Create a Final Cut Title in Motion, protect its opening and ending with build markers, and leave a static middle section between them. In Final Cut Pro, changing the title’s duration then changes the hold while preserving the intro and outro timing.

This workflow is for a Mac editor who wants one reusable title with editable text and consistent animation at different timeline lengths. The example uses only synthetic text and a simple rectangle. Apple documents build markers as the controls for preserving selected template sections at their original playback speed. Intro to template markers in Motion.

How the flexible hold works

Think of the title as three consecutive regions: an entrance, a still reading period, and an exit. Protect the entrance and exit; allow Final Cut Pro to stretch or compress the reading period. Because that middle region is visually unchanged, retiming it produces a longer or shorter hold without introducing additional movement.

A title’s initial duration comes from its Motion template. After adding it, you can change its duration in the Final Cut Pro timeline. The title does not have to match the duration of the underlying clip. Timing guidelines for templates in Motion.

The following is an illustrative design, using a five-second project at 30 fps. Frame positions below count the first project frame as frame 1; if your display starts at zero, use the equivalent positions one number lower.

Region Example frames Appearance Timing treatment
Intro 1–30 Text and accent fade in Protected opening
Hold 31–120 Text and accent remain unchanged Flexible middle
Outro 121–150 Text and accent fade out Protected ending

For planning, subtract the protected sections from the desired total duration: hold duration = total duration − intro duration − outro duration. With one second allocated to each end, a five-second title has a three-second hold; an eight-second title has a six-second hold. These are design calculations, not measured application results.

Choose a practical minimum duration that includes both animations and enough reading time. A requested total shorter than the two protected regions cannot contain both regions in full. The cited documentation does not establish a universal result for every undersized title, so do not build a workflow around shortening below that minimum.

Create the original title in Motion

Start from the appropriate template type. In Motion, choose File > New from Project Browser, select Final Cut Title, choose a preset, and click Open. Apple’s title workflow creates a text layer and a Title Background placeholder. Use the highest resolution you intend to use in Final Cut Pro. For this example, choose 1920 × 1080 at 30 fps. Create a title template in Motion.

Set the project length before animating: choose Edit > Project Properties, then set Duration to five seconds. You can also use the timing display’s Show Project Duration mode to enter the duration. Change project duration in Motion.

Replace the default text with Sample Title and arrange it near the lower-left portion of the canvas, leaving comfortable space around it. Use a plain font and a size that accommodates your expected replacement text. The example needs no imported footage or reference image.

Add a narrow rectangle beneath the text as an accent. Press R, drag in the canvas to draw it, and press Esc to leave drawing mode. Set its color and outline using the shape controls. Apple documents these controls as editable before or after drawing. Draw simple shapes in Motion.

Keep the text and rectangle separate from Title Background. Animate the graphic layers themselves, leaving the placeholder unchanged. Apple explains that transformations or effects applied to that placeholder are inherited by the underlying Final Cut Pro clips; modifying it would extend the animation beyond the intended title graphics. Create a title template in Motion.

Animate both ends and keep the middle still

For this first version, animate only opacity. This makes it easy to inspect the hold: the title should remain completely unchanged between its entrance and exit. Ensure both graphic layers span the full project duration before setting their keyframes.

Select the text layer. At the first frame, set Opacity to 0% and add a keyframe using the parameter’s Animation menu and Add. Move to the entrance’s final frame and set it to 100%. Once an initial keyframe exists, changing that parameter at another playhead position creates another keyframe. Add keyframes in Motion.

Use these illustrative values for the text, then repeat them for the rectangle. At the outro’s first frame, explicitly add a keyframe at 100% even though the value has not changed. That second 100% keyframe establishes the end of the hold.

Position Opacity Purpose
First project frame 0% Start invisible
Last intro frame 100% Finish the entrance
First outro frame 100% Preserve the still hold
Last project frame 0% Finish invisible

Scrub through the middle and confirm the graphics remain at full opacity. A fade that runs directly from the entrance’s 100% keyframe to the final 0% keyframe would gradually disappear throughout the intended reading period. The extra 100% keyframe prevents that design error.

Apple generally recommends behaviors where practical, but also documents keyframes as a supported template animation method. It advises avoiding publication of keyframed parameters because subsequent editing or animation in Final Cut Pro can produce unexpected results. Keep the animated Opacity controls unpublished for this example. Animation guidelines for templates in Motion.

Add the markers that preserve the animation timing

Create project markers at the two boundaries:

  1. Move to the last intro frame and press Shift-M.
  2. Double-click the marker, then set Type to Build In – Mandatory.
  3. Move to the first outro frame and press Shift-M again.
  4. Edit that marker and choose Build Out – Mandatory.

Apple documents the first marker as protecting the opening through the marker, and the second as protecting the ending from the marker onward. Add template markers in Motion.

Use the mandatory types when every instance should retain both animations. The corresponding optional types add inspector checkboxes that allow an editor to disable the entrance or exit. For a consistent two-ended title, mandatory markers keep the intended behavior straightforward. Add template markers in Motion.

Do not add a Project Loop End marker to create this hold. Apple states that setting a loop marker resets an existing build-out marker to Standard, and adding a build-out marker resets an existing loop marker. The supported path for this outcome is a static middle between build markers. Add template markers in Motion.

Save the template and test different title lengths

Choose File > Save, name the template Simple Hold Title v1, select or create a category, and click Publish. Here, Publish saves the template for the Final Cut Pro browser. To expose an additional editable parameter, choose Publish from that parameter’s Animation menu. Create a title template in Motion.

In Final Cut Pro, open Titles and Generators, find the title under Titles, and drag it above a neutral background clip. Apple documents this placement as compositing the title over the underlying footage. Change its timeline duration to test the flexible hold. Create a title template in Motion.

Use a small acceptance test before relying on the template repeatedly:

  • At five seconds, inspect the entrance, middle, and exit.
  • Extend it to eight seconds; check that only the still reading period grows.
  • Shorten it to four seconds; check that the reading period contracts while both animations remain complete.
  • Replace Sample Title with a longer neutral phrase, such as Example Collection, and inspect the layout.
  • Inspect the first and last visible frames for unintended flashes.

If the entrance changes speed, inspect the build-in marker’s type and position. If the exit changes speed, inspect the build-out marker and check whether a loop marker replaced it. If the middle moves or fades, inspect the animation between the boundaries. This diagnostic order follows the distinction between marker-controlled timing and the animation authored inside each region.

Keep shared templates and separate versions distinct

Apple’s current modification instructions require compatible, updated apps, with both applications either belonging to Apple Creator Studio or both being one-time purchases. Follow the guide version matching your installation; the retrieved guide selectors list Motion 6.4 and Final Cut Pro for Mac 12.4. These instructions do not establish compatibility with every older release. Modify a Final Cut Pro title in Motion, Modify Final Cut Pro for Mac titles in Motion.

The browser command matters. For an Apple preset, Open a copy in Motion creates a duplicate. For a Motion-created template, Open in Motion opens the original. Saving that original overwrites the template; File > Save As creates a separate copy. Modify a Final Cut Pro title in Motion.

Apple also draws a specific instance boundary: modifying a copy of an Apple preset does not change timeline instances of the original preset. Once the modified title has been applied, subsequent Motion changes to its template affect timeline instances using it. Treat template edits as potentially shared changes, rather than assuming each placed title is an independent Motion project. Modify a Final Cut Pro title in Motion.

A practical version policy is to save structural revisions as Simple Hold Title v2 and test that copy before using it in further edits. When moving libraries or storage devices, Apple instructs users to set Motion content storage to In Library before the copy or move operation so that custom Motion content is included. Modify Final Cut Pro for Mac titles in Motion.

The finished template should pass one clear test: extending its timeline duration adds reading time while the entrance and exit retain their authored pace. Keep that middle visually still, protect both ends with the correct markers, and save a separate template version when revising the reusable design.

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