 1 Select the Walk Camera tool in the Toolbar. The pointer changes to indicate that the Walk Camera tool is active.
2 Do one of the following: • Choose Object > Isolate (or press Control-I). • In the Layers tab or Timeline, click the Isolate button. The current view changes to align itself with the selected object, and all other objects in the scene are hidden. Object in the Canvas Object after isolation When an object is isolated, a temporary camera is created and listed in the Camera menu. The camera shares its name with that of the isolated object.
Using Cameras to Set Up Useful Working Views When building a 3D project, it can be useful to position cameras to examine your project’s layout from different viewpoints. Rather than repeatedly moving the Perspective camera, you can add scene cameras to use as “spatial bookmarks.” You won’t want to use these cameras during export, so be sure to disable them before rendering. Depth of Field In the real world, cameras have a limited range of focus.
Note: Certain complex objects will not be affected by depth of field settings. These objects include local 3D text, paint, particles and replicators. The objects in these groups will likely be spread out along the z axis, but the camera cannot measure their relative depth and thus cannot accurately render depth of field. The entire object will be rendered with a constant level of blur. Depth of Field Controls Depth of Field settings are found in the Camera tab of the Inspector.
µ To enable/disable depth of field effects From the Render pop-up menu in the Toolbar, select Depth of Field (or press Option-Control-D). When a check mark is visible next to the menu item, the effects will be rendered. When no check mark is visible, all objects will remain in focus. For information on overriding this setting during export, see Overriding Project Settings Selected in the Render Pop-Up Menu.
Speed: A pop-up menu that sets the type of interpolation used for the movement. The value can be set to Constant, Ease In, Ease Out, Ease Both, Accelerate, or Decelerate. HUD Controls The HUD contains the same controls as the Inspector. Framing Animates the camera along a path to position it directly in front of a selected object.
• Fit Vertical: Positions the camera so the full height of the target fits within the height of the frame. • Fit Both: Positions the camera so both width and height of the target fit within the frame. • Simple Fit: Positions the camera so both width and height of the project fit within the frame. If the target object is larger or smaller than the project dimensions it may not properly fill the frame. • Custom Fit: This option appears when the Framing Offset parameter is manipulated manually.
Framing Behavior Onscreen Controls The Framing behavior has onscreen controls that allow you to directly manipulate the behavior settings in the Canvas. Offset Path Apex Framing controls Framing Offset control Camera motion path (created by Framing behavior) When a Framing behavior is applied and selected, The controls in the Canvas allow you to create a custom framing size and shape, as well as visually adjust the Framing Offset and the Offset Path Apex.
End: A dial and value slider that set the camera’s final angle relative to its Start parameter value. Speed: A pop-up menu that sets the type of interpolation used for the rotation. The value can be set to Constant, Ease In, Ease Out, Ease Both, Accelerate, or Decelerate. Axis: A pop-up menu that sets the axis around which the sweep occurs. Value can be set to Tilt X, Swivel Y, or Roll Z. HUD Controls The HUD contains the same controls as the Inspector.
If Transition is set to 50% in a Zoom Layer behavior that has a length of 300 frames, the camera move takes 150 frames to arrive at the position of the target object and then stops moving for the duration of the behavior, and the camera’s Angle of View parameter animates over the rest of the duration. If Transition is set to 100%, the camera move takes the full 300 frames to arrive at the position of the target object, and the camera’s angle of view does not animate.
Root-Level Behavior At the root level of the project, 2D groups behave differently than when they are nested inside 3D groups. (For more information about root-level groups, see Relative Coordinates.) 2D groups at the root level are locked to the camera, even if the camera is animated. 2D groups at the top of the Layers tab are always rendered in the foreground, and 2D groups at the bottom of the Layers tab are always rendered in the background.
When the Type parameter is set to 3D, the Flatten and Layer Order parameters become available. When the Flatten checkbox is selected, all of the elements in the 3D group are flattened like a “card” or “billboard.” When the Layer Order checkbox is selected, the group’s children are sorted by their order in the Layers tab rather than depth order (position along the Z axis). For more information, see Layer Order and Depth Order.
• Filters are applied to the group in view space. In other words, the filter affects the group as if it was applied to the lens of the camera viewing the group. Checkerboard in 3D group with Twirl filter applied from three different angles • Its children are lit individually. • Only a 3D group with the Flatten parameter enabled has the Crop, Drop Shadow, and Four Corner parameters.
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, 3D groups and objects display the shading from lights as soon as lights are added.
Parameters in the Inspector Light Type: A pop-up menu that lets you choose from four categories of light. • Ambient: An ambient light emits light in all directions, illuminating all objects in the scene from all directions equally. This type of light has no position and no representation in the Canvas. Additionally, ambient lights are the only lights that do not affect highlights. The most common use for ambient lights is to add an overall fill effect or color cast.
• Point: A point light emits light outward from a single point in 3D space in all directions. Optionally, you can add falloff based on an object’s proximity to the light. This is Motion’s default light, and it produces results similar to that of an incandescent light bulb. Point light Point light example • Spot: A spot light emits light from a conical light source and casts an elliptical pattern on objects hit by the light.
Falloff Start: A slider and value slider that enable you to adjust where the falloff point of a light begins. In the real world, light falls off—or has less of an effect—as the distance from the light increases. Usually falloff starts at the center of the light. Setting Falloff Start adds some additional control to your lighting. This parameter applies only to light types that utilize a Position parameter (Point and Spot). In the example below, a light is positioned slightly above the origin of the scene.
In the next example, the image on the left contains a light with Intensity set to 100%, while the image on the right has a light Intensity of 500%. In the image on the right, the outer rings are slightly brighter, but the innermost ring is overexposed. If the Falloff Start of the light in the image on the right were increased to 1000, the rings would be overexposed.
Object Lighting Parameters All “lightable” objects have properties that control how they react to lights in a scene. You can adjust these properties for a given object via the Lighting section of the Properties tab. Shading: A pop-up menu that enables you to set how an object responds to lights in the scene. If set to On, the object can be lit. If set to Off, the object ignores scene lights. If set to Inherited (the default), the object uses the Shading value of its parent.
µ To Disable Rendering of Lighting Click the Render pop-up menu in the Canvas Toolbar and choose Lighting or press Option-L. For information on overriding this setting during export, see Overriding Project Settings Selected in the Render Pop-Up Menu Shadows Motion scenes that include Point or Spot lights can recreate more natural, realistic effects by casting shadows. Shadows are created when opaque or semi-opaque object blocks light from hitting another object.
Cast Shadows Versus Drop Shadows There are two common types of shadow effects used in motion graphics work: drop shadows and cast shadows. Motion can create both effects, but because they have different purposes and applications, it may be helpful to consider the differences between them. Both cast and drop shadows simulate the effect of light being blocked by an opaque object.
Note: 2D groups at the root level of the project do not have lighting or shadow controls. To enable shadows on such a group, convert it to 3D or embed it within another 3D group. Shadow Parameters in the Light Tab Shadows Checkbox: The shadows group in the Light tab of the Inspector can be turned on and off using the Shadows checkbox. By default, it is deselected. This allows you to set certain lights to cast shadows, and others not to cast shadows.
Note: Selecting non-uniform softness can impact playback performance. Uniform softness Nonuniform softness Note: Intersecting objects reveal an unnatural effect of using uniform softness. Because an equal amount of blur is applied to the entire shadow, the blur appears to spill out in front of the intersecting object, creating a strange appearance. This effect can be eliminated in two ways; either by deselecting the Uniform Softness checkbox or setting the object to not receive shadows.
Color: This control allows you to set the color of the shadow. While semi-transparent objects will cast lighter shadows than opaque objects, you cannot create light transmission effects wherein a semi-transparent object allows some light to pass through it, picking up it’s color or pattern and projecting that as part of the shadow as light passing through stained glass would. For more on using the color controls, see Color Controls.
Receive Shadows: This checkbox controls whether or not neighboring objects’ shadows will affect the current object. When deselected, light will affect the object as if the shadow-casting object did not exist. The following image depicts an object (the white ring) with the Receive Shadow checkbox selected and the Casts Shadow checkbox deselected. Shadows Only: This checkbox allows an object to block light and cast a shadow, while the object itself does not appear in the scene.
You can select both Receives Shadows and Shadows Only, which makes the object invisible except for the regions where a shadow is cast upon it. Shadows and Complex 3D Objects When using shadows with objects such as particle systems, text objects, or replicators that are set to 3D, shadows will be cast from one part of the object onto another part. This is called self-shadowing.
Modifying the object in a way that causes rasterization prevents shadows from being displayed. In some cases you may be able to find another way to perform the effect that will not require rasterization. For example, in the following images, rather than modifying the opacity of the particle emitter, which causes rasterization, you can modify the opacity of the particle cells, creating the desired effect and maintaining the desired shadows.
When Shading (the visible effect of lighting) is disabled, shadows behave differently. Rather than being multiplied with the object upon which they are cast, the shadow’s color and opacity are controlled only by the Shadows settings in the Light tab of the shadow-casting light’s Inspector. Shading enabled Shading disabled This enables you to create shadows of any color or opacity, from traditional dark shadows to brightly colored or even white shadows.
Shading can be disabled globally by choosing View > Render Options > Lighting (Option-L) or by choosing Lighting in the Render pop-up menu above the Canvas (make sure there is no checkmark beside the menu item). It can also be disabled for a specific object in the Lighting section of an object’s Properties tab. For more about disabling lighting/shading see Disabling Lighting.
For information on overriding this setting during export, see Overriding Project Settings Selected in the Render Pop-Up Menu Reflections In the real world all objects exhibit some degree of reflectivity based on surface shine, brightness, angle of view, and proximity to the reflected objects. Motion simulates this natural effect, equipping every object with a set of parameters to create and control realistic-looking reflections.
Falloff: This checkbox determines whether the reflection fades with distance from the object, producing a more realistic result. There are additional options within the Falloff section once this checkbox has been enabled: No Falloff With Falloff Begin Distance: This slider determines the distance (inside the reflection) at which the falloff begins. When the slider is set to 0, falloff starts at the reflection plane.
Other Reflection Parameters Casts Reflection: The Properties tab of every object also contains a Casts Reflections parameter (in the Blending section) that controls whether or not an object is reflective. This pop-up menu has three choices demonstrated by the text object in the figures below: • Yes: The object is reflected in nearby reflective objects. • No: The object is ignored by reflective surfaces.
• Reflections Only: The object becomes invisible, but appears in reflective surfaces around it. Reflections and Groups In addition to choosing the reflections settings for individual objects, you can adjust the settings for an entire group. Reflections settings for a group override the settings of individual layers within the group.
Limiting Recursive Reflections When a reflective object is itself reflected in another object, the first object can be seen in the reflection, potentially causing an endless repetition of reflections. Motion limits the number of “reflective bounces” that can occur in a scene, preserving performance and preventing the viewer from getting lost in infinity. The number of allowed reflections is set per project.
Motion Tracking 19 Motion tracking is a method of recording the movement of an element (a shape or reference point in a movie clip) in the Canvas, then applying that recorded movement data to another element in the Canvas. For example, you can use motion tracking techniques to “pin” a post-production graphic to the side of a moving bus, “track” a blurry circle to a person’s face to preserve an innocent bystander’s anonymity, or “replace” a daring stuntman’s head with the lazy mug of a leading actor.
About Motion Tracking Motion provides a set of automated tracking behaviors that allow you to do the following: • Match move elements in movie clips: You can apply tracking data from a background element (such as a billboard) to a composited foreground element (such as a graphic of a logo) so that both elements appear to be locked together. This technique is known asmatch moving.
Note: Although Motion provides a 3D workspace, tracking in Motion is planar. In other words, tracking does not occur in Z space. For example, if you are analyzing two features in a clip—and that clip is moving in 3D space—you are recording the changes in position, scale, or rotation over time in the clip but not its actual 3D transformation. The object that is tracked is called the background or source element. The object to which the tracking data is applied is called the foreground or destination element.
When the tracker’s position and correlation values for a given frame have been determined, Motion records this information in keyframes. This process is then repeated for every frame, until the end of the track range has been reached. The recorded data is stored as keyframes in the tracking behavior. The data allows you to quickly apply the tracks to many project elements.
• Match Move: This behavior is used to “match” a foreground element to a background element so that they appear locked together. This effect can be achieved in three different ways: • You can match a foreground element to a background element using one-point (position), two-point (position, scale, or rotation), or four-point (corner-pinning) tracking.
• Unstabilize: This behavior does not perform any tracking. Instead, the Unstabilize behavior applies the movement recorded by another tracking behavior, such as Stabilize, to a clip or object. This allows you to match the camera shake in a clip to foreground elements added in post-production. To load the tracking data, choose a track from the tracking behaviors pop-up menu, located in the tracking behavior HUD or Inspector. Note: The Unstabilize behavior can be applied to nearly any object type.
The Analyze Motion behavior analyzes and stores tracking information from a clip. The behavior does not transform the tracked object. This data can be referenced by other tracking behaviors. For a full description of the Analyze Motion parameters, see Analyze Motion Controls. Tracking in one pass rarely yields perfect results without some fine-tuning. For information on various tracking methods and tips, see Strategies for Better Tracking.
The tracker is added to the footage. By default, a single tracker appears at the center of the footage. Tracker 2 Play your background clip several times to determine a good track point, then go to the frame where you want to start the track. 3 In the Canvas, drag the tracker to the reference point you want to use. Note: For more information on using the onscreen tracker, see Adjusting the Onscreen Trackers.
Once the tracking analysis begins, a progress window opens and track points on motion path appear in the Canvas. The track point at the current playhead position is emphasized. Track point at current playhead position The tracking keyframes contained in the behavior appear in the Keyframe Editor. Because the Analyze Motion behavior does not transform the source object, only the tracking keyframes appear in the Keyframe Editor.
A “confidence” curve is also displayed in the Keyframe Editor. This curve provides a visual indication of the tracker’s accuracy relative to its parameter settings in the Inspector. The confidence curve is not for editing purposes. 8 To stop a track, click the Stop button in the progress window or press Esc. Tip: If it appears that the tracker loses its reference pattern, do not immediately click the Stop button. Allow the analysis to continue for a few seconds.
Match Move Workflows This section provides a general overview of several Match Move behavior workflows, including four-corner pinning. For a full description of the Match Move parameters, see Match Move Controls. To use a Match Move behavior, you need a minimum of two objects in your project: a background or source element and a foreground or destination object.
As you drag the tracker in the Canvas, the region around the tracker becomes magnified to help you find a suitable reference pattern. The foreground element is the particle emitter (emitting red flowers). As you drag the track point in the Canvas, the area around the tracker becomes magnified. 6 Click the Analyze button in the HUD or Behaviors tab of the Inspector. The foreground element is tracked to the background element.
In the next example, Position, Scale, and Rotation are enabled in the Adjust row of the Behaviors tab. Consequently, the white elliptical shape changes its position, scale, and rotation based on the position of the two trackers matching the camera’s push toward the picture frames, thereby preserving the illusion that the shape is physically attached to the picture frame. Note: When using four-point tracking, scale and rotation are automatically applied to the corner-pinned object.
In this example, a Match Move behavior is applied to a nonanimated particle emitter. Match Move behavior The closest animation data (such as position or rotation changes caused by keyframes or behaviors) beneath the Match Move behavior in the Layers tab is automatically applied as the source and is displayed in the Source well. In this example, the animated wand is the source animation. Source well Important: Animated objects, tracking behaviors, and footage can be dropped in the Source wells.
In this example, the particle emitter is positioned at the tip of the wand. The particle emitter and the wand now share the same animation path. 4 Play the project. The particles match the movement of the wand.
About Destination Object Animation You can instantly apply the animation of an object (called the source object) to another object (called the destination object) using the Match Move behavior. The source object can be animated by behaviors or keyframes. The destination object can also be animated. You can specify whether the animation of the destination object is ignored by the match move or added to the match move.
Four-Corner Pinning with Match Move The Match Move behavior allows you to track four points on a background clip and apply the motion to the four corners of a foreground element. There are three possible four-corner pinning workflows. In the first example, a foreground element is pinned to a background element using the four-corner trackers. This workflow is useful when the “pinned” image is the same size as the background reference patterns to which it is being tracked.
2 In the Behaviors tab of the Inspector, choose Four Corners from the Type pop-up menu. Note: The Four Corners option is not available when Match Move is applied to a 3D group. To corner-pin a 3D group, select the Flatten checkbox in the Group tab of the Inspector. In the Canvas, a tracker appears at each corner of the foreground object’s bounding box. In the Inspector, the default track list (Anchor and Rotation-Scale), is replaced with the Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Right, and Bottom Left trackers.
The foreground element is “pinned” on the background element. Note: In this example, a reflection is created on the table using a duplicated and transformed copy of the tracked image. To fine-tune the track (when Four Corners is chosen from the Type pop-up menu), you may need to make minor adjustments to the foreground element, such as modifying its scale or rotation.
2 In the Toolbar, choose the Adjust Four Corner tool from the 2D transform tool set. Adjust Four Corner tool 3 Drag each corner of the foreground element into the correct position. Once a corner is dragged in the Canvas, the Four Corner checkbox is selected in the Properties tab. Tip: You may want to lower the opacity of the foreground object to better see the reference points on the background clip.
In the Canvas, a tracker appears at each corner of the foreground object. In the Inspector, the default track list (Anchor and Rotation-Scale) is replaced with the Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Right, and Bottom Left trackers. 5 If necessary, drag each tracker in the Canvas and fine-tune its position in the Tracker Preview of the Inspector. Important: To adjust the trackers without adjusting the foreground image, choose Mimic Source from the Transform pop-up menu in the Behaviors tab of the Inspector.
Option 3: Transform the Object Prior to Corner-Pinning In this workflow, a foreground object is transformed to fit a background picture frame using the scale, rotation, and position parameters in the Properties tab prior to applying the Match Move behavior. This workflow is helpful when the “pinned” image needs fine tuning, such as scaling, rotating, or cropping prior to being tracked. To transform and corner-pin an image 1 Select the foreground element you want to corner-pin.
• To adjust the trackers and affect the shape of the foreground image, choose Attach to Source from the Transform pop-up menu, then position the trackers on the reference patterns of the background image. In the image below, the tracker is being positioned in the Canvas and the foreground image is affected because Attach to Source is chosen from the Transform pop-up menu. 6 Click the Analyze button in the HUD or Behaviors tab of the Inspector. The foreground element is “pinned” on the background element.
Note: As an alternative to using masks, you can also crop an object with applied tracking data using the Crop controls in the Properties tab of the Inspector. You can track the control points of a mask to a clip or apply existing tracking data to the control points of a mask. For more information, see Track Points Workflow.
To track reference points that are offset from the foreground image 1 Use one of the workflows above (Four-Corner Pinning with Match Move) to set up a four-corner pin using the Match Move behavior. 2 Choose Mimic Source from the Transform pop-up menu in the Behaviors tab of the Inspector. 3 In the Canvas, drag the trackers to the tracking markers. The image is not affected and remains locked to its original placement. 4 Click the Analyze button in the HUD or Behaviors tab of the Inspector.
Note: For four-point Analyze Motion and Stabilize operations, the trackers should be positioned in a clockwise order, starting in the upper-left corner. This ensures the proper alignment of your element when the transformation is applied. Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Track 4 2 Drag the tracker (Track 1) to the desired reference pattern in the top-left corner of the background element.
This applies the Analyze Motion tracking data recorded in step 6 to the Match Move behavior. Tracking behaviors pop-up menu 9 Choose Four Corners from the Type pop-up menu in the HUD or Behaviors tab of the Inspector. The four-point tracking data from the Analyze Motion behavior is applied to the foreground element.
Stabilize Workflow This section provides a general overview of using the Stabilize tracking behavior to smooth shaky motion in a movie or image sequence. For a full description of the Stabilize parameters, see Stabilize Controls. With the Stabilize behavior, there are three ways to analyze a clip: • Use the default advanced motion analysis technique that evaluates the entire frame of a clip at once to extract animation data without the use of onscreen trackers.
b Choose an option from the Borders pop-up menu: • Choose Normal to maintain the size of the stabilized footage. The resulting transformations that are made to the stabilized image may cause moving black borders to appear around the edges of the clip. Normal borders maintain the size of the stabilized clip but create black borders around the clip’s edges. • Choose Zoom to expand the clip to the full size of the Canvas. This prevents black borders from appearing around the edges of the stabilized clip.
d Enable or disable the Adjust options: • Turn on Position to apply the analyzed position data to the clip. (The X and Y position changes in the footage are smoothed or stabilized.) To stabilize the X and Y position of the shot, but leave any scale or rotation changes intact, turn on Position and turn off Scale and Rotation. • Turn on Scale to apply any analyzed scale data to the clip. (Any scale changes in the footage are smoothed or stabilized.
• Drag a handle to resize the region. The corner handles simultaneously resize width and height; the top and bottom center handles resize height; the left and right center handles resize width. • Press Option while dragging a handle to resize the region from its center. • Drag the rotation handle in the center of the region to change the angle of the region. Track Region rotation handle 3 After defining the track region, click the Analyze button in the Behaviors tab.
• Drag an analyzed tracking behavior to the Source well in the HUD or Behaviors tab of the Inspector. The motion is applied to the destination object. Track Points Workflow The Track Points behavior (located in the Shape Behaviors category) is designed for use with shapes, masks, and paint strokes. The Track points behavior can be used in the following ways: • Track the control points of a shape or mask (for example, when rotoscoping) to a clip.
In this example, the Track Points behavior is applied to a loose mask of seven control points isolating a car in a clip. Note: Keep in mind that paint strokes usually have a very large number of control points. You should simplify a paint stroke by deleting or disabling control points prior to applying a Track Points behavior to the stroke. To track the stroke as a whole, rather than by its control points, use the Match Move behavior.
In this example, a mask is tracked to a moving car so that the car can be isolated from the rest of the clip. The illustration on the left shows the original unmodified clip. In the illustration on the right, the tracked mask isolates the car, allowing separate effects to be applied to the car and its background even though they are part of the same image. The mask is “protecting” the car from the effects of the heavy blur and desaturation.
2 Apply the Track Points behavior to a non-animated shape. The animated object closest to the object with the applied Track Points behavior in the Layers tab is automatically applied to the Track Points behavior as the animation source, and is displayed in the Source well in the HUD and Inspector. In this example, the Track Points behavior is applied to the Bezier shape, and a line used as the source animation is animated with the Spin behavior.
The spinning animation of the line is applied to the Bezier shape. The tangents remain aligned at their original angles along the shape. Note: By default, Mimic Source is chosen from the Transform pop-up menu. For more information on the Transform pop-up menu, see Track Points Controls. Track Parameter Workflow The Track Parameter behavior allows you to track a position parameter of a filter to a reference feature of a clip, or to apply existing tracking data to a position parameter of a filter.
2 In the Filters tab of the Inspector, Control-click the Center parameter, then choose Track from the shortcut menu. In the Canvas, the filter’s onscreen control is replaced with a tracker. The Behaviors tab becomes active and the Track behavior parameters are displayed. Note: In the Filters tab, a behavior icon appears next to the Center parameter, indicating that it is influenced by a behavior. If necessary, adjust the tracker in the Canvas.
As you drag, the area around the tracker in the Canvas is magnified and its position is displayed in an info window. This area is a visual aid for positioning the tracker and does not represent a search area or region. Note: Unlike many correlation trackers, you do not manually specify a search area when setting up a tracker in Motion. Motion automatically searches, with subpixel accuracy, a default area around the track point.
Note: You can Option–drag in the Tracker Preview area to manually override the pattern search size. Option–drag left to reduce the size of the search pattern in the Canvas, and Option–drag right to increase the pattern search size. Alternatively, you can modify the search size using the Track Size slider in the tracker parameters. µ To move multiple trackers at the same time Drag to select or Shift-select the trackers in the Canvas, then drag them to a new position. A selected tracker appears yellow.
Finding a Good Reference Pattern The first step in selecting a good reference pattern is to play the footage several times. As you review the clip, try to locate a reference pattern that follows as many of the following rules as possible: • The pattern contains perpendicular edges, such as dots, intersections, and corners (lines and straight boundaries should be avoided as tracking reference patterns). • It is a high-contrast pattern.
When Good Tracks Go Bad Once an analysis is complete, you may need to retrack a portion of the clip. Rather than tracking over bad tracking keyframes, it is recommended that you delete any bad keyframes prior to retracking. If “bad” keyframes are not deleted, the tracker may continue to use the old reference point. Deleting Bad Keyframes in the Keyframe Editor You can delete bad tracking keyframes in the Keyframe Editor.
Tip: When dealing with multiple problem trackers, you may want to turn off the trackers you are not correcting to simplify the Keyframe Editor. Additionally, when fine-tuning tracks in the Keyframe Editor, you may want to simplify what is displayed in the graph. The following image displays the curves for a simple four-corner pin. To quickly solo a curve, Option-click the parameter’s checkbox in the Keyframe Editor’s parameter list.
2 In the toolbar, ensure that the Adjust Item tool is selected. 3 Ensure that a track point is active in the Canvas. You may want to zoom into the Canvas in order to better see the active track points. The track point at the current playhead position appears larger than other track points. Active track point at current playhead position Note: If you press the Delete key when a track point is not selected, the entire path is deleted.
To delete bad track points in the Canvas after analysis is complete 1 With the tracking analysis complete and the tracking behavior selected, move the playhead to the frame with the track point (or start of the track points) you want to delete. 2 In the toolbar, ensure that the Adjust Item tool is selected. 3 Ensure that a track point is active in the Canvas. You may want to zoom into the Canvas in order to better see the active track points.
This example uses 5, which means that 5 track points centered on the currently evaluated point are used to compute the current point’s new, smoothed value. This is a standard Gaussian (bell-curve type) filter. In other words, if you leave it at 5, when the value of frame 12 is computed, frames 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are considered. If set to 3, it uses frames 11, 12, and 13. The larger the Smoothing Factor, the more points are considered (and thus more calculations done) for every point in the curve.
To convert a tracking behavior to keyframes 1 Select the Match Move, Stabilize, or Unstabilize behavior that you want to convert. 2 Choose Object > Convert to Keyframes (or press Command-K). A dialog appears confirming the conversion. 3 Click OK. The behavior is converted into editable keyframes and the tracking behavior is deleted. For more information on converting behaviors to keyframes, see Converting Behaviors to Keyframes. For more information on using the Keyframe Editor, see Keyframes and Curves.
The suggested points are not necessarily ideal tracking reference points for the feature you want to track in the clip. Motion is merely picking locations in the current frame that meet the track point criteria, such as an area of high contrast. Giving Motion a Hint When using the Analyze Motion behavior, you can direct a tracker where to look in a later frame for its reference pattern.
Note: The maximum default for the Look Ahead Frames slider is 10 frames. However, you can enter a larger frame amount using the adjacent value slider. 4 While holding down the Command key, click the tracker in the Canvas, then drag in the direction the reference pattern is moving in the clip. As you Command-drag the track point, an inset displays a magnified view of the frame specified in the Look Ahead Frames parameter.
6 In the Behaviors tab of the Inspector, click the disclosure triangle for the track you have manually adjusted, then choose Use Existing Keyframes from the Fail Behavior pop-up menu. 7 Turn off the Record button (press A). 8 Go to the first frame of the clip, then click the Analyze button in the behavior HUD or Inspector. Important: Even though keyframes have been created, you must analyze the footage in order to obtain the tracking data.
A second strategy is to lower the Fail Tolerance value. With a lower Fail Tolerance value, the tracker is more likely to find a false match. With a higher value, the tracker is more strict in finding a match. Click the track’s disclosure triangle to display the Fail Tolerance parameter. Another strategy is to jump to the midpoint frame of the clip and track forward to the end frame of the clip. Then return to the midpoint frame and track backward to the beginning of the clip.
When a track is lost during an analysis, Motion automatically jumps back to the frame at which the track failed. The “bad” track point is identified by an “x” in the Canvas. You can use the bad track point, or use any point prior to the failed track frame, to move the tracker and select a new reference feature. In the Canvas, the track point at the current playhead position is emphasized. The track point at the current playhead is highlighted.
Note: The Offset Track parameter is available in the Analyze Motion behavior and in the Stabilize behavior. Before the parameter becomes available in the Stabilize behavior, you must explicitly add a tracker using the Add button in the Inspector. 3 Drag the tracker to a new position in the Canvas. 4 Click Analyze to restart the motion analysis. Motion continues to keyframe the trajectory of the original track point, based on the movement of the new offset reference pattern.
Adding Trackers to the Stabilization If a stabilized clip has a particularly bumpy section that is not getting smoothed, you can add trackers to noncontiguous sections of a clip. Any stabilize data from the automatic motion analysis is overwritten by the portions of the clip that are analyzed using the onscreen trackers. To use a tracker for a portion of a stabilize operation 1 Once the Stabilize motion analysis is complete, play the clip to determine what section you want to track.
Editing the Analysis Data If neither of the prior solutions helps, look at the “Analyze.Confidence” parameter in the Keyframe Editor, then look for frames where the Confidence parameter falls to very low values. You can convert the Stabilize behavior to keyframes in order to create transform keyframes on the stabilized object. These keyframes can then be edited in the Keyframe Editor. Try deleting any keyframes that create unusual spikes at the frames where the Confidence curve value was low.
Distorting the Edges One last suggestion is to experiment with different filters to stretch the edges of the image to fill any gaps. For example, you can experiment with the Scrape filter to stretch out the edges of the image. This solution is highly dependent on the type of image and may introduce other image artifacts that may or may not be acceptable. In the following image, a large border is created when the clip is stabilized.
Some General Guidelines The Motion tracker uses the source image for its tracking analysis. This means that the tracker automatically uses the best search area, the best color, the best contrast, subpixel accuracy, and so on in the clip to generate the best possible tracking data. Common tracking strategies, such as using filter tricks, manually resizing a tracking “box” or search area, or specifying a subpixel sampling amount are not required.
Corner-Pinning Groups You can corner-pin groups using the Match Move behavior. Use the following guidelines for the best results: • To corner-pin a 2D group, it is recommended that you select the Fixed Resolution checkbox in the Group tab of the Inspector. • To corner-pin a 3D group, you must select the Flatten checkbox in the Group tab of the Inspector. If Flatten is not enabled for the group, the Four Corners option will not be available from the Type pop-up menu in the Match Move parameters.
For more information on saving behaviors to the Library, see Saving and Sharing Custom Behaviors. To add a group to a project from the Library 1 Open the Library and select the category that contains the group. 2 Do one of the following: • To nest the group in an existing group, drag it to the existing group in the Layers tab. • To create a new group, drag it to an empty area in the lower portion of the Layers tab. The group is added to the project.
Important: The Analyze Motion behavior can only be applied to footage objects (a QuickTime movie or image sequence). Parameters in the Inspector Movement: The Movement parameters contain the Analyze and Reverse controls. • Analyze: Click the Analyze button to begin the motion tracking analysis. Once Analyze is clicked, a status window appears that displays the tracking progress. To stop the analysis, click the Stop button in the status window or press Esc.
Auto-Zoom Mode: Choose an option from this pop-up menu to set the display of the auto-zoomed tracker in the Canvas. There are three choices: • Normal: Displays a normal pattern. • Contrast: Displays the tracker pattern with contrast detection. • Edge: Displays the tracker pattern with edge detection. The Auto-Zoom Mode applies only to the trackers in the Canvas and does not appear in the Tracker Preview in the Behaviors tab of the Inspector.
• Fail Behavior: This pop-up menu specifies what happens if the track confidence value falls below the Fail Tolerance amount. The following options are available: • Smart Retry: The tracker attempts to find the reference pattern in a larger search area. If the pattern cannot be found, the tracker switches to the Predict option. Smart Retry is the default fail behavior. • Stop: Stops the analysis when the tracker loses the reference pattern.
Parameters in the Inspector Source: Drag the source object for the match move to this well. The source object can be another tracking behavior, an animated object, or a footage object. When a Match Move behavior is added to an object, the nearest animated object, recorded track, or footage object beneath the behavior in the Layers tab appears in this well. To clear a Source well, drag the item away from the well and release the mouse button.
Direction: This pop-up menu allows you to specify the dimension in which the recorded movement is applied to the destination object: Horizontal and Vertical (X and Y), Horizontal (only X), or Vertical (only Y). Transform: This pop-up menu allows you to choose how the destination object (the object to which the Match Move behavior is applied) moves. This menu contains two items: Attach to Source and Mimic Source.
• Mimic Source: This option allows the destination object to “mimic” the recorded track or animation source. Any animation that existed on the foreground object prior to applying the track can be added to the track by selecting Position, Rotation, or Scale in the Adjust parameters. Note: As with Attach to Source, the position of the destination object can be changed (offset from the source object). Additionally, the destination object can be scaled and rotated.
Offset Track: This parameter appears only when there is a tracking source (footage) in the source well. If a tracker’s reference point becomes temporarily hidden or goes off the screen, this parameter allows you to select a different reference point that continues the same tracking path as the original reference point. For more information on offset tracking, see Tracking Obscured or Off-Frame Points. Auto-Zoom: This parameter appears only when there is a tracking source (footage) in the source well.
When the Match Move behavior references another behavior, such as Analyze Motion, the Anchor tracker becomes the Anchor pop-up menu. Likewise, the Rotation-Scale tracker (if there is one) becomes the Rotation-Scale pop-up menu. Click the Anchor or Rotation-Scale disclosure triangles to reveal additional parameters: • Position: Displays the X and Y positions of the tracker. The X position is the value slider on the left; the Y position is the value slider on the right.
• Use Existing Keyframes: Use this option if you have manually created track position keyframes to guide the tracker. After manually adding keyframes, return to the start frame and start the tracking analysis. If the tracker has difficulty locating the track pattern, the manually created tracking keyframes are referenced to guide the tracker. • Color: Click or Control-click the color well to set a new color for the onscreen tracker. You can also click the eyedropper and select a color in the Canvas.
Bottom Right: Available when four-point tracking is enabled (Four Corners is chosen from the Type pop-up menu) and the Match Move behavior references another behavior (such as Analyze Motion), this pop-up menu allows you to select the tracker from the referenced behavior that you want to apply as the bottom right tracker.
Parameters in the Inspector Source: To clear a Source well, drag the item away from the well and release the mouse button. Drag a source object for the behavior to this well. The source object can be another Stabilize behavior or a footage object. Tracking behaviors pop-up menu: Choose from a list of tracking data (from other tracking behaviors) within the project.
• Smooth: This method smoothes the apparent motion of the camera, while allowing the general movement in the frame to proceed. It’s useful for removing jitter from a camera move. When enabled, this mode has three sliders for each of the dimensions that can be smoothed. Translation Smooth: This parameter appears when Method is set to Smooth. Smoothes motion in both the X and Y dimensions. Rotation Smooth: This parameter appears when Method is set to Smooth. Smoothes image rotation.
Tracker: Click the Add button to add trackers to the Stabilize behavior. By default, trackers are added at the center of the Canvas. A maximum of two trackers can be added to the Stabilize behavior. When added, Track 1 is used as the anchor (for position) and Track 2 is used for rotation-scale. Once a tracker is added to a Stabilize behavior, the following occurs: • The Track Region parameter is no longer available. • The Reverse checkbox becomes available, allowing you to track a clip backwards.
HUD Controls The Unstabilize HUD contains two controls to load another stabilize track into the behavior: the Source well or the tracking behaviors pop-up menu. These controls are identical to the controls in the Inspector. Track Points Controls The Track Points behavior allows you to link the control points of a shape or mask (including paint strokes) to reference features on a source clip.
Align Tangents: When this checkbox is deselected, tangents remain aligned at their original angles. When the checkbox is selected, the tangents match the transformation of the source animation, and the shape changes its form. Movement: The Movement parameters contain the Analyze and Reverse parameters. This parameter appears only when there is a tracking source (footage) in the source well. • Analyze: Click the Analyze button to begin the motion tracking analysis.
Auto-Zoom Mode: This parameter appears only when there is a tracking source (footage) in the source well. Choose an option from this pop-up menu to set the display of the auto-zoomed tracker in the Canvas. There are three choices: • Normal: Displays a normal pattern. • Contrast: Displays the tracker pattern with contrast detection. • Edge: Displays the tracker pattern with edge detection.
• Fail Tolerance: This parameter defines the amount of tolerance for error, orconfidence value, of the track. In other words, it defines at what “score” the tracker determines it is able to match a reference feature. When above the score, the tracker accepts the match. When below the score, the tracker rejects the match. Once the match is rejected, the Fail Behavior kicks in. • Fail Behavior: This pop-up menu specifies what happens if the track confidence value falls below the Fail Tolerance amount.
HUD Controls The Track Points HUD contains controls to load an animated object or tracking behavior into the behavior (via the Source well or the tracking behaviors pop-up menu), to specify how the destination object moves, to start the motion analysis (the Analyze button), to reverse the direction of the track (the Reverse checkbox), and to offset the track (the Offset Track checkbox).
Note: Although the object’s position is attached to the movement of the source object, its position can be offset from the source object. • Mimic Source: This option allows the object to “mimic” the recorded track or animation source. Any animation that existed on the foreground object prior to applying the track can be added to the track by selecting Position, Rotation, or Scale in the Adjust parameters. Note: As with Attach to Source, the object’s position can be offset from the source object.
Auto-Zoom Mode: Choose an option from this pop-up menu to set the display of the auto-zoomed tracker in the Canvas. There are three choices: • Normal: Displays a normal pattern. • Contrast: Displays the tracker pattern with contrast detection. • Edge: Displays the tracker pattern with edge detection. The Auto-Zoom Mode applies only to the trackers in the Canvas and does not appear in the Tracker Preview in the Behaviors tab of the Inspector.
Fail Behavior: This pop-up menu specifies what happens if the track confidence value falls below the Fail Tolerance amount. The following options are available: • Smart Retry: The tracker attempts to find the reference pattern in a larger search area. If the pattern cannot be found, the tracker switches to the Predict option. Smart Retry is the default fail behavior. • Stop: Stops the analysis when the tracker loses the reference pattern.
Working with Audio 20 Sound is an integral part of many motion graphics projects. Use audio in your project for background music, dialogue, or scratch tracks. This chapter covers the following: • About Audio in Motion (p. 1327) • Audio Files in Motion Projects (p. 1328) • Working with Audio Tracks (p. 1337) • Keyframing Level and Pan Changes (p. 1345) • Crossfading Audio Tracks (p. 1347) • Syncing Audio and Video Tracks (p. 1347) • Retiming Audio (p. 1347) • Using Markers with Audio (p.
You can turn audio tracks on and off, select and play individual tracks, mute and solo tracks, and control volume and pan settings for each track in the Audio tab of the Project pane. The Audio tab lets you edit the settings for each audio track, as well as the Master audio track. You can add keyframes for volume and pan to an audio track and trim an audio track in the Audio Editor or in the Keyframe Editor. You can also trim an audio track in the Timeline.
Import File Formats Motion supports audio in a variety of common file formats, sample rates, and bit depths. Supported import file formats include: • AIFF • WAV • MP3 • AAC (except rights-protected AAC files) • QuickTime Audio (.mov) Note: Multitrack QuickTime movie files and multichannel audio files are also supported. 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.
Adding an Audio File To work with audio in your project, you start by adding an audio file to the project. Note: Although you can see a connected iPod in the File Browser as a hard disk, you can only browse for and import files stored in the hard disk storage area of the iPod into Motion. To add an audio file from the File Browser Do one of the following: µ µ Drag the file from the File Browser or the Finder into the Canvas.
To add an audio file from iTunes 1 In the Library, select the Music category. 2 Select a playlist, then select a song in the file stack. 3 Do one of the following: • In the Preview area, click Apply. • Drag the file to the Canvas, Project pane, or Timeline layers list. Note: Rights-protected AAC files cannot be imported into Motion and do not appear in the file stack. This includes non-iTunes Plus music purchased from the iTunes Store.
Importing Multichannel Audio to Motion Multichannel audio files can be imported as a single track or as individual tracks. The same applies to QuickTime movie files that contain multiple audio tracks, including files with stereo audio tracks. For the purposes of this document, multichannel audio files and multitrack QuickTime files can be manipulated in the same way, and should be considered interchangeable.
When you choose Mix To Stereo, the file appears in the Audio tab as a single audio track and the video appears in the Canvas (and Layers tab). The link icon in the Lock column of the Audio tab indicates that the audio object has a corresponding video element. Note: When a multitrack QuickTime file is imported without using the drop menu, Mix To Stereo is the default import method.
To import a multitrack QuickTime movie file using the Import command 1 Choose File > Import (or press Command-I). 2 In the Import File dialog, select the QuickTime file. 3 Choose an import option from the Audio pop-up menu (located at the bottom of the Import Files dialog), then click Import. The file is imported with your chosen option. Viewing Audio Files You can view a listing of all the audio tracks in your project and view the audio waveform for an individual track.
Note: If there are multiple audio tracks in the project, the waveform of the master track appears in the Keyframe Editor, and a pop-up menu at the bottom of the Keyframe Editor allows you to view the waveform of any individual audio track in the project or the master track. Audio track selection pop-up menu • Click the Audio Editor tab in the Timing pane. The waveform of the selected track appears in the Audio Editor.
µ To copy an audio track In the Audio tab, select the audio track, then do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). • Control-click the track, then choose Copy from the shortcut menu. µ To paste an audio track In the Audio tab, do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). • Control-click an empty area, then choose Paste from the shortcut menu.
Working with Audio Tracks When you add an audio file to your project, Motion creates one or more audio tracks for the file. In the Audio tab of the Project pane, you can turn audio tracks on and off, select tracks, mute and solo tracks, and control their volume and pan settings. Audio tracks Any changes you make to an audio track, such as renaming or trimming it, do not affect the source audio file.
Playing Audio Tracks When you click the Play button in the transport controls, you hear the audio tracks in your project play in time with your visuals. You can also play an individual audio track separately from the project Timeline. µ To play audio with your project Click the Play button in the transport controls. When you click the Play button, you hear all audio tracks in the project that are turned on and are not muted. To play an individual audio track 1 In the Audio tab, select the audio track.
To solo an audio track Do one of the following: µ Click the Solo button. Click the Solo button again to unsolo the track. µ Control-click the track, then choose Solo from the shortcut menu. You can also solo multiple audio tracks. When you solo more than one track, all tracks not soloed are muted (silent) during playback. Setting Levels Level refers to the loudness or volume of an audio track (sometimes referred to as gain). You can adjust an audio track’s level using the Level slider.
To set or change output channels for an audio track 1 Choose 5.1 Surround from the Master Output Channel pop-up menu at the bottom of the Audio tab. Master Output Channel pop-up menu 2 Choose an output channel for the specific audio track from the Output Channel pop-up menu (in the track list of the Audio tab). Output Channel pop-up menu Note: If you do not have surround-sound hardware, the Center, LFE, Left Surround, and Right Surround output channels will be italicized.
In the Audio tab and Audio Editor, you can also type a value in the value field. You can set the pan position in integer increments (–1, 0, 1, and so on). The pan field shows numbers in a three-digit format (000, for example). Locking Tracks Locking a track prevents it from being edited. When a track is locked, you cannot mute or solo the track, change its level or pan, move or trim it, or add keyframes. You can still play the track, and turn it on or off.
µ To turn the Master track on or off Click the checkbox at the left side of the Master track. Click the checkbox again to return the Master track to its previous state. When the master track is selected, a master waveform appears in the Audio Editor. Setting Master Level You can use the Master Level slider to set the overall volume level for the audio in your project. µ To set the master level Drag the Master Level slider to set the level you want.
Once you determine which track is causing the clipping, you can lower the track’s overall level, or use keyframes to lower the track’s level at the specific point in time where clipping occurs. Clipping indicators The clipping indicators are “sticky,” meaning that once they light up, they stay lit until you reset them or close the project. This is intended to help remind you to find and eliminate the cause of the clipping before you export your project.
Note: You can also show and slip the timebar for an audio track in the Timeline. To display audio in the Timeline, click the Show/Hide Audio button in the display options (located in the lower section of the Timeline layers list). Trimming Audio Tracks You can edit the start and end points of an audio track to cut down the length of the audio in the track, or to have it start or end at a specific point in time. This is called “trimming” the track.
µ Position the pointer over the number in either the In or Out field, and the drag pointer appears. Drag left to increase the value, or drag right to decrease the value. The trimmed area appears highlighted in green. Scrubbing an Audio Track You can scrub an audio track in the Audio Editor to hear a portion of the track. Use the Audio Scrubbing button to turn scrubbing on or off. Scrubbing is turned on by default in the Audio Editor (it is off by default in the Timeline).
For more information about using keyframes and editing curves, see Keyframes and Curves Recording Keyframes You can record keyframes for audio level and pan by clicking the Record button, then moving the sliders in the Audio tab, the HUD, or the Inspector. Recording keyframes for audio level and pan can be useful for trying out changes, and when you want to hear the results in real time.
2 Option-click the blue pan curve to add a keyframe. 3 Drag the keyframe up or down to set the pan position you want at a specific time. Drag down to pan to the left, or drag up to pan to the right. 4 Add any other keyframe you need, and drag each one to set its value. Note: When modifying Pan values, you can Control-click a keyframe to display a shortcut menu that lets you set different interpolation methods between points on your curve. See Modifying Curves for more information.
Note: When retiming video, audio attached to the footage is automatically retimed along with it. You can unlink video and audio to retime them separately. For more information on retiming footage, see Retiming. Timing Controls in the Inspector Each audio object has individual timing parameters in the Properties tab. Speed: Sets the speed of the audio clip as a percentage. The default is 100%.
To shorten the audio clip’s duration and speed up its playback 1 Move the pointer over the end of the green audio track. 2 Press and hold down the Option key. The pointer turns into the retiming pointer. 3 While continuing to hold down the Option key, drag the end of the track bar (the right end of the bar) to the left. As you drag, the tooltip displays the clip’s duration and speed.
3 Drag the end of the track bar to the left. As you drag, the tooltip displays the clip’s In and Out points, duration, and loop duration. A looped clip has barriers to indicate where loops begin and end in the Timeline. First loop barrier The first loop barrier in a clip’s bar is interactive. Moving the barrier changes the point at which the clip loops. µ To change the loop point of an audio clip Drag the first loop barrier left or right. The end point of the clip’s loop moves as you drag.
There are two useful behaviors to control audio tracks in Motion: Audio Auto Pan Automates commonly used panning effects in an audio track. Parameters in the Inspector Pan Position: Sets the position of the pan. If the Pan Position slider is set to 0, the sound is equally balanced between the left and right channels. With larger negative values of Pan Position, the sound increases in volume in the left channel and decreases in the right channel.
End Offset: Sets the number of frames from the end of the audio before which the audio effect stops. HUD Controls The HUD contains the same controls as the Inspector, with the exception of the Start Offset and End Offset controls. Audio Fade In/Fade Out Automates fading in and out an audio track. Parameters in the Inspector Fade In Time: Sets the number of frames over which the audio fades in from –96 dB to 0 dB from the first frame of the audio track.
Audio Parameter Behavior Motion provides an easy and automated way for you to generate audio-driven animations in your projects, using the Audio Parameter behavior. Whereas other behaviors are applied to an object as a whole (usually modifying multiple parameters at once), a Parameter behavior is applied to an individual parameter of an object.
Parameters in the Inspector Source Audio: Sets the audio track from which to read audio data. Can be set to any single audio track in the project, or the Master track. Either drag an audio clip or a video clip with audio into the Source Audio well, or use the pop-up menu to choose a source for audio analysis. Note: In order for the Audio Parameter behavior to have an effect on an object, audio must be present in the Timeline at the position of the behavior.
High Frequency: Sets the high frequency threshold of audio analysis. Only audio frequencies below this value will be analyzed. Values range from 1 Hz to 22,050 Hz. Floor: Sets the minimum value of audio input, below which results are ignored. Values range from 0 to 1. Ceiling: Sets the maximum value of audio input, above which results are ignored. Values range from 0 to 1. Smoothness: Sets the window size to smooth the result curve.
• Square: Each peak of the animation curve is drawn by four keyframes. A selected keyframe has no tangent handles. • Continuous: This method behaves like Smooth interpolation, but without access to Bezier handles, as they are calculated automatically from peak to peak. Attack: The amount of the offset in frames between the first keyframe of the curve and the peak of the curve generated by the Audio behavior.
Using Soundtrack Pro with Motion Once an audio file is imported into Motion, Soundtrack Pro can be opened from within Motion and used to modify the audio track. After the audio track has been edited and saved in Soundtrack Pro, the track is automatically updated in Motion. For more information on Soundtrack Pro, see the Soundtrack Pro User Manual, available in Soundtrack Pro Help.
Exporting Audio A Motion project can be exported as an audio-only QuickTime movie (.mov), or as a QuickTime movie with both video and audio. To export audio 1 Choose File > Export. 2 In the Export dialog, type a name for the exported file, then browse to the location where you want to save the file. 3 Choose QuickTime Movie from the Kind pop-up menu. 4 Choose an export preset from the Export Preset pop-up menu, or click the Options button to view and select export options.
Outputting Motion Projects 21 When you are ready to output your project (either the finished version or a draft), you have two basic choices: Share or Export. These options generate a new file (or files) that contain all the components used in your project. To make outputting easy, Motion provides a variety of presets. There are presets for both broadcast-quality and highly compressed QuickTime movies, image sequences, audio only, and still images.
The Export dialog appears and the project name appears in the Save As field. 2 Type a new name in the Save As field or use the existing project name. 3 Browse to the location where you want to save the file using the pop-up menu and arrow button at the top of the dialog. To show a file browser pane, click the arrow button to the right of the Save As field. 4 Choose an export type from the Export pop-up menu. You can export a QuickTime movie, an image sequence, or the current frame as a still image.
QuickTime Movie When you export your project as a QuickTime movie, the project is rendered as a movie file (.mov). Exported QuickTime movies can include both video and audio, video only, or audio only. Image Sequence When you export your project as an image sequence, each frame is rendered as an image file. The filename of each image file includes a sequence number that is incremented for each successive file. Exported image sequences can include video only.
2 In the Video section of the Video/Audio pane, choose the video settings you want: • Choose the kind of export from the Kind pop-up menu. • Choose the codec used to compress the exported project from the Compressor pop-up menu. The available choices change depending on the kind of export you selected. • Drag the Quality slider to adjust the level of compression. You can also type a value between 1 and 100 in the field next to the slider.
To change the output export options 1 Choose File > Export, then click the Options button. 2 Click the Output tab. 3 In the Output pane, choose the output settings you want: Export presets are exported with “Use current project and canvas settings” selected by default. When this checkbox is selected, the Color option is set to Color + Alpha. All other fields are set according to the current project and canvas settings.
For more information on the Export Options, see Export Options Window. Setting Advanced Export Options You can select advanced export options for video and audio. The Advanced buttons in the video and audio sections of the Export Options dialog display the standard QuickTime export options. Advanced video export options are available only when you are exporting your project as a QuickTime movie. The options available depend on the export format of your project.
• Choose the scan mode (Interlaced or Progressive) of the export from the Scan Mode pop-up menu. • Choose the aspect ratio of the exported video from the Aspect Ratio pop-up menu. To change the advanced audio export options 1 Choose File > Export. 2 Click the Options button. The Export Options window appears. 3 In the Audio section of the Video/Audio pane, click the Advanced button. Note: There are two different mix types for exporting audio: Stereo and 5.1 Surround.
Format Additional settings Options Linear PCM Sample Size 8-, 16-, 24-, or 32-bit Little Endian Floating Point Unsigned Non-Interleaved A-Law 2:1 AAC Target Bit Rate 8, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 40, 48, 56, 56, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 160, 192, 224, or 256 kbps AMR Narrowband Bit Rate 4750, 5150, 5900, 6700, 7400, 7950, 10200, or 12200 bps Frames Per Packet 1–15 Qdesign Music 2 Bitrate 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24,32, 40, or 48 kbps Qualcomm PureVoice Compression Options PureVoice Full Rate, Qualcomm Ha
These settings use the output channel settings from the Audio tab to assign tracks to each output bus. For more information on assigning tracks to output busses, Working with Audio. Exporting an Audio File You can export an audio-only QuickTime movie. When you export audio only, the exported movie includes all audio tracks in your project that are turned on and not muted. To export an audio file 1 Choose File > Export.
µ To choose an export preset In the Export dialog, choose a preset from the Use pop-up menu.
• XDCAM EX 1080p30 VBR Movie • XDCAM EX 720p24 VBR Movie • XDCAM EX 720p25 VBR Movie • XDCAM EX 720p30 VBR Movie • XDCAM EX 720p50 VBR Movie • XDCAM EX 720p60 VBR Movie • XDCAM HD 1080i50 Movie • XDCAM HD 1080i60 Movie • XDCAM HD 1080p24 Movie • XDCAM HD 1080p25 Movie • XDCAM HD 1080p30 Movie • XDCAM HD422 1080i50 Movie • XDCAM HD422 1080i60 Movie • XDCAM HD422 1080p24 Movie • XDCAM HD422 1080p25 Movie • XDCAM HD422 1080p30 Movie • XDCAM HD422 720p50 Movie • XDCAM HD422 720p60 Movie Image Sequence presets •
• TIFF Note: Photoshop export presets supports only a single-layer image, not multiple layers. Exporting with Alpha Channels To preserve areas of transparency in your project, you must export your project with an alpha channel. The default QuickTime Movie preset—“Movie - current project and canvas settings”—uses the Apple ProRes 4444 codec, which supports alpha channels. You can also choose Lossless + Alpha Movie, which uses the Animation codec. This codec is usable on any computer.
To edit an export preset 1 Choose File > Export, then click the Options button in the Export dialog. The Export Options dialog appears, with the Video/Audio pane visible. 2 In the Video/Audio pane, edit the video and audio settings you want to change. Click the Advanced buttons for video and audio to edit advanced export options. 3 Click the Output tab of the Export Options dialog, deselect the “Use current project and canvas settings” checkbox, then edit the output settings you want to change.
You can optionally type a description for the preset in the Description field. (This is helpful if there are settings or other information you want to remember about the preset.) 5 Select the video and audio settings for the preset in the Video/Audio pane of the Export Options dialog. Click the Advanced buttons to change QuickTime compression or audio settings. 6 Click the Output tab of the Export Options dialog.
Sharing Your Project The Share feature is an easy “one-click” way to send your work to clients, friends, and other audiences without any advanced knowledge of transcoding, delivery file formats, or FTP protocols. From the Share window in Motion, you can quickly create and deliver a version of your project that will play on popular devices such as iPods, iPhones, Apple TV, MobileMe, DVD, or YouTube without having to open any additional applications.
Outputs: Each of these outputs represents a separate media file which will be generated from the current Motion project. For example, you might want to create an iPod version, burn a DVD, and upload a copy to YouTube, all from the same project, and all at the same time. For more information about creating multiple outputs, see Creating Multiple Outputs. Each output contains a set of controls to configure the file it will create.
Show Info button: Click this button to display more information about the current setting and the output media file. Note: You can also double-click the Output bar to display the Share Info balloon. Add/Remove Output: Click the Add Output button (+) to create additional outputs. To remove a particular output, click its Remove Output (–) button. Post-transcoding action: Select this checkbox to activate any post-transcoding actions such as adding the clip to your iTunes library or creating a DVD.
Show Progress: Checking this box will cause the Batch Monitor to launch once the Export button is clicked. The Batch Monitor allows you to view or adjust the status of any Share export session after it has been submitted for processing. For more about using Batch Monitor, see the Batch Monitor User Manual, available in Batch Monitor Help or Compressor Help.
DVD Action Drawer Use the DVD Action drawer to enter information and settings for the DVD you want to burn. Output Device: Use this pop-up menu to choose a DVD burner to burn a DVD or select Hard Drive to create a disk image (.img) on your drive. You can then burn that file to a DVD at a later point using the Disk Utility application (found in the Utilities folder). Any DVD burners connected to your Mac will appear in the menu. Disc Template: Use this pop-up menu to choose a template for the DVD.
DVD preview area: A preview area shows what the disc menu will look like based on any loaded graphic and the settings selected in the Disc Template pop-up menu. Main Menu/Chapter Menu: Click the Main Menu button to preview the disc’s root menu in the preview area. Click the Chapter Menu button to preview the disc’s chapter menu. Blu-ray Action Drawer Use the Blu-ray Action drawer to enter information and settings for the Blu-ray disc you want to burn.
Title field: Use this field to enter a name for the Blu-ray disc. By default, the Title field contains the output filename. When Disc Loads: This pop-up menu lets you set the disc’s first-play action. Choices are Show Menu and Play Movie. Use Chapter Marker Text as Subtitles: This checkbox will create subtitles on the disc based on the text contained in any chapter markers. Include Loop Movie Button: Select this checkbox to add a button on the disc menu to loop the movie.
Using Share to Burn Dual-Layer Discs When you burn a disc using Share, the data rate in the output media file is calculated automatically based on the capacity of the disc media, the type of disc format (DVD or Blu-ray disc), and the duration of the source media file. • If you initiate a Share export session before inserting blank Blu-ray Disc media into your disc-burning device, the Share feature assumes single-layer media and adjusts the data rate accordingly.
Note: When you choose the MobileMe output type, the Share feature creates three output media files for each source media file: Mobile, Medium, and Large. If you publish to MobileMe, the MobileMe gallery automatically plays the most appropriate version for any viewer's device and connection speed. For information about manually adjusting the number and the details of the media files created with the MobileMe output type, see Sending Outputs to Compressor and the Compressor User Manual.
YouTube Action Drawer Use this form to enter information about movies you want to publish to a YouTube account on the web. Important: You must complete all fields for successful uploading via Share. Username: Use this field to enter a YouTube username. Password: Use this field to enter a YouTube password. Title: Use this field to enter the name of the movie you are publishing. Description: Use this field to enter a description of the movie you are publishing.
Apple TV, iPhone, and iPod Action Drawers The Action drawers for Apple TV, iPhone, and iPod are identical. Add to Playlist: Use the Add to Playlist pop-up menu to add the output media file to a particular playlist in your iTunes library. Note: The first time you use Share, this pop-up menu will be empty. To populate this menu with playlists from your iTunes library, choose Refresh from the Add to Playlist pop-up menu.
Additional Output Options Motion allows you to override the current project and Canvas settings when creating an output in the Share window. This allows you to modify the included channels, camera angles, render quality, and render options such as Lighting, shadows, reflections and depth of field. These settings appear in the Output drawer. To access the Output drawer 1 In the Share window, click the Show Details button. 2 In the drawer that appears, click the Output button.
Note: A scene camera is a camera that you add to a project, as opposed to a default camera view that you choose in the upper-left corner of the Canvas (Top, Right, Perspective, and so on). You can only export a project using a scene camera. Lighting: When this checkbox is selected, the lighting effects are rendered with the project. When this checkbox is deselected, no lighting effects appear in your final output. Shadows: When this checkbox is selected, shadows are rendered with the project.
2 Use the output type pop-up menu in the output you just created to assign a specific output type. µ To remove an output from the Share window In the Share window, click the Remove Output button (–) on the right end of the output you want to remove. Sending Outputs to Compressor From the Share window, you can send one or more outputs to the Compressor application.
Export: Choose a file type from the pop-up menu. An Options button allows you to set Output options. For more information on export options, see Setting Export Options. The Export pop-up menu contains the following items: • QuickTime Movie: When this option is chosen, a QuickTime movie is created. • Image Sequence: When this option is chosen, a series of numbered image files is exported. Each image file represents a single frame in the sequence.
Baking Elements After you adjust project elements to your taste, you might want to reuse them in another project. You can export elements as rendered files to minimize their effect on playback performance in another complex project. This is a process known as baking. To bake selected elements for export 1 Select the layers in your project that you wish to bake. 2 Choose File > Export Selection. 3 Choose the options you prefer in the Export Selection dialog, then click Export.
A Appendix About Rasterization Some operations, as well as the application of certain filters or a mask, cause a group to be rasterized. When a group is rasterized, it is converted into a bitmap image. This affects how the rasterized group interacts with other objects in the project. This appendix covers the following: • Groups and Rasterization (p. 1389) • Text and Rasterization (p. 1392) • Shapes and Rasterization (p. 1393) • Particles and Rasterization (p. 1393) • Replicators and Rasterization (p.
• Turning on the Drop Shadow parameter • Turning on the Four Corner parameter • Turning on the Crop parameter • Applying any filter • Adding a mask • Adding a light The following operations on a 3D group trigger the rasterization of that group: • Making blending changes • Applying certain filters • Adding a light to a 3D group with the Flatten parameter enabled (in the Group tab of the Inspector) Once an operation triggers a rasterization on a group, the following occurs: • A rasterization indicator (resemb
Examples of 2D Group and 3D Group Rasterization The following examples show the effect of rasterization on the blend modes of 2D groups. In both examples, the lone elephant image, which is the topmost group in the Layers tab, overlaps a portion of the family of elephants image, which resides in a separate 2D group in the Layers tab. And in both examples, the lone elephant group has its Blend Mode parameter set to Vivid Light.
Text and Rasterization Because all text layers are contained in groups, rasterization affects how text interacts with other objects within your project. Note: Text can be rasterized independently of the group in which it lives. Doing this affects how the text interacts with objects within its own group. For example, applying a Circle Blur filter to text that exists in 3D space (such as text on a path) causes the text to no longer intersect with other objects in the same group.
For more information on rasterization with 2D and 3D groups, see Groups and Rasterization. Shapes and Rasterization When a group becomes rasterized, all layers within that group—including masks, shapes, and paint strokes—are affected and may no longer interact with other layers and groups as expected. Because paint strokes are rendered in a plane, they are always rasterized (independent of other objects within the same group).
In the next set of illustrations, the group that contains the particle emitter is rasterized. (The rasterization is triggered by selecting the Four Corner checkbox in the group’s Properties tab.) As shown in the right illustration, the particle emitter’s Add blend mode no longer interacts with the group beneath it in the Layers tab. In the left illustration, notice that the icon for the rasterized group is now enclosed in a frame. This is called a rasterization frame.
For more information on rasterization with 2D and 3D groups, see Groups and Rasterization. Replicators and Rasterization When a group becomes rasterized, all layers within that group—including replicators—are affected and may no longer interact with other layers and groups as expected. Note: A replicator can be rasterized independently of the group in which it lives. This affects how the replicator interacts with objects within its own group.
In the next illustrations, the group that contains the replicator is rasterized. (The rasterization is triggered by setting the Opacity parameter of the group to 90%.) As a result of the rasterization, the replicator’s Add blend mode no longer interacts with the group beneath it in the layer stack. Notice that the group icon for the rasterized group now appears with a rasterization frame around the icon (the icon immediately to the left of the Elements group.
Filters and Rasterization The application of some filters can cause a group to be rasterized. When a group is rasterized, it is converted into a bitmap image. In 2D groups, the application of any filter causes rasterization. In 3D groups, the application of certain filters causes rasterization. For more information on rasterization and 3D groups, see Groups and Rasterization.
• Circle Screen • Circles • Crystallize • Edge Work • Edges • Extrude • Halftone • Hatched Screen • Highpass • Indent • Lens Flare • Line Art • Line Screen • MinMax • Pixellate • Relief • Slit Scan • Slit Tunnel • Texture Screen • Vignette • Wavy Screen Tiling All Tiling filters force rasterization of 3D groups. Time All Border filters force rasterization of 3D groups.
Shadows and Rasterization Rasterized 3D objects do not cast shadows. If you perform an action that causes a group to be rasterized (such as modifying the group opacity or enabling the glow setting for a text object) and you still want that group to cast a shadow, you must flatten the group. Flattened groups act as 2D layers and can cast and receive shadows as long as they are themselves embedded in a 3D group.
B Appendix Video and File Formats Motion allows you to create projects that integrate many media types using a wide variety of formats. Whether you’re using one of the Motion project presets or creating your own, it’s important to be aware of what distinguishes one video format from another.
• Component Video • DV - PAL • DV/DVCPRO - NTSC • DVCPRO - PAL • DVCPRO HD 1080i50, 1080i60, 1080p25, 1080p30, and 720p50, 720p60 • DVCPRO50 - NTSC • DVCPRO50 - PAL • Uncompressed 8- and 10-bit 4:2:2 • Graphics • H.
• Sorenson Video 3 • Sorenson Video Still Image Formats Motion supports most commonly used still image file types, including: • SGI • Photoshop • BMP • JPEG • PICT • PNG • MacPaint • TIFF • TGA • JPEG-2 • QuickTime Image Files • OpenEXR Other Image Formats In addition, Motion includes special support for the following image types: • 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.
• 24-bit Integer • 32-bit Integer • 32-bit Float • 64-bit Float • ALaw 2:1 • AMR Narrowband • Apple Lossless • IMA 4:1 • MACE 3:1 • MACE 6:1 • MPEG-4 Audio Important: You cannot import rights-managed AAC files, such as those purchased from the iTunes Store. For more information about the file formats supported by Motion, go to the Motion website at http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/motion.
Digital standard definition formats include Digital Betacam and the D-1 through D-5 formats. Due to the wide variety of compression ratios and types in the different digital standards, the table below presents more information on these formats. Digital format Maker Color sampling Compression ratio Compression type Recorded bit rate Digital Betacam Sony 4:2:2 2.3:1 DCT 11.9 MB/sec. D-1 Sony 4:2:2 Uncompressed None 21.5 MB/sec. D-2 Ampex 4fsc Uncompressed None 11.75 MB/sec.
The different frame sizes, frame rates, and scanning methods serve different markets, both domestically and internationally. For example, the availability of the 720p format is a result of needing a lower-resolution format, so that current standard definition programming can be blown up more easily. It is also seen as a format suitable for programming that would not benefit from additional resolution, such as local news.
Both of these acquisition formats have color sampling of 8 bits per channel. High definition tape decks also exist with color sampling of 16 bits per channel, for film scanning, mastering, and archival purposes. Digital format Maker Color sampling Compression ratio Compression type Recorded bit rate HDCAM Sony 3:1:1 7.1:1 DCT 17.5 MB/sec. DVCPRO HD Panasonic 4:2:2 1.7:1 DCT 12.5 MB/sec. Supported DVCPRO HD Formats Motion natively supports the following DVCPRO HD formats.
Format Bits per second (video only) Bytes per second DVCPRO HD, 720p24 40 Mbps 11.75 MB/sec. D-5 HD 210 Mbps 26.25 MB/sec. DV 25 Mbps 3.6 MB/sec. DVCAM 25 Mbps 3.6 MB/sec. DVCPRO(25) 25 Mbps 3.6 MB/sec. DVCPRO 50 50 Mbps 6.25 MB/sec. Digital Betacam 95.2 Mbps 11.9 MB/sec. D-1 172 Mbps 21.5 MB/sec.
Apple ProRes 4444 is the default export codec for Motion because it is virtually lossless and includes an alpha channel to preserve transparency in your projects. For more information on the Apple ProRes family of codecs, see Final Cut Pro Professional Formats and Workflows, available in Final Cut Pro Help. Uncompressed 8-Bit and 10-Bit 4:2:2 Video Video stored using these codecs undergoes no data compression, but some color resampling may occur depending on the source video format.
Note: DVCPRO 50 movies cannot have alpha channels. Apple M-JPEG There are two Apple M-JPEG codecs, M-JPEG A and M-JPEG B. These are variable data rate codecs similar to the ones used by video capture cards. If you need to deliver more heavily compressed material to keep files small, consider these codecs. M-JPEG is a lossy codec and results in artifacts in your final video. The severity of these artifacts depends on the data rate you choose.
Interlaced video, including NTSC and PAL, works differently. When you record footage with your camcorder, each video frame is broken down into two fields, each containing half of the total lines of resolution in the frame. The first field is recorded, then the second, and both are laid down to tape, one after the other, so that both fields constitute one frame. When you play the tape back, a television monitor displays each recorded frame in two passes, first drawing field 1, then drawing field 2.
2 Create the graphic. 3 Do one of the following: • In your graphics program, rescale the graphic from the square frame size used to create it to the nonsquare equivalent used in Motion. • Save your image as is. Within your Motion project, select the object in the Media tab of the project window, open the Media tab in the Inspector, then choose the correct aspect ratio from the Pixel Aspect Ratio pop-up menu.
SD NTSC pixels are narrower than computer pixels and SD PAL pixels are wider than computer pixels. As a result, a 720 x 486 pixel image looks different on a computer display than it does on a video monitor. For example, if you capture a clip of video with a globe in the picture, export a frame, and look at this frame in a graphics application, you’ll see something like this: NTSC square vs.
This can be lessened by adding a bit of blur or anti-aliasing to your image, but the best thing to do is to avoid single-pixel lines altogether when creating graphics for broadcast. Scaling Imported High-Resolution Graphics A high-resolution image is useful if you want to pan and zoom in or out of the image, such as a scanned map or photograph. There won’t be any image degradation because you typically won’t have to zoom more than 100 percent.
Unlike standard definition video formats, which use rectangular pixels, most high definition video formats use square pixels. You don’t have to worry about adjusting high definition image dimensions before importing your graphics into Motion.
C Appendix Keyboard Shortcuts Use keyboard shortcuts to streamline your work in Motion. The tables in this appendix organize the keyboard shortcuts by menu, component, and task. Some keyboard shortcuts are always active, whether or not you are working in the group that they are listed in, while other keyboard shortcuts are only active under special circumstances. Note: Some keyboard shortcuts described in this appendix may conflict with system commands assigned to the Mac OS X Finder.
• Transport Controls (p. 1434) • View Options (p. 1434) • Miscellaneous (p. 1436) • HUD (p. 1436) • File Browser (p. 1437) • Inspector (p. 1437) • Keyframe Editor (p. 1438) • Layers (p. 1438) • Library (p. 1439) • Media Tab (p. 1440) • Timeline Editing and Navigating (p. 1440) • Keyframing Commands (p. 1442) • Shape and Mask Commands (p. 1442) • Toolbar (p. 1443) • 3D Commands (p. 1444) • Using the Command Editor (p.
General Interface Commands Keyboard shortcut Function Open a project. O Create a new project. N option N shift O Save a project. S shift S option S W Close all open projects. Export a project. E E Export a project using Compressor. Print the current view of the Canvas. P I Import files as a project. Undo the last change. Z shift Save all open projects. Import a file. I shift Save a project as a new project. Close a project. W shift Open a template.
Keyboard shortcut shift Function A Deselect all items. Delete delete Close the active window. W Minimize the active window. M Cycle through project windows. Press repeatedly until the window you want is displayed. Open Motion Preferences. , Open Motion Help. / shift P Hide Motion. H option Display Page Setup dialog. H Hide other open application files. Quit Motion. Q Play/Pause a project. space Record animation. A Go to the start of a project. home Go to the end of a project.
File Menu Keyboard shortcut Function Create a new project. N Open a project. O O shift Close a project. W Save a project. S S shift Save a project as a new project. Import a file. / shift Open a template. ? Import files as a project. Export a project. E option E shift E shift P Export selection. Export a project using Compressor. Display Page Setup dialog. Print the current view of the Canvas. P option N option W option S Create a new project from a list of project presets.
Keyboard shortcut Function Copy C Paste V option V Duplicate D Delete delete shift Paste special. Perform a ripple delete which removes the selected object and closes the gap left behind. delete Select all items. A shift T shift A Transform control points. Deselect all items. Send Audio to Soundtrack Pro. U Open the Project Properties dialog. J Mark Menu Keyboard shortcut Function Mark In point. I Mark Out point. O shift { Move the selected object to the In point.
Keyboard shortcut option Function O Mark Out point of play range. Object Menu Keyboard shortcut Function N option C shift L option D shift } Move the selected object to the top of the Layers tab. shift } Move the selected object up the Layers tab by one level. shift G option G control T control S control I control L shift control control D shift Add a new camera to the project. Add a new light to the project. Add a new drop zone to the project.
Keyboard shortcut Function Replicate the selected object. L Clone the selected layer. K shift Open the Media tab and Inspector to display the source and properties of media objects. F View Menu Keyboard shortcut Function Zoom in. = Zoom out. option Z shift Z Zoom to 100 percent. Zoom to fit in window. Show/Hide the Canvas in the Full Screen mode. F8 Send output to external monitor. F12 1424 Show Full View Area.
Keyboard shortcut shift B shift A shift option Function Show the blue channel. Show the alpha channel. A Switch between the current channel and alpha channels. V shift Q option L option F option M option control Show the Canvas at full resolution. Enable/Disable lighting in the Canvas. Enable/Disable field rendering in the Canvas. Enable/Disable motion blur in the Canvas. B Enable/Disable frame blending in the Canvas. Enable/Disable preview float bit depth. \ Show Overlays.
Keyboard shortcut option Function T Show/Hide the Toolbar. Window Menu Keyboard shortcut Function Minimize the active window. M Show the project in Standard layout. control U shift control U option control U Show the project in Cinema layout. Show/Hide the Properties tab in Inspector. F1 Show/Hide the Behaviors tab in Inspector. F2 Show/Hide the Filters tab in Inspector. F3 Show/Hide the Object tab in Inspector. F4 Show/Hide the Project pane. F5 Show/Hide the Timing pane.
Keyboard shortcut 9 Function Show/Hide the Audio Editor. Help Menu Keyboard shortcut / Function Open Motion Help. Show the Welcome Screen. 0 Audio Editor Keyboard shortcut 9 Function Show/Hide the Audio Editor. Play/Pause a project. space Record animation. A Add a marker at the current frame. M Add a marker at the current frame. Audio Tab Keyboard shortcut 6 control T control L control S Function Show/Hide the Audio tab. Make object active or inactive. Lock/Unlock an audio file.
View Tools The View tools in the upper-left corner of the Canvas activate a number of contextual keyboard commands. Depending on the View tool chosen, different keyboard commands are available. Global Transform Commands Keyboard shortcut Choose the selected transform mode. S shift Function S tab Choose the Select/Transform tool. Cycle through the transform modes. Press repeatedly until the transform mode you want is selected. Press Shift and drag the pointer.
Keyboard shortcut Function Press Command and drag over the object. Pan a cropped object within the bounding box. Press Option-Command and drag over the object. Move the bounding box around a cropped object. Adjust Control Points Tool Keyboard shortcut Function Double-click the path. Add a point to a path. Press Option and click the path. Add a point to a path. Press Command and click the point. Convert a point to linear. Press Command and drag the point. Create a tangent on a control point.
Rectangle & Circle Tools Keyboard shortcut R C Function Select the Rectangle Shape tool. Select the Circle Shape tool. Press Shift and drag in the Canvas. Draw a shape proportionally. Press Option and drag in the Canvas. Draw a shape from its center. Press Shift-Option and drag in the Canvas. Draw a shape proportionally from its center. Press Shift and drag a rotation handle Snap the rotation of an object to 45 degree increments. Bezier Tool Keyboard shortcut B B C Select the Bezier tool.
B-Spline Tool Keyboard shortcut B B C Function Select the B-Spline tool. Switch between the Bezier and B-Spline tools. Close shape. Double-click a path. Add a point to path. Press Option and click a path. Add a point to path. Press Command and drag a B-Spline point. Adjust a B-Spline point bias. Press Command and click a B-Spline point. Switch a B-Spline point bias. esc return Cancel shape drawing and delete the open shape. Exit shape drawing mode.
Keyboard shortcut Function Press Shift-Option and the Up, Down, Left, or Right Arrow key. Select one or more words from the insertion point. Press Shift-Command and the Up, Down, Left, or Right Arrow key. Select a line of text from the insertion point. Increase kerning from the insertion point. control Decrease kerning from the insertion point. control Select All. A shift A Deselect All. Exit Text tool.
Bezier Mask Tool Keyboard shortcut option B option B Function Select the Bezier Mask tool. Switch between the Bezier Mask and B-Spline Mask tools. Close mask. C Double-click a path. Add a point to path. Press Option and click a path. Add a point to path. Press Command and click a point. Convert a point to linear. Press Command and drag a point. Create tangents on point. Press Command and drag a tangent handle. Scale tangents proportionally. Press Option and drag a tangent handle.
Keyboard shortcut Exit shape drawing mode. return option Function B Select the Bezier Mask tool. Show/Hide mask control points. Transport Controls Keyboard shortcut Play/Pause a project. space Record an animation. A shift Function L Enable/disable loop playback. Go to the start of a project. home Go to the end of a project. end shift home shift end Go to the start of the play range. Go to the end of the play range. Go to the previous frame. Go to the next frame. Go backward ten frames.
Keyboard shortcut Function Press Command and drag in the Canvas. Zoom to region. Zoom to 100 percent. option Z shift Z shift C shift T shift option T shift option C shift R shift G shift B shift A shift option shift Q option F option M Zoom to fit in the Canvas. Show all color channels. Show the transparent channel. Show the alpha channel overlay. Show the RGB channels only. Show the red channel. Show the green channel. Show the blue channel. Show the alpha channel.
Keyboard shortcut Function Show/Hide safe zones. Enable/Disable snapping to guides. N Expose active layers. X shift Expose all layers. X Miscellaneous Keyboard shortcut Function Create a particle emitter. E shift M Import an image mask to the selected object. Select the next object above. Select the next object below. Press Command and the Up Arrow, Down Arrow, Left Arrow, or Right Arrow key. Nudge the selected object(s) one pixel.
File Browser Keyboard shortcut Function Show/Hide File Browser. 1 Open project. O shift O N Open template. New project. Show/Hide Project pane. F5 Move up one item in the sidebar or file stack. Move down one item in the sidebar or file stack. Move left one item in the file stack. Move right one item in the file stack. Select first item in the file stack. space Move up one level in the folder hierarchy of the file stack. Inspector Keyboard shortcut 3 Function Show/Hide the Inspector.
Keyframe Editor Keyboard shortcut Function Show/Hide Keyframe Editor. 8 Convert the applied behaviors to keyframes. K Fit visible curves. F Show animated curves. U Show modified curves. Y Show position curves. P Show rotation curves. R Show scale curves. S Show shear curves. H Show anchor point curves. A Show opacity curves. O Layers Keyboard shortcut shift control 1438 Function N Create a new group. ] Bring the object to the top of the group.
Keyboard shortcut control S control I control L Function Enable/disable the Solo button of a selected track. Isolate the selected group or layer. Lock/Unlock an object. Move up one level in the Layers tab. Move down one level in the Layers tab. Expand a group in the Layers tab. Collapse a group in the Layers tab. Import I shift M K shift F Add an image mask to the selected object. Convert the applied behaviors to keyframes.
Media Tab Keyboard shortcut Function Show/Hide Media tab. 5 Move up one level in the Media list. Move down one level in the Media list. / Import Timeline Editing and Navigating Keyboard shortcut Function Nudge one frame forward. Nudge one frame backward. shift shift Nudge ten frames backward. shift { Move the selected object to the In point. shift } Move the selected object to the Out point. Mark the In point of the play range. I Mark the Out point of the play range.
Keyboard shortcut Function Go to the previous frame. Go to the next frame. Go backward ten frames. shift Go forward ten frames. shift Go to the next marker. option Go to the previous marker. option Render a RAM Preview for the play range. R option R shift option Render a RAM Preview for the selected object. R Render a RAM Preview for the entire project. Mark an In point. I Mark an Out point. O Add a marker at the current frame. M Add a marker at the current frame.
Keyframing Commands Keyboard shortcut Function Double-click a path. Add a point to path. Press Option and click a path. Add a point to path. Press Command and drag a Bezier point. Create tangents on point. Press Command and click a Bezier point. Convert a point to linear. Press Command and drag a B-Spline point. Adjust a B-Spline point bias. Press Command and click a B-Spline point. Switch a B-Spline point bias. Press Command and drag a tangent handle. Scale tangents proportionally.
Keyboard shortcut Function Press Command and drag a tangent handle. Scale tangents proportionally. Press Command and drag a B-Spline point. Adjust a B-Spline point bias. Press Command and click a B-Spline point. Switch a B-Spline point bias. Press Option and drag a tangent handle. Break or relink a tangent handle. Press Shift and drag a tangent handle. Constrain a tangent to 45 degrees and original value. Toolbar Keyboard shortcut option Function T Choose the selected transform mode.
Keyboard shortcut Function Show/Hide the File Browser. 1 Show/Hide the Library. 2 Show/Hide the Inspector. 3 Show/Hide the Project pane. F5 Show/Hide the Timing pane. F6 Show the Fonts dialog. T shift C Show the Colors window. 3D Commands Keyboard shortcut Select the 3D transform tool. Q , Switch 3D transform tool between position-only and universal. . Switch the 3D transform tool between rotate-only and universal. Switch the 3D transform tool between scale-only and universal.
Using the Command Editor Motion provides a wide variety of menu commands and keyboard shortcuts that let you control almost every aspect of your project, from playback to displaying windows and inspectors to working with tools. The Command Editor lets you search or browse the various commands and keyboard shortcuts in Motion. In addition, the Command Editor lets you customize keyboard shortcuts so you can streamline the way you work.
Command Editor Interface The upper half of the Command Editor displays a virtual keyboard. The lower half contains a Command List that sorts menu commands by group and offers a brief description of each command, along with its associated key combination, if any. The virtual keyboard is color-coded to help you identify the type of command each key performs. For example, transport commands, such as Play (Space bar) and Record (A), are light blue, while alignment commands are pink.
Viewing Keyboard Shortcuts by Group The Command List displays several groupings of commands, organized by Motion menus as well as types of commands (Alignment, Tools, Transport, Go To, View, and Mark). Click a group to quickly filter the Command list to display only the commands and keyboard shortcuts in that group. Searching for Commands Use the Search field in the upper-right corner of the Command Editor to quickly locate a command or keyboard equivalent.
For example, in the image below, the search term “Ripple” returns two keyboard shortcuts for the Ripple Delete command, and the command keys are highlighted in the virtual keyboard. Note: When you turn on the Keyboard Highlight button, only command keys are highlighted. Modifier keys that may be part of the keyboard shortcut (Command, Shift, Option, and Control) are not highlighted. Command keys are highlighted on the keyboard for easy reference.
Viewing Key and Command Details The window to the right of the Command List shows additional information about a selected key in the virtual keyboard or a selected command in the Command List. When you select a key in the virtual keyboard, this window displays a list of all keyboard shortcuts associated with that key. Selected key All available shortcuts that include the selected key are displayed here. When you select a command in the Command List, this window displays a brief description of the command.
To add or modify a key command 1 Using the Search field (or browsing the Command List) of the Command Editor, select the command to which you want to assign a new shortcut key combination. 2 Using your physical keyboard, press the combination of keys you want to use for the command (for example, Shift-Option-T, or any other keys). If the key combination is not already assigned to a command, the virtual keyboard updates to show the new key assignment.
The file is saved in the location you chose, with the “.commandset” filename extension. To import a set of shortcuts 1 Do one of the following: 2 In the Command Editor, choose Import from the pop-up menu. 3 Choose Motion > Commands > Import. An Open dialog appears. 4 Navigate to the location where you have stored a command set file, select it, then click Open. The new command set is added to the Motion > Commands submenu and the pop-up menu in the Command Editor.
D Appendix Working with Final Cut Pro You can add Motion projects directly to sequences in Final Cut Pro and send Final Cut Pro sequence clips directly to a new Timeline in Motion. This appendix covers the following: • Using Motion with Final Cut Pro (p. 1453) • Rendering Motion Projects for Use in Final Cut Pro (p. 1458) • Using Motion Templates in Final Cut Pro (p. 1458) • Master Templates in Final Cut Pro (p.
µ Choose File > Import > Files, then select the Motion project in the dialog that appears and click Choose. Importing a Motion project into Final Cut Pro creates a Motion clip (also called an embedded Motion project) that you can edit in the same way as any other clip in your Final Cut Pro project. A Motion clip in Final Cut Pro is linked to the original Motion project stored on your hard disk. Motion clips appear in the Final Cut Pro Browser and Timeline with a .motn extension.
µ Select the Always Reconnect Externally Modified Files option in the Editing tab of the Final Cut Pro User Preferences window. This method tells Final Cut Pro to automatically reconnect any modified media and project files when you switch to another application and then switch back to Final Cut Pro. Note: The Always Reconnect Externally Modified Files checkbox is active by default in Final Cut Pro User Preferences.
• Clips in a sequence: When one or more clips in a sequence are selected in the Final Cut Pro Timeline, a new Motion project is created containing only the clips you selected in your Final Cut Pro Timeline. In Motion, the clips retain the same track layout as your original selection. If you select the Embed Motion Content checkbox in the Export Selection to Motion Project dialog the clips in your Final Cut Pro sequence will be replaced with a single Motion project file.
Sending a Browser Sequence from Final Cut Pro to Motion When you send a sequence (selected in the Browser) from Final Cut Pro to Motion, each clip in that sequence is placed in a separate layer in a new Motion project (in the Layers tab and Timeline). Use this method to edit one or more layers in Final Cut Pro and then add effects, animation, or text in Motion.
Exported properties Video • Clips, with In and Out points, placed on the correct Timeline tracks and positions • Clip and sequence markers (called object and project markers in Motion) • Almost all attributes in a clip’s Motion tab, including Basic Motion, Crop, Distort, Opacity, Drop Shadow, and Time Remap. Any linear and smooth Bezier keyframes are also included. • Composite (blend) modes • The SmoothCam filter.
• Customize master templates in Final Cut Pro. You can edit master templates into sequences and then customize parameters such as text and video within drop zones. You can globally modify the look of all template clips in your project by editing the original Motion template file.
Considerations When Creating Motion Templates for Final Cut Pro In preparation for creating a project for use as a template, you should keep the following considerations in mind: • To get the best quality from your template, choose the same aspect ratio, resolution, and frame rate as your destination Final Cut Pro sequence when creating the template in Motion. For more information on Motion project settings, see Editing Project Properties.
µ To show the drop zone controls Select the object with the applied drop zone, and click the Image tab in the Inspector. For more information on using drop zones, see Using Drop Zones. Creating Text in Motion The following properties of any text you create in a Motion template can be edited in Final Cut Pro: • Text Size • Text Tracking • Content If you wish to create text in Motion that cannot be edited in Final Cut Pro, deselect the Publish To FCP checkbox in the Text tab of the Inspector.
7 Click Save. Your new template is saved into the theme category you selected. Customized templates are saved to /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/Motion/Templates/ in a folder that corresponds to the name of the theme you’ve selected. If you wish to manually copy projects from one system to another, copy them to the same location.
• Generator pop-up menu in the Viewer: In the Viewer, choose Master Template from the Generator pop-up menu, then choose a template from the submenu. This method opens a master template in the Viewer, which you can then edit into your sequence. • Master Templates submenu within the Effects menu: Choose Effects > Master Templates and then choose a master template. The template opens in the Viewer, which you can then edit into your sequence.
3 Find the text object you wish to edit. 4 Edit the text in the Parameters tab. To change the size or tracking of a text object 1 Open the clip containing media you wish to exchange in the Viewer. 2 Select the Controls tab. 3 Find the text object you wish to exchange. 4 Use the slider or value field to set a new Text Size or Text Tracking value.
If you have used a master template in a number of sequences, and you wish to make a change to the master template that is isolated to a single instance—and not universally replace the master template—you can make a copy of the master template. To open a copy of a master template from within Final Cut Pro Do one of the following: µ µ Select the master template and then choose View > Copy of Master Template in Editor.
E Appendix Obsolete Text Behaviors In Motion 4, Apple made significant changes to the text behaviors. The Sequence Text behavior was revised, and the Crawl Left, Crawl Right, Scroll Down, and Scroll Up text animation behaviors were replaced with a new, single behavior called Scroll Text.
Important: The following description is for the Sequence Text behavior that shipped in Motion versions 3.0.2 and earlier. Motion 4 contains a revised Sequence Text behavior. Once you have added and modified the Sequence Text behavior, you can save the behavior to the Library. For information on saving a modified behavior to the Library, see Saving and Sharing Custom Behaviors.
The upper area of the Sequence Text controls contains the Add and Remove pop-up menus, which are used to select parameters to add to the behavior, or to remove parameters. The second group of parameters are the Sequence controls, which include options for setting the direction of the animation, whether the animation is applied per character, per word, or per text layer, and so on.
Note: Often, you can enter values larger than a parameter’s slider allows by typing in the value slider. 5 Click the Play button (or press the Space bar). The first character begins at 100%, scales up to 350%, and then scales back down to 100%. The animation sequence moves through the text. Small white lines represent selection. As the animation sequences through the text, small white lines travel with the animation.
7 Set Rotation to the largest (or smallest) value you want the text to rotate in your animation. In this example, Rotation is set to 90 degrees. The first character begins at 0 degrees, rotates to 90 degrees, and then rotates back to 0 degrees. The animation—which begins at the default value for any added parameter, animates to the value you specify, then resolves back to the default value—cycles completely through each character because the Select parameter is set to Character by default.
Note: Make sure that the Map Animation parameter is set to To Entire Object. 9 In the Parameter row, click the Add pop-up menu, choose Face, then choose Opacity. Set the Opacity to the lowest value you want to use in your animation. In this example, Opacity is set to 0% so that the text characters begin completely transparent and fade in to become opaque. To create a softer transition between each character, you can adjust the Spread parameter.
• Ping Pong: Moves the selection back and forth from one end of the text to the other. The sequence moves in the direction specified in the Direction pop-up menu. Loops must be set to a value greater than 1 for the sequence to Ping Pong. • Ease In: The sequence animation (the movement of the selection bars) begins slowly and increases to normal speed as it moves through the text. • Ease Out: The sequence animation begins at normal speed and slows toward the end of the text.
Random Seed: When you first enable Random, an initial random “seed” is created. If you are not happy with the randomness of the character selection when you first select the Random checkbox, click Generate or enter a value in the field. This creates a new random seed which changes the way the characters are selected. The random variation in the text selection is based on the random seed number displayed in the Generate field. Note: Generate has no effect unless the Random checkbox is selected.
Spread: Controls the amount of falloff of the selection. To create a softer transition between each character, increase the Spread value.
Map Animation: The Map Animation pop-up sets the timing of the animation to either To Entire Object or To Selection. In a basic example, the Scale parameter is added to the Sequence Text behavior. Next, the Scale parameter is keyframed to animate from 100% to 250% over 10 seconds. With the given example, use the following guidelines to understand the difference between the two Map Animation options.
• To Selection (requires a keyframed animation): Changes the timing of the original animation to “fit” within the selection. Each selection (by character, word, line, and so on) goes through the entire source animation as the selection moves across the text. Using the same 100 to 250% Scale animation example, the first character grows from 100% to 250% and holds at 250%, the second character grows from 100% to 250% and holds at 250%, and so on, until all characters have completed the animation.
In this example, the Scale parameter is added and the Y scale value set to 25%. For more information on adding parameters to the Sequence Text behavior, see the steps in Using the Sequence Text Behavior (Motion 3.0.2 and Earlier). 3 Choose Custom from the Traversal pop-up menu. In the Canvas, the first few characters are selected by default, and are affected by the Scale value. In the Behaviors Inspector, the Location parameter becomes available. Location parameter 4 Enable Record (press A).
In the Inspector, a keyframe is added to the Location parameter. The keyframe icon indicates the parameter is animated. 6 Go to the next frame where you want to set a keyframe, and move the Location slider. 7 Repeat step 6 until you have created all of your keyframes. 8 Play the project (press the Space bar). The selection moves through the text based on its keyframed locations. Preset Text Sequence Behaviors (Motion 3.0.
The Text Sequence behaviors are applied to text layers in the same manner as all other behaviors. However, there is one big difference between the Text Sequence behaviors and all other behaviors in Motion: Once added to text, the Text Sequence behaviors do not last the duration of the text. This is because usually—to achieve the desired preset effect—you want the animation to complete in a shorter period of time than over the duration of the text.
Because the behavior creates an animation in which the text starts above its original position and drops in, the behavior selection box moves up in the Canvas. Also, the selection bar is located at the left edge of the box because the animation starts at the leftmost text character. This appears and displays the projected motion of the text. Behavior selection box Once applied, the Drop In From Left behavior appears in the Layers tab and Timeline. The HUD also appears.
As with the Sequence Text behavior, the specific text parameters that the behavior uses to create the animation are listed in the Inspector. Because the Drop In From Left behavior uses the Opacity (from the Face controls) and Position (from the Format controls) parameters, those parameters are listed in the Inspector.
In the Inspector, notice the Position parameter is automatically included in the behavior parameters. This is because the Drop In From Left behavior animates the text characters to drop in one at a time (by default). The value of the Y Position determines the furthest vertical point from the original position of the text. The default Y Position value is 200, which means the text animation begins 200 points above the original position of the text.
Changing the Speed of Text Sequence Behaviors With the Drop In From Left behavior selected, notice that the duration of the behavior is much shorter than the duration of the text layer to which it is applied. You can see this in the mini-Timeline or the Timeline. By default, the duration of a Text Sequence behavior is 60 frames. Like the Type On behavior (in the Text Animation subcategory), you slow down or speed up the animation by changing the duration of the behavior.
2 In the Parameter row, choose a parameter from the Add pop-up menu. The chosen parameter is added to the sequence behavior. Scale parameter added to the Drop In From Left behavior 3 Set a value in the new parameter (Scale). In this example, the Scale value is set to 150%.
In addition to the text dropping and fading in, the text Scale value begins at 150% scale and changes to 100% as the characters land in place. 4 To remove a parameter, choose a parameter from the Remove pop-up menu. The chosen parameter is removed from the sequence behavior. Using the Crawl and Scroll Behaviors (Motion 3.0.2 and Earlier) In this section, the Crawl Left behavior is used to illustrate working with the Text Animation behaviors.
Rate: Increases or decreases the rate of the crawl. By default, Rate is set to 10 (pixels per second). A higher rate increases the speed of the crawl, so the text travels a greater distance over time; a lower rate slows the crawl. Note: Although the Rate slider value is limited to 100, you can enter a higher value in the value slider. Position Offset: Offsets the start position of the text. By default, the crawl animation begins at the original position of the text.
F Appendix Using Gestures If you use a Wacom tablet and pen with your computer system, you can use gestures to navigate within Motion and to perform tasks such as editing, copying, pasting, and so on. Gestures are continuous, uninterrupted patterns that are drawn in the Motion user interface (using your tablet). Note: The supported tablet for using gestures in Motion is the Wacom Intuos tablet family.
The Gestures Preferences pane appears. Turn gestures on or off. Important: Gestures in Motion use the Inkwell technology in the Mac OS X operating system. In order to use gestures, you must first enable Handwriting Recognition in Motion Preferences. If you cannot turn gestures on at this point, or perform the following steps, click Open Ink Preferences and follow the instructions in the section, Gestures in the Air. Once you have enabled Handwriting Recognition, complete the following steps.
2 For “Handwriting recognition is,” click the On option. Turn handwriting recognition on or off. By default, a “whoosh” sound is played when gestures are drawn. To disable the default gesture sound 1 Click the Options button in Ink Preferences. 2 In the Ink dialog, deselect “Play sound while writing.” Turn “Play sound while writing” on and off. Wacom Settings In the Wacom Tablet application, you can create customized tool settings for individual applications.
To customize the pen buttons for a specific application 1 In your Applications folder, open the Wacom Tablet application. 2 In the Wacom Tablet dialog, click Add Application To List and do one of the following: • If Motion is currently open, select it from the “Currently running applications” list. • If Motion is not currently open, click the Browse button, navigate to and select Motion, then click Choose. Motion appears in the Selected Application field. 3 Select all applicable tablets, then click OK.
Note: There is no defined minimum or maximum scale for the gestural input. The tolerance is defined by the Inkwell technology. However, the size at which certain gestures are drawn may affect the result of the gesture. For example, when using the “fit to fill” zoom gesture and you draw a large circle, the zoom amount is small. If you draw a small circle, the zoom is large. Playback Control Gestures Use the gestures described in the following table for controlling playback.
Gesture Description Modifier keys Select the Zoom tool. To zoom in and out of the Canvas, move the pen left or right. The zoom is centered on the area in which the pointer is placed in the Canvas. Select the Pan tool. Set the Canvas to Home (100 percent). Fit the Canvas in the window. To switch the Canvas display to full-screen mode, press Shift. Show or hide the Timing pane. Show or hide the Project pane. Show or hide the Inspector. Show or hide the File Browser. Show or hide the Library.
Gesture Description Modifier keys Undo Redo Delete the selected object. Choose the Select tool. If a Select tool mode is enabled, such as Shear, when the gesture is drawn, the Select mode is enabled. Show and hide the HUD. Copy Paste Note: The Paste command may be a bit tricky to master. Timeline Navigation and Editing Gestures The following table describes the gestures used for Timeline navigation and editing. Gesture Description Modifier keys Go to start of play range.
Gesture Description Modifier keys Go to end of play range. Go to the start of the project. Go to the end of the project. Go to start of the currently selected object. Go to end of the currently selected object. Group Ungroup 1496 Appendix F Using Gestures Set a local In point for the currently selected object. To move the In point to the current playhead position, press Shift. Set a local Out point for the currently selected object.
Gesture Appendix F Using Gestures Description Modifier keys Send the selected object backward in the stack. To send an object to the back of the stack, press Shift. Add a project marker. • To edit a project marker, press Shift. • To clear a project marker, press Option. Add an object marker. • To edit an object marker, press Shift. • To clear an object marker, press Option. Set the start of the play range. To clear the play range, press Option. Set the end of the play range.
