Add a light-emitting material to 3D text in Final Cut Pro

The Emit material layer type causes the selected 3D text layer to appear to be self-illuminating rather than just reflecting other light. The light emitted using this method does not illuminate other objects or cause shadows to be cast.

A 3D title in the viewer shown with and without an emit layer

In fact, the Emit layer is a texture with a single color or gradient, which is superimposed on top of the 3D title. This makes the image appear brighter. Depending on which type of fill you choose, a different set of options appears.

Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline.
If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following:
- Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4).
- Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar.
Click the Text button at the top of the inspector.
Tip: Double-click the top bar of the inspector to switch between half-height view and full-height view.
In the Material section of the 3D Text section, click the Add Layer pop-up menu and choose Emit.
An Emit section is added to the Text inspector.
Click the Fill pop-up menu and choose a fill type (Color or Gradient).
The fill type determines what additional parameters appear in the Emit section of the Text inspector. For a description of all Emit parameters, see Emit controls in Final Cut Pro.

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Final Cut Pro User Guide

Add a light-emitting material to 3D text in Final Cut Pro