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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Source media controls in Motion
Motion attempts to interpret the correct parameter settings for each source media item you add to a project. However, additional manual adjustment is sometimes necessary. Because Motion is a nondestructive application, changes made to these parameters are not applied to the source media files on your computer or networked storage device. Parameter changes affect how files are used in Motion.
![Media Inspector](https://help.apple.com/assets/6578ED9D202EA54F7003FAAA/6578ED9EBDA3B130FF0B4ED0/en_US/a1267d508eb2805a235615d7a6cb9d0a.png)
The following controls let you modify source media in the Media list. Modifying source media modifies all layers in a project linked to that media.
Note: The parameters described below do not apply to Photoshop files imported as separate layers. And PDF files with transparent backgrounds do not have the Alpha Type or Invert Alpha parameters.
Alpha Type: A pop-up menu to set how Motion deals with alpha channels in the media item. An alpha channel contains information about areas of transparency in the image or movie. When you import an image file or QuickTime movie that has an alpha channel, its alpha channel is immediately recognized by Motion. There are several different ways to embed alpha channel information into files, which correspond to the options in this menu. Motion assigns an option based on an analysis of the object when it’s imported, but you can override the default if necessary, by choosing any of the following:
None/Ignore: The default setting for objects with no alpha channel. This option also allows you to ignore an object’s alpha channel, so the entire object appears solid.
Straight: These alpha channels are kept separate from the red, green, and blue channels of an image. Media files using straight alpha channels appear fine when used in a composition, but they may look odd when viewed in another application. Translucent effects such as volumetric lighting or lens flares in a computer-generated image can appear distorted until the clip is used in a composition. If Straight is chosen but you see a black, white, or color fringe around the object, this parameter is incorrectly set and should be changed to a Premultiplied option, depending on the color of the fringe.
Premultiplied–Black: This type of alpha channel is multiplied with the clip’s red, green, and blue channels. As a result, objects with premultiplied alpha channels look correct, even with translucent lighting effects, because the entire image is precomposited against a solid color. This option interprets alpha channels that are precomposited against black.
Premultiplied–White: This option interprets alpha channels that are precomposited against white.
Guess Alpha Type: This option forces Motion to analyze the file in an attempt to figure out what kind of alpha channel is used. If you’re unsure, use this setting.
Color Space Override: If the color space metadata for a video clip is missing or incorrect, use this pop-up menu to change the media’s color profile so that Motion processes and displays the selected video correctly. The options vary depending on the selected file. Rec. 601, Rec. 709, and Rec. 2020, Rec. 2020 HLG, and Rec. 2020 PQ are available for most files; sRGB IEC61966-2.1 and Adobe RGB are available for still images. See About color space.
Tip: It’s best to set the correct color space for your media before attempting any color correction.
Invert Alpha: A checkbox that, when selected, inverts an alpha channel that is incorrectly generated in reverse. Ordinarily, an alpha channel is a grayscale channel, where white represents areas of 100 percent opacity (solid), gray regions represent translucent areas, and black represents 0 percent opacity (transparent).
Pixel Aspect Ratio: A pop-up menu to set the type of pixel relevant to the project, square or nonsquare. In general, objects created for computer display, film, and high-definition video use square pixels, while objects created for some video formats (such as DV, HDV, DVCPRO HD, and others) use nonsquare pixels. A value field to the right of this pop-up menu displays the numeric aspect ratio, in case you need a custom ratio. By correctly identifying each object you add to your project, you can mix and match both kinds of media.
Field Order: A pop-up menu to choose a field order that matches the field order of the device used to capture an interlaced clip. There are three choices: None, Upper (Odd), and Lower (Even). If you choose incorrectly, the video will stutter during playback. When this happens, choose the opposite field order. Clips shot on film or with a progressive-scan video camera have no interlacing; therefore, Field Order should be set to None. By correctly identifying each object in your project, you can mix and match clips with a different field order.
Frame Rate: A pop-up menu to choose a frame rate in frames per second (fps) that matches a clip’s native rate. For example, film is 24 fps, PAL video is 25 fps, and NTSC video is 29.97 fps. Additional frame rates are available for other video formats. If the frame rate you require is not listed, enter a number in the text field to the right of the pop-up menu. If you modify a QuickTime file’s frame rate but need to change it back to the file’s original rate, choose “From file” at the bottom of the Frame Rate pop-up menu.
Although you can mix clips using different frame rates, clips playing at a frame rate different from that of the project might not play smoothly.
Note: Project frame rates are determined by the project preset. To edit a preset or to create a preset, choose Motion > Settings and use the options in the Presets pane.
Fixed Width and Fixed Height: Sliders (available for still images) to change the resolution of source media. When the Large Stills control (in Motion Settings) is set to Scale to Canvas Size, these values display the resolution of the original file. See Set the import size of large images.
When a PDF is selected in the Media list, these controls set the maximum resolution to which a PDF object can be smoothly scaled. See PDF files.
Crop: Four sliders, visible when you click the disclosure triangle, that define the number of pixels to be cropped from each of the source media’s four sides, relative to the outer edge of the bounding box that surrounds that source media. Cropping an item in the Media list also crops all instances of that item in layers of the project. A similar Crop parameter appears in the Properties Inspector when you select a layer in the Layers list. See Properties Inspector controls.
Timing: Three value sliders to set the start, end, and duration of the source media:
Start: Sets the In point of the source media, in constant and variable speed modes. Adjusting this parameter moves the In point to the specified frame without affecting the duration of the media.
End: Sets the Out point of the source media, in constant and variable speed modes. Adjusting this parameter moves the Out point to the specified frame without affecting the duration of the media.
Duration: Sets the total duration of the source media. If Time Remap is set to Constant Speed, adjusting Duration also affects the Speed and Out point. If Time Remap is set to Variable Speed (in the Timing controls of the Properties Inspector), adjusting Duration does not affect variable speed playback.
Linked Objects: A list of all objects in the Layers list that are linked to the selected source media in the Media list. The first column shows the name of the group containing an instance of the source media; the second column shows the layer name. Changing the layer name in the Layers list updates the name appearing in this list.
Replace Media File: A button to relink media in your project to a source file on disk. This feature is primarily useful for relinking offline media, but can also be used to change source media (changing all layers that are linked to that source media). When a 3D object file is selected, only compatible 3D files (USDZ) are available for relinking.
Metadata: An information pane displaying properties of the external media file on your computer or networked device that’s linked to the item selected in the Media list.
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