Transition to simulate a small card being flipped over? (FCP7)

[Jeff Meyer]

Perhaps keyframing the “Basic 3D” filter could do the job? It’s under Perspective.

Since it’s a filter you can paste attributes. Copy a clip with the effect, then select a clip and press OPT+V to paste attributes. Check Filters to paste Basic 3D.

[Mark Suszko]

Steve, though this may not be the best choice of a first Motion project, you shouldn’t be afraid of Motion.

Not saying this in any purposefully demeaning way, but Motion makes for great “training wheels” to get into AfterEffects. Motion is much more intuitive IMO than AE, and I think you would not have to start from scratch, because you can export your existing FCP project into Motion and everything should already be lined up and ready to animate.

I don’t know if it has a card flip preset, but I just made one from scratch in less than a minute. Let me walk you thru it.

I import the image for the front.

I grab the rectangle tool and drag it across the image to just barely cover all edges. Default color is white. I add a vignette effect to the white from the drop-down menu bar, just to make the white less boring. I go to the layers window and drag the white rectangle below the image, just like you drag layers in photoshop… placing it “behind” the image. Now I just collapse those two items into one group, and re-name the group “card one”.

From the top menu I select “Object> new camera> select 3-d camera.

Click on the “”Card One” group in your stack of layers. A 3-colored gyroscope-like tool appears. It has three arrows for moves in xyz axis, and 3 little white circles, clicking in one of them turns on rotation in one particular axis. click and drag, and watch the card flip over to expose the image side or white side as needed. Re-set by hitting command-z.

Let’s record some key frames. Hit that red “record” button on the bottom of the viewer. adjust the rotation and then put it back where it was, this sets keyframe 1.

Hit the play button or spacebar for a second to advance the timeline a second or so, stop it again. Now use that gyro tool to flip the card group completely over. You can see in the gyro that you’ve turned 180 degrees.

Turn off the red record button.

Hit play and admire your work.

Now, you can copy/paste that one group as many times as you like, and arrange it on top of the “table”, all in 3-d with perspective. Rename each group to keep them organized.

Import a folder of your stills or video, and this is the cool part: you can just open up each group, then drag the new image you want from the folder or the desktop… into the old one in the group to replace it. Just hover your cursor a second over the image well, and the little curved arrow tells you it is ready to drop into the image well. Thus populating all the spots with different items.

There’s a simple timeline along the bottom of the screen. Highlight one group at a time, and just slide their blue bar forward or back along the timeline to get all your timings the way you need them. You can import an audio track and use it to help guide your timing.

It’s all very hands-on and intuitive, from my standpoint, versus AE where you do more typing of numbers into tiny boxes. But if the tiny box number thing is what you like, Motion lets you work that way as well.

So don’t be scared, try doing what I just did, see how simple that is.

[Jeff Meyer]

If you use Motion use the Send-to command from Final Cut. It will bring everything in already timed out and positioned if you have moved things on the screen.

Duplicate your sequence, then right-click on the duplicate and Send to -> Motion.

Always us a duplicate when sending to Motion.

[Mark Suszko]

Trying to keyframe this in FCP7 for more than one or two cards will drive you crazy – get a cup of coffee and try the little Motion exercise I laid out, then import your FCP project – just for giggles – turn on the layers window and timeline window, select just *one* card, play with it the same way… you have nothing to lose but a half hour.

[Steve Smith]

Wow Mark! That is so generous of you to put that exercise together and I’m busting to try it.

Being summer holidays in Australia I’m currently locked out of the facility where I can access Motion but I’ll get onto it as soon as that changes and let you know how it goes.

Not only does it look like you’ve solved my problem but I’ll be delving into a style of software I’ve long been timid about trying … one of those people who only learns new programs when there something concrete that must get done.

And thanks for the tips Jeff. A couple of weeks work has gone into the FCP sequence I’ll be using so building confidently on top of that is key.

Will report after I’ve bolted on my Motion training wheels!

Steve

Steve Smith
Producer/Director/Editor

[Mark Suszko]

Speaking of training wheels for Motion, the COW’s own Stephen Smith (no relation to you, I expect) has an inexpensive yet comprehensive tutorial DVD that you can buy right here. It will walk you thru all the basics in a VERY simple and intuitive manner and after watching it, you’ll be able to throw all kinds of cool compositing tricks together to enhance your FCP experience. I bought one and highly recommend it.

[Steve Smith]

That might prove a most helpful recommendation. Thanks again Mark!

And yes I’m no relation to Stephen (other than via this herd of creative cows).

Steve

Steve Smith
Producer/Director/Editor