Camera Tracking: 3 Practical Methods for Video Editing

What is motion camera tracking?

Camera tracking refers to the process of reproducing the movements of an object within a scene. The object can be a person, a car, an animal, a ball, a cloud, etc. It analyzes the movement frame by frame and creates a data path. You can then use this data to make another element not initially in the scene follow the same trajectory. The added element is seemingly attached to the moving object. For example, when showing a sports video, you can place an arrow above a player's head to help viewers follow the player as they move around the field. A motion-tracking camera enables precise placement and movement of attached objects.

How to perform motion tracking of the camera with CapCut PC

The CapCut desktop video editor is a professional media editing tool and the best camera tracking software. It is suitable for motion tracking in business, social media, academic, and other types of videos. CapCut PC lets you precisely track face, hand, and body movements. This camera-tracking application is suitable for daily editing and has the power to handle intricate editing needs.

Steps to apply camera tracking using CapCut

STEP 1
1. Upload the video to CapCut

Drag and drop a video into the editor, or click the "Import" button and select your video. Besides, if you have no videos, leverage CapCut desktop's stock videos in the "Library" section under "Media."

STEP 2
1. Track camera motion and edit the video

Navigate to the "Video" option, select "Camera tracking" under "Basic." Here, select the subject you want to track, such as face, body, and hand. You can also customise the area you need to track.

STEP 3
1. Export the video

Click "Export" at the top right and customize your video's title. Select the video format and resolution you want. Finally, click "Export" to save it to your device.

Key features

• Camera tracking: CapCut provides an AI camera tracking tool, allows you to track the video object's motion, including face, body, hand, or custom area.
• An extensive collection of media resources: Use CapCut's stock videos as transitions for your footage, its filters to change the color of your video scene, and its soundtracks for your video background music, etc.
• Abundant video editing tools: Leverage basic tools such as trim, crop, flip, mirror, rotate, reverse, etc., and advanced tools like masking and transcript-based editing for polishing your content.
• AI video editing tools: There are lots of AI video editing tools in CapCut, such as AI movement, auto reframe, auto caption generator, and more.
• Share instantly: Upload your video and share it with your TikTok followers or YouTube audience without exiting the CapCut desktop editor.

How to do camera tracking in After Effects

Adobe After Effects is a video editing application that provides sophisticated tools for motion tracking. It offers several tracker types, including 3D camera, point, and corner pin tracking, each catering to specific scenarios. After Effects camera tracking allows you to analyze and define an object's tracking points precisely. This software is available for Windows and macOS.

STEP 1
1. Upload

Launch Adobe After Effects on your PC, then drag and drop your video into the editor. Alternatively, go to File, select "Import," then click "File" if you want to upload a single video. If you wish to add multiple clips, select "Multiple Files." Choose a video or videos using the file explorer, then click "Import."

STEP 2
1. Track camera motion

Select your footage's layer, then go to "Animation" in the menu bar and click "Track Camera." Set the track type to "Camera" in the tracker panel settings and start the footage analysis. Once the analysis is over, your video will have tracking points to help the software track each scene. You can adjust the tracking points for better accuracy. Go to "Track Detail" to access frame-by-frame tracking data and customize it.

STEP 3
1. Export the video from After Effects

Once your video suits your preferences, go to "File," then click "Export." Customize the export settings such as resolution, output module, video codec, frame rate, bit rate, etc. Add a video name and adjust the output location, then click "Export."

How to perform Blender 3D camera tracking

Blender is a simple, user-friendly video editor with 3D animation capabilities. It allows you to track the motion of an object or camera and apply the tracking data to 3D objects. The Blender camera tracker supports powerful 2D and 3D motion reconstruction tools, allowing you to integrate motion graphics. This software is available on Windows and Mac.

STEP 1
1. Upload videos to Blender

Launch Blender, click "Video Sequencer" and select "Add to import a video." Navigate to the right menu, hit the "Output" tab, and choose PNG as the file format. Click "Render," and select "Render Animation" in the top-left.

Once this is done, open a new Blender instance, go to "Movie Clip Editor," click "Open," then select and add all the images from your clip. Preview the video. If it is too slow, hit the "Prefetch" button and click "Set SceneFrames."

STEP 2
1. Track camera motion

Go to "Tracking Settings." Under "Motion Model," change Loc to Affine, check the "Normalize" box, and then adjust the correlation value to 0.9 under "Tracking Setting Extra." You now need to add at least eight markers. To do this, press and hold the Ctrl key and right-click. Place the resulting small white squares over the footage you want to track. Press Ctrl + T to track the entire footage or Alt + Right-arrow to track one frame.

Then, go to "Solve" on the left and check the "Keyframe" box. Under "Refine," adjust Nothing to Focal Length, Optical Center, K1, and K2. Click "Solve Camera Motion." Once you are satisfied with the tracked footage, go to "Scene Setup" and click "Setup Tracking Scene" to set up a 3D scene.

STEP 3
1. Export the video from Blender

Click the "Export" icon on the right and select a folder to export your video. Choose a file format, codec, container, resolution, encoding speed, etc. Next, go to "Render" and select "Render Animation." Blender will then use the images to create a video file. Once rendering is done, you can find the video in your specified output folder.

Which method is the best for you: comparison offered

Selecting the best camera tracking method mainly depends on how advanced your footage is and how comfortable you are with editing tools. CapCut provides AI camera tracking for daily edits, whereas After Effects delivers high-quality results for professional VFX. Blender stands out for its 3D camera tracking and its complex scene reconstruction. Let's compare these 3 tools to see which best serves your needs:

Whether you prefer to use the CapCut desktop editor, Blender, or the 3D camera tracker in After Effects, you will get a precise output. Each tool provides accurate motion tracking suitable for object or camera tracking. However, the CapCut desktop editor is the most user-friendly tool with the shortest learning curve.

As a toolkit for professionals, it possesses incredible editing power and lets you do more besides motion tracking. Its suite of basic, advanced, and AI video editing features combined with rich media resources makes it a fantastic all-around video editor. Install the CapCut desktop video editor today for precise camera tracking and seamless editing.

FAQs

1
1. How can I do camera tracking in CapCut?

Camera tracking in CapCut is quite simple and beginner-friendly. Begin by uploading your video to CapCut using the "Import" option. Next, go to "Video," and select "Camera tracking" under the "Basic" option, and choose the subject you wish to track, like face, body, hand, or a custom area. Adjust the tracking region as required and let CapCut automatically analyze the motion. Once finished, attach or edit any element you wish to track its movement, and export the final video.

2
1. What is the best camera tracking software?

The CapCut desktop video editor is the best camera tracking software. It provides highly accurate AI motion tracking that can follow your face, hand, or any custom area with minimal effort. Plus, its interface is quite simple, making it perfect for beginners and casual users. Along with precise tracking, CapCut offers a host of basic and advanced editing tools, including trim, crop, flip, mirror, auto frame, AI movement, and a caption generator.

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1. How to do camera 3D tracking?

To do 3D camera tracking, you need motion tracking software and clear footage. It is done by analyzing the video frame by frame and generating a motion path that a new element can follow. Tools, like After Effects and Blender, let you import your clip, detect tracking points, and solve the motion for accurate 3D placement. CapCut offers AI motion tracking for faces, bodies, hands, and custom areas. Additionally, you can enhance your video with a variety of basic and advanced AI-powered editing features.

Learn more about camera tracking here:

https://www.capcut.com/resource/motion-camera-tracking

https://www.capcut.com/resource/blender-motion-tracking

https://www.capcut.com/resource/motion-tracking-premiere-pro