Today, we’ll take a look at the top 5 ways
]to use the built in object tracker in Final Cut Pro.
Number one is using the object tracker
to track a title to moving subject,
and this is very simple.
Just select the title you want to use for this,
and instead of dropping it onto your timeline,
drag this title over your viewer window.
When you hover over an object or a person in your clip,
Final Cut Pro will recognize it,
and fit the tracker to your object.
Click the analyze button to track your clip.
It doesn’t matter where your playheads is,
Final Cut Pro will track your entire clip.
Open the tracker dropdown menu to select
what tracker properties you want to apply to your title,
and click done.
Replace your text in the title,
and use the onscreen controls to position it.
It’s that simple.
Number two is censoring a moving subject,
and this is also super simple.
Open your effects browser,
and select the effect you want to censor your clip.
Don’t use the censor effect,
because it doesn’t work with the tracker,
but you can use any of the blur effects,
or what I like using, is the pixelate effect.
Grab this effect and drag it over the viewer window.
For my example,
I want to censor one of the faces in my clip,
so I’ll move it over it
until Final Cut Pro recognizes it as a face.
Click analyze to track your clip.
Once your track is finished,
select the Shape tab,
and adjust the size and feather of your mask.
Go to the inspector window,
and adjust the amount of pixelation.
If we play back our clip,
the effect moves perfectly with our subject.
Number three is using the object tracker
to highlight or point out a subject.
I’ll use it to add an arrow to point out this lady in the crowd.
This time, instead of dragging an effect onto our viewer window,
we’ll track this clip manually.
Select the clip in your timeline,
and in the inspector window,
scroll all the way down to trackers.
Click the plus button,
and adjust the tracking grid in your viewer.
We’ll make this nice and small, but at the same time,
large enough to track her face.
For common objects like a face, to get the best track,
we’ll switch the tracking method to machine learning.
This way you let Final Cut Pro know you’re tracking a face,
so even if it gets obstructed for a few frames,
we should still be able to get a goo track.
Click the analyze button to track your clip.
Next, let’s add an arrow
and add the tracking data to it from our clip to follow our subject.
The arrow I’m using for this example,
is from MotionVFX mFrame 3 plugin. I
’ll add this above my timeline,
adjust the appearance,
and point it towards my subject.
To add the tracking data from our bottom clip,
with the arrow clip selected,
open the transform tool,
and select the object track from the clip below it.
I don’t want this arrow to rotate,
so I’ll deselect Rotation.
Click done to apply the position parameters
from our bottom clip to the arrow,
so it perfectly follows our subject.
Before we move onto our last two uses
for the Object tracker in Final Cut Pro,
I want to take a few seconds to tell you about today’s sponsor,
MotionVFX.
When it comes to quality plugins for Final Cut Pro,
no one even compares to Motion VFX.
Their professional plugins look amazing,
are super simple to install,
and deliver exactly what they promise.
Let's take mFrame 3 for example.
This plugin includes 50 vintage split screen effects for Final Cut Pro,
you just drop into your timeline,
fill the drop zones,
and you have this awesome looking split screen effect.
You can customize basically any parameter in this effect from colors,
all the way down to lens dirt.
And, as a nice little bonus,
you also get a few scribble elements,
like the arrow I used in my last example,
and even a few typography presets.
It’s little things like this you’ll find yourself using over and over.
Motion VFX has plugins for titles,
generators, effects, and even a 3D tracker,
that’s quite a bit more capable than what you get with Final Cut Pro.
Click the link in the video description,
and see how plugins from MotionVFX can help
YOU make better videos.
Now, back to Final Cut Pro.
Use number 4 for the Object Tracker in Final Cut Pro
is adding realistic camera shake you your tripod shots.
I do know Final Cut Pro comes with a built in Handheld effect,
but honestly, it just looks fake.
Using the object tracker can make it look much more realistic.
What you’ll need to do, is take your camera,
and film a handheld shot of a simple subject.
For best results, make sure it’s in focus,
and has good contrast.
Import this clip into Final Cut Pro,
and add it above your clip.
Add a tracker,
select an area you want to track,
and this time, use the point cloud tracking method.
This tracks individual pixels,
and as long as there’s nothing obstructing your tracking area,
this will give you a more accurate track.
Analyze this clip,
and in the inspector, rename this track.
Move your clip under your timeline,
select your top clip,
and open up the transform tool.
From the tracker dropdown menu select your track,
click done,
and scale up your original clip to fill the frame.
And last, but definitely not least,
is the locked on stabilization effect.
I’ve done a video on this before,
but the Object Tracker has been updated,
so I figure it’s a good time for a refresher.
Select your clip, add a tracker,
and place the tracking square over the part you want to lock onto.
Analyze your clip.
Go to your inspector window,
and set the scale all amount to negative 100.
Grab the same clip from your media browser,
and place it above the original clip.
Select the transform tool,
and from the tracker dropdown menu,
select the object track from before.
Open the tracker dropdown again,
and de select rotation.
Click Done,
and make sure the rotation value for this clip in the inspector is zero.
To flip this clip right side up,
we need a negative scale value again,
and since we’re moving the frame around
to keep out subject in the same spot,
let’s go a bit more, maybe -130.
If needed, adjust your subject’s position
for this cool locked on effect.
Just one more thing before you go,
if you are looking for some cool Final Cut Pro plugins,
and are considering purchasing from Motion VFX,
I do get a small percentage from every sale.
If you find these tutorials helpful,
this is a great way to support my channel.
Thanks for watching,
and I’ll see you back here next week.