Apple Has Begun Meddling with MotionVFX
In March of this year, Apple acquired a motion graphics and visual effects subscription company called MotionVFX. No doubt this was a move to bolster Apple's own Apple Creator Studio. Ironically, I had just become a subscriber to MotionVFX a few months prior to this acquisition. Their focus on Final Cut Pro with a drag-and-drop approach was a perfect fit for me and my business. MotionVFX has these stylish collections of effects that help give videos a cohesive appearance. Some of these collections featured partnerships with YouTubers, like iJustine, MKBHD, and Apple Explained.
And as you might guess, some of these collections not-so-subtly crib Apple's style.
Given these endorsements and other services—like support for Adobe and DaVinci Resolve—I have been wondering how and when Apple would announce their plans for MotionVFX and what would change. While nothing official has been announced, I have begun to notice changes in MotionVFX's current iteration that suggests Apple's hand is beginning to meddle.
Primarily, these collaborations have removed all evidence of YouTuber affiliation.
Say goodbye to Justine and say hello to a stock photo.
Sure, this was always going to happen. Not a big deal. Funny to witness in real time as Apple begins removing all evidence of these partnerships. Today I caught the Ghost of MKBHD in my workflow. As of this writing, you can still see iJustine on their website. You can catch tiny glimpses of Apple Explained on their 404 page or MKBHD in their promotional banners. I suspect these will be scrubbed in due time. Even some of the videos I planned on linking to while researching this have been removed by the MotionVFX YouTube channel.
Where all these corporate merger shenanigans lose the humor is when parts of my workflow are deleted without notice. That seems to be the case with the terribly named collection mMessages 3.
As you might surmise from the promo image above or this trailer (if it is still up when you try to watch it), mMessages 3 mimics iMessage, along with other popular messaging and social media apps. There are Twitter1 posts, Whatsapp messages, and chatGPT text windows to name a few. It's a super handy way to visualize those elements in a dynamic and fun way without having to pour in the work to hand animate them.
Today I went searching for a particular effect and was met with a startling sight.2
Zero elements? Hm? That's not right. So I try searching for a motion graphic I know is in the pack—the chatGPT prompt. It is there in my downloaded effects, but when searching the online library? Bupkis.
I am now quite worried those other favorites of mine like mKeynote 2 (sheesh these names are bad) are not long for this world. Both I and my clients have come to depend on these effects to help their video's identity. I suppose it is a better sign that those other packs have gone through the effort to replace the YouTubers instead of wiping them from the face of the subscription. This is a good reminder that in the world of subscriptions, we own nothing.
Clearly, things are in motion behind the scenes at Apple to prepare the way for MotionVFX's full integration into the Apple Creator Studio subscription. I am excited about the merger. I see ample opportunity to smooth out MotionVFX rough edges as a third-party plug-in and make it a true Apple experience; something the Polish team has clearly emulated for years. Until the merger is complete though, I think those edges are going to only get rougher.