Now that I’ve moved to a Mac computer, it’s time to learn how to use some of the best software on the market such as Apple^R Motion^R. What is Apple Motion? Basically, it’s a motion graphics software. But what is Motion Graphics?

Motion graphics is the process of animating graphic design over time. For example, an artist can create a design layout combining image and text for an ad campaign but once you begin to move those objects around the screen, you are creating something new. Add in audio, transitions and special effects and your static design comes alive as motion graphics.

Apple Motion has a great number of features that make it easy to create motion graphics for broadcast, video and film. But I use it most often for creating marketing videos for YouTube. One of the biggest features in Motion is that it allows the animator to make adjustments on the fly, while watching real-time playback.

Behaviors are Motion’s answer to built-in animation, including digital physics and particle systems. These widely customizable drag-and-drop behaviors made it easy to move objects on the Canvas. We also have many built-in filters, such as Glow or Stylize filters, which are also widely customizable. For those times when you need more control or want to start your project from scratch, Motion has the option for building your own keyframe animations along the timeline. We can also create 3D objects, cameras and lighting, all which can be animated.

One nice feature that I use daily is the option for importing Illustrator^R and Phototshop^R graphics into Motion. You can import Photoshop graphics as a flatten image, keep all the layers intact or just import a selected layer. Besides the built-in audio files that come with Motion, you can also import your own video and audio files, which you can then edit further. You can even mix your own audio customized for your project.

When discussing all these features, it’s easy to forget that Motion also has tools for the artist including drawing, masking, blend modes, text and manipulation tools. Some of Motion’s video editing tools include green screen and stabilizing.

When discussing rigging, most animators think of rigging an animated character. But rigging in Motion allows the animators to create their own presets which can be reused in Motion and also in Final Cut Pro. Rigging is the way the animator creates customizable controls, such as sliders, allowing the preset the be customized further in a new project.

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