Make sure to set the project preferences to Broadcast SD. Open the
preferences and make sure Create Object At is set to Current Frame—this
means new elements will be added where the playhead rests. From the
lower right, drag the play range end marker to frame 120. You can now
hit the spacebar and begin adding elements while the composition plays.
STEP 1: Create your project and preferences
STEP 2: Add a particle emitter
Instead of video effects, you can add your own abstract effects using
Motion’s Particle Emitter. In this case, simply drag Light Valve onto
the playback area. You can find this in Library: Particle Emitters:
Abstract. While you’re there, check out the more than 100 particle
systems.
STEP 3: Play with color
What you’re watching isn’t just a video clip...it’s a particle system,
meaning you can adjust it. In the Inspector, select the Emitter tab,
scroll down, and adjust the Color Over Life. This lets you adjust the
effect as you watch. Simply click in the Color bar to create a new node
and move it back and forth to shift the gradient and change the look.
STEP 4: Add text
Using the Text tool in the main window, click in the upper left area of
the playback and add text. From your dashboard (if it’s not up, press
"d"), you can select the font; the text will change on the fly. Once
your text has been added, drag the end of the text track, in the
mini-timeline, to frame 60.
STEP 5: Roll the text in and out
With your still text selected add two more behaviors,Text: Basic:
Sequence In from Left, and Text: Basic: Sequence Out from Left. These
behaviors set the more complex behavior of fading each letter in and
out in sequence without the need to add lots of keyframes. Right now,
they’re canceling each other out. We’ll fix that next.
STEP 6: Set in and out points for effects
Click on the small arrow next to the title of the dashboard and select
Sequence in From Left. It will appear in the mini-timeline. Drag the
end of the effect to frame 20. Next, select Sequence Out From Left and
drag the beginning in the mini-timeline to 40. Now the text should roll
on then off.
STEP 7: Throw the text
It’s still a little static, so go to Add Behavior: Basic Motion: Throw
to add a drift to the text. In the Dashboard, hold down the shift key
and pull the arrow to the right. This will cause the text to drift
across the screen as it rolls out. The further you pull the arrow, the
faster it drifts.
STEP 8: Copy the text track
So now we have one piece of text—the first of 20. How to duplicate it?
Hit F6 to reveal the full timeline. Select the Text Track, hit CMD-C to
copy. Stop playing the composition, move the playhead to 60 and hit
CMD-V to paste the layer, with its behaviors, to a new track beginning
where the last began. This is a great way to move all the attributes
for a given track. You can now change and move the text. Hit F6 again
to hide the timeline.
STEP 9: Throw a new direction
Drag the new text to the lower right corner. With the Dashboard
visible, select the Throw behavior and shift-drag the photo to the
left. You can now change the text by using the text tool. This greatly
reduces the amount of time you would normally spend working with each
element. When producing an open with many names, this could mean hours,
even days, of saved time.
STEP 10: Change the new text
Stop the playback and find a frame where all the text shows on the
copied text. With the text tool, select the text and change it. Without
having to add tons of additional keyframes, you’ve added a whole new
title with the effects. You can continue this to quickly generate the
rest of the opening graphics.
Lindsay, involved in computer graphics for nearly 20 years, has
experience in digital production, including print, real-time graphics,
multimedia titles, forensic animation, television and film. He spent
several years on the production of Star Wars: Episode 1 (at JAK
Films then at ILM). He has taught at the Academy of Art and at the San
Francisco State Multimedia Studies programs. He has written and given
hundreds of tutorials and is a regular guest on TechTV.
Support Gear:
Apple PowerBook G5, 1.5 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 128 MB VRAM (typically works on Dual 2.0 G5, with 2 GB RAM, 256 MB VRAM)
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