Welcome
- What’s new in Motion 5.5
- What’s new in 5.4.6
- What’s new in 5.4.4
- What is Motion?
- Motion workflow
- Motion interface
- Basic components of Motion
- Using input devices
- Intro to creating projects
- Create a new project
- Open an existing project
- Search for projects from the Finder
- Bypass the Project Browser
- Create and modify project presets
- Save, autosave, and revert projects
- Intro to adding and managing content
- Intro to project playback
- Define the play range
- Project playback performance
- Intro to basic compositing
- - Modify layer opacity
- Intro to 3D compositing
- - Intro to 3D coordinates
  - Relative coordinates
- Transform layers in 3D space
- - Create 3D intersection
  - 2D and 3D group properties
- Intro to the Timeline
- Display or resize the Timing pane
- Navigate in the Timeline
- Show and modify keyframes in the Timeline
- - Intro to the Timeline ruler
  - Edit a range of frames in the Timeline
- Edit in the mini-Timeline
- Intro to behaviors
- Behaviors versus keyframes
- - Browse for behaviors
- - Intro to adjusting behaviors
  - Adjust behaviors
- Intro to keyframing
- Add keyframes
- - Add an animation path in the canvas
  - Modify animation paths
- Animate from the HUD
- - Apply keyframes to behaviors
  - Combining keyframes and behaviors
- Use the mini-curve editor
- Animate on the fly
- Simplify a keyframe curve
- Intro to Final Cut Pro templates
- - Template workflow
  - Placeholders vs. drop zones
- - Create a generator template
  - Modify a Final Cut Pro generator
- - Convert a Motion project to Final Cut Pro
  - Convert a template to another type
- Use placeholder images in templates
- Set template resolution
- Add multiple aspect ratios to templates
- Override the Final Cut Pro color space
- Where are templates saved?
- Using masks in templates
- Guidelines for better templates
- Intro to rigging
- How does rigging work?
- Build a simple rig
- Work with widgets
- Control rigs from Animation menus
- Publish rigs to Final Cut Pro
- Intro to Particles
- - Add a particle system
  - Anatomy of a particle emitter
- Create 3D particles
- Particle system timing
- Using graphics in particle systems
- Using filters and masks with particles
- Save custom particle effects
- Intro to replicators
- Replicators vs. particle systems
- - Add a replicator
  - Anatomy of a replicator
- Work with 3D replicators
- Replicator timing
- Using filters and masks with replicators
- Save custom replicators
- Intro to basic text
- Select and modify text in the canvas
- Preview and apply fonts
- Use preset text styles
- - Intro to editing text
  - Display the Text Inspector or HUD
- Convert standard text to 3D text
- Check spelling
- Find and replace text
- Using filters with text
- Intro to 3D text
- 3D text workflow
- - Add 3D text
  - Convert 2D text to 3D text
- Apply a preset 3D text style
- Move and rotate 3D text
- Add a glow or drop shadow to 3D text
- 3D text intersection
- Intro to animated text
- Apply a text behavior
- - Use the Scroll Text behavior
  - Scroll Text controls
- - Use the Text Tracking behavior
  - Text Tracking controls
- - Use the Type On behavior
  - Type On controls
- Animate individual text glyphs
- Animating 2D text in 3D space
- When to use keyframes to animate text
- Adding nontext behaviors to text
- Save a modified text behavior
- Intro to shapes, masks, and paint strokes
- - Intro to complex shapes and masks
  - Draw complex shapes and masks
- Edit fill, outline, and feathering
- Keyframe shape control points
- Convert between shapes and masks
- Using filters and masks with shapes
- Copy shape styles
- Save custom shapes and shape styles
- Intro to using generators
- Add a generator
- - Modify or animate a generator
  - Controls common to all generators
- Save a modified generator
- Intro to filters
- Browse and preview filters
- Apply or remove filters
- - Animate filter parameters with keyframes
  - Animate filters using behaviors
- Publish filter parameters to Final Cut Pro
- Using filters on alpha channels
- Filter performance
- Save custom filters
- Intro to color keying
- - Intro to the Luma Keyer filter
  - Luma Keyer filter controls
- Intro to 3D objects
- Add a 3D object
- Move and rotate a 3D object
- Reposition a 3D object’s anchor point
- Exchange a 3D object file
- 3D object intersection and layer order
- - Intro to 3D object timing
  - Modify 3D object timing in Motion
- Using cameras and lights with 3D objects
- Save custom 3D objects
- Guidelines for working with 3D objects
- Working with imported 3D objects
- Intro to 360-degree video
- 360-degree projects
- Create 360-degree projects
- Add 360-degree video to a project
- - View 360-degree projects
  - View 360-degree video in a VR headset
- - Intro to graphics in 360-degree projects
  - Use graphics in 360-degree projects
- Create a tiny planet effect
- Reorient 360-degree media
- Creating 360-degree templates for Final Cut Pro
- 360-degree-aware filters and generators
- Export and share 360-degree projects
- Guidelines for better 360-degree projects
- Intro to tracking
- How does motion tracking work?
- Motion tracking behavior types
- Analyze motion in a clip
- Stabilize a shaky clip
- Unstabilize a clip
- Use a range of frames for analysis
- Load existing tracking data
- Track shapes, masks, and paint strokes
- Track a filter’s position parameter
- Adjust onscreen trackers
- Save tracks to the Library
- Intro to audio
- View audio files
- Add audio files
- Play audio files
- Intro to exporting projects
- Export a QuickTime movie
- Export audio only
- Export a still image
- Export an image sequence
- Export to Apple devices
- Export to email
- Export using Compressor
- Create share destinations
- Render settings
- View the status of shared items
- Share notifications
- Intro to preferences and shortcuts
- Touch Bar shortcuts
- Move assets to another computer
- Work with GPUs
Glossary
Copyright

Convert between shapes and masks in Motion

Because masks and shapes are created in similar ways but perform different tasks, there are occasions where you may create a shape and later want to convert it into a mask, or vice versa. Different options are available when converting shapes to masks, depending on the type of object being masked. When you need to convert a shape to a mask, consider the following:

When a shape is converted to a mask and applied to a scaled object, the resulting mask is scaled as well. This may lead to unexpected results. To prevent surprises, set the object to 100% scale or place the object in a new group and apply the mask to the group.
Converting a shape that has been manipulated in 3D space into a mask may produce unexpected results. For more information on working with masks in 3D projects, see Mask a layer in Motion.
When a transformed (scaled, rotated, or anchor point-adjusted) shape is converted to a mask, the transforms are not maintained.

Note: Masks are cannot be applied to 3D paint strokes, 3D particle systems or replicators, 3D text, or unflattened 3D groups. To convert a shape to a mask on such an object, the item must be flattened.

Convert a shape to mask an image

In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
Note: You can also add a preset shape from Shapes category in the Library.
In the Layers list, drag the shape object onto the layer to be masked.
The shape is converted into a mask. If the layer to which the mask is applied is not centered in the canvas, the position of the mask is slightly offset. This is because the position of the converted mask is dependent upon the original position of the shape relative to the center of its parent group.

Convert a shape to a mask a group

You can convert a shape into a mask and apply that mask to any group in a project.

In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, drag the shape onto the group layer and pause, holding down the mouse button, then when the drop menu appears, choose Move Mask To Group.

Convert a shape to mask its enclosing group

You can convert a shape into mask and apply that mask to its parent (enclosing) group.

In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, select the shape layer and do one of the following:
- Drag the shape onto the group and pause, holding the mouse button; when the drop menu appears, choose Move Mask To Group, then release the mouse button.
- Choose Object > Convert to Mask.

Convert a shape to a mask another shape

In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, drag the shape object onto another shape object and pause, holding the mouse button.
When the drop menu appears, choose Add Mask To Shape, then release the mouse button.
The shape is converted into a mask and is applied to the other shape.
Note: Masks cannot be applied to 3D paint strokes.

Convert a shape to mask a particle emitter or replicator

In Motion, use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, drag the shape object onto an emitter or replicator and pause, holding the mouse button.
When the drop menu appears, choose Add Mask To Emitter or Add Mask to Replicator, then release the mouse button.
The shape is converted into a mask on the particle emitter or replicator.
Note: The 3D checkbox must be deselected in the Emitter or Replicator Inspector for the drop menu to appear.

Convert a shape to mask 2D text or 3D text

In the Layers list, select the text layer to mask.
In the Layout pane of the Text Inspector, ensure that the Flatten checkbox is selected.
Use any of the shape tools to create a shape.
In the Layers list, drag the shape object onto the text layer.

Convert a mask to a shape

In the Layers list in Motion, select a mask and do one of the following:
- Choose Object > Convert To Shape.
  The shape moves to the bottom of the group.
- Drag the mask between two objects in the Layers list.
- Drag the mask onto the group layer and pause, holding the mouse button; when the drop menu appears, choose Move Shape To Group.

Helpful?

Motion User Guide