This wikiHow teaches you how to add a static photo or video to a motion video with motion tracking in Adobe After Effects.
Step
Step 1. Insert the file into After Effects
Open After Effects, then do the following:
- Create a new project by clicking File, choose New, and clicking New Project.
- Click File
- choose Import
- Click Multiple Files…
-
Press and hold Ctrl or Command while clicking the file you want to import.
If the file is in a different place, you have to click File > Import > Multiple Files… again and select the file.
- Click Open
Step 2. Create a new composition for your video
Click and drag the video file from the "Name" section down to the "Composition" icon-which is a red, green, and blue circle-then release the video. The video will appear in the middle of Adobe After Effects.
Step 3. Add a motion track file to the project
Click and drag the video or photo from the "Name" section into the project pane in the lower-left corner of the window and make sure the file is above the video title.
- Proper placement will ensure that the motion-tracked file stays at the top of the video, instead of being hidden behind it.
- If you drop a file under the video title, click and drag the file up to rearrange the order of the two.
Step 4. Choose a video title
Click the video title at the bottom left of the window.
Step 5. Create a “Null Object”
This will be the motion tracking target:
- Click Layers
- choose New
- Click Null Object
Step 6. Add a motion-tracking animation
Reselect the video title by clicking it in the lower-left corner of the window, then do the following:
- Click Animation
- Click Track Motion
- If the button Track Motion is grayed out, make sure the video is selected by clicking on its title in the project pane.
Step 7. Position the motion tracker
In the main window, click and drag the box-shaped icon to the location where you want to track file movement.
Step 8. Record the motion tracker steps
In the "Tracker" window in the lower right corner, click the "Play" button
then let the video play.
If you don't see the "Tracking" pane here, just click it windows at the top of the screen, then tick the option tracker.
Step 9. Click Edit Target…
It's at the bottom of the "Tracker" window.
Step 10. Select “Null Object”
Click the drop-down box at the top of the menu that appears, then click null 1 in the existing drop-down menu. Click OK.
Step 11. Apply the changes
Click Apply in the "Tracker" section of the window, then click OK.
Step 12. Position the file that you want to assign a motion track to
Click and drag the file into the “Null Object” in the main window.
Step 13. Connect the file with “Null Object”
In the project pane in the lower-left corner of After Effects, click and drag the spiral icon to the right of the file name into the title. null 1, then release the mouse.
- This process is called “Parenting”, and will ensure that your file is motion-tracked along with the “Null Object”.
- When you drag the mouse away from the spiral icon, a line appears behind the cursor.
Tips
- The better the recording quality, the easier it is to create smooth and professional motion tracks.
- It takes experience to be able to select points that are easy to track in photos/videos. If that point doesn't work well, try another point.
