After Effects Compositing: 6 Tracking and Stabilization

2h 5mIntermediate2015-09-01

Authors

Mark Christiansen

Creator, Leader, Author

Course details

Tracking is one of the most powerful ways to make your After Effects work more sophisticated, and one of the hardest to get right. The human eye has an uncanny ability to sense the accuracy of motion. But once you learn to take advantage of the automated 3D tracker, automated motion stabilizer, and 2D point tracker in After Effects—as well as third-party scripts and planar tracking with mocha—a world of possibilities is opened.

Learning objectives
Why point track?
Recognizing trackable points
Offsetting a tracker
Applying the track to a matte
Using nulls and third-party scripts to create track mattes
Tracking and stabilizing objects and planes
Automated tracking
Applying 3D tracks

Skills covered

Motion GraphicsAfter EffectsRenderingMotion Graphics and VFXVisualization and Real-TimeAdobeAECProduct and ManufacturingAnimation and IllustrationDeep Dive (X:Y)

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome
02 - Using the exercise files
03 - Why so many tracking options

1. Why Point Track

04 - It's the 21st century - Why point track
05 - Effectively track motion
06 - Easily select a good track
07 - Continue motion offscreen

2. Complex Motion Tracking

08 - Introducing complex motion tracking
09 - Recognize trackable points
10 - Plan for a track to be interrupted
11 - Easily reset a track that goes astray
12 - Adapt to a changing target
13 - Offset a tracker
14 - Keep position precise and rotation simple
15 - Apply the track to a matte

3. Adding Tracking Tools

16 - Introducing tracking tools
17 - Track a mask directly with Tracker2Mask
18 - Combine track points with TrackerViz
19 - Solve problems with nulls and parenting

4. Tracking and Stabilizing Objects and Planes

20 - Introducing tracking and stabilizing
21 - Lock an element for roto
22 - Reverse stabilize to put roto in motion
23 - Point stabilize to put multiple layers in motion
24 - Track a plane with mocha AE

5. Working with Automated Tracking for VFX

25 - Introducing automated tracking for VFX
26 - Adjust Warp Stabilizer VFX for effects work
27 - Reverse stabilize with Warp Stabilizer VFX
28 - Solve and adjust with Camera Tracker
29 - Apply a 3D track
30 - Evaluate Camera Tracker for your shot
31 - Import and integrate a third-party 3D track