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Tip #537: Add Curves to Keyframes

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Right-click any keyframe to reveal playback options.

Right-click a keyframe to display a hidden menu of keyframe options.

Topic $TipTopic

Apple Motion keyframes have a lot of flexibility in their playback options, if you know where to look. Here’s a quick tip to discover the secret.

When you apply keyframes to a clip, they will appear in the Keyframe section of the timeline, in the lower right portion of the interface.

NOTE: To display or hide the Keyframe Editor, type Cmd + 8.

Right-click (or Control-click) any keyframe to reveal a hidden menu.

Some of these options are:

  • Ease In slows movement going into a keyframe.
  • Ease Out slows movements leaving a keyframe
  • Ease Both accelerates and decelerates movement.
  • To change the shape of a curve, drag the white dot – called a “Bezier control point.”
  • Lock prevents a keyframe from being changed.
  • Disable turns off a keyframe, without removing it.

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Tip #550: Find Animated Settings in Motion – Fast!

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

This menu is located in the top left corner of the Keyframe Editor.

The Curve menu in the top left corner of the Keyframe Editor. The pop-up menu is outlined in white.

Topic $TipTopic

As projects get more complex, tracking which elements are animated and how they are animated gets tricky. Fortunately, Motion has a menu option that quickly allows you to see any modified settings or keyframes applied to a selected element.

With your project open, display the Keyframe Editor (shortcut: Cmd + 8). Next, select the element with the settings you want to review.

Then, in the top left corner, click the Animated menu. Here, you have several options:

  • All. Shows all settings for the selected element, whether modified or note.
  • Animated. Settings which have keyframes applied.
  • Modified. Setting which were changed from their defaults, whether or not keyframes were applied.

Other options limit the settings that are displayed to minimize visual clutter.

EXTRA CREDIT

Tip #555 illustrates how to create custom curve sets, so you see exactly the settings you need.


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Tip #555: Create Custom Curve Sets in Motion

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Custom Curve Sets allow us to see just the parameters we want.

A Custom Curve Set, showing parameter settings for Position, Scale and Opacity.

Topic $TipTopic

This tip originally appeared as an Apple KnowledgeBase article. This is an excerpt. In Tip #550, we illustrated how to access the default curve set in Apple Motion to see which settings have been modified or animated. However, we can also create our own custom curve set.

In the screen shot, I created a new curve set, then added Position, Scale and Opacity settings to it. This allows me to see just the changes to those key settings for the selected elements for the duration of the Motion project.

In addition to using the built-in curve set views, you can make and manage your own view using the last two options in the Show Curve Set pop-up menu: New Curve Set and Manage Curve Sets. As you create and store custom parameter sets, they appear in the Show Curve Set pop-up menu (at the top of the parameter list in the Keyframe Editor), allowing you to switch between them. Deleting, duplicating, and modifying custom sets is done in the Manage Curve Sets dialog (accessible from the Show Curve Set pop-up menu).

To create a custom curve set:

  • In the Keyframe Editor in Motion, click the Show Curve Set pop-up menu, then choose New Curve Set.
  • In the dialog that appears, enter a name for the set, then click OK.
  • After you create a curve set, you can choose it from the Show Curve Set pop-up menu.

To add parameters to a custom curve set do one of the following:

  • After you create a custom curve set, drag a parameter name from any pane in the Inspector into the Keyframe Editor parameter list.
  • In the Inspector, click the Animation menu for the parameter, then choose Show in Keyframe Editor.
  • The Animation menu (a down arrow) remains hidden until you position the pointer over the far-right side of the parameter row you want to modify.
  • The parameter is added to the custom curve set.

To remove a parameter, drag it out of the list.

EXTRA CREDIT

To delete, duplicate or manage the display order of custom curve sets, select Manage Curve Sets from the Cuve menu.


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Tip #522: The Missing Motion Shortcut

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Switch sets or create your own shortcuts to fix this problem.

Change keyboard shortcuts by switching sets in the Motion menu.

Topic $TipTopic

Of all the keyboard shortcuts that have ever existed in the history of the world, NONE have bothered me more than these two in Motion:

  • A enables automatic keyframe creation
  • Shift + S selects the Arrow tool

This shortcut combination has destroyed more student work than any other single thing I know; as well as countless projects of my own.

However, there’s hope!

While the current version of Motion supports changing keyboard shortcuts, there’s an even better solution: Changing shortcut command sets from Standard Set to Final Cut Pro Set. This resets the Arrow tool shortcut to A.

Go to Motion > Commands and switch sets:

  • The Arrow tool is now: A
  • The automatic Record Animation shortcut is now: Control + Option + Shift + Command + A

Finally.


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Tip #536: Add an Audio Fade in Apple Motion

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Keep all your audio work very, very simple in Motion.

Select the audio clip in the Audio panel, then apply and adjust effects.

Topic $TipTopic

Apple Motion really doesn’t like audio. A good operating rule is: Only import final mixes into Motion. Don’t try to do a mix in Motion itself; it will drive you nuts.

However, sometimes you still need to add a fade. Here’s how.

  • Import the audio clip you need.
  • Select Layers > Audio to display the clip. (It’s actually called the Project Panel, but no one remembers that.)
  • Select the clip in the Audio panel.
  • Apply Behaviors > Audio > Fade In/Fade Out.
  • Display the HUD and adjust the open and closing fade durations.
  • Just as with any other effect, adjust the timing using the Mini-Timeline.

EXTRA CREDIT

If you hear an audio pop at the end, trim the audio clip to end one frame before the fade ends. That pop should not be there, but Apple has never gotten around to fixing it.


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Tip #538: What Does “Four Corner” Do?

The “Four Corner” setting determines image distortion.

The Four Corner settings (top) determine image distortion (bottom).

Topic $TipTopic

When you select an object in Motion, one of the adjustments you can make is Four Corner. Inspector > Properties > Four Corner allows you to distort whatever you have selected. Here’s how it works.

When you adjust Inspector > Properties > Position, you can modify the position of the frame containing whatever you have selected.

However, when you adjust Inspector > Properties > Four Corner, you can distort the object itself, as illustrated in this screen shot.

Four Corner also provides separate control over the horizontal and vertical position of each corner.

EXTRA CREDIT

Keep in mind that all these distortion settings can be keyframed to animate a shape over time.


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Tip #495: Use Gradient Blur to Imply Depth-of-Field

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Gradient Blur simulates depth-of-field by varying the amount of blur in the frame.

Gradient blur applied to an image supplied by Blackmagic Design.

Topic $TipTopic

One of the challenges in using cell phone cameras is that too much of the image is in-focus. The amount of the image that’s in-focus is called “depth-of-field.”
We use depth-of-field to control where the eye looks first in the frame.

When lots of the image is in-focus, we say depth-of-field is deep. When only a small portion of the frame is in-focus, we say depth-of-field is shallow. (And, um, when none of the image is in-focus, we say the image is blurry.)

We can simulate a shallow depth-of-field in Motion using the Gradient Blur. (See screen shot.)

  • Apply Filters > Blur > Gradient Blur to a clip.
  • Drag the white dot to the area you want to stay in-focus.
  • Drag the black dot to the area you want to blur.
  • Adjust the settings in the Inspector to create the look you want.

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Tip #507: Create 360° Projects in Motion

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

2D assets don’t suddenly become 360° but this does make it easy to experiment.

To convert an existing Motion project to 360°, change Projection to 360° Monoscopic.

Topic $TipTopic

This article first appeared in an Apple KnowledgeBase article. This is a summary.

If you are looking to experiment with 360° video, Motion can convert a normal Motion project into 360° video without shooting new video. There are limitations, but here’s how it works.

To convert an existing Motion project to 360°:

  • In the Layers list in Motion, click the Project object.
  • In the Properties Inspector, click the Projection pop-up menu, then choose 360° Monoscopic.
  • Any existing root-level 2D groups in your project are converted to 3D groups. (If the project includes 2D groups nested within 3D groups, the 2D groups remain unchanged.)
  • Click Add Object in the toolbar, then choose 360° Environment.
  • A new 360° environment is added to the Layers list.
  • In the Layers list, move the 360° environment to the bottom of the list. (Although not required, this step sets up the project to add and composite elements above the 360° environment.)
  • Next, do one of the following:
    • If your project does not contain a camera, click Add Object, then choose Camera. A new Viewpoint camera is added to your project.
    • If your project contains a camera, select the camera in the Layers list, then in the Camera Inspector, click the Camera Type pop-up menu and choose Viewpoint.
  • In the canvas, click the gray box in the top-right corner of the canvas, then choose the second arrangement in the list (two-up, split view).
  • The canvas is split into two viewports.
  • In the left viewport, click the Camera pop-up menu and choose 360° Look Around. Your project now correctly projects the equirectangular footage. The 360° Look Around view uses the field of view of the active camera.
  • In the right viewport, click the Camera pop-up menu and choose 360° Overview. The canvas displays the entire 360° scene as a flat, equirectangular image alongside the spherical viewer. This image represents the final output of your project.

NOTE: When you convert a normal project to a 360° project, normal footage already in the project is not projected in 360°. Other objects in the project also need to be adjusted. For example, if the project contains a generator that you want projected onto the 360° sphere, you must move the generator inside the 360° environment.

EXTRA CREDIT

The link at the top of this tip takes you to a detailed Apple KnowledgeBase article showing how to work with 360° video in Motion. This tip is only one part of the options that Motion provides.


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Tip #515: Using the Active Camera Menu

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Controlling a camera in 3D space is tricky. The Active Camera menu helps you manage.

The Active Camera menu in Apple Motion 5.x.

Topic $TipTopic

As you move into 3D space in Motion, the Active Camera menu becomes an essential navigation tool. The Camera pop-up menu is divided into three sections: Top, Middle, and Bottom.

The top section lets you select the active scene camera as well as any other scene cameras you’ve added to your project. A Motion project can have more than one camera.

  • Active Camera/Camera: When you choose Active Camera from the pop-up menu, the topmost camera in the Layers list at the current playhead position (in the Timeline) becomes the active camera. The active camera is the camera through which you view your project in the canvas. It’s also the camera view that’s rendered when you export your project. If a project contains only one scene camera (as shown above), two items appear at the top of this pop-up menu: Active Camera and Camera, which represent the same camera.
  • If a project contains more than one scene camera (as shown below), all scene cameras appear at the top of the Camera pop-up menu, under the Active Camera item. To make a different scene camera the active camera, choose a different camera from the top section of the pop-up menu. (Scene cameras listed in this section of the Camera pop-up menu appear in the same order as they do in the Layers list.)

The middle section of the Camera pop-up menu lets you choose a reference camera to help you see your composition from various angles. Choose any of the following to activate a reference camera view:

  • Perspective: Like a real-world camera, views the scene with perspective distortion. For example, layers farther away from the camera appear smaller than layers closer to the camera. The perspective view defaults to a view from the front center.
  • Front: This orthogonal camera looks straight down the Z axis and shows a perpendicular view from the front of the scene.
  • Back: This orthogonal camera looks straight down the Z axis and shows a perpendicular view from the back of the scene.
  • Left: This orthogonal camera looks straight down the X axis and shows a perpendicular view from the left of the scene.
  • Right: This orthogonal camera looks straight down the X axis and shows a perpendicular view from the right of the scene.
  • Top: This orthogonal camera looks straight down the Y axis and shows a perpendicular view from the top of the scene.
  • Bottom: This orthogonal camera looks straight down the Y axis and shows a perpendicular view from the bottom of the scene.
  • Note: The orthogonal camera views (Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, and Bottom) ignore perspective.

NOTE: The reference camera views cannot be exported. However, you can still animate a scene camera when a reference camera view is selected.

Because objects (except 3D text) are 2D (flat), they may not be visible in the canvas when you choose an orthogonal camera view (Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, and Bottom). This is because orthogonal views are at right angles (perpendicular) to 2D elements in your project. When you select an object that’s invisible to an orthogonal reference camera, a thin white line represents the object in the canvas.

The bottom section of the Camera pop-up menu allows access to five frequently used commands:

  • Reset View: Resets the camera view to its default orientation. (Control-R)
  • Select Active Camera: Selects the active camera in the project—the topmost camera in the Layers list that is visible at the current frame (when there are multiple cameras existing at the same frame in time). (Control-Option-C)
  • Fit Objects Into View: Reframes the current camera to fit the selected objects into the canvas. (F)
  • Frame Object: Frames the selected objects in the active view. If no objects are selected, Frame Object resets the reference camera to view all objects in the scene. (Shift-Command-F)
  • Focus On Object: Used when a camera has depth of field turned on. Adjusts the camera’s Focus Offset to the selected object. (Control-F)

After you choose a camera view (scene camera or reference camera), use the 3D view tools to pan, orbit, or dolly the camera.

EXTRA CREDIT

To avoid getting lost, I generally just use the Active Camera and Top perspective.

The Motion help files have much more on working with cameras in 3D space.


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Tip #496: A Very Cool Time-Warp Effect

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

From humble roots come eye-catching effects.

The Cellular generator with a Slit Scan effect applied.

Topic $TipTopic

Here’s a very cool way to create a time-warp effect. I’ve never used this in real-life, but I teach it in all of my Motion classes, because it is fun to play with and teaches an important lesson. Here are the steps.

  • In Motion, add Generators > Cellular into a project.
  • Change the color gradient from black to white, to medium-dark blue to black.
  • Select Cellular in the Layers panel and apply Filters > Stylize > Slit Scan.
  • In Inspector > Properties, rotate the group so the blue flares radiate up-left.
  • In Inspector > Filters:
    • Change Center so the white line is in a lower corner
    • Change Speed to 15.
    • Change the Glow color to a radioactive green.

Then, change anything else you want.

The lesson this teaches is that we can take something very “blah” and make it eye-catching simply by using a few filters.

EXTRA CREDIT

What what happens when you replace Slit Scan with Slit Tunnel.


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