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FCPX Layers Tutorial

3,034 views · Published 16 December 2017 · 2:51 · Indexed 26 October 2026

Channel: Pixel Film Studios · 2017 · Film & Animation

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Welcome to a FCPX Layers Tutorial from Pixel Film Studios

In this tutorial, we’ll be going over how to add multi-layered composites to tracked footage using a plugin from the FCPX Layers line of products.

We will be using FCPX Layers Snow. 

Let’s get started. 

FCPX Layers uses motion tracking to create parallax scrolling between composite layers. For the best results, we want to use it with footage that has some camera movement and a clear tracking point. 

We’ll begin by dragging a preset directly on top of footage. It’s important to choose a preset with a similar timecode to the footage. Stretching the effect in the timeline will affect the speed of the composites. 

Next, we will track our subject. First, make sure the playhead is set to the first frame of the footage. Then, move the bounding box directly over the subject and hit the Track Forward button. 

Once the tracking is complete, we will make adjustments to each of the three composite layers. Let’s start with Layer 1. Before we begin, we’ll turn off layer 2 and 3 using their respective opacity sliders in order to isolate layer 1. Now, click Layer 1’s selection drop-down window and choose one of the included composites. Once selected, we can offset the start frame of the composite footage by adjusting the Scrub Through slider. 

The follow track sliders give users control over the link between the tracked subject and the composite layer. Increase the value to increase the amount of movement. Adjust the offset sliders to edit the position of the layer on the X and Y axis. 

Now, let’s move to the Layer 1 Effects section. Here, we can adjust a variety of effects such as color, blur and contrast to manipulate the appearance of the layer. Increasing the pivot value is a great way to remove seams from the layer. 

Now, let’s move onto Layer 2. Turn the layer back on using the opacity slider. Then, select another composite. In this example, we are going to choose the same composite as the previous layer while assigning a different value to the Scrub Through slider. This will ensure that the composites will move similarly while not being exactly the same. 

We can adjust the distance of the layer from the camera by using the Depth slider. A greater depth value equals more distance from the camera. 

The follow track values for Layer 2 should always be lower than those of Layer 1. Adjust these values according to the distance from the camera.

Repeat the process for Layer 3 and make any final adjustments to previous layers. FCPX Layers is ready to go.

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