Welcome
What’s new
- 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
- - Convert a Motion project to a template
  - 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
- Create templates that conform to the Final Cut Pro color space
- Where are templates saved?
- Using masks in templates
- - General template guidelines
  - Tips for color processing in 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
- About filters and color processing
- Publish filter controls 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?
- Analyze and record motion in a clip
- Track shapes, masks, and paint strokes
- Track the position of a filter or object
- Adjust onscreen trackers
- Load existing tracking data
- Use a range of frames for analysis
- 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
- About color space
- Intro to color management
- Set the color processing method
- Manage automatic color processing
- View HDR media
- Adjust HDR media
- Choose HDR colors
- Display luminance values
- Tips for color management
- Intro to Cinematic mode video
- Move Cinematic clips to your Mac
- Enable Cinematic mode video adjustments
- Adjust focus points in Cinematic mode video clips in Motion
- Adjust depth of field in Cinematic mode video clips
- Intro to settings and shortcuts
- Touch Bar shortcuts
- Move assets to another computer
- Work with GPUs
Glossary
Copyright

Apply the Sequence Text behavior in Motion

You can build custom text sequence animations using the Sequence Text behavior (in the Text Animation category of behaviors in the Library). The Sequence Text behavior (not to be confused with the Text Sequence category of preset behaviors in the Library) lets you animate text attributes—scale, position, color, opacity, glow, and so on—in sequence, character by character. For example, you can create a sequence in which text characters fall vertically into place as they scale down, fade in, and rotate.

Because the Sequence Text behavior is not a preset, applying and activating it is a two-step process:

Step 1: Apply the Sequence Text behavior to a text layer in your project.
Step 2: In the Behaviors Inspector, assign the parameters you want to animate, then adjust controls to set the animation’s direction, speed, number of loops, and other qualities. (Optionally, you can assign the Position, Rotation, and Scale parameters by dragging onscreen controls in the canvas. See Assign and activate Sequence Text parameters in the canvas below.)

Tip: Using the Transform Glyph tool, you can modify individual text characters independently of the influence of the applied Sequence Text behavior. See Intro to text glyphs.

Apply the Sequence Text behavior

In Motion, select a text layer in your project, then click Behaviors in the toolbar and choose Text Animation > Sequence Text.
The behavior is applied, and the first character of text is selected with the Adjust Item tool.
Important: You must add at least one parameter to the behavior before animation can occur. For details, see the next task.

Assign and activate Sequence Text parameters in the Inspector

After you apply the Sequence Text behavior to a text layer in your project (as described in the previous task), you must assign the parameters you want to animate.

In the Layers list or Timeline in Motion, select an applied Sequence Text behavior.
The Behaviors Inspector opens.
In the upper area of the Sequence Text controls are Add and Remove pop-up menus, used to select text parameters to be sequenced, or to remove parameters after they’re added. Under the pop-up menus are sequence controls, which include options for setting the direction and speed of the animation, whether the animation is applied per character, per word, per text object, and so on.
In this simple example, assign the Opacity, Scale, and Glow Scale parameters to the behavior.
In the Parameter row, click the Add pop-up menu, then choose Format > Opacity.
An Opacity slider is added in the Behaviors Inspector, in the Format area above the Add and Remove pop-up menus.
Set the Opacity slider to 0.
When you play the project (press the Space Bar), the opacity sequences from the value set in the behavior (0%) to the original value of the text (100%). You can change this sequencing order in the Sequencing pop-up menu.
Click the Sequencing pop-up menu, then choose To.
Now, when you play the project from the beginning, the opacity fades to the value set in the behavior (0%) from the original value of the text (100%).
Click the Add pop-up menu, then choose Format > Scale.
The Scale slider is added to the Behaviors Inspector.
Set the Scale slider to 250%, then set the Spread slider (in the Controls section of the Behaviors Inspector) to 4.
The scale and opacity sequences to the values defined in the behavior from the original values. The increased spread value softens the sequence between the characters.

The above example covers only a portion of the options in the Sequence Text behavior. Using the behavior’s parameters, you can create a nearly endless variety of sequences. You can define the speed in which the sequence moves through the text, as well as whether the sequence moves through the text per character, word, or line. You can also change the direction of the sequence and define the number of times the sequence loops over its duration. Variance and randomization can also be added to values defined in the behavior. For more information on these controls, see Sequence Text behavior controls.

Note: Although the style effects created in the Sequence Text behavior (Face, Outline, Glow, and Drop Shadow) are independent of parameters in the Appearance pane of the Text Inspector (Face, Outline, Glow, and Drop Shadow), changes made in the Appearance pane affect the sequenced text.

Assign and activate Sequence Text parameters in the canvas

As an alternative to assigning parameters to the Sequence Text behavior in the Behaviors Inspector, you can assign three basic parameters (Position, Rotation, and Scale) by dragging onscreen controls in the canvas.

In Motion, with the Sequence Text behavior applied and the first character (glyph) selected (using the Adjust Item tool in the canvas toolbar), do any of the following:
- Sequence the position of the text: Drag the character in the canvas to a new position.
  In the Behaviors Inspector, the Position parameter is added to the Format category (above the Add and Remove pop-up menus). The values in the Position parameter can be modified in the Behaviors Inspector (using the Position value sliders) as well as in the canvas (by dragging the glyphs of the text object).
- Sequence the rotation of the text: Drag a rotation handle of a selected glyph in the canvas. To display the rotation handles, click in the canvas, then press and hold the Command key. For more information on using onscreen transform controls, see Transform layers in 3D space.
  In this example, the text is rotated on its Y axis. In the Behaviors Inspector, the Rotation parameter is added to the Format category (above the Add and Remove pop-up menus).
- Sequence the scale of the text: Drag a scale handle of a selected glyph in the canvas. (To scale the text uniformly, press Shift while dragging.)
  In the Behaviors Inspector, the Scale parameter is added to the Format category (above the Add and Remove pop-up menus).
Press the Space bar to play the project.
Note that in the Controls section of the Behaviors Inspector, the Sequencing pop-up menu is set to From, the default setting. As a result, upon playback, the text in your project moves from the value in the Position parameter to the original value (the position of the text before you dragged it in the canvas).
For more information on Sequence Text parameters, see Sequence Text behavior controls.
Note: When using the Sequence Text behavior, glyphs are selected with the Adjust Item tool rather than the Transform Glyph tool. For more information on the Transform Glyph tool, see Intro to text glyphs.
When you select a glyph with the Adjust Item tool, a section of the Timeline is highlighted, indicating when the selected glyph is affected by the sequence behavior.