You may be surprised to find that images you used in your Motion 4 projects no longer appear in your Motion 5 projects. Or, when you look for images in Motion 5’s File Browser that you KNOW are there, they just don’t appear. Well, it’s likely that those images were saved with the PICT format (the .pct) extension. That format is an outdated 32-bit format and can’t be used in 64-bit applications like Final Cut Pro X and Motion 5. In fact, you won’t even be able to open the image in Preview!
But there is a quick and easy way to convert your image so that you can get it into Motion:
Right-click on the Preview application in your Applications folder and choose Get Info (or select the icon and press Command-I)
Check the Open in 32-bit mode checkbox
Now you’ll be able to open your .PCT file in Preview and save it as…
A PNG, JPEG, or TIFF. JPEG should give you the smallest file, TIFF can be higher quality but larger, PNG is best if you have transparency.
Your image should now appear in Motion 5’s File Browser, and you can now bring it into your project.
