Align To behavior in Motion

The Align To behavior lets you dynamically align the position of a target object to the position of a source object. The behavior can be static, so that the target object is always aligned to the source object; or the behavior can be animated, so that the target object aligns to the source object over time. The scale of the source object is also considered in the target object’s alignment (the size of the target object does not change).

This behavior is ideal for creating dynamic slide transitions in which images pull or push each other onscreen and offscreen, or animations in which a shape remains aligned to text even as the text changes size.

Adjust this behavior using the controls in the Behaviors Inspector:

• Object: An image well into which you drag the source object.

• Align: A pop-up menu that sets the target object’s alignment axis with the source object.

• To: A pop-up menu that sets the source object’s alignment axis with the target object.

  When the source or target object is a text layer, additional alignment options are available:

  • Text Baseline: Aligns to the line on which the text rests and below which the descenders extend.

  • Text Ascender: Aligns to the portion of lowercase text that is taller than the text’s x-height.

  • Text Descender: Aligns to the portion of text that extends below its baseline.

  • Text Cap Height: Aligns to the height of the text’s capital letters above the baseline.

  • Text X-Height: Aligns to the height of the lowercase text.

    Each of the text options has an additional submenu to set left, right, or center alignment.

• Target Alignment: Value sliders that allow you to set the target object’s alignment axis anywhere on the source object. This parameter is available only when Custom is chosen from the Align pop-up menu.

• Source Alignment: Value sliders that allow you to set the source object’s alignment axis anywhere on the target object. This parameter is available only when Custom is chosen from the To pop-up menu.

• Offset: Value sliders that move the target object away from the axis chosen in the Align pop-up menu.

• Alignment: A pop-up menu that controls how the target object moves with the source object (when the source object changes over time). There are two choices:

  • Continuous: Dynamically aligns the target to the source’s current size and position on every frame.

  • Fixed Frame: Aligns the target object to a specific frame along the behavior’s duration. When Fixed Frame is chosen from the Alignment pop-up menu, an additional parameter becomes available:

    • Align Frame: A slider that sets the frame used for the Fixed Frame parameter. For example, when Align Frame is set to 100 percent, the target object is aligned to the last frame of the behavior; when Fixed Frame is set to 0 percent, the target object is aligned to the first frame of the behavior.

• Transition: A pop-up menu that sets how the target object is animated from its current position to its new position over the duration of the behavior (the interpolation method). The value can be set to None, Constant, Ease In, Ease Out, Ease Both, Accelerate, Decelerate, or Custom. For example, when Ease In is chosen, the animation begins slowly and increases to normal speed as it moves through the duration of the behavior.

  When Custom is chosen from the Transition pop-up menu, an additional parameter becomes available:

  • Custom Amount: A slider that allows you to keyframe the target object’s animation (from nonaligned to aligned). By default, a keyframe is set at the first and last points of the behavior to create an animation of 0 percent to 100 percent, where at 0 the target object is at its original position, and at 100 the target object is fully aligned with the source object (according to the Align To parameter settings).

    For more information on interpolation, see Curve interpolation methods.

  When Constant, Ease In, Ease Out, Ease Both, Accelerate, or Decelerate is chosen from the Transition pop-up menu, an additional parameter becomes available:

  • End Offset: A slider to offset the end of the effect of the Align To behavior. By default, the align animation is in effect until the end of the behavior. For example, to stop the animation 60 frames from the end of the object (or project), drag the End Offset slider to 60 or enter 60 in the adjacent value slider. Using this slider to stop the effect, rather than trimming the end of the behavior in the Timeline, freezes the end of the effect for the remaining duration of the object. Trimming the end of the behavior resets the text to its original settings.

• Ignore Sequencing: A checkbox that instructs the Align To behavior to ignore any source object animation created by a text sequence behavior.