Saving and Sharing Custom Library Elements
You can save nearly any object in Motion to the Library, including animated cameras and
lights, customized behaviors, filters, particle systems or replicators, shapes and text, as
well as layers and groups. After an object is placed in the Library, it can be added to a
project like any other element in the Library.
You can save multiple objects to the Library as one file or multiple files. For example, if
you create an effect using multiple filters and you want to save the cumulative effect of
those filters to apply to other objects, you can save the filters as one item in the Library.
Although you can save custom objects into their namesake folders, it is better to save
customized objects that you use frequently to the Favorites category. Because some
Motion Library categories contain numerous items, placing custom items in Favorites or
Favorites Menu categories can save you search time. In the Favorites category, you can
create additional folders to better organize custom items.
Note: You can create folders in the built-in categories, such as the Color Correction filters
subcategory; however, those folders only appear in the Library stack and not the sidebar.
Folders added to the Favorites category appear in the Library sidebar.
To save an object to the Library
1
Open the Library and select the Favorites, Favorites Menu, or other category.
2
Drag the customized object to save from the Layers list, Timeline, or Inspector into the
stack at the bottom of the Library.
Objects saved to the Favorites Menu category can be applied to objects using the Favorites
menu.
When you save a customized object, it is placed in the /Users/username/Library/Application
Support/Motion/Library/ folder.
Note: Items dragged to the wrong category are placed into their namesake categories.
For example, if a custom behavior is dragged to the Filters category, it is placed in the
Behaviors category and the Behaviors category becomes active.
To save multiple objects to the Library
1
Open the Library and select the Favorites, Favorites Menu, or another category.
2
In the Layers list, select all objects to save, then drag them to the stack, holding down
the mouse button until the drop menu appears.
3
From the drop menu, choose “All in one file” or “Multiple files.”
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Chapter 2
The Motion Interface
“All in one file” saves all the objects together, listing them as one item in the Library.
“Multiple files” saves the objects as individual objects in the Library.
4
To name the files, do one of the following:
• Control-click the icon in the Library stack, choose Rename from the shortcut menu,
then enter a name.
• Select the icon, click “Untitled,” then enter name.
You can enter custom notes about a saved item in the Library. To do so, Control-click the
icon, choose Edit Description from the shortcut menu, enter notes in then dialog that
appears, then click OK.
Inspector
In Motion, you modify images, clips, and effects by adjusting parameters—numeric
attributes that define each characteristic of a project. The Inspector is where you find the
controls to modify parameters: sliders, dials, pop-up menus, checkboxes, and so on. (For
more information on Inspector controls, see
User Interface Controls
.)
When you select an image, clip, or effect in Motion, its parameter controls become available
in the Inspector, ready for adjustment. In other words, the Inspector is contextual: what
appears in the Inspector is based on the selected object. An object must be selected for
its parameters to appear in the Inspector.
The Inspector contains four panes, each of which displays parameter controls for the
selected object. The first three panes, Properties, Behaviors, and Filters, are present for
any selected object. The fourth pane, generically called the Object pane, changes its name
and contents depending on the type of object selected.