[Mark Spencer]

What you are describing is exchanging media. You can’t exchange media with clip in the Layers pane. You have to drag a clip from the File Browser, the Library, or the Media tab of the Project Pane – you might try that last option. You’ll need to first “break off” the Media pane so you can see both it and the Layers pane at the same time (I’m using Motion 4 terminology here).

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net

[Mark Spencer]

You could export all your animated paint strokes out as a black and white movie (no alpha) (just turn off all your other layers), then bring that back in and use it as a luma matte (image mask) for your circuit board after turning off the original paint strokes.

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net

[Mark Spencer]

You could probably create the same effect by using a replicator animated with a sequence replicator behavior as the mask rather than paint strokes. Andy is right on – a lot of paint strokes will kill your project.

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net

[Mark Spencer]

https://youtu.be/gyQMdzQ1vkw

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net

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[Mark Spencer]

Jim, that sounds like a bug. Really glad you worked it out – I wouldn’t have thought of deleting the camera, I’ll keep that one in mind!

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net

[Mark Spencer]

Make sure the project size and main graphics size are the same (e.g. 1280×720) and also move the anchor points of all layers to the center of the Canvas.

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net

[Mark Spencer]

1) Make sure Show Overlays is turned on under the View pop-up menu (Command-/)

2) If you see an outline for your mask but no control points, you need to change your tool – right click on the mask and select Edit Points.

If neither of these work, try trashing your preferences.

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net

[Mark Spencer]

As opposed to Motion 5, Motion 4 is not a color-managed application. In other words, it does not read color profiles attached to images.
This short video may help explain the situation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsiVZGNt-1U

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net

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[Mark Spencer]

Try the Wriggle parameter behavior, applied to the Position parameter of the text layer (just right click on the Position parameter in the Inspector and choose Wriggle from the list of parameter behaviors). You’ll then need to adjust it in the Behaviors Inspector.

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net

[Mark Spencer]

You get Quicktime Pro with FCP X.
But your workflow is just fine. You can slow the image sequence down directly in Motion in the Timing section of the Properties Inspector. If you slow it way down, you could try Optical Flow frame blending as well.

—
Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net