Apple Motion 4 - Manual (Page 593)

The Auto Fit checkbox sets whether Motion automatically scales the animation curve to
fit within the confines of the mini-curve editor.
Auto Fit turned on in the
mini-curve editor
Animating on the Fly
Another powerful feature that Motion offers is the ability to create animations while your
project is playing back. This is similar to how audio engineers adjust sliders for each of
their different audio channels while listening to the mix. The next time it is played back,
all of those changes are incorporated.
Because so many of Motion’s effects are displayed in real time, you can perform a sort of
“visual mix” and modify the various parameters of your effects while the project is playing
back.
For example, it is not until you see the various elements in your project in concert that
you can know whether each part is behaving as it should. One object may be fading too
slowly and making another element hard to see, or a text element might come and go
so quickly that it cannot be read. With keyframing on the fly, you can make adjustments
to any slider or parameter in the program while your project is playing. You can also
interactively manipulate objects in the Canvas. Then, if you don’t like what you did, rewind
and do it again. Each time you alter a parameter, you replace any keyframes previously
assigned.
To animate a parameter on the fly using the Inspector or the HUD
1 Click the Record button (or press A) or choose Mark > Record Animation to turn on
keyframe recording.
593 Chapter 10 Keyframes and Curves