Cell Source
Each cell in a particle emitter is a copy of a source object known as the cell source. The
cell source appears dimmed (disabled) in the Layers list, and therefore does not appear
in the Canvas. Almost any object in Motion can be used as a cell source, including shapes,
text, images, image sequences, and clips. Transformations that you apply to the source
are respected in the cell layer, which in turn propagates those transformations to the
particles generated in the Canvas. For example, if you use a rectangle shape that is sheared
and rotated as the cell source, particles created using that rectangle as the cell source
are sheared and rotated.
If the layer used as the cell source for the particle system has applied filters, the effects
of the filters are retained in the particles.
Note: Using a movie with applied filters as a particle cell source adversely impacts your
computer’s processing performance. For better performance, export your sequence with
the filter applied, then import it back into Motion and use the movie as the cell source.
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Chapter 14
Working with Particles