[Andy Neil]

You have to understand how the Analyze Behavior works. It is meant to analyze the pixels in a video layer. It will not work on text objects, or shapes, or groups. In fact you don’t need it to work on those layers.

If you’re trying to pin a text object to a video element then here is how you do it. Apply the analyze motion behavior to the video bkg element. Attach the tracker and analyze the motion. Apply the Match Move behavior to the text object. Drag the Analyze Motion behavior into the source well of the Match Move behavior.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

Motion is dependent upon the available texture limit for your graphics card. You can’t create a project larger than the capability of your card, nor can you have any one layer larger than the texture limit.

Most cards are 4k, allowing for 4000pixels. Others are larger, a few are smaller.

Since it WAS working for you, but isn’t now, there’s a possibility that the problem lies with your graphics card.

Of course the easiest thing to do would be to trash your preferences and see if that clears up the issue.

For the future, be aware of the limitations of your graphics card.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

I forgot to mention, make sure the shape is set to Outline instead of Fill in the Style section.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

Build the shape using the bezier tool (B). Then apply the Write On Behavior under: Behaviors/Shape.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

Make sure your overlays are on. The shortcut for that is CMD+/. You can also get to it by clicking the view button on the upper right of the viewer.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

As far as free motion tutorials, there are a couple of places you can look:

Timesaver Tutorials

Applemotion.net

Embryo

Also Creative Cow and the Apple website feature Motion tutorials as well.

The rest of your questions seem to stem around working with the timeline. I would strongly suggest that you avoid the timeline as much as possible. Though useful, it is not a sequence like FCP. Motion’s timeline doesn’t behave the same way as FCPs timeline.

If you are swaping the order that clips play in Motion, you merely have to drag the clip in its own layer until it’s at the same point as the clip you’re swapping it with. Hold shift to ensure snapping. Then drag the swapped clip in it’s own layer to the position formerly occupied by the previous clip. Motion only allows one clip per layer. Unlike FCP you cannot have multiple clips on the same layer.

Inserting sequential photos: Go into your preferences and indicate a length for still photos (say, 5 seconds). Then select all your photos in the File Browser and drag either into the timeline, or the mini-timeline. Wait to release the mouse. After a moment, an overlay will pop-up asking if you want the clips to enter in composite (on top of each other) or sequential (after each other) mode. Choose sequential.

Timeline keyboard shortcut for zooming in/out. I’m not aware of one. I wish there was.

The IN/OUT on the timeline refers to the play area or work area if you prefer. It has no bearing for inserting or deleting clips.

To delete a clip/clips from the timeline, simply select the clips, lasso the clips, or select the layers that the clips reside in and delete.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

I suspect that the key to this might be to duplicate the background layer and mask out everything but the jars. Then place your “ghost” animation between the jars and the background.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

I think your problem is related to the Stencil Luma blend mode on your PSD.

[Andy Neil]

Without knowing what you’re trying to do, it’s hard to advise. However, you can make some radical changes to tracking by using the Sequence Text behavior.

Apply it to your text and under parameter, click ADD and choose tracking. From there experiment with changing the Traversal to Custom and the Selection to letter, word, or custom depending on what you’re trying to do.

Using the location slider you can change where the tracking begins from.

Andy

[Andy Neil]

Ok, I’m going to go ahead and assume you’re talking about making an SD DVD as opposed to an HD-DVD or Blu-ray.

Given the fact that your final DVD will be 720×480 in size, your Motion graphics need not be any bigger than that. However, this doesn’t mean that you should export your Motion project using a lossy codec like DV. Instead use the highest quality codec you can like Uncompressed 8 or 10bit.

DV codec is notoriously bad at handling gfx so stay away from it if you can.

Export a QT movie and then let Compressor do the MPEG compression. There are presets available for DVDs based on length of project.

Andy