5.5

100Motion User Guide
Work in a basic project
Intro to basic compositing in Motion
After you create a project and add content, you can begin to edit and arrange the image
layers in your composition. This process is known as compositing, the art of combining at
least two images to produce an integrated final result. Motion graphics artists use various
compositing techniques to create animated visual effects—transforming the physical
properties of image layers (such as scale), adjusting opacity, applying filters, creating
text and shapes, and so on. Compositing also includes special effects techniques such as
keying, masking, color correction, and the creation of animated particle systems.
Most basic compositing tasks are performed in four areas of the Motion window:
• Layers list: Select image layers and effects objects in this hierarchical list. You can also
rearrange the stacking order of image layers so that certain images appear above other
images in the canvas. See Intro to the Layers list in Motion.
• Canvas: View and manipulate image layers in this visual workspace. Select onscreen
editing tools in the canvas toolbar to perform basic layout tasks in the canvas—
selecting, moving, rotating, scaling, distorting, and so on. The onscreen tools let you
adjust all of these properties by dragging in the canvas. See Intro to transforming layers
in the Motion canvas.
Tip: Although you can select layers in the canvas, when multiple layers are stacked
one atop another, it’s often easier to select specific layers in the Layers list.