Motion User Guide
- Welcome
- What’s new
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- Intro to basic compositing
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- Intro to transforming layers
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- Intro to transforming layers in the canvas
- Transform layer properties in the canvas
- Transform tools
- Change layer position, scale, or rotation
- Move a layer’s anchor point
- Add a drop shadow to a layer
- Distort or shear a layer
- Crop a layer
- Modify shape or mask points
- Transform text glyphs and other object attributes
- Align layers in the canvas
- Transform layers in the HUD
- Transform 2D layers in 3D space
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- Intro to behaviors
- Behaviors versus keyframes
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- Intro to behavior types
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- Intro to Parameter behaviors
- Audio behavior
- Average behavior
- Clamp behavior
- Custom behavior
- Add a Custom behavior
- Exponential behavior
- Link behavior
- Logarithmic behavior
- MIDI behavior
- Add a MIDI behavior
- Negate behavior
- Oscillate behavior
- Create a decaying oscillation
- Overshoot behavior
- Quantize behavior
- Ramp behavior
- Randomize behavior
- Rate behavior
- Reverse behavior
- Stop behavior
- Track behavior
- Wriggle behavior
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- Intro to Simulation behaviors
- Align to Motion behavior
- Attracted To behavior
- Attractor behavior
- Drag behavior
- Drift Attracted To behavior
- Drift Attractor behavior
- Edge Collision behavior
- Gravity behavior
- Orbit Around behavior
- Random Motion behavior
- Repel behavior
- Repel From behavior
- Rotational Drag behavior
- Spring behavior
- Vortex behavior
- Wind behavior
- Additional behaviors
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- Intro to using generators
- Add a generator
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- Intro to image generators
- Caustics generator
- Cellular generator
- Checkerboard generator
- Clouds generator
- Color Solid generator
- Concentric Polka Dots generator
- Concentric Shapes generator
- Gradient generator
- Grid generator
- Japanese Pattern generator
- Lens Flare generator
- Manga Lines generator
- Membrane generator
- Noise generator
- One Color Ray generator
- Op Art 1 generator
- Op Art 2 generator
- Op Art 3 generator
- Overlapping Circles generator
- Radial Bars generator
- Soft Gradient generator
- Spirals generator
- Spiral Drawing generator
- Use Spiral Drawing onscreen controls
- Star generator
- Stripes generator
- Sunburst generator
- Truchet Tiles generator
- Two Color Ray generator
- Save a modified generator
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- Intro to filters
- Browse and preview filters
- Apply or remove filters
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- Intro to filter types
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- Intro to Color filters
- Brightness filter
- Channel Mixer filter
- Color Adjustments filter
- Color Balance filter
- Example: Color-balance two layers
- Color Curves filter
- Use the Color Curves filter
- Color Reduce filter
- Color Wheels filter
- Use the Color Wheels filter
- Colorize filter
- Contrast filter
- Custom LUT filter
- Use the Custom LUT filter
- Gamma filter
- Gradient Colorize filter
- HDR Tools filter
- Hue/Saturation filter
- Hue/Saturation Curves filter
- Use the Hue/Saturation Curves filter
- Levels filter
- Negative filter
- OpenEXR Tone Map filter
- Sepia filter
- Threshold filter
- Tint filter
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- Intro to Distortion filters
- Black Hole filter
- Bulge filter
- Bump Map filter
- Disc Warp filter
- Droplet filter
- Earthquake filter
- Fisheye filter
- Flop filter
- Fun House filter
- Glass Block filter
- Glass Distortion
- Insect Eye filter
- Mirror filter
- Page Curl filter
- Poke filter
- Polar filter
- Refraction filter
- Ring Lens filter
- Ripple filter
- Scrape filter
- Sliced Scale filter
- Use the Sliced Scale filter
- Sphere filter
- Starburst filter
- Stripes filter
- Target filter
- Tiny Planet filter
- Twirl filter
- Underwater filter
- Wave filter
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- Intro to Stylize filters
- Add Noise filter
- Bad Film filter
- Bad TV filter
- Circle Screen filter
- Circles filter
- Color Emboss filter
- Comic filter
- Crystallize filter
- Edges filter
- Extrude filter
- Fill filter
- Halftone filter
- Hatched Screen filter
- Highpass filter
- Indent filter
- Line Art filter
- Line Screen filter
- MinMax filter
- Noise Dissolve filter
- Pixellate filter
- Posterize filter
- Relief filter
- Slit Scan filter
- Slit Tunnel filter
- Texture Screen filter
- Vignette filter
- Wavy Screen filter
- About filters and color processing
- Publish filter controls to Final Cut Pro
- Using filters on alpha channels
- Filter performance
- Save custom filters
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- Intro to 3D objects
- Add a 3D object
- Move and rotate a 3D object
- Reposition a 3D object’s anchor point
- Exchange a 3D object file
- 3D object intersection and layer order
- Using cameras and lights with 3D objects
- Save custom 3D objects
- Guidelines for working with 3D objects
- Working with imported 3D objects
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- Intro to 360-degree video
- 360-degree projects
- Create 360-degree projects
- Add 360-degree video to a project
- Create a tiny planet effect
- Reorient 360-degree media
- Creating 360-degree templates for Final Cut Pro
- 360-degree-aware filters and generators
- Export and share 360-degree projects
- Guidelines for better 360-degree projects
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- Intro to settings and shortcuts
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- Intro to Keyboard shortcuts
- Use function keys
- General keyboard shortcuts
- Audio list keyboard shortcuts
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- Tools keyboard shortcuts
- Transform tool keyboard shortcuts
- Select/Transform tool keyboard shortcuts
- Crop tool keyboard shortcuts
- Edit Points tool keyboard shortcuts
- Edit shape tools keyboard shortcuts
- Pan and Zoom tools keyboard shortcuts
- Shape tools keyboard shortcuts
- Bezier tool keyboard shortcuts
- B-Spline tool keyboard shortcuts
- Paint Stroke tool keyboard shortcuts
- Text tool keyboard shortcuts
- Shape mask tools keyboard shortcuts
- Bezier Mask tool keyboard shortcuts
- B-Spline Mask tool keyboard shortcuts
- Transport control keyboard shortcuts
- View option keyboard shortcuts
- HUD keyboard shortcuts
- Inspector keyboard shortcuts
- Keyframe Editor keyboard shortcuts
- Layers keyboard shortcuts
- Library keyboard shortcuts
- Media list keyboard shortcuts
- Timeline keyboard shortcuts
- Keyframing keyboard shortcuts
- Shape and Mask keyboard shortcuts
- 3D keyboard shortcuts
- Miscellaneous keyboard shortcuts
- Touch Bar shortcuts
- Move assets to another computer
- Work with GPUs
- Glossary
- Copyright
![](https://help.apple.com/assets/6578ED9D202EA54F7003FAAA/6578ED9EBDA3B130FF0B4ED0/en_US/61af24e141c4e4e33a9f3252ac43ed64.png)
Link behavior in Motion
The Link behavior forces the value of one parameter to match that of another “linked” parameter. The source parameter can be attached to the same object or to another object. The linked parameters must contain numerical data. Parameters controlled by checkboxes, menus, and other non-numeric values cannot be linked. The linked parameters also must contain the same number of attributes. You cannot link a compound parameter such as Scale X-Y-Z to a parameter such as Opacity, which has only one slider. You can, however, link a compound parameter such as Scale X-Y-Z to Position X-Y-Z.
![Inspector showing Link behavior](https://help.apple.com/assets/6578ED9D202EA54F7003FAAA/6578ED9EBDA3B130FF0B4ED0/en_US/44b3d5e01eec89e38ecc7e48529e3d3f.png)
The values of the source parameter can be scaled to more accurately apply to the destination parameter. 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 to create different effects.
The Link behavior can be applied to a parameter animated with behaviors or keyframes; however, the Link behavior does not affect the parameter when the Start Values or End Values are zero.
When using the Link behavior to control an object’s position parameter, the linked coordinates are based on the center point of the current group. So when an object is linked to another object in the same group, it shares an identical position. However, if the source object is in a different group, the coordinates might appear offset in space.
If your goal is to match an identical position across groups with different center points, you can create an invisible reference object in the group containing the source, link it to the source object, then use the Match Move behavior to copy the reference object’s position to that of the intended target. Match Move compensates for inter-group position offsets and provides the option to attach one object to another or to mimic the source object’s transformations. For more information about the Match Move behavior, see Intro to match moving.
You can also link to the group’s coordinates instead of the object’s, and use the Offset parameters in the Link behavior to obtain the position you want. However, if that group is subsequently added to another group, the linked object might not move as expected.
Tip: You can make coordinated animations using text layers. For example, link the Scale parameter of a rectangle (the target object) to the Object Size of a text layer (the source object) to create an animation in which the rectangle automatically changes its size based on the size of the text string. Use the Link behavior together with the Align To behavior to create a box that automatically fits whatever text is typed “into” it.
Note: When a link behavior is added, it’s not enabled by default. To activate the behavior, click the activation checkbox beside the behavior name in the Behaviors Inspector.
Adjust this behavior using the controls in the Behaviors Inspector:
Source Object: An object well that defines the source object in which the source parameter resides. Click the To pop-up menu to select a source object in the current project.
Source Parameter (Compatible Parameters): A pop-up menu and assignment field showing the parameter that serves as the source for the Link behavior. Click the pop-up menu to choose a new source parameter. Only parameters with the same value type and number of attributes as the parameter selected in the Apply To (Target Parameters) pop-up menu appear here.
When a text layer is used as a source, additional parameters appear.
Note: When possible, Source Parameter defaults to the parameter chosen in the Apply To row (described below).
Important: Changing the Apply To (Target Parameters) setting changes which parameters appear in the Source Parameter pop-up menu. If you can’t find the parameter you’re looking for, you might need to choose a target parameter.
Apply To (Target Parameters): A pop-up menu and assignment field showing the parameter affected. Click the pop-up menu to reassign the behavior to another parameter.
When a text layer is used as a target, additional parameters appear.
Apply Mode: A pop-up menu that sets how the values from the source parameter affect the target parameter. The choices include:
Add to source: Adds the source parameter value to the existing value of the target parameter.
Multiply by source: Multiplies the source parameter value with the existing value of the target parameter.
Replace with source: Replaces the existing value of the target parameter with that of the source parameter.
Mix Over Time: A pop-up menu that sets how rapidly the source parameter values begin to affect the target parameter. Options include: Ease In, Ease Out, Ease In/Out, Accelerate, Decelerate, Accelerate/Decelerate, and Custom Mix.
Mix Time Range: A slider (available when the Mix Over Time pop-up menu is set to an ease or acceleration option) that controls the number of frames over which the ease or acceleration occurs.
Tip: Ease In and Accelerate begin at the In point of the Link behavior; Ease Out and Decelerate end at the Out point of the Link behavior. Therefore, you can trim the Link behavior in the Timeline to specify where the ease or acceleration begins or ends.
Custom Mix: A slider (available when the Mix Over Time parameter is set to Custom Mix) that can be animated to create a user-determined mix between the source and target parameter values.
Scale: A slider that specifies a value to be multiplied with the Source Parameter before it is applied to the target.
Apply Link When: A pop-up menu that limits when values from the source are applied to the target. There are five choices:
Any source value: No limits are placed on the source parameter values. An offset slider for each setting associated with the source parameter appears at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
Source value above minimum: The link applies only when the source value exceeds a defined minimum value. If the source value falls below the defined minimum, the link behavior stops. When selected, the Clamp Source Values Within Range checkbox as well as offset and minimum sliders for each setting associated with the source parameter appear at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
Source value below maximum: The link applies only when the source value stays below a defined maximum value. If the source value exceeds the defined maximum, the link behavior stops. When selected, the Clamp Source Values Within Range checkbox as well as offset and maximum sliders for each setting associated with the source parameter appear at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
Source value between min and max: The link applies 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 stops. 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 appear at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
Source value outside min and max: The link applies 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 stops. 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 appears at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
Clamp Source Value Within Range: A checkbox that becomes available when the Apply Link pop-up menu is set to a choice requiring a minimum or maximum value. When selected, values that exceed the defined range are pinned to the highest or lowest allowable setting.
Source Frame Mode: A pop-up menu that specifies whether the animation created by the linked parameters is continuous (with the source parameter value over the duration of the behavior) or fixed (to a source parameter value at a certain point in the duration of the behavior). There are two options:
Continuous: The target object’s linked parameter value matches the value of the source object’s parameter.
In the following example, the size of the yellow rectangle (the target parameter) is linked to the size of the animated text object (the source parameter), and Source Frame Mode is set to Continuous. The size of the rectangle matches the size of the animated text over the duration of the behavior.
(In this example, an Align To behavior—using the text as the target object—is also applied to the rectangle so that the rectangle remains aligned to the position of the text.)
Fixed: Fixes the value of the linked target parameter to the value of the source parameter at a specific point in the duration of the behavior (as defined by the Source Frame slider).
In the following example, the size of the yellow rectangle (the target parameter) is linked to the size of the sequenced text object (the source parameter), Source Frame Mode is set to Fixed, and Source Frame is set to 50%. The size of the rectangle is fixed to the size of the text halfway through the sequence behavior.
Source Frame: A slider (available when Source Frame Mode is set to Fixed) that defines the point in the source parameter’s animation that is applied to the target parameter.
(Parameter) offset: A slider that lets you create a constant offset between the source parameter value and the value applied to the target parameter.
(Parameter) min: One or more sliders that become available when the Apply Link pop-up menu is set to “Source value above minimum,” “Source value between min and max,” or “Source value outside min and max.” A “min” slider appears for each component of the source parameter. Adjusting this slider defines a minimum value to limit when the link behavior is active.
(Parameter) max: One or more sliders that become available when the Apply Link pop-up menu is set to “Source value below maximum,” “Source value between min and max,” or “Source value outside min and max.” A “max” slider appears for each component of the source parameter. Adjusting this slider defines a maximum value to limit when the link behavior is active.
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