Object menu

Object menu

The Object menu contains commands for manipulating objects in Motion, including object placement in the layer hierarchy and physical alignment in the Canvas.

  • New Group: Adds a new empty group to the project. (Shift-Command-N)

  • New Camera: Adds a new scene camera to the project, and lets you specify whether to use 2D or 3D mode (if the project is not empty). (Option-Command-C)

  • New Light: Adds a new light to the project, and lets you specify whether to use 2D or 3D mode (if the project is not empty). (Shift-Command-L)

  • New Light Setup: Adds a preset lighting environment to the project, and lets you specify whether to use 2D or 3D mode (if the project is not empty).

  • New Drop Zone: Adds a new drop zone to your project. Drop zones allow you to replace footage in a project by dropping clips onto the Canvas. See Drop zones overview.(Shift-Command-D)

  • New Rig: Adds a new rig to the project. Rigging lets you create complex animations that are easy to modify, by aggregating many separate parameters into a single control, such as a slider or pop-up menu. See Rigging overview.

  • Bring to Front: Moves the selected object to the top of the layers in a group. (Command–Right Brace)

  • Send to Back: Moves the selected object to the bottom of the layers in a group. (Command–Left Brace)

  • Bring Forward: Moves the selected object upward in the Layers list by one object. (Command–Right Bracket)

  • Send Backward: Moves the selected object downward in the Layers list by one object. (Command–Left Bracket)

  • Alignment: Opens a submenu of commands for aligning and distributing multiple objects in the Canvas. See Align layers in the Canvas. Submenu commands include the following:

    • Align Left Edges: Moves the selected objects so their left edges line up with the leftmost edge in the selection.

    • Align Right Edges: Moves the selected objects so their right edges line up with the rightmost edge in the selection.

    • Align Top Edges: Moves the selected objects so their top edges line up with the topmost edge in the selection.

    • Align Bottom Edges: Moves the selected objects so their bottom edges line up with the bottommost edge in the selection.

    • Align Far Edges: In 3D mode, aligns the farthest edges of each object along the Z (depth) axis.

    • Align Near Edges: In 3D mode, aligns the nearest edges of each object along the Z (depth) axis.

    • Align Horizontal Centers: Lines up the selected objects on their horizontal center points.

    • Align Vertical Centers: Lines up the selected objects on their vertical center points.

    • Align Depth Centers: Lines up the selected objects on their Z (depth) center points.

    • Distribute Lefts: Spreads the selected objects evenly between the leftmost and rightmost objects based on their left edges.

    • Distribute Rights: Spreads the selected objects evenly between the leftmost and rightmost objects based on their right edges.

    • Distribute Tops: Spreads the selected objects evenly between the topmost and bottommost objects based on their top edges.

    • Distribute Bottoms: Spreads the selected objects evenly between the topmost and bottommost objects based on their bottom edges.

    • Distribute Far: Spreads the selected objects evenly between each object’s farthest point.

    • Distribute Near: Spreads the selected layers evenly between each object’s nearest point.

    • Distribute Horizontal Centers: Spreads the selected objects evenly between the leftmost and rightmost objects based on their horizontal center points.

    • Distribute Vertical Centers: Spreads the selected objects evenly between the topmost and bottommost objects based on their vertical center points.

    • Distribute Depth Centers: Spreads the selected objects evenly between the nearest and farthest objects, based on their Z (depth) center points.

  • Group: Combines the selected objects into a group. (Shift-Command-G)

  • Ungroup: Removes the grouping so you can manipulate the objects individually. (Option-Command-G)

  • Active: Sets whether an object is active. When an object is not active, it doesn’t appear in the Canvas and doesn’t appear in the final output. When the selected item is active, the menu item has a checkmark beside it. (Control-T)

  • Solo: Hides all other objects in the project (but not the selected object). When the selected item is soloed, the menu item has a checkmark beside it. (Alternatively, you can Control-click an object in the Layers list and choose Solo from the shortcut menu.) You cannot solo a camera, light, or rig. (Control-S)

  • Isolate: Displays the selected object in its original front-facing orientation if it has been rotated in 3D space. (Control-I)

  • Lock: Prevents any changes from affecting the selected object. When the selected object is locked, the menu item has a checkmark beside it. (Control-L)

  • Unsolo: Opens a submenu that lets you turn a soloed object back to its normal state. There are three choices: Video Only (Control-Shift-S), Audio Only, or Video and Audio. This menu item is available only when a soloed object is selected.

  • 3D Group: Changes the selected group to a 3D group. Deselecting the menu option changes the group back to a 2D group. (Control-D)

  • Blend Mode: Opens a submenu for setting the blend mode of the selected layer. An object must be selected for blend mode options to be available. A layer can only have one blend mode set at a time. See Types of blend modes.

  • Add Image Mask: Adds a mask to the selected layer. (Shift-Command-M)

  • Add Keyframe: Adds a keyframe to the selected object, based on the last parameter adjusted. The name change is based on your last action (positioning an object, adjusting the scale handles, and so on). (Control-K)

  • Convert to Keyframes: Converts all behaviors to keyframes on the parameters that the behaviors affect. This command is available only when the selected object or objects have behaviors applied. (Command-K)

  • Convert to Mask: Converts a selected shape to a mask and applies the mask to the enclosing group. This command is available only when the selected object is a shape in a 2D group or a flattened 3D group. See Convert between shapes and masks.

  • Convert to Points: Converts a selected shape to editable Bezier points. This command is available only when the selected object is a simple shape. (Option-Command-B)

  • Make Particles: Uses the selected layer as a cell source for a new particle emitter. (E)

  • Replicate: Replicates the selected layer. (L)

  • Make Clone Layer: Creates a clone of the selected layer or group. See Add and remove layers and groups.

  • Reveal Source Media: Opens the Media list and highlights the item that corresponds with the selected object. (Shift-F)