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After Effects Tracking

By Preeti PrajapatiPreeti Prajapati

After Effects Tracking

Introduction to After Effects Tracking

After Effect is the most popular video editing software widely used by the video editing graphics professional for their editing work; in this article, we will look at the ‘Tracking’ feature of After Effect software. You can understand Tracking as a method through which you can connect any object or layer of this software with any particular point of any video footage, and that object fills trace the motion of that particular point with each frame of video footage. Tracking gives you a wide range of editing methods for getting the best result in your work. So let us understand Tracking in After Effect through an example and also analyze its parameters.

How to Use Tracking in After Effect?

We will understand this feature in a few simple steps.

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Step 1: Before starting our learning about this feature, let us have a look at the user interface of this software for our better understanding. At the top of the working screen, we have a Menu bar with a different submenu, below this, we have Tool panel and their properties bar, next we have Project Panel on the left side of the working screen with Effect Controls panel for the handling of any Effect parameters, at the middle, we have Composition window, at the right side we have some parameters such as Preview tab, Effect & Presets, Tracker, etc., at the bottom end we have Layer section and Timeline section.

working screen

Step 2: First of all, let us have video footage for our learning. For placing video footage in After Effect software, go to that folder where you have saved it. Pick it from there and drop it in the Project Panel area of this software.

Project Panel

Step 3: Now drag this footage in the Layer section of this software which is at the bottom end of the working screen. I have downloaded this video footage from the https://www.shutterstock.com/ website. You can take your own video footage or download it from any other website for your learning.

After Effects Tracking - 3

Step 4: Now go to the Window menu of the Menu bar, which is at the top of the working screen. Enable the Tracker option from the dropdown list if it disables.

Menu bar

Step 5: The tracker option tab will be open in the right side parameters section of the working screen.

parameters section

Step 6: Now click on the Tracker option tab. We have a different type of ‘Tracking’ option here in this tab. Here we will understand the Tracking by Track Motion option.

Tracker option tab

Step 7: Now click on the ‘Track Motion’ tab.

Track Motion

Step 8: A new layer for making changes in this video footage will be open in the composition window area. Once you click on the Track Motion option, the Tracking Point box will be open on the screen of video footage.

Motion option

Step 9: Inner square box with plus sign helps you choose a particular point around which you want to track motion, and Outer square box will help you search for track point through each frame of video footage.

Outer square box

Step 10: You can increase and decrease the size of square boxes of tracking according to your requirement.

After Effects Tracking - 10

Step 11: You can move these tracking square boxes anywhere on the video screen.

After Effects Tracking - 11

Step 12: Now, I will choose this point of a finger as a tracking point for my work.

After Effects Tracking - 12

Step 13: Now, let us have a look at the parameters of Track Motion. There is a Motion Source option in which we will choose video footage on which we want to apply to track.

After Effects Tracking - 12

Step 14: In the Current Track option, there will be many Trackers you use in your video footage.

After Effects Tracking - 14

Step 15: You can track the Position, Rotation, or Scale of any point of video footage by enabling these options.

After Effects Tracking - 15

Step 16: Here is the ‘Analyze 1 frame forward’ option through which you can track the point of tracker in each frame of footage in the forward direction.

After Effects Tracking - 16

Step 17: Through ‘Analyze 1 frame backward’, you can go 1 frame background for editing any tracking point.

After Effects Tracking - 17

Step 18: With the ‘Analyze forward’ button, you can continuously track the point with the frame.

Analyze forward - 18

Step 19: Now press the ‘Analyze 1 frame forward’ button again and again for the tracking point with each frame. Make sure the plus sign doesn’t go away from its original position throughout the track.

After Effects Tracking - 18

Step 20: Or you can press the ‘Analyze forward’ button for tracking continuously.

After Effects Tracking - 20

Step 21: Now, let us take the Text layer for connecting it with the tracker. For the text layer, make right-click in the layer section with the mouse button. A drop-down list will be open, go to the ‘New’ option in this list and choose the ‘Text’ option from the new drop-down list.

Choose the Text option - 21

Step 22: Type your desired text which you want to track with the motion of finger of video footage.

After Effects Tracking - 22

Step 23: Now go to the tracking layer of the composition window and select this video in the Motion Source of Tracker parameter on the right side of the working screen.

After Effects Tracking - 23

Step 24: Now choose Tracker 1 in the Current Tracker option of the Tracker tab if you have more than one tracker in your video footage. Now click on the ‘Edit Target’ tab of this tab.

After Effects Tracking - 24

Step 25: A dialog box will be open. Choose the text layer from here and press the Ok button of this dialog box.

After Effects Tracking - 25

Step 26: Now click on the Apply button of the Tracker tab box to apply it.

After Effects Tracking - 26

Step 27: Now ‘Apply’ box will be open and ask you how you want to apply to track. You can choose any one of these lists. I will choose the X and Y direction option and then click the Ok button of this dialog box.

After Effects Tracking - 27

Step 28: Now play the tracking by press the Space bar of a keyboard, or you can go on the Preview tab, which is on the right side of the working screen for playing the tracking. When you play it, our text will move with the motion of the finger of video footage.

After Effects Tracking - 28

Step 29: You can add more than one tracking point in your video footage by click on the ‘New Track Point’ option of the Tracker tab.

New Track Point - 29

Step 30: And adjust it according to you.

After Effects Tracking - 30

Conclusion

After going through this article, you can understand ‘what is tracking in After Effect software?’ and ‘How can you handle the parameter of this feature?’ You can get expertize in this feature after practicing on this and get benefits in your work.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to After Effects Tracking. Here we discuss the Introduction and how to apply tracking effects in a step by step manner. You can also go through our other related articles to learn more –

  1. After Effects Particles
  2. After Effects Presets
  3. After Effects Expressions
  4. After Effects Portable
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