Ben Low

Q: FCPX/Motion - creating a circle with alpha channel?

This film has a lot of scientific apparatus.  I need to be able to circle certain elements as they are described/discussed.  I crudely made myself a red circle on black background in Pages, exported out as a PDF, then tried to find a composite mode in FCPX that would get rid of the black.  The closest I got was a sort of semi-transparent red circle.

 

I'm wondering what the easiest way to create a red circle (red opaque, background transparent) might be, that I can drop onto an FCPX timeline and manipulate?

 

If I have to use Motion, I want to be able to just create the circle there.  I don't want to work on the sequences in Motion (too much as yet unpredictable about the sequences).  I want to do everything in FCPX if I can (other than maybe constructing the circle).

 

 

All ears,

 

 

Ben

MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy), Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Oct 30, 2014 11:57 AM

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Q: FCPX/Motion - creating a circle with alpha channel?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Ben Low,

    Ben Low Ben Low Oct 30, 2014 12:05 PM in response to Ben Low
    Level 1 (50 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 30, 2014 12:05 PM in response to Ben Low

    I used Text to make an 'O', and manipulated that.  It does give me a nice drop shadow option.  But it's too elaborate a process to find the right font, and is clumsy...

     

    So any other possibilities will be most welcome...

     

     

    B

  • by andynick,Helpful

    andynick andynick Oct 30, 2014 1:53 PM in response to Ben Low
    Level 5 (4,938 points)
    Video
    Oct 30, 2014 1:53 PM in response to Ben Low

    Try Ripple Training - I use one of their plugins called "Callouts" - there's a charge for it, but it's very simple and effective to use.

    Perfect for what you need.

    Andy

  • by Tom Wolsky,Helpful

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Oct 30, 2014 2:05 PM in response to Ben Low
    Level 10 (118,348 points)
    Apple TV
    Oct 30, 2014 2:05 PM in response to Ben Low

    Simplest way I think is to use the Shape generator. The default shape is a circle. In the Generator inspector uncheck Fill.

  • by Ben Low,

    Ben Low Ben Low Oct 30, 2014 2:13 PM in response to Tom Wolsky
    Level 1 (50 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 30, 2014 2:13 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

    Thank you AndyNick and Tom,

     

     

    Will try both techniques.  Tom, do you mean the Shape generator in Motion?  Or is there something like that in FCPX?  I'm going to look now...

     

    Ben

     

    Will click a 'solved' when I figure out the easiest fastest technique... for sure..., or maybe, the 'best', if such a thing presents itself.

  • by Tom Wolsky,Solvedanswer

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Oct 30, 2014 2:23 PM in response to Ben Low
    Level 10 (118,348 points)
    Apple TV
    Oct 30, 2014 2:23 PM in response to Ben Low

    The Shape generator in the generators in FCP. Maybe you'll get this image

     

    Screen Shot 2014-10-30 at 16.22.31.png

  • by Ben Low,

    Ben Low Ben Low Oct 30, 2014 2:27 PM in response to Ben Low
    Level 1 (50 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 30, 2014 2:27 PM in response to Ben Low

    Aha!

     

    There it is!  Tra-la.  Right in FCPX.  Perfect.  Thank you T.  And Andy, I was looking at Ripple Training the other day ... so will go back and check out some more possibilities.

     

     

    Hey guys, what I'd love to find:  Soft Wipes ... the kind that allows me to set a point and have the wipe either right, left, top, bottom, or radial even, with really controllable feathering.  I've been looking for a set ever since I can no longer use that wonderful plug-in I was using in FCP7 (FXScript DVE's by CGM?)  And haven't found anything.

     

    I would so love to be able to create controlled dissolves, where one image metamorphoses into the next ...

     

    That, and Joe's Filters - the amazing 'Joe's Colour Glow' filter ... that allowed you to pump and bloom the whites.  Joe has retired I believe, from making filters.  The nice thing about his Colour Glow was that there was no yellow in it, no alternative 'colour', only the white ... playing with it allowed me make sequences, when required, look very very 'clean' ... the whites were so super white.  I can't find anything in FCPX that does this.  The 'Bloom' I think allows me to play a bit with the whites, but it then adds a yellowish tint that I can't get rid of.

     

    There, two little wish list thingies I've been wanting to find for a long time.  Soft Wipes, and Joe's Colour Glow filter.

  • by Ben Low,

    Ben Low Ben Low Oct 30, 2014 2:30 PM in response to andynick
    Level 1 (50 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 30, 2014 2:30 PM in response to andynick

    Just checked.  The Callouts are cool.  Yes.  I'll keep them in mind as I go through this film.  Might be perfect shortly.

     

    Thank you andynick...