How to do a morph/disintegration effect?

Are you still running Yosemite? If so, what version of Motion do you have? 3D Happy birthday effect is going to be much easier in Motion 5.2+.

In the meantime, the basics:

Luma Key the background (you'll need a garbage matte around your subject.)

Create an emitter effect -- 3D -- swirling objects (you'll need to Z-align your subject inside the "swirl")

Fade out subject - Fade in 3D Happy Birthday text (and animate into final position [I'm guessing])

1,2,3 - easy 😉 [but if you need help with the "particulars" - and you will if you are as you say: a "complete newbie" - we can keep this thread going...]

The secret to getting the 3D effect out of an emitter is to make sure you 1st check the 3D checkbox then for Render Particles, change it to In Global 3D (Better).

As for swirling around another object >

To the Emitter object, add a Behaviors > Simulations > Orbit Around. In the drop well, drag and drop the object (image, shape, etc.) you want the objects to swirl around into the drop well. Set the Strength up (150 to 200 or more...) and Select the X and Z for the Include parameter (this will cause a swirl around the vertical axis.)

Tips:

Make the emitter a Point. The object being swirled around and the emitter should be lined up by center, but afterwards, you can drag the emitter along the X (or Z) axis to increase the "circulation". Keep the birth rate reasonable and increase the Life if need be. You don't need the Speed parameter but the Speed Randomness will make the particles scatter more naturally.

You can set more starting points with the Initial Number parameter.

If you want to create multiple particle types, it's fairly easy but not all that obvious:

1) Create your (several) shapes in a group. [There's a lot of raw material in the Library Content section (example: search for Wisp).]

2) Set the playhead at the first frame

3) for each shape/layer: Type 'i' then 'o' (to set a 1 frame length in and out point)

Move the playhead forward one frame (type the ➙ key)

Move to the next layer (type the up or down arrow key depending if you start at the bottom of the group or the top of the group)

Repeat [ i o ➙ ↓ or ↑] until you reach the group level

4) Clone the Group

5) make an emitter out of the clone object

You should see some new parts of the Emitter Cell Controls:

Turn OFF Play Frames (you can leave Random Start Frame on or turn it off... it's up to you.)

You'll be an expert in no time 😉

matt_ldod wrote:

… filming a client for a hologram on black tomorrow and they want to morph into a 3D 'Happy Birthday' … like how this singer morphs into a coca cola bottle here at 1:40…

maybe too late for commentary but..

a) pretty sure, that is NOT recorded on black; a luma key is, I dare to say, never as 'clean' as a green/blue color key...

b) to make the partcile vanish 'behind' subject, a clean key is essential...

c) that is no morph, a simple dissolve, covered by that particle tornado...

d) how do you transit from person = vertical into 'Happy birthday' = horizontal ?? 😉

to create a 'morph' in Motion, watch T.Paytons advice for 'Morph Cut', which utilizes Optical Flow to morph btw two frames. Don't expect wonders, morphing a person into letters is ... hnnm. 😉