issues with .psd layers flattening on their own

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Level 1

5 points

issues with .psd layers flattening on their own

I start out importing my .psd file that has 40 layers. The first layer is a map. The rest of the layers are just dots to mark points on the map.

The project starts out just fine and each photoshop layer corresponds to a layer in Motion. But as I work (or if I close the project and reopen it) all the layers now have the dots and the map on them.

Any ideas what is going on in Motion? I've rebuilt this map in Motion multiple times and this is getting old.

What the map looks like:

what the project ends up looking like after it "thinks for itself." It ends up looking like a bunch of stacked files, rather than just one background map, and dots on top.

iMac Pro, macOS 10.13

Posted on Oct 18, 2019 10:57 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

fox_m

Level 6

13,396 points

Oct 22, 2019 3:47 PM in response to PGCvideo

There's this *thing*... in the Properties inspector... down at the bottom under "Media" that allows you to "select" a Layers... or so it would seem. If you've been using this, then every time you reset the parameter, it creates a Merged Layer which looks exactly like the problem you're having. If you've been using this method to navigate layers — ***DON'T TOUCH THAT***!!!

If you need to "isolate" a specific layer while, hold down the Option key and click the (active) checkbox on the layer in the Layers List. That will "solo" that layer. Do the same thing to re-turn on all the other layers before moving on.

Although I haven't tried it, I would assume that Motion merges layers that have been "navigated" with that Media parameter in the Properties Inspector upon saving or reopening (not something I even want to try!) Whatever that control is for — it is NOT in the User Guide (not even older ones!)

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Answer 2

Oct 22, 2019 6:58 AM in response to PGCvideo

I can't reproduce the problem on my mac.

I suggest you try deleting Motion preferences: hold down command and option while starting Motion, and click Delete Preferences:

Then try adding the file to a new project and see if the problem persists.

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Answer 3

PGCvideo Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 22, 2019 6:04 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

This space won't let me attach a .psd so I've dumped it in a DropBox folder here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yncf6d3w4pdlrrk/CWD%20dots%20PA.psd?dl=0

I also have a map of North America that does the same thing (map is the base layer, dots on subsequent layers).

Strange, huh?

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Answer 4

PGCvideo Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 24, 2019 5:12 AM in response to fox_m

Hmm. I was hopeful that this was it. But I don't see Media underneath crop. I"m using Motion 5.2. Maybe it's in a different location? (I hesitate to update my OS from High Sierra due to the "legacy media" issue. We have a gigantic library out on a server...)

Anyhow, this is what Motion looks like for me:

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Answer 5

PGCvideo Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 24, 2019 5:15 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Unfortunately, I tried this and it didn't work. I trashed my preferences, restarted, started a brand new project from scratch, made it all lovely. Saved it. Reopened it this morning to see the issue repeat itself yet again.

(I am animating the map to zoom out. And I know it's somehow flattening the image because in Photoshop I put a stroke around my dots, and when you import a .psd into Motion, that stroke (black outline) goes away and you're left with just the yellow and red dots.)

Any other ideas?

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Answer 6

Oct 18, 2019 11:20 AM in response to PGCvideo

Weird. Would it be possible to share Photoshop file for us to test?

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issues with .psd layers flattening on their own

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