| The Canvas window is the interactive, hands-on creative environment where you'll be dragging, dropping, resizing, modifying, moving, tweaking, previewing, and adding effects and filters to the various objects in your project.  Let's take a quick tour of the Canvas window. Toolbar Use the buttons to show and hide the interface components, transform objects, add effects, and change the view of your composite. Canvas Add files, view and modify the objects in your composite, and use the transport controls to easily navigate and preview your project. Current Frame and Project Duration fields Display the current location of the playhead and the project duration in either frame or timecode increments. Transport controls Use to play or scrub through your project and enable keyframing and audio playback. You'll learn more about these in Lesson 2. Mini-Timeline Use to add, move, and trim objects within your project without having to open the Timing pane, which contains the full Timeline.
Adjusting the Window Since the Canvas window is essentially your creative workstation, you should be sure that you understand how to adjust it before you dive into the creative process. Motion was designed for Macintosh OS X, and the Canvas window works the same as other OS X windows do. If you're new to the Mac or to OS X, follow these steps to get some practice zooming, moving, and minimizing the Canvas window. If you're already a master at Mac OS X window features, feel free to skip this exercise. There are three buttons in the upper-left corner of the Canvas window:Close (X), Minimize (), and Zoom (+). 1. | Click the Zoom button (+) to zoom the Canvas window so it fills your computer screen.
The Canvas window will resize to fill your screen.
NOTE Make sure your screen resolution is set to 1024 x 768 or higher in the display preferences for your computer. You can find more information on changing your screen resolution in the Mac OS X documentation that came with your computer. You can also adjust the window by dragging the size control in the lower-right corner of the window.
| 2. | In the lower-right corner of the window, click the size control (the diagonal lines) and drag upward to make the window smaller.
Notice that the viewable area of the Canvas becomes smaller as you change the size of the window. You can also see the Utility window behind the Canvas window on the Desktop.
To move the Canvas window, you drag the gray header bar at the top of the window.
| 3. | Click the top of the window near the name of the project. Don't release your mouse.
| 4. | Drag the window to the lower-right corner of your screen. Release the mouse.
| 5. | Click the Zoom button (+) again to zoom the window back to full-screen size.
If your window is already full screen, clicking the Zoom button will make your window revert to its previous size and position.
TIP If you're using a laptop or a large studio display, the Zoom button is a very useful tool for maximizing the size of your workspace. Also, any time you can't see the entire window because part of it is offscreen, you can click the Zoom button to bring the entire window into view. You can also minimize or hide the Canvas window without quitting the program. When you minimize the window, it moves to the Dock near the Trash. To reopen the window, simply click the window's icon in your Dock.
| 6. | Click the Minimize button () to hide your Canvas window in the Dock.
| 7. | Locate the Canvas window icon in your Dock and click it to unhide the window.
NOTE You can also double-click the header at the top of the Canvas window to minimize and hide the window. If you click the Close button (X), you will close the actual project and will need to open it again from the File menu. |
Changing the Window Layouts Now let's go back to the standard window layout. One way to change the layout is with the Window menu. 1. | Choose Window > Layouts > Standard to reset the windows to the standard layout.
The windows return to the standard layout, with the Utility window on the left and the Canvas on the right.
Another way to control the windows and reset them to the standard layout is with a keyboard shortcut.
| 2. | Click the Zoom button on the Canvas window so that the window fills the screen.
| 3. | On your computer keyboard, press Ctrl-U (the Control key plus the U key).
The windows return to the standard layout.
TIP To remember the keyboard shortcut for the standard window layout, just think about controlling the windows. If you were to talk to the windows, you might say, "I want to control you"or Ctrl-U. This shortcut also works in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express. |
Now let's put the Canvas to use and begin building a project. Zooming In and Out of the Canvas As you work in the Canvas, you'll often want to zoom in and zoom out for a better view of your work. There are three ways to zoom in on and out of the Canvas: Use the Zoom tool in the toolbar. Choose View > Zoom In or Zoom Out. Press Cmd-= (equals sign) or Cmd- (hyphen).
If you want to make your project fit in the Canvas window, you can simply use the shortcut Shift-Z. Zooming is something you will want to master quickly, so let's go right to the keyboard shortcut for this exercise. 1. | Press Cmd-= several times to zoom in on the Canvas.
By default, you zoom in on the center of the Canvas.
| 2. | Press Cmd- to zoom out of the Canvas.
| 3. | Press Shift-Z to fit the project to the Canvas window.
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NOTE On the Apple keyboard, the Command key is next to the spacebar and has an Apple icon on it.
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