Adjusting Point Parameters in Motion

A point parameter as it appears in the inspector

Motion allows you to change the X and Y coordinates of a point through the inspector. You can either click over a coordinate and drag up or down, or click and release to enter a value through the keyboard.

It is far easier to configure point parameters on-screen. Your first step is to make sure that the correct item on your timeline is selected.

Displaying on-screen point parameters for Filters

When working with Filters, make sure its layer is selected:

Selecting the filter layer (in purple) applied to a clip

When the filter layer is selected, any custom on-screen controls for that plug-in are displayed in the Canvas. This includes point parameters:

A labeled, on-screen point parameter as it appears in the Canvas

Displaying on-screen point parameters for Generators

When working with a Generator, make sure its clip is selected in the timeline:

Generator

By default, Motion does not display custom on-screen controls for Generators, even when selected in the timeline. Your next step is to right-click on the Generator’s output in the Canvas and select the Control command from the contextual menu:

A contextual menu lets you switch between various set of on-screen controls available

Upon selecting the Control option, any point parameters are displayed on-screen along with any other custom on-screen controls associated with the plug-in.

The on-screen control for a point parameter, displayed at its exact coordinate within the frame. Other, unrelated on-screen controls may be available at the bottom of the frame.

Click and drag the on-screen control to the desired location in the frame.

Please note that the size and color of the on-screen control may vary from one effect to the next. In some cases, a point may only be moved within a certain region of the frame, or it may only be moved along a given axis.

Tip:Hold down the Shift key to constrain movement to the horizontal or vertical axis. Hold down the Command ⌘ key to make smaller, more precise adjustments to the X and Y coordinates. Hold down the Option ⌥ key and click on the control to reset its location to the default X and Y coordinates.