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Mixing Different Kinds of QuickTime Files
You can combine clips that are compressed with different codecs in the same project.
You can also combine clips that have different frame sizes, pixel aspect ratios, and
interlacing. To learn more about alpha channels, interlacing, pixel aspect ratio, frame
rates, and frame sizes, see Supported File Formats.
Still Image Files
You can import still image files using most popular still image formats, including SGI,
Photoshop, BMP, PICT, JPEG, TIFF, TGA, and JPEG-2. As with video clips, you can mix still
image files with differing frame sizes and pixel aspect ratios.
Using High-Resolution Still Images
A common and effective use of still images in motion graphics work is the animation of
high-resolution files. The DPI (dots per inch) of image files as defined in programs like
Photoshop does not apply to video, because the dimensions of each imported still image
are defined by the number of pixels. If the dimensions of an imported image are larger
than the frame size of the Motion project, the image extends beyond the borders of the
Canvas.
You can reduce the scale of the image to fit the project’s frame size. You can also animate
its Scale parameter (in the Properties Inspector) to zoom into or out of the image, or
animate its Position parameter to pan the image.
Because Motion is graphics-card dependent, file-size import limitations vary from computer
to computer. When you import an image that is too large, an alert dialog appears, stating:
“This media is too large to render at full resolution, and will be shown at a lower quality.”
Click OK to import the image at a lower quality. For more information on recommended
graphics cards, visit the Motion website at http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/motion.
For importing large still images, you can set an option in the Preferences window to
import files at their original size or to scale images to fit the Canvas size.
To set the large still image import preference
1 Choose Motion > Preferences (or press Command-Comma).
The Motion Preferences window appears.
220 Chapter 6 Creating and Managing Projects