After Effects Apprentice: 12 Tracking and Keying

Learn two key visual effects skills, motion tracking and keying, in After Effects.

Introduction

• Welcome
• The Tracker panel
• Software versions and exercise files

1. Warp Stabilizer

• Warp Stabilizer basics
• Warp Stabilizer advanced parameters
• Deleting bad track points (CC and later)
• Reversible Stabilization (CC and later)

2. Point-Based Tracking and Stabilization

• Setting up a stabilization
• Track points explained
• Performing a track
• Applying a stabilization
• Cleaning up the results of a stabilization
• Performing a motion track
• Applying the results

3. Tracking and Effects

• The Radio Waves effect
• Tracking the mountain
• Compositing the effect

4. Perspective Tracking

• Perspective tracking overview
• Tracking to a corner pin
• Improving the composite
• Tracking with mocha AE
• Tracking for mocha shape
• Masking for mocha shape

5. The 3D Camera Tracker

• Tracking in 3D (new in CS6)
• Creating 3D objects (new in CS6)
• Hanging a poster (new in CS6)
• Adding text (new in CS6)
• Using shadow catchers (new in CS6)

6. Dealing with Obscuration

• Tracking dots
• Dealing with obscuration
• Cleaning up the stabilization

7. Using Keylight

• Basic keying
• Refining the key
• Key Cleaner in AE CC
• Advanced Spill Suppression in AE CC

8. Quizzlers

• Quizzler challenges
• Quizzler #1 solution: Stabilization plus masking
• Quizzler #2 solution: Stabilization plus tracking
• Quizzler #3 solution: Copying a camera's motion

9. Idea Corner

• Tracking for multiple effect points
• Converting to ray-traced 3D (new in CS6)

10. Sidebars

• Legacy tracker advice
• Tracking interlaced sources
• Using garbage masks for keying
• Using the Rolling Shutter Repair feature (new in CS6)