Re: Photoshop title jump

OK, I set up a multi-layer Photoshop file (.psd) 720 x 486 (D1) and imported this into a D1 8-Bit uncompressed sequence to do some tests. I think I may have discovered why you are getting the results you have been getting.

A multi-layer photoshop file is storing the layers as a set of the smallest bounding boxes for each layer. This is true for both raster layers and for text layers.

If you have a 10 x 10 pixel square on your 720 x 486 D1 frame, then it is stored as a 10x10 box with an offset from the origin of the D1 frame. You can see this when you import this multi-layer psd file into FCP, drop it in the timeline, then double click on it to see the layers. If you turn on 'Image and Wireframe' in the Canvas view, clicking on each layer will show the bounding box of each layer. Since each bounding box is not centred on the frame, each bounding box will likely have a different offset from the centre of the frame and thus show a different set of values for the centre point in the Motion tab. The same is true for text layers, the text being stored with the bounding box for the text and the centre point of that bounding box.

Text layers are somewhat special, since you have to be careful about font metrics and rasterisation when moving to other applications or machines. When you move a text layer to FCP, there may be some subtle differences in the way the text is rasterised for compositing into the frame. Photoshop gives you the ability to anti-alias text and these have an effect on the way the text is displayed. These anti-aliasing settings will have an effect on the size of the bounding box when it is imported into FCP, and this is why your text may be changing position.

The test that I did: