Video Editing Motion Graphics and Visual Effects Syllabus

Motion Graphics and Visual Effects syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Motion Graphics and Visual Effects in Video Editing, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Titles and Graphics

   3 topics

   • Creating Titles
   • Typography for Video
   • Animated Graphics Templates
2. 2

   Keyframing and Animation

   2 topics

   • Keyframe Basics
   • Motion and Pan-Zoom
3. 3

   Compositing and Keying

   3 topics

   • Green Screen Keying
   • Masks and Mattes
   • Blend Modes and Layering
4. 4

   Motion Tracking and Stabilization

   3 topics

   • Point and Planar Tracking
   • Stabilizing Shaky Footage
   • Tracking Text and Objects
5. 5

   Integrating After Effects and Fusion

   2 topics

   • Dynamic Link Workflows
   • Round-Tripping Compositions

Motion Graphics and Visual Effects flashcards for Video Editing

25 of 50 cards from the Motion Graphics and Visual Effects deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In video editing, what is a 'title'?

   A text-based graphic element overlaid on or inserted into video, used for names, headings, credits, captions, or other on-screen information.

2. What is a 'lower third'?

   A title graphic placed in the lower portion of the frame (traditionally the bottom third), typically used to identify a speaker's name and role without obscuring the main action.

3. Distinguish between a rolling title and a crawling title.

   A rolling title moves vertically through the frame (e.g., end credits scrolling upward), while a crawling title moves horizontally across the frame (e.g., a news ticker).

4. What are the 'title safe' and 'action safe' areas, and what portion of the frame do they traditionally occupy?

   They are guide margins ensuring content is not cut off by display overscan: action safe is the inner 90% of the frame (critical action must stay inside it), and title safe is the inner 80% (all text should stay inside it).

5. Why are sans-serif fonts generally preferred over serif fonts for video typography?

   Sans-serif fonts have cleaner, thicker strokes that stay legible at screen resolution; thin serifs can break up, shimmer, or flicker on video displays, especially at small sizes or on interlaced footage.

6. Define kerning, tracking, and leading in typography.

   Kerning is the spacing adjustment between two specific characters; tracking is uniform letter-spacing applied across a range of text; leading is the vertical spacing between lines of text.

7. Name three techniques for keeping on-screen text readable over busy or bright video backgrounds.

   Add a drop shadow or stroke (outline) to the text, place the text on a semi-transparent background bar or shape, and/or darken or blur the video behind the text (e.g., a gradient overlay).

8. What is a practical rule for the amount of text and its duration on screen in video?

   Keep text brief and leave it on screen long enough to be read aloud roughly twice (a common guideline), since viewers cannot control the pace; overly long or fast titles reduce comprehension.

9. What is a Motion Graphics Template (MOGRT)?

   A packaged, reusable animated graphic (file extension .mogrt) created in After Effects or Premiere Pro whose designated parameters (text, colors, timing, etc.) can be customized in Premiere's Essential Graphics panel without altering the underlying animation.

10. What is the main benefit of using animated graphics templates in an editing workflow?

    Editors can drop in professionally designed, consistent animated titles and graphics and change only exposed parameters (text, color, logo), saving time and keeping branding consistent without needing motion-design skills or opening After Effects.

11. How does a motion designer control which properties of a template an editor can change?

    When building the template (e.g., in After Effects), the designer publishes only chosen properties (such as source text or color controls) to the Essential Graphics panel; only those exposed parameters are editable in the .mogrt.

12. In which panel does Premiere Pro let you browse, install, and edit Motion Graphics Templates?

    The Essential Graphics panel, which has a Browse tab for finding/installing templates and an Edit tab for customizing the exposed parameters of a template placed on the timeline.

13. What is a keyframe in animation?

    A marker that records the value of a property (position, scale, opacity, etc.) at a specific point in time; the software automatically interpolates the property's values between keyframes to create animation.

14. What is the minimum number of keyframes needed to animate a property, and why?

    Two — one defining the starting value at a start time and one defining the ending value at a later time; the change interpolated between them produces the animation.

15. Give the formula for linear interpolation of a property value $v$ between two keyframes $(t_{1}, v_{1})$ and $(t_{2}, v_{2})$.

    $$v(t) = v_{1} + (v_{2} - v_{1})\frac{t - t_{1}}{t_{2} - t_{1}}$$ The value changes at a constant rate between the two keyframes.

16. Compare linear and Bezier (eased) keyframe interpolation.

    Linear interpolation changes the value at a constant speed, producing mechanical motion with abrupt starts/stops; Bezier interpolation uses adjustable curves so motion can accelerate and decelerate smoothly, producing more natural movement.

17. What do 'Ease Out' and 'Ease In' mean when applied to keyframes?

    Ease Out is applied to a starting keyframe so motion accelerates gradually out of it; Ease In is applied to an ending keyframe so motion decelerates gradually into it.

18. What does a Hold keyframe do?

    It freezes the property at the keyframe's value with no interpolation, so the value stays constant until the next keyframe, where it jumps instantly — useful for stepped or pop-on animation.

19. Distinguish temporal interpolation from spatial interpolation.

    Temporal interpolation controls how a value changes over time (speed/acceleration between keyframes); spatial interpolation controls the path a layer travels through space between position keyframes (straight lines vs. curved paths).

20. What is the difference between the value graph and the speed graph in a graph editor?

    The value graph plots the property's actual value over time (its slope is the rate of change), while the speed graph plots the velocity of change over time, letting you shape acceleration and deceleration directly.

21. What is the Ken Burns effect?

    A pan-and-zoom technique that animates position and scale keyframes on a still image to create the illusion of camera movement, adding life to static photos in documentaries and slideshows.

22. Why should a still image have a higher resolution than the sequence frame size before applying a pan-zoom move?

    Zooming in scales the image up; if you zoom to $150\%$, the source needs at least $1.5\times$ the frame's pixel dimensions, otherwise scaling past $100\%$ of native resolution causes visible softness and pixelation.

23. Which basic Motion properties can be keyframed on every clip in Premiere Pro?

    Position, Scale, Rotation, Anchor Point, and Anti-flicker Filter (with Opacity available in the adjacent Opacity section).

24. What is the anchor point of a layer or clip, and why does it matter?

    It is the reference point around which scaling and rotation occur; moving the anchor point (e.g., to a corner) changes the pivot, so the same rotation or scale keyframes produce different motion.

25. What is chroma keying?

    A compositing technique that makes all pixels of a chosen color (typically green or blue) transparent, so a subject shot against a colored screen can be placed over a different background.

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