… for Apple Motion

Tip #953: So, What’s the Difference?

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Project settings determine presets and where they are saved.

When you open the Project Browser to create a new Motion project, you are confronted by five project choices before you can start creating. What’s the difference between them?

All five project presets are identical in terms of what Motion can do. The differences are preset layers when you open a new project and where a project is saved.

• Motion Project. This has no presets and can be saved anywhere. It can also be converted into a Generator for Final Cut Pro X when you save it.
• Final Cut Effect. This opens with a drop zone placeholder for the underlying clip when this effect is applied to a clip in the Final Cut timeline. It is always saved into the category of your choice in the Effects browser.
• Final Cut Generator. There are no presets. It is always saved into the category of your choice in the Generators browser.
• Final Cut Transition. This opens with two drop zone placeholders; one for the outgoing clip and one for the incoming clip; but no applied transition between them. It is always saved into the category of your choice in the Transitions browser.
• Final Cut Title. This opens with a drop zone placeholder for the background clip when this effect is applied to a clip in the Final Cut timeline. There is also a default text layer, placed as a lower-third, which can be formatted and moved as necessary. It is always saved into the category of your choice in the Titles browser.