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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. And while it does include the tools and techniques artists have
grown accustomed to, it also incorporates a streamlined and new set of tools called
behaviors that make previously complex procedures as simple as dragging and dropping.
A tool called the replicator creates a customizable pattern from copies of a layer, quickly
creating complex design effects that would take hours to build in other applications.
Flexible paint and shape tools allow you to add or create shapes that are drawn on the
Canvas over time.
Behaviors
The Motion behaviors simplify the most common tasks such as scaling, fading, and moving
elements. Behaviors also allow you to create complex 2D or 3D interactions such as Edge
Collision (making elements bounce off of designated boundaries) or Attractor effects
(giving one element a gravitational pull on surrounding elements). And because text is
such a critical element of motion graphics work, Motion includes more than 140 behaviors
specifically designed for text elements that treat individual letters uniquely while
simultaneously affecting the entire text layer in which they reside.
Heads-Up Display (HUD)
Motion uses a special floating window called the heads-up display, referred to as the HUD,
to provide at-your-fingertips access to your most frequently used parameters. The HUD
changes dynamically, depending on what is selected. The HUD also provides access to
unique visual controls for some of the behaviors.
The HUD also allows you to quickly add behaviors to specific parameters of an object.
These Parameter behaviors allow you to affect a single aspect of an object (its position,
scale, or opacity, for example) rather than the object as a whole.
Real-Time Feedback
With the right hardware configuration, nearly every effect and adjustment you make can
be viewed in real time. This means that you can watch how the various elements of your
composition interact as you modify them. Not only does this mean less waiting time
while the computer converts your various clicks and drags into a viewable movie, it means
that you can interact with your creation in a more fluid and engaging way. Rather than
making a set of assumptions and then waiting to see how they turn out, you can
immediately see how your ideas work, then make adjustments on the fly.
Real-time feedback turns the act of designing a motion graphics sequence into an act of
exploration and discovery, which is the way most artists prefer to create. Motion provides
not just a new set of brushes for the motion graphics artist, but a whole new type of work
environment.
17Chapter 1 About Motion and Motion Graphics