Thursday, February 19, 2009

Learning Some Motion

Motion 2 Basic Tutorial

Animated graphics that will add spice to all your projects!

You can utilize QT, psd, jpeg, and more or use the graphics provided in the program.

Create and export for use in Final Cut and Live Type.

It’s as easy as click, drag, adjust…all it takes is practice.


If you want to learn more here are some FREE tutorials:

1.
http://www.vtc.com/products/Apple-Motion-2-tutorials.htm
($99 for 13 hours of tutorials online. About 2 hours are free online at this website.)

2. User manual for download at Apple.com, although you should have one in your room. Currently they are selling Motion 3 – so you have to dig for Motion 2 info.

3. Tutorials on the program’s opening page. (Average.)

OK – Let’s Learn Motion!

First – Some Tips:

Builds from bottom to top AND left to right (along) the play head. To move anything – up or down or left or right – just click and drag.

If you mess up – just undo.

Be sure to “save” often. Motion will close on you if you get too many things happen at once. The program is so big and complex it can be overwhelmed and will close.

The view windows – or PANES as they are called in Motion:

There are 4 main panes you will use…the Timeline, the Canvas, the Project and the Browser. There are other panes that will pop open for more other needs, but you will use these 4 most of the time.

Meet the PANES:


#1 The Browser #2 & #3 The Canvas and Timeline
On the Far Left On the Right and the Right Bottom


#4 This is the Project Pane,
It will always open in the
middle of the screen.

Notice that each pane may have options for viewing different project aspects. On the Browser Pane (where you find your import files) you can also see the Library (stuff in the program) and the Inspector (what is going on down deep in the activity you have selected.)

The Project Pane not only let’s you see the items in each layer, but the Media and the Audio for the project.

You will be opening the timeline and project pane over and over to adjust your project.

To open and close the panes:

Command 1 (C 1) = Browser
Command 2 (C 2) = Library
Command 3 (C 3) = Inspector
Command 4 (C 4) = Layers
Command 5 (C 5) = Media
Command 6 (C 6) = Audio
Command 7 (C 7) = Timeline

Let’s Create Your First Project – Building a Snowman!

1) Begin a new project.
2) Across the top of the canvas find the word “create”. Click and hold on the square and then choose the circle.
3) Make 1 small circle (for the snowman head)
4) Make 1 larger circle (for his body)
5) Make 2 small circles that will become arms.
6) Make 10 more very small circles…big enough to see, but not big.
7) Be sure to turn the circle creator off when you are done. Look for the “arrow” in the upper left corner of the canvas. Click it.
8) Now grabbing each circle build your snowman body and attach his arms. Each circle can be manipulated for size, angle, and shape by gabbing one of the “points” or “handles” that appear on your canvas screen when you select a circle.
9) Since your snowman is white…we need to make his eyes, mouth, buttons, and nose black. Click on each little circle and select your “dashboard” by clicking on the icon. Change the fill color to black.
10) Grab and drag 2 small circles for eyes…adjust so they look right. Grab a nose and a mouth and adjust. Put three buttons down his shirt.
11) Now you have two small circle left….click each one to highlight and delete…you really didn’t need that many after all. Just thought you should practice.
12) Add his hat…select the square and make a hat. Select the Bezier Tool and make a straight line for his hat brim. Adjust and put in place.


Now you need some snow!

1) Click on the Library tab at the top of the Browser Pane.
2) Click on Particle Emitters
3) Click on Nature.
4) Scroll down to Snow and click Apply.
5) Play your project and adjust the position of the snow.
6) Set the Playback head (bottom of canvas) to about :03.
7) Add more snow…or maybe a blizzard.
8) If you wish to add a tornado – that’s ok – it’s Texas! Add a Tornado at :06 and move it to where ever you wish on the screen.
9) Voila! There’s your snowman. To finish it off – make it a QT by clicking on file and export.

Here’s your second project…

This time we’ll import video and audio, add a mask, text and a background.

1) Open a new project on Motion. Make sure that NTSC Broadcast is selected for the size. (It should automatically select that size if you made it your default.)
2) Click on the Browser and find a video to import. Click import. Watch how it plays over and over again unless you stop it.
3) Set the project time to the time of the video Adjust the timer on the bottom right corner of the canvas or drag the end marker right above that.
4) Set your playback head to the beginning, because whatever command or behavior you select will put itself at the playback head.
5) Select the Circular Masking tool on the top of the Canvas.
6) Make a fairly large circle directly in the middle of your canvas. Then turn off the masking tool.
7) Adjust your circle size and location to be directly over the “action”. Play to look at it.
8) Next we’ll add Text. Click on the Text tool. Where ever you type is where it stays…so choose carefully. Type a title of some sort.
9) Click on the Dashboard to adjust the type style and size. Please change the color to black.
10) Now you notice that you cannot read the letters. Let’s change your screen color. Please note – this does not change the color of your final product – just the color of your screen. Go to Edit, Project Properties and change to color to something else. Now you should see the letters!
11) Add a little spice, by selecting a graphic from the Library. I have chosen Particle Emitters/Abstract/Brilliant. You pick what you like.
12) To move this track behind the video, grab it on the timeline list or the project list and move it down…(down is back). Or you can highlight the track and go to object/send to back.
13) Next – we’ll put a behavior on the video. Select the video track. Click on Add Behavior on the top of the Canvas. Select Basic Motion/Spin. Select your dashboard and circle the spinning mechanism 2 times.
14) We don’t want the spin to go on through the whole project – just the last 2 seconds – so move the “spin” part of the timeline to the right until you get to at least :13.
15) Put your playback head at the same point where you started the spin and we’ll add another Behavior. Selection Basic Motion/Throw. Once again open your dashboard and “grow” the arrow to the right. Watch and adjust.
16) Add one of those to Brilliant, too.
17) Finally…last step. Add a background. Go to Library and look for a background. I have chosen Satin…Go to Content/Satin/Satin background. Click apply. Adjust to full size. Then move it to the back of the stack of images.
18) When you’re ready – make it a QT from File/Export

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