Q: I want to create a an editable title template that resembles an iPod Classic. How can I do this?

like that ...?

1. to create templates step #1 is to purchase Motion5
2. get a pic of an iPod
3. New Generator
4. add a Dropzone = for cover art, copy distortion, reflection, blur ....
5. add text at wanted position, if I remember correctly, the iPod used Myriad as font
6. publish those parts of text you like to edit later in FCPX

when done correctly, in FCPX you're offered those 'input' boxes, to apply cover and text.

no rocket science - if you know Motion5 … needed 10min, those &%$/§ reflections are a bit tricky.....

animated bar in next semester ....

Creseba wrote:

…Another thing I'd like to be able to do is make it look like the iPod is turning on but instead of the apple logo, it would be my YouTube channels logo. Is that simple to do?…

That's a no-brainer, and no Motion needed, can be accomplished with FCX' own composition tools:

stack your iPod pic upon your timeline, stack the ipod-screen replacement upon that...

place and scale it with Transform, and use the Crop tool to make it 'fit' the iPods screen

if you frequently need this 'effect', I would build me a template with a 'hole' where the screen is (I'm recommending Pixelmator)... in FCPX, reverse the  stack order: iPod top, screen replacement under it -

reason doing so:

no need cropping precicely, the framing is done once...

Creseba wrote:

… P.S. Can I use an actual picture of an iPod on YouTube like this and still make money?

money or not - you publish someone elses intellectual property (a photo)… are YOU allowed doing so? me no lawyer, and laws differ from country to country, If you do this commercially, you'd earn enough money to ask for professional help = advocat....

never trust legal advice on the internet.

and, no, 'cause others do, you're not allowed doing so either ....

(I'm using here iNet finds.... but for educational purposes .... is this on-the-level? no idea ......... )

Creseba wrote:

..... Can I make that in Motion too?

Wether you can do that, I don't know

Seen lately stuff done in Motion5, you would usually need dedictaed 3D-software for .... all a matter of skills, time, endurance, imagination.

To 'paint' your very own mp3-player, I would use  a dedicated paint-app, as forementioned Pixelmator. And use the psd/Photoshop-file format - Motion allows on import to make each layer into its own track, very handy.

Sorry for sounding offensive, but: did you ever use FCPX and/or Motion?

What I'm phrasing casual here, is the result of teaching me both apps for about two years, for several, different projects, alone, with a partner, a class of children, using help from professional tutorials etc etc etc. And I would say, I'm 30-40% into the apps - I'm excellent in explaining things, but I'm no certified  expert. I'm a hobbyist! … enthusiastic hobbyist, ok ...

A forum doesn't replace a from-the-ground education. On the other hand: you have to start somewhere, and we all did.

I have a vague impression what you like to accomplish, sounds like a great and fun project - but nothing to start with! In editing, the 'beast' is the 90min covering-everything, technicolor-shiny, island-in-the-sun Wedding Movie, 98% of all beginners fail with (me incldued, first touch with FC/express, 3month working => trash bin). A video-blog, with effects, and 3D, and 5frame edits and and and is great - but nothing to start with learning FCPX/M5

If this is your first - don't start with the final product! Do 'trash projects', meant to be erased by the end of the day (mostly: night), not for the public, just for you. Try things. Try different things. Learn things. Needs time, sorry to mention that.

Apologize for treating you cautionary.... but your Qs sound a bit .......... basic?

Have you seen the products of rippletraining.com?

http://www.rippletraining.com/categories/motion/

.... and their incredible library of tutorials at YouTube?

Keeping in the spirit of Karsten's solid advice: if you are starting, you could *sort of* do what you are asking, as long as you don't try to overdo it.

Don't go for an all-out realistic depiction of an iPod-like device, with 3D, etc.; start with a simple 2D drawing. You can still get a pretty good effect, with

your logo appearing inside the "iPod", and it won't be hard.

All you have to do you is create a simple drawing (Pixelmator is great for that; see another option below) of your "iPod", with the "screen" transparent.

Then place whatever you want to appear in the screen below the iPad in the timeline, and scale it appropriately.

You may end up with something like this (which took a lot more to write about than to actually do).

I drew the "iPod" using all of two rectangles and two circles in a little application called VectorDraw; it could be done also very easily in Pixelmator, but I like the ability to store the drawing in vectorial graphics formats like SVG, EPS, PDF, as well as bitmap like PNG (which is the best format to bring the image into FCP X).

Creseba wrote:

…

Questions:

1. How do I get the Dropzone to mirror exactly how the artwork is shown on a classic (the reflection effect).

2. How do you make the text editable?

…

I told you, no beginners task, but, ok, Motion in under 5 minutes (sorry, rippletraining stealing your phrase!), Schlüter-style = lots of red arrows;

starting with the easy one:

apply your text/placeholder to your M5 project;

under Text/Format, on the very bottom, theText field has a tiny triangle. click on that and select 'publish'

next ... there are various methods to create that floor mirror effect, this is the one I'm using:

in a new grooup apply a Dropzone

clone the Dropzone

flip/mirror it = grap its top middle handle, drag it down

filters/blur/gradient blur .... set handles vertical, set amount as you like

... ahhh forgot: in step#1 crop the dropzone  to make it square!!!!

select the Group, select the Distort tool, drag the two handles to create 'perspective'

in FCPX you fill both parts, text and dropzones ...

I'm a complete ][☹☂¢¶“!!

… missed a step, the important step yesterday!

So, after applying the gradient blur, and before distorting it into perspective, the reflecion has to fade out.

By doing …

apply a mask, invert it and crank up the feather to some silly high degree (instead of numbers, just grab the outer rectangle.

This gives the reflection that fade-out look ....

If I remember correctly (ha ha ha), I learned that method by Simon Ubsdell, look for his tutorials at YouTube ....-

sorry for being confused ... I'm an old man, but I didn't know that old!!!