How To Motion Track Text/Logos for Vidyard Personalized Videos

Introduction

Creating personalized videos can significantly enhance your marketing outreach. One effective way to tailor your video content is to use motion tracking in Adobe After Effects. In this guide, we'll walk through the steps to motion track text or logos, focusing on using Mocha for accurate tracking.

Getting Started in After Effects

Before diving into motion tracking, you'll need to open Adobe After Effects and import your footage appropriately. Our example features a video where a whiteboard is used. The goal is to have text or logos appear on the whiteboard and move along with it seamlessly.

Setting Up the Composition

Import Footage: Drag your footage into a new composition.
Trim the Clip: Since the whiteboard is only used for a certain duration, press Cmd + Shift + D (for Mac) to split the clip at the point where Marcus drops it. Hide the portion of the video that you don't need for the tracking.

Choosing the Right Tracking Method

In this tutorial, we will focus on Mocha, known for its accuracy. Here are a few methods to do motion tracking:

Track Camera: Useful for emulating camera movements, but not ideal for tracking objects within the scene.
Track Motion: Similar to Mocha but generally less accurate, especially for corner pins.

Using Mocha for Motion Tracking

Launch Mocha: With your video layer selected, navigate to Animation > Track in Mocha AE.
Draw a Tracking Area: Use the X tool to create a shape around the area you want to track, preferably close to the stars or stickers on the whiteboard.
Track Forward: Set the starting frame, then click the track forward button. Mocha will analyze the movement frame by frame.
Export Tracking Data: Once tracking is complete, export the tracking data using Position, Scale, and Rotation options. Copy this data to your clipboard.

Adding the Text/Logo

Create a Text Layer: Type in your desired text or logo and position it roughly where you want it on the whiteboard.
Create a Null Object: This helps control your text layer's transformations. To do this, go to Layer > New > Null Object.
Paste the Data: Select the Null Object and hit Cmd + V to paste the tracking data. This will link your text to the tracking points.

Fine-Tuning the Animation

Parent Text to Null Object: Make sure your text layer is parented to the null object so that it follows the movements accurately.
Adjust Positioning: Modify the rotation or scaling if needed.
Account for Motion Blur: Enable motion blur for your text layer to create a realistic effect when the whiteboard moves quickly.

Wrapping Up

After you've done the above steps, play your video to see your text or logo moving accurately along with the whiteboard. Adjust the timing as needed, and you're all set to export your personalized video!

Keywords

Keywords: motion tracking, After Effects, Mocha, video editing, text overlay, personalized videos, Vidyard, animation, logo tracking, motion blur

FAQ

Q: What is motion tracking?
A: Motion tracking is a visual effects technique used to analyze the motion of objects in a video, allowing you to attach overlays like text or logos that follow those movements.

Q: Why is Mocha preferred for motion tracking?
A: Mocha offers more advanced tracking capabilities, allowing for better accuracy in tracking corners and edges compared to standard After Effects tracking methods.

Q: Can I use motion tracking for other objects besides text?
A: Yes, motion tracking can be applied to any layer, including images, logos, or effects you would like to attach to moving objects.

Q: Is motion blur necessary for the animation?
A: While not strictly necessary, motion blur adds a level of realism to fast-moving objects, making your animations look more fluid and convincing.