Saved shape positions – Apple Motion 3 User Manual
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1084
Chapter 12
Using Shapes and Masks
4
To name the file, do one of the following:
 Control-click the icon, choose Rename from the shortcut menu, then type a
descriptive name.
 Select the icon, click “Untitled,” then type a descriptive name.
Note: When you Control-click the icon, the Edit Description option becomes available. 
This is a handy tool that allows you to enter custom notes about an item saved in the 
Library. Once you choose Edit Description, enter your notes in the text field and click 
OK.
To save a shape style to the Library:
1
With the shape selected, choose Save Shape Style from the Shape Style pop-up menu 
in the Style pane of the Shape Inspector.
2
Type a name for the style in the Save Preset to Library dialog and click Save (or press 
Return).
The custom style is saved to the Library in the All subcategory of the Shape Styles 
category by default. You can move the preset into an existing subcategory, or create 
your own folders to organize your custom styles (see below).
When the style is selected in the Library stack, a preview is displayed in the Preview 
pane. The new preset now appears in the Shape Style pop-up menu in the Style pane 
of the Shape Inspector.
The saved custom shape style appears in the Shape Styles category of the Library in 
the /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/Motion/Library/
Shape Styles folder.
Saved Shape Positions
When you drag a custom shape from the Library to the Canvas, the center of the 
shape is dropped at the location in which you release the mouse button. If you use 
the Apply button in the Preview area to add the shape, the shape is added at the 
center of the Canvas.
When you drag shapes that were saved with the “All in one file” option to the Canvas, 
the shapes are dropped at the location in which you release the mouse button and 
are positioned according to their arrangement when originally saved to the Library. If 
you use the Apply button in the Preview area to add the shapes, the shapes are 
added at the center of the Canvas.
When you drag a custom mask from the Library into a project, the mask retains the 
position with which it was saved (relative to the image or footage on which it is 
dropped).