Most of the titles, generators, transitions and effects in Apple Final Cut Pro X are created using Motion. In this tutorial, I'll illustrate the process, though leave creating specific effects to your imagination.
NOTE: Here's an article that describes how to move effects that you create from one system to another.
GET STARTED Parallels desktop 14 1 06.
Your first decision starts here, at the Project Browser. If you know, before you start, that you are creating something destined for Final Cut, then choose it here.
- Final Cut Effect. These are saved into the Effects browser and modify the look of an existing clip.
- Final Cut Generator. These are saved into the Generators browser and create new video for use in Final Cut.
- Final Cut Transition. These are saved into the Transitions browser and provide transitions between one or more clips.
- Final Cut Title. These are saved into the Titles browser and create formatted, editable text titles with or without backgrounds.
- Motion Project. This is a stand-alone Motion file which can be converted into a Generator at any time.
NOTE: Motion's audio capability is extremely limited. I strongly recommend that you not try to create audio effects in Motion.
Motion always creates video at the highest possible quality (Apple ProRes 4444, by default). Adjusting presets does not affect image quality, but does determine frame size, frame rate and duration.
Visual effects, audio plugins and apps for Final Cut Pro, Motion, Logic Pro, GarageBand, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, DaVinci Resolve, Avid Pro Tools, Avid Media Composer. Select one or more clips with an effect in the Final Cut Pro timeline. Do one of the following: Choose Clip Show Video Animation (or press Control-V) to view video effects, or choose Clip Show Audio Animation (or press Control-A) to view audio effects, then deselect the effect's checkbox. Our Final Cut Pro plugins & effects are incredibly powerful & easy-to-use. Download today & see why so many editors choose FCPeffects.com!
Effects Plugins and Tools for Apple FCPX. Designed for 4K - UHD - HD Video. Try the new 3D iPhone 6S Model osm.iPhone for Final Cut Pro. Only through Fxfactory.com. Work at a faster clip. With its modern Metal engine, Final Cut Pro allows you to edit more complex.
CREATE YOUR EFFECT
Once you've selected the format of what you want to create, the fun part starts: Creating your effect. For this example, I'll create something very simple: a Sepia effect.
In the Layers panel, I applied two filters to the existing drop zone.
- Effect Source. This is the default drop zone, which, though it doesn't have an image in Motion, is filled with whichever clip the effect is applied to in Final Cut.
- Sepia. This filter adds a sepia (brown) color to image highlights.
- Hue/Saturation. This filter removes all color from an image, by dragging the Saturation amount fully left.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Stacking order is important. Effects process from the bottom to the top of a clip. Make sure Hue/Saturation is below Sepia. If you need to change the order, drag the filter into a new position.
You can spend as much time creating effects as you want. For now, this will be enough.
ADD RIGGING AND WIDGETS
A rig is a container for the controls (called widgets) that are displayed in Final Cut that adjust an effect.
Choose Object > New Rig to add a Rig to your project. Double-click the name ('Rig') and rename it. While this step is not necessary, it is a good habit to get into because you can have more than one rig in a Motion project. Renaming helps avoid confusion.
In the Layers panel, select the Sepia filter. We need to add a control that allows Final Cut to adjust the amount of sepia coloring applied to a clip.
(Click to see larger image.)
Go to Inspector > Filters > Amount and click the small, downward-pointing arrow to the right of the Amount slider.
Choose: Add To Rig > Sepia Effect [or whatever you renamed your rig] > Add to New Slider
A new Widget appears, indented under the Sepia Effect rig we just created. Rename it Sepia Amount. This name is important, because it's the name for this control that will appear in Final Cut.
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With the slider widget ('Sepia Amount') selected, go to Inspector > Widget.
- Click the left dot under Sepia Amount. This determines the minimum value for this slider.
- Click the Start button so we can edit this value.
- Drag the Effect Source slider all the way left, to remove the sepia color totally.
- Click Stop Rig Edit Mode to lock in this change.
We have now set the minimum value for this color effect to zero. Because the right dot represents the default value for this effect, which is 'full on,' we don't need to change it. But, if you did, the process is the same.
As practice, drag the slider above the two dots back and forth. The Effect Source slider should move in tandem with it, from zero on the left to 1.0 (full color) on the right.
NOTE: Feel free to play with other settings. Rigging in Motion is extremely powerful and flexible, as you can see from all the different controls available for effects inside Final Cut.
PUBLISH THE RIG
(Click to see larger image.)
When you are done adding, editing and verifying your effect controls:
- Select the rig ('Sepia Effect') in the Layers panel.
- In Inspector > Rig, right-click the downward-pointing arrow next to the name of the rig (top line) and choose Publish.
This finalizes the effect and allows Motion to pass the control to Final Cut.
SAVE YOUR EFFECT
When you are done creating your effect, choose File > Save.
Cookie format. In the Save window, give your effect a name (keep it short so you can read it in Final Cut), assign it a category and theme so you can quickly find it. (I don't create many effects for myself, so I store them all in a new Category called: Larry. Um, no, you can use your own name, you don't need to use mine.)
If there is animation with the effect, I'll also Save a Preview Movie.
SWITCH TO FINAL CUT
Open Final Cut Pro X, then go to the Effects browser, go to the category in which you saved your effect and – ta-DAH! – there it is!
Apply the effect to a clip, the same as any other FCP X effect. In the Inspector, the controls that you published are now available for you to adjust (red arrow).
TWEAK YOUR EFFECTS
This finalizes the effect and allows Motion to pass the control to Final Cut.
SAVE YOUR EFFECT
When you are done creating your effect, choose File > Save.
Cookie format. In the Save window, give your effect a name (keep it short so you can read it in Final Cut), assign it a category and theme so you can quickly find it. (I don't create many effects for myself, so I store them all in a new Category called: Larry. Um, no, you can use your own name, you don't need to use mine.)
If there is animation with the effect, I'll also Save a Preview Movie.
SWITCH TO FINAL CUT
Open Final Cut Pro X, then go to the Effects browser, go to the category in which you saved your effect and – ta-DAH! – there it is!
Apply the effect to a clip, the same as any other FCP X effect. In the Inspector, the controls that you published are now available for you to adjust (red arrow).
TWEAK YOUR EFFECTS
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If you need to tweak an effect, right-click it and choose Open in Motion.
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The effect opens in Motion, as a project that you can edit. Make your changes and save the project. Motion saves your changes and updates the file in Final Cut automatically.
EXTRA CREDIT
If you create a Motion project, only to discover later that you need to add this to Final Cut, you can do so, but only as a generator.
When your effect is complete, choose File > Publish as Template.
Give this a name, category and theme, the same as earlier.
- If you do NOT check Publish as Final Cut Generator, Motion saves this as a Motion template, which is listed in the Project Browser when creating new Motion projects.
- If you DO check Publish as Final Cut Generator, Motion saves this as a generator in Final Cut, which you can access like any other generator in the Generators browser.
While you can create a generator from a Motion project, you can only create titles, effects or transitions by selecting that option first from the Project Browser.
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