Final Cut Studio 2: Tips for creating and using templates

Master templates in Final Cut Pro are templates created in Motion that allow you to quickly customize design elements such as titles and opening credits. This article discusses some issues to keep in mind when creating templates in Motion and when using them in Final Cut Pro.

• When you create templates in Motion, it's important to save them as templates, and not as regular Motion projects. In Motion, choose Save as Template from the File menu to save a project as a template that can be used in Final Cut Pro and in Motion. When you Save as Template in Motion, your project will automatically be coordinated with the Template Browser. If you merely chose Save, or if you use Finder to place standard Motion projects in the locations where Motion Templates are stored, the templates might not perform as desired in the Template Browser, and may not open as expected in Final Cut Pro.
  
  
• Don't use the Finder to move or rename templates. If you do, any instances of the template used in projects may go offline, or may otherwise not perform as expected. To rename a template or save it in a different theme, do the following:
  1. Open the template in Motion.
  2. From the File menu, choose Save as Template....
  3. Type a name for the template.
  4. Choose a theme where you want to keep it (click New Theme... to create a new theme for your new or customized templates).
  5. Click Save.
     
     
• Don't use the Finder to create aliases of templates or theme folders. Aliases are not supported by the Template Browser.
  
  
• When a Motion template file is saved in Motion, the video standard assigned to the template is stored in a metadata tag, but it does not ensure that the resolution and frame rate will correspond in all Final Cut Pro sequences. Make sure that the templates you create and choose have the resolution and frame rate you want.

For more information about using master templates in Final Cut Pro, refer to the Final Cut Pro User Manual, available in Final Cut Pro's Help menu. For more information about creating templates in in Motion, refer to the Motion User Manual, available in Motion's Help menu.