NMR is a well-established technique to study orientational order and dynamics of liquid crystals. We present a study of liquid crystal MBBA properties in both bulk and constrained thin film capillaries (thickness similar to 200 mu m) at different temperatures. Translational self-diffusion measurements have been performed in the nematic and isotropic phases. For constrained samples in the isotropic phase the diffusion coefficient has orientational dependence (D-parallel to/D-perpendicular to approximate to 7). To characterize the diffusion distribution of liquid crystals within the thin film, a diffusion mapping experiment was performed. The method provides accurate diffusion coefficients (D-parallel to and D-perpendicular to) measurements with a pixel resolution of 4 mu m. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.