Apple Motion 5.1.1 - Manual (Page 886)

Chapter 20 Shapes, masks, and paint strokes 886
The animated shape object interpolates between each keyframed shape. If you don’t like how
the interpolation is working, you can add more keyframes to force the control points to follow
the path you want.
Interpolated shape First keyframe Second keyframe
You can also create, delete, and edit the timing of Shape Animation keyframes in the Keyframe
Editor. For simplicity, each change you make to a shape is recorded as a single keyframe, no
matter how many control points are edited. The Shape Animation parameter only allows
keyframes set to linear interpolation. You cannot use any other form of keyframe interpolation.
The process used to animate both shapes and masks is identical. To see an example of mask
animation, see
Keyframe a mask’s shape for animation and rotoscoping on page 896. For more
information on keyframing in general, see Keyframing overview on page 439.
Save shapes and shape styles
Like all objects in Motion, custom shapes and shape styles (a custom gradient fill and outline,
for example) can be saved to the Library. You can augment the Motion Library with your own
custom objects and styles, including customized behaviors and filters or whole project groups.
Content you put into the Library is available to every project in Motion.
Custom shapes (including masks) can be saved in the Shapes, Favorites, or Favorites Menu
categories of the Library. Custom shape styles, which are saved via the Shape Style pop-up menu,
are saved in the Shape Styles category. You can create your own folders in the Library categories
or subcategories to better organize your effects. Each customized shape or shape style saved to
the Library is saved as a separate file in the Motion folder of the Application Support directory.
For example, a saved custom shape named “red heart” in the Shapes category of the Library
appears in the /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Motion/Library/Shapes/ folder.
Items saved to the Library appear in the Finder with a .molo extension (“Motion Library object”).
These items cannot be opened from the Finder.
When you drag a custom shape from the Library to the Canvas, the center of the shape is placed
where 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 where 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).
Save a shape to the Library
1 Open the Library and select the Favorites, Favorites Menu, or Shapes category.
2 Drag the shape you want to save from the Layers list or Timeline into the stack at the bottom of
the Library.
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