Final Cut Pro templates overview

Final Cut Pro X ships with numerous effects, titles, transitions, and generators, nearly all of which were created in Motion. You can modify these default effects or create your own using the Final Cut Pro templates that come with Motion. If you’re a content creator, you can build and distribute custom Final Cut Pro effects to other artists and editors or to clients.

When you save a Final Cut Pro template in Motion, the resulting effect, title, transition, or generator becomes available in one of the Final Cut Pro media browsers. For example, a transition template saved in Motion appears as a new transition in the Transitions Browser in Final Cut Pro, ready to be applied to an editing project. What’s more, in Motion, you can choose which parameters to publish, allowing the Final Cut Pro user complete, some, or no control over modifying the effect.

There are four types of Final Cut Pro templates:

• Final Cut Effect: Create a custom stylized effect that can be applied to clips in the Final Cut Pro Timeline. A sepia-tone color correction might make an audience think of days gone by, while a radiant glow might suggest an otherworldly setting. See Create an effect template.

• Final Cut Transition: Create a custom transition that can be applied to clips in the Final Cut Pro Timeline. A transition artfully connects the edit point between two clips. One scene might dissolve into the next in a cloud of smoke, or one setting might displace another through a kaleidoscope. See Create a transition template.

• Final Cut Title: Create a custom text animation that can be added to a Final Cut Pro sequence. Text might flare in or out in a fiery glow, or fall into place from offscreen. See Create a title template.

• Final Cut Generator: Create generalized graphical content that can be added to a Final Cut Pro project. A Final Cut Generator is nearly identical to any other Motion project—it can include text, shapes, replicators, camera moves and lighting, generators, and so on. It can be static or animated. See Create a generator template.

  Important: Because you cannot change template types after you open a project, determine what kind of template you want to build before creating a Motion project. A standard Motion project, however, can always be published as a Final Cut Generator.