FMC Book Review: Motion 3: Designing and Animating Motion Graphics in Final Cut Studio 2

When I picked up a copy of Final Cut Studio 2 it was really to have access to Final Cut Pro. I love the workflow of using Final Cut Pro and importing my work into Adobe After Effects via Automatic Duck. That being said, there was this nagging urge to look at one of the other programs in the Final Cut Studio arsenal, Motion 3. Many had told me Motion was Apple’s take on an After Effects like program but that it was nowhere as powerful. Being one who never listens to the naysayers I decided to check out Motion 3.

As I searched online for some type of training I came across a link to Amazon.com for a book aptly titled Motion 3: Designing and Animating Motion Graphics in Final Cut Studio 2 . When I saw that one of the authors was Mark Spencer, I knew this was going to be a good training reference. I had seen Mark on the MacBreak podcast and really enjoyed his tutorial. I was sold, credit card out.

The Book

What I really loved about the book was the real world examples you work with. While you learn the basic fundamentals of Motion 3 you are working on projects that you may face in the world of post production and content creation. Tasks like adding titles while working with the footage from a Doritos commercial and working with Optical Flow while creating a DVD menu.

Motion 3: Designing and Animating Motion Graphics in Final Cut Studio 2 is filled with 14 top notch, well written lessons that have taken me from knowing zero about Motion 3 to being proficient in the program. I gained rock solid fundamentals that will only bolster my work as I progress further.

To the naysayers

While Motion 3 is may not be ready for Shake type compositing this is one amazing program. From making DVD menus to nifty motion graphics the program is extremely easy to learn and get working in fast. I definitely plan on including it on any creative tasks that may come up.

Final thoughts

I have to give Mark Spencer, Damian Allen, Bryce Button and Tony Huet huge kudos for writing such a well executed training book. I recommend this fully to anyone looking to get into Motion 3. Five/Five stars from Filmmaking Central. Check out Mark Spencer's site AppleMotion.net