Animation guidelines

Effect, title, transition, and generator templates can include animation like a standard Motion project. When the template is added to a clip in Final Cut Pro X, animation in the placeholder is applied to the clip, whether created by behaviors or keyframes.

Animation in the template that is longer than the duration of the clip to which it’s applied in Final Cut Pro is scaled to fit.

Important: If you don’t want your template animation scaled to fit the duration of a clip in Final Cut Pro, you can use markers to designate segments where the animation is locked. Additionally, you can use markers to designate sections where animation loops indefinitely in the Final Cut Pro project. For more information, see What are template markers?.

When publishing parameters in your templates, consider the following guidelines:

  • When possible, avoid publishing keyframed parameters. Published keyframes can cause unexpected results when you edit or when you animate the parameters in the Final Cut Pro inspector.

  • Do not publish a parameter that’s controlled by a behavior. For example, if you publish an Opacity parameter that’s controlled by a Fade In/Fade Out behavior, you cannot adjust the opacity parameter after the template is added to the Final Cut Pro project.

  • Because the duration of templates often conflicts with the duration of the Final Cut Pro clips they’re applied to, try to publish nonanimated parameters in the template, then keyframe those parameters in Final Cut Pro.

  • Use behaviors instead of keyframes in templates when possible. Behaviors can be a more flexible animation tool for templates. Behaviors don’t rely on specific timing or use keyframes to create an animation. Publish behavior parameters that you want to control in Final Cut Pro.