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Tip #288: How to Do a Match Frame Edit

… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #288: How to Do a Match Frame Edit

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Match frame edits are a very fast way to find the source clip.

The Premiere Pro CC Source Monitor.
A Match Frame edit loaded into the Source Monitor, matching the In, Out and playhead.

Topic $TipTopic

Let’s say you are editing the video of a clip into the timeline, only to realize, later in your edit, that you also needed the audio. How do you fix this quickly?

The answer is a Match Frame edit.

  • In the timeline, put your playhead in the clip you want to locate and type F.

This opens the source clip into the Source Monitor, matching the position of the In, Out and playhead of the clip in the Timeline.

From there you can edit whatever you need back into the Timeline.

Please rate the helpfulness of this tip.

Click on a star to rate it!

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Tip #325: Add a Widget and Parameter in One Step

… for Apple Motion

Tip #325: Add a Widget and Parameter in One Step

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Rigs and Widgets are used to create templates in Motion for Final Cut Pro X.

Access this menu by clicking the downward pointing arrow next to any parameter, like Scale.

Topic $TipTopic

This was first reported in an Apple KnowledgeBase article.

Rigging is the process of creating effect controls in Motion that can be used in Final Cut. Normally, you create a rig, then add a widget (effect control), then add one or more snapshots (settings for the widget).

A rig in Motion has no effect until it contains a widget with assigned snapshots (parameter states).

As an alternative to creating a widget using the buttons in the Rig Inspector, you can create a rig and a widget and then apply a parameter to the widget in a single step.
In Motion, do one of the following:

  • In the Inspector, click a parameter’s Animation menu (the down arrow that appears when you position the pointer over the right side of a parameter row), choose Add To Rig, choose a rig, then choose a widget type from the submenu.
  • Drag a parameter row from any Inspector pane to a rig object in the Layers list.

    Dropping the parameter row immediately on the rig object creates a slider widget. Pausing briefly causes a drop menu to appear, allowing you to select the widget type you want to create.

A new widget appears in the Layers list, under its parent rig. In the Widget Inspector, the parameter you chose appears under the Edit Mode button, ready for snapshot assignment.

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Tip #343: Move Motion Assets to a Different Computer

… for Apple Motion

Tip #343: Move Motion Assets to a Different Computer

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Copy a Motion project file to another computer.

Collect media options in Apple Motion.

Topic $TipTopic

This first appeared as an Apple KnowledgeBase article.

To move a Motion project file to another computer, you must also move all media that the project uses, including all QuickTime, still image, and audio files. In addition, any third-party Motion plug-ins or nonstandard fonts used in the project must be installed on the new computer, or they’ll be unavailable to your project.

Similarly, when you finish a project and want to archive it, it’s a good idea to archive the project file and all media, graphics, fonts, custom behaviors, filters, and third-party add-ons used in the project. If you need to restore the project for later revisions, you’ll have everything you need to get started quickly.

  1. In Motion, save the project file using File > Save as, then choose the Collect Media option and collect all project media into a folder.
  2. Copy the folder containing the saved project file and all media used in the project to another computer or location.

As you can see in this screen shot, archived projects can be saved anywhere.

NOTE: If you move a project to another computer without selecting the Collect Media option, media can go offline (even if you’ve manually moved the media files) due to broken links.

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Tip #344: Copy a Motion Preset to Another Computer

… for Apple Motion

Tip #344: Copy a Motion Preset to Another Computer

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Presets are easy to move from one computer to the next.

Motion presets are stored in the Library, not the Movies folder.

Topic $TipTopic

This first appeared as an Apple KnowledgeBase article.

Each custom project preset you create (such as Broadcast HD 720) is saved as a separate file in your computer’s /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Motion/Presets/ folder. If you create custom presets that you rely on, you can move them to other computers that have Motion installed.

  • In the Finder, open your custom preset files stored in: [ Home directory ]/Library/Application Support/Motion/Presets/.
  • Copy a custom preset file (which has a .preset filename extension) to the new computer and store it in: [ Home directory ]/Library/Application Support/Motion/Presets/.

NOTE: If the Library folder is hidden, switch to the Finder, press and hold the Option key, then choose Go > Library.

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Tip #315: Use the Snap Alignment Behavior in Motion

… for Apple Motion

Tip #315: Use the Snap Alignment Behavior in Motion

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Keeps moving objects pointing in the direction of their movement.

The Behavior Inspector in Apple Motion.
Three motion behaviors applied to a moving object: Throw, Orbit Around & Snap Alignment to Motion.

Topic $TipTopic

The purpose of the “Snap Alignment to Motion” behavior is to keep moving objects, like arrows, pointing in the direction of their movement, regardless of how their position changes.

Here’s how this works.

  • Create an object, then apply behaviors to get it moving.

NOTE: In my case, I created an arrow, then applied a Throw behavior to get it to move, then Orbit Around to get it to circle another object.

  • Once you have the motion applied the way you want, apply Behaviors > Basic Motion > Snap Alignment to Motion.

Now, when you play the timeline, the arrow – or your object – should now point in the direction it moves.

EXTRA CREDIT

If your object, like mine, is stubbornly pointing 90° away from its line of motion, change the Axis setting from Horizontal to Vertical. Now, the object will track properly.

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Tip #326: Animate a Shape Using Behaviors

… for Apple Motion

Tip #326: Animate a Shape Using Behaviors

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Parameter Behaviors can be applied to any setting to create much more interesting movement.

The Oscillate parameter behavior settings applied to Noisiness in the Randomize behavior.

Topic $TipTopic

In another tip (#330), we learned how to apply a Parameter Behavior to a filter. In this tip, we’ll learn how to apply a parameter behavior to another behavior; and, along the way, we’ll create our own version of a friendly ghost. Here’s how.

  • Create a new Motion project.
  • From Library > Shapes, drag a shape into the Viewer. (I used the Club Suit shape.)
  • Select the shape in the Layers panel.
  • Apply Behaviors > Shape > Randomize. This causes the shape to wiggle. To make it more amorphously ghost-like, match my settings in the lower half of the screen shot.
  • Next, hover your mouse over Noisiness and click the small downward-pointing arrow on the right.
  • From the menu, select Oscillate. This causes the values in Noisiness to change over time.
  • Again, match my settings in the top half of the screen shot. Notice the different results you get by changing the wave shape.

NOTE: To remove a setting, select it in the Layers panel and delete it.

EXTRA CREDIT

To make this shape more “ghosty,” I also:

  • Changed Properties > Opacity to 25%
  • Changed the color to light blue using Filters > Color > Colorize
  • Softened the edges using Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur

Have fun playing.

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Tip #330: What’s a Parameter Behavior?

… for Apple Motion

Tip #330: What’s a Parameter Behavior?

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Animated settings, not just elements.

Settings for the Randomize parameter behavior applied to a color chip.

Topic $TipTopic

Parameter behaviors are a very intriguing part of Motion that allow you to animate a setting, not just an element. For example, rather than oscillate an object so it changes position randomly, you can randomize the colors applied to an element.

These provide unlimited creative potential and the best way to see what they can do is to play with them. While this effect can be applied to anything, including video clips, let’s keep this simple.

  • Create a new Motion project.
  • From Library > Shapes, drag a shape into the Viewer. (I used the Club Suit shape.)
  • Select the shape in the Layers panel.
  • Apply Filters > Color > Colorize to the selected shape. This changes the color of the shape based upon the color settings of Remap White to.
  • In Inspector > Filters, hover your mouse over Remap White to and look to the right side of the line. There will be a small downward pointing arrow. Click it.
  • From the pop-up menu, select Add Parameter Behavior > Randomize. This randomizes the colors of this filter.
  • Then, using the settings in this screen shot, slow everything down to prevent visual whiplash.

Now that you know how this technique works, experiment with other settings and other parameters.

NOTE: I show how to apply a parameter behavior to a behavior in Tip #326.

EXTRA CREDIT

To remove a setting, simply select it in the Layers panel and delete it.

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Tip #301: Stabilize a Shaky Clip in Motion

… for Apple Motion

Tip #301: Stabilize a Shaky Clip in Motion

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There are multiple options to stabilize – or steady – a clip.

The Stabilize behavior settings in Apple Motion.
These are the parameters you can modify to choose between stabilizing or steadying a clip.

Topic $TipTopic This was first explained in this Apple KnowledgeBase article.

Use the Stabilize tracking behavior to smooth shaky motion in a movie or image sequence. Using the Stabilize behavior, there are three ways to analyze a clip:

  • Use the behavior’s default advanced motion analysis technique that evaluates the entire frame of a clip to extract movement data without using onscreen trackers.
  • Use onscreen trackers that analyze a reference pattern (a small group of pixels) in the canvas. These are the same trackers used by the Match Move and Analyze Motion behaviors.
  • Use a combination of the advanced motion analysis and onscreen trackers.

How to Stabilize a Clip

    • Select the layer containing the clip you want to stabilize.
    • Choose Behaviors > Motion Tracking > Stabilize.
    • Go to Inspector > Behaviors, then use the Direction pop-up menu to choose one of the following options:
      • Horizontal and Vertical: Applies the stabilize transformation to the X and Y dimensions.
      • Horizontal: Applies the stabilize transformation to the X dimension.
      • Vertical: Applies the stabilize transformation to the Y dimension.
    • Enable or disable the Adjust buttons, as follows:
      • Position: Enable this button to apply the analyzed position data to the clip. (The X and Y position changes in the footage are smoothed or stabilized.) To stabilize the X and Y position of the shot and leave scale or rotation changes intact, enable Position and disable Scale and Rotation.
      • Scale: Enable this button to apply any analyzed scale data to the clip. (Scale changes in the footage are smoothed or stabilized.) To stabilize or smooth changes in scale and leave position or rotation changes intact, enable Scale and disable Position and Rotation. (The Scale option is not related to the Zoom option in the Borders pop-up menu.)
      • Rotation: Enable this button to apply analyzed rotation data to the clip. (Changes in the rotation of the footage are smoothed or stabilized.) To stabilize or smooth changes in rotation in the shot and leave position or scale changes intact, enable Rotation and disable Position and Scale.
  • For the smoothest result, enable all three Adjust buttons (Position, Scale, and Rotation).

NOTE: You can change the Method, Borders, Direction, and Adjust parameters before or after the clip is analyzed.

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Tip #307: Archive Active Versions of Motion

… for Apple Motion

Tip #307: Archive Active Versions of Motion

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Archives allow future access to earlier versions.

Apple Motion logo
The file icon for Apple Motion.

Topic $TipTopic

It is often necessary, especially if you are working with different clients, to have earlier versions of Motion available to you. However, only one version of Motion can be active on your system at a time. Recently, I read an Apple KnowledgeBase article that explained how to create archives.

NOTE: While this won’t get you access to earlier versions of Motion, it does mean that you’ll have access to all versions going forward.

To back up the currently installed Motion application:

  1. Create a new folder in the Applications folder, and name it after the application (for example, “Motion 5.4.5”). To check your version of Motion, open the application and choose About Motion from the Motion menu.
  2. Select the Motion application in the Applications folder. Choose File > Compress “Motion.” It will take a few minutes to compress.
  3. Move the resulting “Motion.zip” file into the folder you created in step 1.
  4. Move the folder containing the .zip file to a backup drive.

EXTRA CREDIT

These ZIP files can be stored anywhere, but I generally try to keep all my program archives in the same place. Remember, before you revert back to an earlier version, archive or delete the version of Motion currently stored in your Applications folder.

Also, if you revert to an earlier version of Motion, it may also require an earlier version of the macOS, so keep a note of which version of Motion uses which version of the macOS.

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Tip #313: Animate a Generator with a Behavior

… for Apple Motion

Tip #313: Animate a Generator with a Behavior

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Generators provide animation without keyframes.

Almost every parameter in Apple Motion can be animated.
Applying a behavior to a specific parameter in Motion.

Topic $TipTopic

The big benefit to using behaviors to create movement in Motion is that they can be applied without also using keyframes. Behaviors are fast, easy and flexible. Keyframes, though, are more precise.

Generators are elements which are combined with other elements to create visual effects. For example, Cellular is a randomly animated series of dots which can be colorized as needed. Or add Noise to provide texture to text. Or Caustics to simulate light bouncing off rippling water.

Another intriguing feature of generators is that many of them are already animated. So, adding a Behavior simply adds to the visual interest.

There are two ways to add a Behavior to a generator:

  • Apply it to the entire generator. For example, adding Basic Motion > Spin to cause the generator to rotate.
  • Apple the Behavior to a single setting of the generator. For example, to apply Oscillate to cause one setting – say size – to change size. This use is also called a “Parameter Behavior” and is illustrated by this screen shot.

As with all behaviors, once you’ve applied it, play the timeline, adjust a setting and watch what happens.

I find behaviors are a great way to explore the answer to the question: “What happens if I do this?”

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