Apple Final Cut Pro 6 - Manual (Page 1279)

494 Part II Effects
But that’s just the beginning. The real power of master templates becomes clear when
you have lots of titles or graphics in your sequence that need the same motion
graphics treatment. For example, suppose you are working on a documentary that has
dozens of lower third titles, each requiring the same animated text and background
treatment. In this case, a graphic designer can create a single Motion template file for
all of your lower third titles. In Final Cut Pro, the Motion template file becomes a master
template that you can use to create multiple template clips in your sequence, each
with its own custom text.
But there’s still more. Suppose you or your graphic designer wants to alter the
animation for the lower third titles after you have edited them into your sequence.
Because you used the same master template for each lower third, each template clip is
connected to the same Motion template file. The designer can change the Motion
template file, and all the template clips in your sequence are updated immediately.
Terminology for Master Templates
The following definitions provide some shorthand for discussing the behavior of
sequences containing clips derived from master templates:
 Motion template file: A template file created and saved in Motion. This term refers
to the template file stored on disk.
 Master template: A Motion template file as it appears in Final Cut Pro. You can view
master templates in the Viewer and edit them into a sequence, creating copies
called template clips.
 Template clip: An instance of a master template edited into a sequence or copied
into the Browser. Just as normal Final Cut Pro clips refer to QuickTime media files on
disk, a template clip refers to a Motion template file on disk. When a Motion
template file is changed and saved in Motion, any template clips that refer to the
template file are updated
 Template parameters: Special template clip parameters that you can customize
directly in Final Cut Pro using the Controls tab of the Viewer. For example, you can
modify text or video content in a template clip.