1. In Motion, choose File > New From Project Browser (or press Option-Command-N).

2. In the Project Browser, click Final Cut Title, then click the Preset pop-up menu and choose a project size.

   

   Important: Be sure to create the template at the highest resolution you will use in your Final Cut Pro project. If you’re creating 4K-specific templates, you can enable a setting that allows the Final Cut Pro media browsers to display only templates designed for use in 4K projects. For more information, see Set template resolution.

3. Click Open (or press Return).

   If the correct preset is already chosen, you can double-click Final Cut Title in the Project Browser.

   A new, untitled Motion project opens containing two layers: a text layer (Type Text Here) and a placeholder layer (Title Background).

   

4. To add a reference image to the Title Background placeholder to preview your work, do one of the following:

   • From the File Browser or Library, drag a still image onto the placeholder arrow in the Canvas.

   • From the File Browser or Library, drag a still image to the Title Background layer in the Layers list.

     Be sure to release the mouse button when the pointer is over a placeholder (the arrow in the Canvas or Transition layer in the Layers list). If you miss the target, you create a new layer, which cannot be dragged to the placeholder layer.

     The image is added to the Title Background layer, replacing the downward arrow graphic in the Canvas. This image is temporary media used to preview the effect you are building. It is not used in the Final Cut Pro X title.

     Note: If you don’t want to use a reference image or do not want to modify the clip in Final Cut Pro, you can delete the Title Background placeholder.

5. Modify the text as needed and add animation, filters, text behaviors, and other effects to create custom titles.

   Because users can change the text in Final Cut Pro, it’s not necessary to modify the default text (“Type Text Here”) in Motion. You can adjust and animate parameters in the Text Inspector, Filters Inspector, Behaviors Inspector, and Properties Inspector to create a memorable title sequence. For more information about using text, see Basic text overview and Animated text overview.

6. To allow Final Cut Pro users to modify specific parameters, choose Publish from the Animation pop-up menu of each parameter you want to make accessible.

   Publishing a parameter makes its user interface control (the slider, checkbox, or dial) available in the Final Cut Pro Inspector when the custom title is added to a clip. Published parameters can be adjusted and keyframed in Final Cut Pro. For more information, see Add parameter controls overview. For information specific to publishing text parameters, see About publishing text parameter controls.

7. Optional: When you’re satisfied with the custom title you’ve built, you can remove the preview image from the template by selecting the Effect Source layer, then clicking the Clear button in the Image Inspector.

   The temporary image is removed and not saved to the template’s Media folder. For more information, see About template files and media save locations.

8. Choose File > Save, then do the following:

   1. In the save dialog, enter a name for the template.

      If you don’t specify a name, the template appears in the Final Cut Pro Titles Browser as “New Template.”

   2. Choose a category from the Category pop-up menu.

      You can also create a custom category. Categories represent how the effects are organized in the Motion Project Browser and in the Final Cut Pro Titles Browser. Custom categories also appear in the browsers.

   3. If needed, choose a theme from the Theme pop-up menu.

      You can also create themes. Themes appear in the Motion Project Browser and in the Final Cut Pro Themes Browser. A theme is a metadata tag that assists in categorizing different templates as being part of a single family. For example, you may have different template types that are related to the same project, such as a transition, an effect, and a group of titles. By tagging the templates with the same theme, all templates, regardless of their template type, appear in the Final Cut Pro Themes Browser.

      Themed templates also appear in other effects browsers. For example, a themed Final Cut Title template appears in the Final Cut Pro Themes Browser as well as in the Titles Browser.

   4. To retain unused media in the project (media or audio in the Media list that is not used in the template but which you may want to include in the template later), select “Include unused media.”

      For information on where template-related files are saved, see About template files and media save locations.

   5. If you want a preview movie to appear in the Motion Project Browser, select Save Preview Movie.

9. Click Publish.

   The template and remaining media are saved and exported to the Final Cut Pro Titles Browser. If you did not remove the reference image, it appears in the template’s thumbnail in the Final Cut Pro Titles Browser.

From the Final Cut Pro Titles Browser, do one of the following:

• Drag the title into the Timeline, above the clip you want to composite it over.

  When you release the mouse button, the title is anchored to the clip, and the clip is used as the background. The title can span multiple clips in the Timeline. The clips populate the Title Background placeholder, inheriting any transforms, filters, or other effects applied to the placeholder in Motion.

• Drag the title to the main Timeline as a clip.

  When you release the mouse button, the title is added to the main Timeline. If the title effect contains a Title Background placeholder, the placeholder is ignored, and a background clip cannot be specified. Drag the In and Out points to increase or decrease the duration of the title.