Motion 5 - View Menu

• Show Full View Area: Turns on or off the display of layers that extend beyond the edges

of the Canvas. Areas that extend beyond the edges of the Canvas appear
semitransparent. (Shift-V)

• Use Drop Zones: Turns drop zones on and off.

• Save View Defaults: Saves the current state of all overlay settings (rulers, safe zones,

animation paths, 3D overlays, and so on) as the default state for new projects.

For more information on overlays, see

Canvas View Options

.

• 3D View: This submenu sets the view to a scene camera or default camera view in a

3D project. A scene camera is a camera that you add to a project. A default camera
view is a built-in camera view, such as Perspective, Right, or Top. This menu is identical
to using the Camera menu in the upper-left corner of the Canvas.

For more information on cameras and views, see

3D Compositing

.

Note: Because project objects are 2D (flat), they are not visible when you use the
orthogonal camera views (Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, and Bottom) unless the objects
are rotated in 3D space. This is because orthogonal views are at right angles
(perpendicular) to the elements. When an object is selected, a thin white line represents
the object in the Canvas.

• Active Camera: Shows the view from the active camera. (Control-A) Cameras added

to your project appear in this list as Camera, Camera 1, Camera 2, and so on.

• Perspective: Shows the perspective camera view. The perspective view defaults to a

view from the front center. Use the 3D View tools to pan, orbit, or dolly the camera.

• Front: Shows the front camera view. Use the 3D View tools to pan, orbit, or dolly the

camera.

• Back: Shows the back camera view (the view from the back of the scene). Use the

3D View tools to pan, orbit, or dolly the camera.

• Left: Shows the left camera view (the view from the left of the scene). Use the 3D

View tools to pan, orbit, or dolly the camera.

• Right: Shows the right camera view (the view from the right of the scene). Use the

3D View tools to pan, orbit, or dolly the camera.

• Top: Shows the top camera view (the view from the top of the scene). Use the 3D

View tools to pan, orbit, or dolly the camera.

• Bottom: Shows the bottom camera view (the view from the bottom of the scene).

Use the 3D View tools to pan, orbit, or dolly the camera.

• Next Camera: When the Canvas is active, changes your view to the next scene camera

based on camera order in the Layers list. (Control-C)

• Select Active Camera: Selects the “active” camera in the project: The topmost camera

in the project that is visible at the current frame (when there are multiple cameras
existing at the same frame in time). (Option-Control-C)

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• Reset View: Resets the camera view to its default orientation. (Control-R)

• 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. (Command-Shift-F) If

no objects are selected, Frame Object resets the reference camera to view all objects
in the scene. For more information on camera views, see

3D View Tools

.

• 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) For more information, see

Depth of Field

.

• Channels: This submenu sets the Canvas to display individual color or transparency

channels. Current settings are indicated with a checkmark beside the item in the menu.
This menu is identical to the Channels pop-up menu above the Canvas.

• Color: Shows the image just as it would appear on a video monitor. Visible layers

appear in natural color and transparent areas reveal the background color as set in
the Project Properties. This is black by default. (Shift-C)

• Transparent: Shows the background area of the Canvas as transparent. A checkerboard

pattern appears by default where no images block the background. (Shift-T)

• Alpha Overlay: Displays the image in normal color, but adds a red highlight over

transparent areas of the image. (Option-Shift-T)

• RGB Only: Displays the normal mix of red, green, and blue channels but transparent

areas (including semitransparent areas) are treated as opaque. (Option-Shift-C)

• Red: Sets the Canvas to display only the red channel as a range of black to white.

(Shift-R)

• Green: Sets the Canvas to display only the green channel as a range of black to white.

(Shift-G)

• Blue: Sets the Canvas to display only the blue channel as a range of black to white.

(Shift-B)

• Alpha: Sets the Canvas to display the alpha (transparency) channel of the layers in

the Canvas. (Shift-A)

• Inverted Alpha: Sets the Canvas to display an inverted view of the alpha (transparency)

channel. (Shift-Option-A)

• Toggle Current & Alpha: Switches back and forth between viewing the current state

and just the alpha channel. (V)

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• Resolution: This submenu sets whether proxy scrubbing is enabled, and also sets the

quality level of the Canvas. Reducing the resolution improves playback performance.
The current setting is indicated with a checkmark beside the menu item. The menu
items include the following:

• Dynamic: Reduces the quality of the image displayed in the Canvas during playback

or scrubbing in the Timeline or mini-Timeline, allowing for faster feedback. Also
reduces the quality of an image as it is actively modified in the Canvas. After playback
or scrubbing is stopped, or the modification is completed in the Canvas, the image
quality is restored (based on the Quality and Resolution settings for the project).

• Full (Shift-Q), Half, or Quarter: Each lower setting further degrades the image.

• Quality: Sets the display mode for objects in the Canvas, such as text and images, to

Draft, Normal, Best, or Custom.

• Draft: Renders objects in the Canvas at a lower quality to allow optimal project

interactivity. There is no antialiasing.

• Normal: The default setting, renders objects in the Canvas at a medium quality.

Shapes are antialiased, but 3D intersections are not.

• Best: Renders objects in the Canvas at best quality, which includes higher-quality

image resampling, antialiased intersections, and antialiased particle edges. This option
slows down project interactivity.

• Custom: Allows you to set additional controls to customize render quality. Choosing

Custom opens the Advanced Quality Options dialog. For information on the settings
in the Advanced Quality Options dialog, see

Advanced Quality Settings

.

Tip: When working in your project, work in Draft or Normal for better interactivity.
When you are ready to export your project, use Best or Custom.

• Render Options: This submenu contains rendering controls that typically impact playback

speed. Turn these items off to improve system performance.

• Lighting: Turns off lighting to improve performance. When lighting is enabled, a

checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Option-L)

• Shadows: Turns off rendering of shadows to improve performance. When shadow

rendering is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Option-Control-S)

• Reflections: Turns off rendering of reflections to improve performance. When reflection

rendering is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Option-Control-R)

• Depth of Field: Turns off depth-of-field rendering to improve performance. When

depth-of-field rendering is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item.
(Option-Control-D)

• Motion Blur: Turns off motion blur rendering to improve performance. When motion

blur rendering is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Option-M)

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• Field Rendering: Turns off field rendering to improve performance. When field

rendering is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Option-F)

• Frame Blending: Turns off frame blending to improve performance. When frame

blending is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Option-Control-B)

• Show Overlays: Turns the display of all overlays on and off in the Canvas. This setting

must be on to view any other overlay items (rulers, grids, guides, and so on). When
Show Overlays is active, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Command-Slash)

• Show Rulers: Turns display of rulers in the Canvas on and off. When rulers are visible, a

checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Command-Shift-R)

• Overlays: This submenu turns the various indicators, guides, and grids in the Canvas

on and off.

• Grid: Turns the display of a grid on and off. You can customize the grid in the Canvas

pane of Motion Preferences. When the grid is displayed, a checkmark appears beside
the menu item. (Command-Apostrophe)

• Guides: Turns the display of guides on and off. When guides are visible, a checkmark

appears beside the menu item. (Command-Semicolon)

• Dynamic Guides: Turns dynamic guides on and off. Dynamic guides are the lines that

appear when you drag one item into alignment with another layer. When dynamic
guides are enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. Press N to turn
snapping on or off. (Command-Shift-Semicolon)

• Safe Zones: Turns the display of title-safe and action-safe guides on and off. You can

customize the safe zones in the Canvas pane (Zones) of Motion Preferences. When
safe zones are displayed, a checkmark appears beside the menu item. (Apostrophe)

• Film Zones: Turns display of film-based aspect ratio guides on and off. You can

customize the film zones in the Canvas pane (Zones) of Motion Preferences. When
film zones are displayed, a checkmark appears beside the menu item.
(Shift-Apostrophe)

• Handles: Turns the display of object handles in the Canvas on and off. The handles

are the corner points that let you manipulate an object. When handles are displayed,
a checkmark appears beside the menu item.

• Lines: Turns the display of object border lines on and off. When lines are displayed,

a checkmark appears beside the menu item.

• Animation Path: Turns display of keyframe animation paths on and off. Animation

paths are the lines that show where an object moves in the Canvas. When animation
paths are displayed, a checkmark appears beside the menu item.

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• Guides: This submenu lets you control the guides in the Canvas.

• Lock Guides: Causes all guides to be fixed in their current position. This prevents you

from accidentally moving a guide instead of moving an object.
(Command-Option-Semicolon)

• Unlock Guides: Releases guides to be manually manipulated.

• Clear Guides: Removes all guides from the Canvas.

• Add Vertical Guide: Adds a moveable, vertical guide to the center of the Canvas.

• Add Horizontal Guide: Adds a moveable, horizontal guide to the center of the Canvas.

• Snap: Turns object snapping on and off in the Canvas and Timeline. Snapping aligns

objects as you drag them. When snap is enabled, a checkmark appears beside the menu
item. (N)

• Show 3D Overlays: Turns all 3D overlays on and off, including the 3D View tools, 3D

Compass, Inset view, 3D grid, and 3D scene icons.

• 3D Overlays: This submenu controls the display of 3D overlays in the Canvas.

• 3D View Tools: Turns the Camera menu and 3D View tools on and off.

• Compass: Turns the 3D Compass on and off. The compass shows your current

orientation in 3D space. The red axis is X (horizontal), the green axis is Y (vertical),
and the blue axis is Z (depth). Move the pointer over the compass and choose a new
view by clicking a colored view icon, such as Front, Left, Right, Perspective, and so
on. The Canvas animates the view change.

• Inset View: When Inset view is turned on, a window appears in the lower-right corner

of the Canvas and displays a perspective or active-camera view of your project as
you move objects in 3D space, helping you stay oriented. In the 3D pane of Motion
Preferences, you can change the size of the Inset view and specify when it appears:
during transform changes, during all changes, or when manually invoked.

• 3D Grid: Turns the 3D grid on and off. The 3D grid helps you stay oriented while

working in 3D space and can be used to guide the placement of objects in your
project. The 3D grid appears only when you are in 3D mode.
(Command-Shift-Apostrophe)

• 3D Scene Icons: Turns all 3D scene icons, such as lights and cameras on and off. The

scene icons appear in the Canvas as wireframe icons, and each includes red, green,
and blue handles that let you transform and rotate the camera or light.

• Layers Columns: Opens a submenu of commands to turn the following controls on or

off in the Layers list of the Project pane:

• Preview: Shows a thumbnail of the object. The group thumbnail represents the

cumulative result of the composite up to that point in the project.

• Opacity: Displays the current opacity (transparency) of the group or layer. You can

adjust the slider to change the item’s opacity.

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• Blend Mode: Displays the current blend mode of the layer or group. Choose a new

blend mode from the pop-up menu. For more information on blend modes, see

Using Blend Modes

.

• Media Columns: Opens a submenu of commands to turn on or off the display of technical

information in the Media list of the Project pane:

• Preview: Shows a thumbnail of the media file. The thumbnail for an audio file (with

no associated image) appears as a speaker icon.

• Kind: Identifies the type of media, including QuickTime movie, still image, QuickTime

audio, or PDF. For a list of supported codecs and file types, see

Supported File Formats

.

• In Use: When checked, this field indicates that the media is being used in your project.

When unchecked, the media is not used. If “Automatically manage unused media”
is selected in the General pane of Motion Preferences, Motion removes unused media
from the Media list. Disable this setting if you prefer to manage the contents of the
Media list manually.

• Duration: Displays the duration of the media in frames or timecode.

• Frame Size: Displays the native size of the image in pixels. The numbers represent

width and height. This column remains blank for audio-only files.

• Format: Displays the format of the clip. This is also sometimes referred to as a codec.

• Depth: Displays the number of colors (bit depth) of the file. Any item listed as Millions

of Colors+ indicates that the media contains an alpha channel in addition to the RGB
data.

• Video Rate: Displays the frame rate of the media.

• Audio Rate: Displays the sample rate in the audio track, measured in kilohertz (kHz).

• Audio Bit Depth: Displays the bit depth of the audio file.

• File Size: Displays the overall file size of the media on disk.

• File Created: Displays the creation date of the media.

• File Modified: Displays the last date on which the media was modified.

• Show/Hide Fonts: Displays (or hides) the Mac OS X Fonts window for selecting fonts

and font attributes. (Command-T)

• Show/Hide Colors: Displays (or hides) the Colors window for selecting colors.

(Command-Shift-C)

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