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
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Convert between shapes and masks in Motion
Because masks and shapes are created in similar ways but perform different tasks, there are occasions where you may create a shape and later want to convert it into a mask, or vice versa. Different options are available when converting shapes to masks, depending on the type of object being masked. When you need to convert a shape to a mask, consider the following:
When a shape is converted to a mask and applied to a scaled object, the resulting mask is scaled as well. This may lead to unexpected results. To prevent surprises, set the object to 100% scale or place the object in a new group and apply the mask to the group.
Converting a shape that has been manipulated in 3D space into a mask may produce unexpected results. For more information on working with masks in 3D projects, see Mask a layer.
When a transformed (scaled, rotated, or anchor point-adjusted) shape is converted to a mask, the transforms are not maintained.
Note: Masks are cannot be applied to 3D paint strokes, 3D particle systems or replicators, 3D text, or unflattened 3D groups. To convert a shape to a mask on such an object, the item must be flattened.
Convert a shape to mask an image
In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
Note: You can also add a preset shape from Shapes category in the Library.
In the Layers list, drag the shape object onto the layer to be masked.
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 is 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.
Convert a shape to a mask a group
You can convert a shape into a mask and apply that mask to any group in a project.
In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, drag the shape onto the group layer and pause, holding down the mouse button, then when the drop menu appears, choose Move Mask To Group.
Convert a shape to mask its enclosing group
You can convert a shape into mask and apply that mask to its parent (enclosing) group.
In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, select the shape layer and do one of the following:
Drag the shape onto the group and pause, holding the mouse button; when the drop menu appears, choose Move Mask To Group, then release the mouse button.
Choose Object > Convert to Mask.
Convert a shape to a mask another shape
In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, drag the shape object onto another shape object and pause, holding the mouse button.
When the drop menu appears, choose Add Mask To Shape, then release the mouse button.
The shape is converted into a mask and is applied to the other shape.
Note: Masks cannot be applied to 3D paint strokes.
Convert a shape to mask a particle emitter or replicator
In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, drag the shape object onto an emitter or replicator and pause, holding the mouse button.
When the drop menu appears, choose Add Mask To Emitter or Add Mask to Replicator, then release the mouse button.
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 Inspector for the drop menu to appear.
Convert a shape to mask 2D text or 3D text
In the Layers list, select the text layer to mask.
In the Layout pane of the Text Inspector, ensure that the Flatten checkbox is selected.
Use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, drag the shape object onto the text layer.
Convert a mask to a shape
In the Layers list in Motion, select a mask and do one of the following:
Choose Object > Convert To Shape.
The shape moves to the bottom of the group.
Drag the mask between two objects in the Layers list.
Drag the mask onto the group layer and pause, holding the mouse button; when the drop menu appears, choose Move Shape To Group.
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