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Table of Contents

Welcome
What’s new
- What is Motion?
- Motion workflow
- Motion interface
- Basic components of Motion
- Using input devices
- Intro to creating projects
- Create a new project
- Open an existing project
- Search for projects from the Finder
- Bypass the Project Browser
- Create and modify project presets
- Save, autosave, and revert projects
- Intro to adding and managing content
- Intro to project playback
- Define the play range
- Project playback performance
- Intro to basic compositing
- - Modify layer opacity
- Intro to 3D compositing
- - Intro to 3D coordinates
  - Relative coordinates
- Transform layers in 3D space
- - Create 3D intersection
  - 2D and 3D group properties
- Intro to the Timeline
- Display or resize the Timing pane
- Navigate in the Timeline
- Show and modify keyframes in the Timeline
- - Intro to the Timeline ruler
  - Edit a range of frames in the Timeline
- Edit in the mini-Timeline
- Intro to behaviors
- Behaviors versus keyframes
- - Browse for behaviors
- - Intro to adjusting behaviors
  - Adjust behaviors
- Intro to keyframing
- Add keyframes
- - Add an animation path in the canvas
  - Modify animation paths
- Animate from the HUD
- - Apply keyframes to behaviors
  - Combining keyframes and behaviors
- Use the mini-curve editor
- Animate on the fly
- Simplify a keyframe curve
- Intro to Final Cut Pro templates
- - Template workflow
  - Placeholders vs. drop zones
- - Convert a Motion project to a template
  - Convert a template to another type
- Use placeholder images in templates
- Set template resolution
- Add multiple aspect ratios to templates
- Override the Final Cut Pro color space
- Create templates that conform to the Final Cut Pro color space
- Where are templates saved?
- Using masks in templates
- - General template guidelines
  - Tips for color processing in templates
- Intro to rigging
- How does rigging work?
- Build a simple rig
- Work with widgets
- Control rigs from Animation menus
- Publish rigs to Final Cut Pro
- Intro to Particles
- - Add a particle system
  - Anatomy of a particle emitter
- Create 3D particles
- Particle system timing
- Using graphics in particle systems
- Using filters and masks with particles
- Save custom particle effects
- Intro to replicators
- Replicators vs. particle systems
- - Add a replicator
  - Anatomy of a replicator
- Work with 3D replicators
- Replicator timing
- Using filters and masks with replicators
- Save custom replicators
- Intro to basic text
- Select and modify text in the canvas
- Preview and apply fonts
- Use preset text styles
- - Intro to editing text
  - Display the Text Inspector or HUD
- Convert standard text to 3D text
- Check spelling
- Find and replace text
- Using filters with text
- Intro to 3D text
- 3D text workflow
- - Add 3D text
  - Convert 2D text to 3D text
- Apply a preset 3D text style
- Move and rotate 3D text
- Add a glow or drop shadow to 3D text
- 3D text intersection
- Intro to animated text
- Apply a text behavior
- - Use the Scroll Text behavior
  - Scroll Text controls
- - Use the Text Tracking behavior
  - Text Tracking controls
- - Use the Type On behavior
  - Type On controls
- Animate individual text glyphs
- Animating 2D text in 3D space
- When to use keyframes to animate text
- Adding nontext behaviors to text
- Save a modified text behavior
- Intro to shapes, masks, and paint strokes
- - Intro to complex shapes and masks
  - Draw complex shapes and masks
- Edit fill, outline, and feathering
- Keyframe shape control points
- Convert between shapes and masks
- Using filters and masks with shapes
- Copy shape styles
- Save custom shapes and shape styles
- Intro to using generators
- Add a generator
- - Modify or animate a generator
  - Controls common to all generators
- Save a modified generator
- Intro to filters
- Browse and preview filters
- Apply or remove filters
- - Animate filter parameters with keyframes
  - Animate filters using behaviors
- About filters and color processing
- Publish filter controls to Final Cut Pro
- Using filters on alpha channels
- Filter performance
- Save custom filters
- Intro to color keying
- - Intro to the Luma Keyer filter
  - Luma Keyer filter controls
- 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
- - Intro to 3D object timing
  - Modify 3D object timing in Motion
- Using cameras and lights with 3D objects
- Save custom 3D objects
- Guidelines for working with 3D objects
- Working with imported 3D objects
- Intro to 360-degree video
- 360-degree projects
- Create 360-degree projects
- Add 360-degree video to a project
- - View 360-degree projects
  - View 360-degree video in a VR headset
- - Intro to graphics in 360-degree projects
  - Use graphics in 360-degree projects
- 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
- Intro to tracking
- How does motion tracking work?
- Analyze and record motion in a clip
- Track shapes, masks, and paint strokes
- Track the position of a filter or object
- Adjust onscreen trackers
- Load existing tracking data
- Use a range of frames for analysis
- Save tracks to the Library
- Intro to audio
- View audio files
- Add audio files
- Play audio files
- Intro to exporting projects
- Export a QuickTime movie
- Export audio only
- Export a still image
- Export an image sequence
- Export to Apple devices
- Export to email
- Export using Compressor
- Create share destinations
- Render settings
- View the status of shared items
- Share notifications
- About color space
- Intro to color management
- Set the color processing method
- Manage automatic color processing
- View HDR media
- Adjust HDR media
- Choose HDR colors
- Display luminance values
- Tips for color management
- Intro to Cinematic mode video
- Move Cinematic clips to your Mac
- Enable Cinematic mode video adjustments
- Adjust focus points in Cinematic mode video clips in Motion
- Adjust depth of field in Cinematic mode video clips
- Intro to settings and shortcuts
- Touch Bar shortcuts
- Move assets to another computer
- Work with GPUs
Glossary
Copyright

Project settings in Motion

Project settings affect project and layer duration and other project options.

Motion Settings window showing Project pane

Default Project Settings

These controls determine default values for new projects. (These settings take effect in new projects created after you quit, then reopen Motion.) To change the settings of an open project, use the Properties Inspector (press Command-J to open the Properties Inspector).

Project Duration: A value field that sets the default duration for new projects. You can enter a number into the value field and choose Frames or Seconds from the pop-up menu.
Background Color: A color control that sets the color of the background for any new projects created (but does not change the background color of the current project.)
Note: To render a new background color into your final output, you must choose Solid from the Background Color pop-up menu in the Properties Inspector (press Command-J to open it).
For New Documents: Buttons that set what occurs when you create a project:
- Show Project Browser: Sets the Project Browser to appear whenever you create a project.
- Use Project: Sets a specific saved project to be opened whenever you create a project. When you select Use Project, the Choose button becomes available. Click Choose to specify the project to be opened. (If the project you want does not appear in the browser, click Open Other to locate the project in the Finder.) For more information on bypassing the Project Browser, see Bypass the Project Browser.

Still Images & Layers

These settings control the default duration, placement, and size of still images and imported layers, as well as layers created in Motion, such as text, shapes, and masks.

Default Layer Duration: Buttons that set the duration of still images, generators, and other layers that lack an inherent duration. There are two options:
- Use project duration: Sets all layers to have the same duration as the project.
- Use custom duration: Sets a custom layer duration, defined in the adjacent value field.
Create Layers At: Buttons that set where new layers are placed in the Timeline. There are two options:
- Current frame: Creates layers at the current playhead position.
- Start of project: Creates layers at the first frame of the project.
Large Stills: A pop-up menu that sets the size of imported files. There are two options:
- Do Nothing: Imports the image at its original size.
- Scale to Canvas Size: Imports and scales the image to fit the project size while maintaining the file’s aspect ratio.
Note: For more information on the differences between the Large Stills options, see Set the import size of large images.

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