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In Motion, how can I set some layers to loop while others stretch with the generator on a FCP timeline?

I'm building a multi-layer Motion Generator project. I want to have some animated layers loop at a constant rate of speed with no end point while other layers stick to the beginning and end points on the Generator timeline. This way, when I lengthen the generator on the timeline in Final Cut Pro, some elements will continue to loop while other elements will stretch out and slow down to match the new Generator duration.


For example, I might have an animation of an oscillating/looping heart on the top layer in my Generator project. On another layer, I have a progress bar that progresses from the start to the end of the generator timeline.


In Final Cut Pro, I want the heart to continue to loop and oscillate at a constant speed while the progress bar progresses from the left-hand to the right-hand side. I have some Final Cut Pro clips that are longer or shorter. I want to overlay the clips with my generator from beginning to end. So, in other words, I want to stretch my generator to match the length of the clip on the project timeline.


Currently, when I stretch the generator from (for example) 5 seconds to 25 seconds, the looping heart animation will slow down to 1/5 speed to maintain the same number of loops in the clip over a longer time period while my progress bar does the same thing.


When I stretch my generator, I want the progress bar to slow down to match my clip length, but for the heart beat to remain the same rate and loop more times.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 14.6

Posted on Jan 18, 2025 12:50 PM

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3 replies

Jan 18, 2025 10:38 PM in response to Joey Delli Gatti

No - I was talking about building an Effect in Motion as a template *for* FCP. You can drop an Effect on just about anything — clips, stills, titles, and generators and Effects will work the same for all of them.


To make a simple progress bar, you can have a solid rectangle the width/appearance of the you want, create an outline, and animate the solid rectangle "through" the outline at an even pace. No matter how long you make the template Effect, it will animate however long the clip/other it is applied to.


When it's published, you can just drop it on your heartbeat generator — no matter how long you make it — and it will keep the animation from beginning to end just as you want it.


When you make it, you might want to add (publish) some extras, like size and color and possibly vertical positioning... stuff like that.


One of the simplest setups is:


Create the progress bar with a rectangle and add the roundness you want to the shape.

Duplicate the rectangle twice - one with a solid fill - the other just the outline.

To the original, Add an Image Mask and add the first duplicate (solid) rectangle to the Mask Source.

Move the playhead to the first frame, set the X position of the original rectangle so that it's right side just touches the left side of the mask rectangle.

Set a Keyframe.

Move the Playhead to the Last Frame (or the next to last frame) and set the original rectangle position X to 0.


Play. Publish.


In Motion, how can I set some layers to loop while others stretch with the generator on a FCP timeline?

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