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Text with gradient colors?
Hello, everyone… I’ve been working on FCP after many years on Avid, and one thing that I think Avid has all over FCP is the title tool. I love being able to use the arrow keys to precisely move the text over images and don’t have to deal with the “center” numbers on FCP… how I can create a single title with multiple fonts and sizes… using the option and arrow keys to manually adjust the kerning between any two characters… any number of other stuff. But the question I have today is regarding one of the easiest things to do in the Avid title tool but can’t seem to find anything comparable on FCP — creating text with gradient colors. It’s so easy to create a two-color gradient on Avid and see it immediately on your text, but is there anything like that on FCP? I don’t know Live Type or Motion, so it may be there, but it seems so fundamentally simple an effect that I’m surprised there’s nothing like it on FCP (which I love). Any clues? Many thanks.
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6 Replies
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“I love being able to use the arrow keys to precisely move the text over images and don’t have to deal with the “center” numbers on FCP…”
You can just use the mouse/tablet to move your text around in the canvas.
“creating text with gradient colors. It’s so easy to create a two-color gradient on Avid and see it immediately on your text, but is there anything like that on FCP? I don’t know Live Type or Motion,”
Motion is your friend. You should learn how to use it. Not only can it do a bunch of stuff like this, but your text will look better.
I’m not sitting in front of the mac so I can’t check FCP to see if there is a grad built into the text, but you can always do it old school by matting out your text over a grad BK.
Motion is easier.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Hey David
Look in Effects > Video Generators > Boris … you should see one called Title 3D, and you can do all manner of gradients fills galore in there
Cheers
Andy -
Hi David;
The Boris text generator has decent gradient options, and it’s built into Final Cut, if your wanting to stay within the program. I’m still learning Motion and agree it’s the most powerful choice, but if your not looking at lots of animated text (or difficult fonts), the Boris options should help. Good luck…ML
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Thanks, Scott, Andy and Michael. I’ve been exploring Boris Title 3D, but since there’s nothing in the FCP User’s Guide regarding it (I’m looking elsewhere for a manual), let me ask one other question about it. In the project I’m currently working on, I’ve already created a slew of white titles using the FCP text generator. They’re positioned exactly where I want them. If I create a gradated sample title using Boris Title 3D, and save it as a style, can the color attributes be pasted onto all the titles I’ve already built, or do I have to start from scratch and re-create them all using Boris? I don’t seem to see that option when I try to copy and paste attributes.
Thanks again — and Scott, I do use the mouse to position my titles, but I do find that having to switch back and forth from the canvas with the mouse, to typing with the position controls in the viewer in order to place text precisely where I want it is much more complicated than using the arrow keys in the Avid; plus, I love being able to link multiple fonts and text sizes in a single saved title so I can reposition and resize the whole thing if I need to. Other than that, I love FCP.
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Sorry David
It’s the long slow path with this one I’m afraid. Boris hides all their plugin instance data in a big old chunk of bits and bytes thats not human readable … so theres no way to translate your existing text generators to Title 3D text in one fell swoop.
Sad but true
Andy -
Thanks, Andy (and everyone). I wound up rebuilding all my titles using Title 3D, and they look very nice. What I found odd, however, was that I tried to duplicate the basics of the text — the same font size, the same tracking, the same drop shadow data — in the Boris version, and then when I tried to line the new title up with the title created in the Text Generator, they didn’t match at all. I would think that a 48-point font would be the same in both generators, but Boris’ wound up bigger. Ah well. Moving on! Thanks again for everybody’s help.
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