Task 7 - Motion Tracking

(P.S. below are self -reminders)
For this task there are two parts. Using tracker in aftereffects the program is able to identify a single point and  follow it even if it is a shaky video. The best part id that when using these trackers it leaves a path - exactly like using position keyframes, including keyframes- and imagery and text could be attached to this (along with any animation or effects attached to those) and thus be unmoving in the video.

The process in using trackers in itself is really simple. First is right clicking the layer you wanted tracked and select 'track motion'. Open the tracker window from the window tab, select 'track motion' and a double layered square appears and if you click within the outer layer the square magnifies. You drag this square over the point wanted to be tracked. The inner square serves as the border for the area under tracking a small square = a smaller area tracked...I think XD Then you press the play button in the tracker window and it should follow the  point through the video (should). This could be done in the middle of the video beginning etc. and the path of the tracker can be altered like the path of a position animation keyframe.

To attached images/text go back to the original composition window and place in file, drag the item/s focal point to where it should be in the video (a near the tracking point). Back to the tracking window, choose edit target, pick layer accept x/y (if text) and the file should follow the same path as the tracked point and remain still in the video.  Many trackers can be present at one point and on the one image.

For the first part of this task there was a short shaky video of buildings and using the techniques mentioned above attach a text or image to the building and experiment with rotating the words. Despite using the tracker i find that in aftereffects the tracker tend to stray point no matter what method I use to try stop it (stabilizer, choosing colour differentiated area).  In the end it was still shaky but the link between the text and a point was still slightly visible - I used a effect on the 'CI building text' it only made the whole thing due to the funny tracker, but I left it there as an example.

The second task is using motion tracking again but instead of tracking a point it was a square area that was being tracked and an image was to be placed in the screen (since the video was of a move computer). The process was the same as with the point tracker but the 'Track type' changed to parallel corner pin using the toggle button. Track a area meant that there was a change in border shape and as the area was tracked the outlines of the area tracked had to changed in the middle. Sadly for some reason I had the same shaky result as with prt one of the task

There is stabilizer which creates another point that is supposed to help keep tracker point consistent but it is fairly unhelpful during the task and can cause a bit of confusion in layers even if labeled.

Even if I failed terrible at this aspect of after effects it was fun to see how the feature worked - it reminds me of the TV advertisements where the text/words would follow behind people or swing out from buildings.

link;
http://www.vimeo.com/15055006
http://www.vimeo.com/15055550