Motion 5 cache “.mv” files

Motion 5 cache “.mv” files

Does anyone know how I can prevent Motion from producing these huge files?

(Using Optical Flow, a short 5 sec 500 MB clip creates a 3 GB cache file in the same folder.)

That's the Optical Flow database, so the only way to not make them, is don't use Optical Flow. With out that database, Optical Flow doesn't work.

If you have many clips inside your Motion project to which you have applied Optical Flow and you are sure you don't need to modify the speed anymore you can "bake" the clips and delete the OF temp files. Baking is like pre-composing in AE. You export the OF clip as a QT movie and you tell Motion to put the exported QT movie inside your project to replace the original clip.

Baking is mostly used to improve speed on projects with complex layered effects, particles and replicators. Personally I would not bake Optical Flow clips, but if these temp files really bother you that's a way to get rid of them.

Thanks. Lets hope it's fixed in the next upgrade.

It's not broken, there's nothing to fix.

Optical flow creates information to fill in the missing frames that result from slowing down a clip. The file you create is where Motion looks for that information when playing back the retimed clip.

If you baked the clip you wouldn't need that extra data and could then delta the file, but you'd still have it in the new video file you created.

You would however have the option to decide codecs, bit rates etc. and have control over how much data is involved. Just like if you shot it on a super slow mo, high frame rate camera to eliminate the need for optical flow, you would still need that extra data, only it would be in the original video file.

Now I’m more confused!
Back to the drawing board (Manual).
Thanks.

"Baked" means you exported a QuickTime movie file, not that you're stoned. That's all.

Optical Flow database must exist for Optical Flow to work. It analyses once, then make all the changes you want, and the results are instantaneous while you work. Remove the database, and you'll have to run Optical Flow all over again.

Once your clip is retimed as you want it, export a QT movie. Now you don't have to keep the Optical Flow database file. You can trash it if it's taking up too much space. Cause you have a QuickTime file, you don't need anything else at that point.

“Baked” - Ha-ha.

Understood, once the QT movs come out of the oven I can dump the cache files.
The final product is short clips for stock so I don’t need to keep the cache files.

Though I’m beginning to think “Optical flow” is not the effect I’m looking for.

What is the Motion equivalent of the AE “Time blend?” effect?
It makes time lapse frames blend together and look very fluid - artificial, and it only works on certain clips, but looks magic in the right place.
I’ll keep experimenting, but if anyone has any suggestions for a freaky time blend effect …

Bring time lapse photos in as Image Sequence, apply Optical Flow.

Yes, that’s what I did, but it didn’t look weird enough.
I’ll keep experimenting. Thanks.