5.5

39Motion User Guide
Replace template media using drop zones
Intro to drop zones in Motion
Drop zones are placeholder graphics where template users can drag images or video to
customize the project. When you modify one of the built-in composition templates that
come with Motion, or create a composition template from scratch, you can add drop zone
layers. A drop zone layer appears (in the canvas and in the Layers list) as a rectangle with
a down arrow in its center. In the canvas, the drop zone’s layer name appears in the center
of the graphic. Any media item (image or footage) dragged into the region defined by the
drop zone replaces the drop zone placeholder graphic.
Note: If there are multiple overlapping drop zones in the canvas, the topmost one has
priority when you drag an item over the zone. You can force all drop zones to appear by
using the expose feature. See Control and expose drop zones in Motion.
Adding a drop zone to a Final Cut Pro template in Motion enables Final Cut Pro users to
easily assign media to an editing project. See Intro to Final Cut Pro templates in Motion.
Create drop zones in Motion
You create drop zones in either of two ways: by adding an empty drop zone object or by
converting an existing layer into a drop zone.
Add an empty drop zone
1. In Motion, choose Object > New Drop Zone or press Shift-Command-D.
A drop zone layer is added to the project.
2. Position and scale the drop zone layer.
3. If needed, rename the drop zone layer in the Layers list.
4. Open the Inspector and click Image to modify the drop zone parameters.
For more information about using these parameters, see Drop zone controls in Motion.