Exercise 8 · Lock & Match-Move

Project 4 · Tracked 3D Title · Week 12 · Motion Tracking · ~45 min

Practice goal: Track a feature to attach a graphic and stabilize a clip, then match-move text into a moving shot with the 3D Camera Tracker.

Set up: New project. A clip with a high-contrast feature, a shaky clip, and a handheld clip with parallax (free stock).

Steps

  1. New composition from a clip with a clear high-contrast feature; name it Main.
  2. Window ▸ Tracker; select the footage; click Track Motion; place the track point on the feature and size the feature/search regions.
  3. Track forward; scrub to verify the point sticks (reposition if it drifts).
  4. Add a text/graphic layer; set the Tracker's “Edit Target” to it; Apply (X and Y) — the graphic now follows the feature.
  5. On a shaky clip, apply Effect ▸ Distort ▸ Warp Stabilizer; set method to Subspace Warp and tune Smoothness; compare stabilized vs. original.
  6. Now match-move: new comp from a handheld clip with parallax; apply Effect ▸ Perspective ▸ 3D Camera Tracker and let it analyze/solve.
  7. Hover the solved points to find a ground plane; right-click ▸ Create Text and Camera.
  8. Position/scale the new (track-parented) text so it sits on a surface; scrub — it should lock to the scene as the camera moves.
  9. Adjust the text's orientation to lie on the ground (or a wall).
  10. Optional: Animation ▸ Track in Boris FX Mocha; track a planar surface and compare with the 3D Camera Tracker.
  11. Add a subtle shadow/grade so the element sits in the plate, then save & render.

Free tutorials & references

Done when

A graphic is tracked onto a moving feature and a shaky clip is stabilized, and text is match-moved into a moving shot via the 3D Camera Tracker.

Files

Pittman_Ex08_LockAndMatchMove.aep → render Pittman_Ex08_LockAndMatchMove.mov · versions Pittman_Ex08_LockAndMatchMove_001.aep

This drill is your in-class activity for the week; it ladders directly into the project.