Opening Motion 5.0.2 files in 5.0.4

Wow! Don't know what to suggest. Motion 5 will open Motion 2 files for me.

Try:

from New

at the bottom of the open dialog click on Open Other.

Try opening your projects from there. You'll probably get a "This project is from an earlier version and must be updated" alert. I recommend Open as "Untitled" and see if you can get Motion to make a new copy without damaging your originals.

Another option would be go into Autosave Vault and start going backwards until you find a version of your projects that will open. (In Preferences > Cache is where you can find the file path to the vault IF you had it enabled -- it should have been on by default.)

HTH

A few other things to try before you go backwards (and you really don't want to go backwards -- previous versions a quite a bit less stable than the current one.)

1: If you had Motion 4, you should delete the contents of

~User/Library/Application Support/Motion/Presets/Project folder

but only if you created custom presets

2: If you have corrupt fonts... you're in trouble with Motion. Use Font Book to verify all installed fonts and turn off/remove/delete any bad ones -- they'll have to be replaced with known good copies or do without. Motion 5.0.2 had some very severe problems with fonts and also with some of the content library shapes and/or option-click-drag duplications of Link parameter behaviors; so much so that if Motion crashed with those projects, NO version of motion will ever open them again! I had one of those -- I was working on a rather complicated video logo -- so very NOT HAPPY that happened. [If you have Autosave Vault enabled (Motion Preferences > Cache), you might be able to open one of the previous versions of those projects.. You might have to redo some "finish" work, but at least you'll have a really good starting point.]

3) delete preferences (use this: http://digitalrebellion.com/prefman/) [This is not likely to help -- but as a last resort before:

4) completely delete all copies of Motion 5 and reinstall from the App Store (you shouldn't be charged again). (If you have Motion 4 or earlier, these should be moved inside separate folders inside your Applications folder.)

You should be able to double click on those Motion 5.0.2 projects and have Motion 5.0.4 open them (unless those previously noted #2 exceptions are possible in those projects...)

I've had a situation like described with a message "The document could not be opened". Figured out that during copy-pasting text between Photoshop and Apple Motion i've moved in the text field some strange hidden characters to Motion. All the working and saving file was just fine, but after reopen the file message appears.

Becouse Motion files are just a big XML file, i've founs an XML validator program who can open a large XML files (can't point it out on mac, besause used a win one). then found troubled char during validation, removed it (was in the text that i've copied) saved file and it's opened without problem.

This was exactly my problem - thanks!

Hey there

I am having the same problem, after having a hard disc recovered. What XML validator did you use for MAC?

I couldn't find any for mac that can handle such a big XML files. i've used WIN one - dont remember the name but found via google - some freeware for large xml files.

OK, thx. Will give it a shot.