Creating transitions in motion to control original video for Final Cut Pro

Yes, you absolutely can!

Apple Motion lets you create custom transitions for Final Cut Pro that do more than just add overlays or animations — you can use behaviors, filters, and transforms that directly affect the source video, such as:

• Zoom in/out
• Stretch or squash
• Rotate, scale, move
• Warp or distort effects

📌 Just make sure you're editing the “Transition A” and “Transition B” layers in Motion — anything you apply there (like zoom or stretch) will manipulate the actual incoming and outgoing clips in FCP.

Once saved, your transition will appear in Final Cut Pro under Transitions > Custom.

There “Effects” and there are “Transitions”. They are two different things. Both can be created in Motion for use in FCP. There are many already available in FCP, and I suggest you familiarize with what is there first. Most have parameters that you can adjust. Since you are beginning it may be best to get a good working understanding of FCP before diving into Motion. Both applications have a learning curve and tackling them both at the same time may be harder.

Some great tutorials can help with getting to know FCP quickly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqUP7Zgeuck

https://www.izzyvideo.com/final-cut-pro-tutorial/

And for going deeper on both applications check out all the training material at rippletraining

These guys know a LOT and are excellent teachers.