Animating Motion Parameters

 < Day Day Up > 

In addition to changing motion parameters, you can also set keyframes to animate those parameters over time. Just as audio keyframes set locations where the audio levels change, motion keyframes provide locations for motion parameters to begin, end, or change. When you set motion keyframes to move a clip's position around the image area, you create a motion path. You can set keyframes in the Viewer or Timeline, or use a keyboard shortcut. For these exercises, you will set keyframes in the Viewer.

Viewing Motion Keyframes

Before you begin setting motion keyframes, you will reposition the Viewer window and enlarge it to display the keyframe graph area where you will set and adjust the keyframes.

NOTE

You may want to create a backup of the Motion Starting sequence before you begin adding keyframes.


1.

In the Timeline, drag the playhead to the marker in the ruler area labeled all in. Double-click the DS good ride clip on the V2 track to open it in the Viewer, and click the Motion tab.

The all in marker in the Timeline identifies the location where all three images are in view. You will set keyframes to rotate and resize the lower two clips that appear on the V2 and V3 tracks.

2.

Drag the Viewer window to the left edge of the computer screen, over the Browser window, and extend the right edge of the Viewer to snap to the Canvas. Click the Opacity disclosure triangle so you can see its parameter details along with those of the Basic Motion parameters.

TIP

You can save this window layout to use the next time you want to animate keyframes.

Each parameter has a keyframe button to set keyframes, and a keyframe graph where individual keyframes appear. The playhead moves in tandem with the Timeline playhead, and a zoom control and zoom slider help to focus on a specific area. The brighter portion of the graph represents the length of the sequence clip. You can zoom into that area so it is prominent in the keyframe graph.

3.

In the Timeline, with snapping on, drag the playhead over the DS good ride clip and notice the places within the clip where the playhead wants to snap. Look at the Opacity keyframe line in the Viewer, and drag again over the clip in the Timeline.

Two opacity keyframes have already been set for the current clip, and the playhead is snapping to those locations. The playhead snaps to keyframes whether or not they are visible. Although you can set opacity keyframes in the Timeline, opacity is included with the Motion parameters and can be set or adjusted in that tab.

4.

In the Motion tab, drag the playhead between the two opacity keyframes. Click the left and then the right keyframe navigation buttons next to the Keyframe button. Jump back and forth between these two keyframes and look at the Opacity parameter area.

TIP

You can also press Shift-K to move forward to the next keyframe, and press Option-K to move backward to a previous keyframe. These shortcuts also work in the Timeline, and will move to any keyframe on any track, as long as Auto Select is on for that track and no other clips are selected.

The Opacity slider and percentage amount change from 0, or fully transparent, to 100, or fully visible. When the playhead is directly over a keyframe, the diamond on the Keyframe button is solid green. The arrows next to the Keyframe button are keyframe navigation buttons, which become solid when there is a keyframe in that direction you can move to.

5.

To enlarge the keyframe graph for one parameter, move the pointer over the bottom portion of that parameter boundary. When the pointer turns into the resize arrow, drag down. Drag back up to return it to its original height.

6.

In the Motion tab, hide the Opacity parameter, and look at the two blue diamonds in the keyframe graph area.

Although the Opacity parameter is collapsed, the two blue keyframes indicate the exact location of the two Opacity keyframes.

7.

Display the Opacity parameter so you can use those keyframes as a reference in the following exercise.

Setting Motion Keyframes

To animate a motion effect, you need at least two keyframes. One identifies where a parameter begins to change, and the other where the parameter change ends, or changes again. In Final Cut Pro, this process is automated. With the first keyframe set, changing the parameter at a different location will automatically add a new keyframe.

In this exercise, you will rotate a freeze-frame image over time. The first keyframe will set the starting Rotation angle, and the second keyframe will set the ending angle. It doesn't matter which keyframe you set first. You often set the second, or end, keyframe first. For example, the racer freeze-frames are already in their ending position. Why not take advantage of that by setting those keyframes first? Once the rotation keyframes are set, you will animate the Scale parameter to change size as the image rotates.

NOTE

For this exercise, always keep the highlighted or brighter portion of the keyframe graph, which represents the clip length, in full view.


1.

In the Viewer, use any method to move the playhead to the second Opacity keyframe, the ending position of the DS good ride clip. Click the Rotation Keyframe button.

A green keyframe is added to the rotation graph at this location. This sets the ending angle for this clip.

2.

Now move the playhead back to the previous Opacity keyframe. You will use this position as the starting Rotation keyframe. Drag the Rotation angle control wheel counter-clockwise around the circle until you see 360 in the field, or enter that number directly in the field.

Without clicking the Keyframe button, a new keyframe is automatically added on the Rotation line because you changed the parameter after setting an initial keyframe. As you dragged the wheel, the position of the keyframe on the line was adjusted up or down.

3.

Play the clip to see the rotation effect. Then reposition the playhead to the first keyframe again, enter 90 in the Rotation field, and play that version of the effect.

TIP

If you don't reposition the playhead back to the starting position, a keyframe will be added wherever the playhead is located. Remember, keyframes mark an action at a specific location, and the placement of the playhead determines that location.

4.

To change the scale of the DS good ride clip as it rotates, move the playhead to the second keyframe, the ending position. To set a keyframe so the scaling will stop at this current size, click the Scale Keyframe button.

5.

Move the playhead back to the starting keyframe, and enter 10, in the Scale field. Play the effect.

TIP

If you want to delete a keyframe, move the playhead to it in the keyframe graph and click the Keyframe button. The diamond on the Keyframe button is no longer solid green, it becomes hollow. You can also Ctrl-click the keyframe and choose Clear from the shortcut menu.

6.

To add motion keyframes to another freeze-frame image, double-click the BS over hill clip on the V3 track. In the Viewer, you can reveal the Opacity parameter details to see those keyframes, or just use the blue keyframes as a reference.

This time, you will use a keyboard shortcut to add keyframes.

7.

Move the playhead to the second keyframe, the ending location, and press Ctrl-K to add keyframes for all motion parameters at once.

In the Canvas, the wireframe X turns green, indicating a keyframe is present on this frame.

NOTE

You can also click the Keyframe button in the Canvas to add keyframes to all motion parameters at one time. If you Ctrl-click the Keyframe button, you can choose the specific parameter for which you want to set a keyframe.

8.

Move the playhead to the first keyframe. To change this image in the Canvas, move the pointer over the right rotation handle of the selected clip. When you see the Rotation pointer appear, drag clockwise about 90 degrees, or a quarter turn.

9.

With the playhead still on the first keyframe, drag a corner handle of the clip wireframe inward until you get close to 10% in the Scale field. Play the effect.

TIP

To save a specific set of keyframes as a favorite, select the clip in the Timeline and choose Effects > Make Favorite Motion, or press Ctrl-F. The motion will be saved in the Effects Favorites bin in the Browser.


Creating a Motion Path

In the preceding exercise, the clips you animated used the Scale and Rotation parameters but did not change the position of the clips. When you animate the position of an image over time, you create a motion path along which the image travels. Motion paths can be as simple as a straight line so that the image moves across the screen from one point, or keyframe, to another. Or it can include several keyframes that dictate very specific twists and turns. Creating complex motion paths is an art. These steps will expose you to some of the basic principles.

In this exercise, you will add keyframes to the uppermost freeze-frame image to change its position over time.

1.

Double-click the MB long run clip on the V4 track. In the Motion tab, move the playhead to the second, or ending, Opacity keyframe as a reference.

TIP

To double-check if the playhead is really on the keyframe, display the Opacity parameters and look for the solid green diamond on the Keyframe button.

2.

To set an ending Center (position) keyframe at this location, click the Center Keyframe button.

The Center parameter controls the position of the image on the screen. The center point default is 0 pixels horizontal and 0 pixels vertical. The first field represents horizontal movement. If you move a clip past center to the right, you will see a positive number. If you move a clip to the left past center, you will see a negative amount. The second field represents vertical movement up shows as a negative number and down shows positive.

3.

Move the playhead to the first Opacity keyframe, where you will change the starting position of this clip and its size.

At this frame, the opacity for this clip is zero, so you don't see the clip image in the Canvas. There is, however, a small white rectangle in the upper portion of the Canvas representing the cropped portion of the clip. Since this is the only portion of the clip you will see in the final effect, you can focus on positioning the white rectangle.

4.

To see the space around the image area and create more room to reposition this clip, click the Zoom pop-up and choose 25%.

Zoom pop-up

Zoom pop-up menu

NOTE

The percentage amount on the Zoom pop-up button will be different depending on the size of your computer screen.

You can use this pop-up to zoom in to or out from an image. When you zoom out, you see a wider view, so you can reposition clips outside the image area.

5.

If a black background does not appear behind this clip, click the View pop-up and choose Black.

6.

In the Canvas, Shift-drag the clip straight down until the cropped image is completely beneath the black image area. Play the clip.

A line with tic marks stretches from the first keyframe to the second. This is the motion path of this clip, which represents the clip's movement over time.

NOTE

If you don't see the clip wireframe in the Canvas, select the clip in the Timeline. If you don't see the clip's parameters or keyframes in the Motion tab, double-click the clip you are changing to reopen it in the Viewer.

7.

To return the Canvas view back to its default setting, click the Zoom pop-up, and choose Fit To Window. To turn off the wireframe display, click the View pop-up menu and choose Image. Press Cmd-S to save your changes.

NOTE

In the Zoom pop-up menu, the default Fit To Window setting will always fit the entire clip image in the Canvas window regardless of how you change the window size. Like zooming in or out of the Timeline, changing the percentage in the Zoom pop-up menu does not change the actual scale of the image.


Project Practice

To continue working with motion keyframes, add Opacity keyframes on the first three clips in the current sequence to fade up each clip at a different time. Add Center keyframes to the DS intro and DS good ride clips so they move from offscreen into their current position. Do the same for the other two racing clip sets.

     < Day Day Up > 


    Apple Pro Training Series. Final Cut Pro 5
    Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 5
    ISBN: 0321334817
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 235
    Authors: Diana Weynand

    flylib.com © 2008-2017.
    If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net