12. Working with Other Applications

This chapter explores the most common workflows you may use when working with Motion and other applications: roundtripping with Final Cut Pro, importing and applying Motion templates in Final Cut Pro, and using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator documents.

Roundtripping with Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro is the application that uses Motion projects most often and for a good reason. Final Cut Pro and Motion are designed to work together to quickly create motion graphics elements for video sequences. Whether adding a title sequence, animating graphical elements, or creating dynamic lower thirds, Motion goes well beyond the graphics capabilities of Final Cut Pro while seamlessly integrating with Final Cut Pro projects.

Three Final Cut Pro parameters should be considered when working with embedded Motion project files.

Importing and Roundtripping Motion Projects

The most basic integration of Motion into Final Cut Pro is to import and add a native Motion project file to a sequence. Motion projects imported into the Browser are used like any other asset in a project but can be changed in Motion at any time.

1. Import a Motion project file (.motn) into a Final Cut Pro project.

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   Note

   Only the video portion of a Motion project file is imported into Final Cut Pro.

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2. From the Browser, edit the .motn clip into the sequence.
3. To change the content of the Motion project, Control-click (or right-click) the Motion project file in the Timeline, and choose “Open in Editor” from the shortcut menu.

   

4. In Motion, make and save the desired changes to the Motion project.
5. Return to Final Cut Pro to find the .motn file in the Timeline automatically refreshed to reflect the changes.
6. If further changes are needed, repeat steps 3 through 5.

Sending Clips to Motion

You can also create a Motion project file within Final Cut Pro. The new project file may be based on clips in a sequence and may even replace those clips with the new Motion project file.

1. Select one or more sequence clips.

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   Tip

   Any keyframes set in the Final Cut Pro Motion tab will become part of the new Motion project. Any applied filters will not transfer to Motion (with the exception of the SmoothCam filter, which becomes the Stabilize behavior in Motion).

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2. Control-click the selected content and choose Send To > Motion Project from the shortcut menu.

   

3. Name the new Motion project, choose a save location, and choose any other options you desire.

   

4. In Motion, build and save the Motion project.

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   Note

   If the original clip from Final Cut Pro was sent for reference only, be sure to disable that layer before saving.

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5. Return to Final Cut Pro. An embedded project will automatically replace the selected clip(s) in the Final Cut Pro sequence.

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   Tip

   If you deselected the Embed Motion Content checkbox in step 3, you will need to manually import the Motion project file into the Browser and edit the project into the sequence.

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Sending Sequences to Motion

Rather than sending a clip or two, Final Cut Pro allows you to create a new Motion project file from a sequence.

1. Select the sequence in the Browser.
2. Control-click the sequence and choose Send To > Motion Project from the shortcut menu.

   

3. Name the new Motion project and choose a save location.

   

4. In Motion, build and save the Motion project.
5. Return to Final Cut Pro and import the saved Motion project into the Final Cut Pro project.

Using Motion Templates in Final Cut Pro

Applying and working with templates in Final Cut Pro is slightly different from importing a Motion project and adding it to a sequence. Motion templates can be updated dynamically in Final Cut Pro, which allows you to change the media used in drop zones and the text used in the template.

1. In a Final Cut Pro sequence, cue the playhead to the location where you want to add the master template.
2. In Final Cut Pro, choose Sequence > Add Master Template.
3. In the Master Template Browser, select the Master Template.

   

4. At the lower right of the Master Template Browser, choose a Superimpose, Overwrite, or Insert edit.

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   Note

   These edit options are available only if the Timeline was active when you performed step 2.

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5. Use the controls in the Viewer to add media to drop zones and to change text.

   

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   Note

   The controls for the template should automatically load into the Viewer. If not, double-click the template in the sequence.

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Working with Adobe Photoshop Documents

Adobe Photoshop is the standard design tool for many graphics professionals. Luckily, Motion has great support for layered Photoshop documents and even retains the opacity and the majority of blending modes that are applied to the image.

1. In the File Browser of Motion, select a .psd file.
2. Drag the file to the Canvas, Layers tab, or Timeline.
3. Wait for the drop menu to appear and choose whether to import a merged version of the .psd file, all layers from the .psd file, or an individual layer.

   

4. Apply behaviors and/or filters, and animate them as you would any other object in Motion.

Working with Adobe Illustrator Documents

Adobe Illustrator files can be imported into Motion. To ensure compatibility, make sure the Create PDF Compatible File checkbox is selected when saving an Illustrator file.

1. Import the Adobe Illustrator document into the Motion project.
2. In the Media tab of the Project pane, select the Illustrator file that was imported into the project.

   

3. Press F4 to go to the Media tab of the Inspector.
4. Deselect the Fixed Resolution checkbox.