… for Apple Motion

Tip #1161: Create Burn or Scorch Marks

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Rule #1: The shorter an effects shot, the more effective it is.

Recently, for a webinar, I needed to create the illusion of a child dragging a light saber across a carpet and setting it on fire. While the entire effect would take longer than a tip to explain, I did want to touch on creating a burn or scorch mark, which was part of this effect.

The number one rule for any effects shot is: The shorter the effects shot, the more effective it is. The longer a shot holds on the screen, the more time the audience has to find something wrong with it.

That being said, the screen shot illustrates this burn effect:

• Create an irregular curve using the Pen tool
• Expand the Outline width a lot; here I used 100
• Apply Shape Style > Traditional > Charcoal 3
• Apply Properties > Blend Mode > Multiply

The Multiply blend mode combines the darker pixels between the “burn” and the carpet underneath. This makes the burn seem more attached to the carpet itself.

This is a very simple effect that works well.

EXTRA CREDIT

For scorch marks, change the color to more accurately match the background, and, depending on what is doing the scorching, you may need to use geometric shapes.

… for Apple Motion

Tip #1163: Fill a 3D Object with Texture

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

To retain texture, especially for white 3D objects, use Stencil Luma.

One of the new features in Motion 5.4.7 is 3D objects. They are in their own category in the Library. Here’s a better way to give them texture.

In the screen shot, I created a cylinder made out of strips of bamboo. Sorta. Here’s how.

• Drag Library > 3D Objects > Cylinder into the timeline.
• Using the 3D controls, position it however you want. Here, I tipped it forward to see the difference between the top and sides.
• In the same group, drag Library > Content > Backgrounds > Bamboo Weave under the cylinder in the Layers panel.
• Select the cylinder and change Inspector > Properties > Blend mode to Stencil Luma.

Stencil Luma retains the grayscale texture, while keying the background into the foreground.

NOTE: Stencil Alpha would replace the white, but lose all the depth provided by the lighting.

EXTRA CREDIT

To emphasize the shading created by the lighting, add Filters > Color > Levels to the cylinder, then tweak the Levels settings to emphasize the differences in grayscale.

… for Apple Motion

Tip #1116: A Design Thought on Depth

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Sometimes a design element can help reinforce the illusion of depth.

In other tips, I used Y-axis rotation to create the illusion of depth; especially for text. However, sometimes adding a design element can help sell that illusion even more.

In the screen shot, the text was rotated 50° on the Y-axis. While this clearly creates the illusion that the text is receding into the screen, we can do more to emphasize this.

For example, in the screen shot, I added a line to reinforce this illusion in three ways:

1. The line is rotated at 50° on the Y-axis
2. The near edge of the line is wider than the far edge, which was done by manually dragging the control points that define the boundaries of the line to make the near edge slightly wider.
3. The line is darker than the text above it which makes the line seem like it is “going away” from the text.

No single technique will work the same for every effect, but using graphical elements to reinforce placement of text is often much better than just using the text by itself. And I thought this was a cool example to share with you.

… for Apple Motion

Tip #1118: What is Ease In / Ease Out?

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

To give movement a more “natural” look, experiment by adding “Ease Both.”

Most Motion effects that involve movement have a Speed setting that determines if and how the speed of that movement changes over time.

For example, the screen shot illustrates the eight options for modifying the speed of the Motion Path behavior.

• Constant. The object’s speed remains constant for the entire duration of the effect.
• Ease In. The object’s speed decreases as it approaches a keyframe or end of the effect.
• Ease Out. The object’s speed increases as it leaves a keyframe or the beginning of the effect, then maintains a steady speed thereafter.
• Ease Both. The object speeds up leaving a keyframe or the start of the effect, maintains a steady speed in the middle, then slows down as it approaches a keyframe or the end of the effect.
• Accelerate. The object’s speed continually increases over the duration of the effect.
• Decelerate. The object’s speed continually decreases over the duration of the effect.
• Natural. The speed at which the object moves over the path is determined by the shape of the path. For example, if the path is a U-shape curve, the object moves faster as it moves toward the low point of the U and slower as it moves up the edges.
• Custom. This allows setting keyframes to adjust speed over the duration of the effect.