[Andy Neil]

Other things to try:

Different font?

Use 8-bit instead of 32-bit. It sounds counter-intuitive I know.

Have you checked the speed of the scroll against the frame rate of your sequence? Perhaps a slower or faster speed might give better results.

Lastly, try your credits in 1920×1080 instead of an anamorphic frame size. It’s possible that the 4×3 aspect is blurring the text when it’s stretched back to 16×9 in FCP.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

Make sure Motion blur is activated in the Motion project file. Then in FCP check your sequence settings and in the Render Control tab, make sure that Motion projects and Templates are set to BEST quality.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

What you’re seeing is an issue with how Quicktime is displaying the file.

You see, your clips is 1440×1080 which, if you do the math is a 4:3 ratio. Quicktime is playing as if it’s a 4:3 clip with square pixels. In the movie properties (CMD+J) you can tell QT to conform aperature so it properly displays the clip in 16:9.

However, if you want to avoid problems on the playback end since you yourself won’t be running it, I suggest that when you export, you go into your output tab, and uncheck the “Current Settings” checkbox. Then you can set the resolution to 1920×1080 on export and get yourself a true 16×9 QT clip.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

Dan,

When you say you had to zoom in really far to see your footage, did you check the zoom level in the canvas? It’s one of the buttons on the upper right, to the left of the resolution?

Sometimes when you switch views I’ve seen Motion zoomed out for no apparent reason. The zoom level will usually say something like “1%” or similar.

This can be fixed simply by clicking the drop down and selecting a higher zoom level like 50% or so, and then using the CMD +/- keys or the hand tool to arrange the view the rest of the way. After that, Motion will tend to remember the zoom level for that view.

I know you reinstalled, which obviously fixed the problem, but it may not be necessary for others with the same issue to go through that hassle.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

It’s too bad that you hate Motion. I think it’s a very useful program. Unfortunately for you, there is no batch script or similar for Motion operations. But changing to Optical flow is as simple as choosing the appropriate drop down.

However, if you are smoothing out jumpy clips, I might try to do that in FCP using the Smooth Cam filter which is the Optical Flow technology. You can create a template effect and apply it to all your clips at once.

Finally, to answer you last question, AE does not use Optical Flow tech. They do have a decent interpolation, but it’s not the same.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

Well, first of all, the “default” export option in Motion is the animation codec which is likely why it’s saying it will take so long. Based on what you know about the display, I’d say they are running display from a computer that can handle lots of different types (or else they plan on converting what ever you give them).

In either case, I’d probably give them a high quality H264 file to ensure high quality and proper playback.

When you export, you may or may not have an H264 preset in the dialog box. If not, you’ll have to create it by hitting the Option button and changing the compressor to H264. Also, change the bit rate from automatic to something like 3000 kbits/sec. The higher the number, the better the overall quality, but the longer it’ll take to encode.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

I’ve done lot’s of scopes, or targeting reticles in Motion. But David’s right, it kinda depends on what you need. One of my favorite was doing a 35mm SLR.

Of course my alien targeting sensor was fun too because of all the design elements and moving parts.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

Posting the project is easy. In the reply message box you’ll see some icons just above the window where you type. The last icon in the list is the file upload icon. Just save your project without the media and then zip it up and upload it to the cow. A link to the download will appear in your post so that others can download and see the problem.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

I believe that each view can be set up separately to display grids, guides, and scene icons. When you go to say top view, and you don’t see the camera, try going back the view button and see if 3D scene icons are switched off.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

I can’t know what you’re doing wrong without seeing your project. Is there perhaps a way you can post your project without media?

Andy