Creating a Title for Final Cut Pro X
Use the Final Cut Title template to create a custom title for use in Final Cut Pro X.
For detailed information on the Project Browser, see The Project Browser. For information on working with titles in Final Cut Pro, see Final Cut Pro Help.
In Motion, choose File > New From Project Browser (or press Command-Option-N).
The Project Browser appears.
In the Project Browser, click Final Cut Title, then choose a project size from the Preset pop-up menu.
Important: Be sure to create the template at the highest resolution you will use in your Final Cut Pro project.
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).
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 an image onto the placeholder arrow in the Canvas. When the pointer becomes a curved a arrow, release the mouse button.
From the File Browser or Library, drag an image to the Title Background layer in the Layers list. When the pointer becomes a curved arrow, release the mouse button.
Be sure to drag the image from the File Browser or Library to the placeholder. If you accidentally place the image into a new layer, you can’t to move it to the placeholder layer.
The image is added to the Title Background layer, replacing the arrow graphic in the Canvas, and is resized if it is not the same size as the project. The image is temporary media used to preview the result of the effect you are building. It is not used in the Final Cut Pro X title.
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 Creating and Editing Text and Animating Text.
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 Publishing Parameters in Templates. For information specific to publishing text parameters, see Publishing Text Parameters.
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 Template Files and Media Save Location.
Choose File > Save, then do the following:
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.”
Choose a category from the Category pop-up menu.
You can also create a custom category. Categories appear in the Motion Project Browser and the Final Cut Pro Titles Browser.
If needed, choose a theme from the Theme pop-up menu.
You can also create n themes. Themes appear in the Motion Project Browser and the Final Cut Pro Themes Browser. A theme is a metadata tag that helps categorize templates. For more information on Motion Project Browser themes and categories, see The Project Browser.
To retain unused media in the project (media or audio in the Media list that is not used in the template), select “Include unused media.”
If you want a preview movie to appear in the Motion Project Browser, select Save Preview Movie.
Click Publish.
The template and remaining media are saved and exported to the Final Cut Pro Titles Browser.
Creating a Title Background
When a title template that contains a Title Background placeholder is added to the main Timeline in Final Cut Pro, the placeholder is ignored. To specify a background source clip in the Final Cut Pro project, you can add a drop zone to the title template and then assign media to the drop zone in Final Cut Pro.
Drop zones in templates allow Final Cut Pro X users to place media into designated regions of the applied effect. You can add filters, behaviors, animations, and other effects to drop zones in Motion so those effects influence clips later added in Final Cut Pro. For more information on drop zones, see Drop Zones.
In the Final Cut Title project, choose Object > New Drop Zone.
A drop zone layer (titled “Drop Zone”) appears in the layers list and Canvas.
When the title is added to a Final Cut Pro project, a Drop Zone image well appears in the Final Cut Pro Inspector. Using this image well, an editor can add a source clip that appears beneath the titles. Using the drop zone’s onscreen controls, an editor can pan or scale the source clip within the drop zone. For more information, refer to Final Cut Pro Help.