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
- - 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 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
Copyright

Link behavior in Motion

The Link behavior forces the value of one parameter to match that of another “linked” parameter. The source parameter can be attached to the same object or to another object. The linked parameters must contain numerical data. Parameters controlled by checkboxes, menus, and other non-numeric values cannot be linked. The linked parameters also must contain the same number of attributes. You cannot link a compound parameter such as Scale X-Y-Z to a parameter such as Opacity, which has only one slider. You can however, link a compound parameter such as Scale X-Y-Z to Position X-Y-Z.

The values of the source parameter can be scaled to more accurately apply to the destination parameter. For example, a source parameter with a range of 1–100 can be scaled when applied to a parameter with a range of 0–1. The values can also be offset from the source, and the effect can be mixed with the destination value to create different effects.

The Link behavior can be applied to a parameter animated with behaviors or keyframes; however, the Link behavior does not affect the parameter when the Start Values or End Values are zero.

When using the Link behavior to control an object’s position parameter, the linked coordinates are based on the center point of the current group. So when an object is linked to another object in the same group, it shares an identical position. However, if the source object is in a different group, the coordinates might appear offset in space.

If your goal is to match an identical position across groups with different center points, you can create an invisible dummy object in the group containing the source, link it to the source object, then use the Match Move behavior to copy the dummy object’s position to that of the intended target. Match Move compensates for inter-group position offsets and provides the option to attach one object to another or to mimic the source object’s transformations. For more information about the Match Move behavior, see Intro to match moving in Motion.

You can also link to the group’s coordinates instead of the object’s, and use the Offset parameters in the Link behavior to obtain the position you want. However, if that group is subsequently added to another group, the linked object might not move as expected.

Tip: You can make coordinated animations using text layers. For example, link the Scale parameter of a rectangle (the target object) to the Object Size of a text layer (the source object) to create an animation in which the rectangle automatically changes its size based on the size of the text string. Use the Link behavior together with the Align To behavior to create a box that automatically fits whatever text is typed “into” it.

Note: When a link behavior is added, it’s not enabled by default. To activate the behavior, click the activation checkbox beside the behavior name in the Behaviors Inspector.

Adjust this behavior using the controls in the Behaviors Inspector:

Source Object: An object well that defines the source object in which the source parameter resides. Click the To pop-up menu to select a source object in the current project.
Source Parameter (Compatible Parameters): A pop-up menu and assignment field showing the parameter that serves as the source for the Link behavior. Click the pop-up menu to choose a new source parameter. Only parameters with the same value type and number of attributes as the parameter selected in the Apply To (Target Parameters) pop-up menu appear here.
When a text layer is used as a source, additional parameters appear.
Note: When possible, Source Parameter defaults to the parameter chosen in the Apply To row (described below).
Important: Changing the Apply To (Target Parameters) setting changes which parameters appear in the Source Parameter pop-up menu. If you can’t find the parameter you’re looking for, you might need to choose a target parameter.
Apply To (Target Parameters): A pop-up menu and assignment field showing the parameter affected. Click the pop-up menu to reassign the behavior to another parameter.
When a text layer is used as a target, additional parameters appear.
Apply Mode: A pop-up menu that sets how the values from the source parameter affect the target parameter. The choices include:
- Add to source: Adds the source parameter value to the existing value of the target parameter.
- Multiply by source: Multiplies the source parameter value with the existing value of the target parameter.
- Replace with source: Replaces the existing value of the target parameter with that of the source parameter.
Mix Over Time: A pop-up menu that sets how rapidly the source parameter values begin to affect the target parameter. Options include: Ease In, Ease Out, Ease In/Out, Accelerate, Decelerate, Accelerate/Decelerate, and Custom Mix.
Mix Time Range: A slider (available when the Mix Over Time pop-up menu is set to an ease or acceleration option) that controls the number of frames over which the ease or acceleration occurs.
Tip: Ease In and Accelerate begin at the In point of the Link behavior; Ease Out and Decelerate end at the Out point of the Link behavior. Therefore, you can trim the Link behavior in the Timeline to specify where the ease or acceleration begins or ends.
Custom Mix: A slider (available when the Mix Over Time parameter is set to Custom Mix) that can be animated to create a user-determined mix between the source and target parameter values.
Scale: A slider that specifies a value to be multiplied with the Source Parameter before it is applied to the target.
Apply Link When: A pop-up menu that limits when values from the source are applied to the target. There are five choices:
- Any source value: No limits are placed on the source parameter values. An offset slider for each setting associated with the source parameter appears at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
- Source value above minimum: The link applies only when the source value exceeds a defined minimum value. If the source value falls below the defined minimum, the link behavior stops. When selected, the Clamp Source Values Within Range checkbox as well as offset and minimum sliders for each setting associated with the source parameter appear at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
- Source value below maximum: The link applies only when the source value stays below a defined maximum value. If the source value exceeds the defined maximum, the link behavior stops. When selected, the Clamp Source Values Within Range checkbox as well as offset and maximum sliders for each setting associated with the source parameter appear at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
- Source value between min and max: The link applies only when the source value stays within a defined range. If the source value falls below the defined minimum, or exceeds the defined maximum, the link behavior stops. When selected, the Clamp Source Values Within Range checkbox as well as offset, minimum, and maximum sliders for each setting associated with the source parameter appear at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
- Source value outside min and max: The link applies only when the source value stays outside of a defined range. If the source value falls above the defined minimum, or below the defined maximum, the link behavior stops. When selected, the Clamp Source Values Within Range checkbox as well as offset, minimum, and maximum sliders for each setting associated with the source parameter appears at the bottom of the Behaviors Inspector.
Clamp Source Value Within Range: A checkbox that becomes available when the Apply Link pop-up menu is set to a choice requiring a minimum or maximum value. When selected, values that exceed the defined range are pinned to the highest or lowest allowable setting.
Source Frame Mode: A pop-up menu that specifies whether the animation created by the linked parameters is continuous (with the source parameter value over the duration of the behavior) or fixed (to a source parameter value at a certain point in the duration of the behavior). There are two options:
- Continuous: The target object’s linked parameter value matches the value of the source object’s parameter.
  In the following example, the size of the yellow rectangle (the target parameter) is linked to the size of the animated text object (the source parameter), and Source Frame Mode is set to Continuous. The size of the rectangle matches the size of the animated text over the duration of the behavior.
  (In this example, an Align To behavior—using the text as the target object—is also applied to the rectangle so that the rectangle remains aligned to the position of the text.)
- Fixed: Fixes the value of the linked target parameter to the value of the source parameter at a specific point in the duration of the behavior (as defined by the Source Frame slider).
  In the following example, the size of the yellow rectangle (the target parameter) is linked to the size of the sequenced text object (the source parameter), Source Frame Mode is set to Fixed, and Source Frame is set to 50%. The size of the rectangle is fixed to the size of the text halfway through the sequence behavior.
Source Frame: A slider (available when Source Frame Mode is set to Fixed) that defines the point in the source parameter’s animation that is applied to the target parameter.
(Parameter) offset: A slider that lets you create a constant offset between the source parameter value and the value applied to the target parameter.
(Parameter) min: One or more sliders that become available when the Apply Link pop-up menu is set to “Source value above minimum,” “Source value between min and max,” or “Source value outside min and max.” A “min” slider appears for each component of the source parameter. Adjusting this slider defines a minimum value to limit when the link behavior is active.
(Parameter) max: One or more sliders that become available when the Apply Link pop-up menu is set to “Source value below maximum,” “Source value between min and max,” or “Source value outside min and max.” A “max” slider appears for each component of the source parameter. Adjusting this slider defines a maximum value to limit when the link behavior is active.

Kasulik?

Motion User Guide

Link behavior in Motion