Motion Tracking Feature? Trying to highlight a football

[CFPub]

Hi all -- just joined the site after hearing about it on the Adobe forum, and will appreciate all of your help and direction!

I am working on a college football highlight video - and would like to be able to add some sort of "glowing" effect on a moving football (i.e. to highlight its path after a forced fumble, etc.).

I have gone through Adobe's help, and scanned through some of Steve's tutorials - but haven't seemed to find what I'm looking for. I am on a tight deadline (of course!) - and bought the program on Saturday!

I see that there is the "motion tracking" feature -- and asked the question regarding it on the Adobe Forum - but no one seemed to know how to use it. I've played around with it - and can't get it to work.

Any suggestions/direction?

Thanks so much,
Kim

[Chuck Engels]

Hi Kim,
Welcome to Muvipix

I'm sure Steve Grisetti will be able to provide you all of the details on using the Motion Tracking, he wrote the book
In the mean time there will be others I'm sure that will also stop by to say hi and give you a little help.

[Chuck Engels]

Meanwhile if you are a subscriber you can check out Steve Tutorials on Motion Tracking in version 8 (same as version 9)
http://muvipix.com/products.php?searchp ... =0&btn.y=0

Steve also explains about Motion Tracking in his Premiere Elements books

[Steve Grisetti]

Exactly what I was going to say, Chuck!

Basically, Kim, you click to select the clip on your timeline and then click on on the Motion Tracking tool at the top of the Timeline panel.

This will open up a Motion Track workspace on the Monitor panel, from which you create a Tracking Object to follow something (a football for instance) around your video frame.

Once you've tracked it, it's a cinch to attach any piece of clip art or a graphic or a glow to the Tracking Object and it will follow your football around the screen!

[momoffduty]

Welcome to Muvipix Kim!

[CFPub]

Exactly what I was going to say, Chuck!

Basically, Kim, you click to select the clip on your timeline and then click on on the Motion Tracking tool at the top of the Timeline panel.

This will open up a Motion Track workspace on the Monitor panel, from which you create a Tracking Object to follow something (a football for instance) around your video frame.

Once you've tracked it, it's a cinch to attach any piece of clip art or a graphic or a glow to the Tracking Object and it will follow your football around the screen!

Steve -- I sent you an email regarding some trouble I'm having logging in as a subscriber to the tutorials...

I've tried the motion tracking -- I have made the "yellow box" around the football, and added an effect to it. However, the effect ends up being a square/rectangle shape (the box that I had to select around the football) - and does not just highlight the oblong-shaped football itself. Maybe what I am trying to accomplish with this feature is just not possible?

Oh - and thanks for all the "welcome to the boards"!
Kim

[Chuck Engels]

Hi Kim,
Not sure what is going on but every time you post it is making me approve it, that is not normal in our forum.
Ron will have to figure that out when he gets back.

Anyway, Ron usually takes care of the subscriber log in issues but he is on vacation this week.
I can try to help you, please let me know what the problem is. You should have gotten an email with a login name (PayPal email address) and a password. The forum and subscriber's areas are separate and require separate logins. Ron can set you up for a single login when he gets back. Then you will only need to log into the forum and will have access to everything.

Thanks for the subscription it really helps keep us going

[momoffduty]

It may be better to motion track a graphic to the football. Make a white or gold gradient oval using the titler or PSE. In PSE the oval could be feathered into the transparent background and would not have a hard edge. Track that graphic to the football and then adjust the graphic's opacity and add an effect to it such as the lensflare set on a low value. I do not have PrEl9 so can not help on the motion tracking.

[CFPub]

I have a feeling that because there is so much motion going on in the frame (it is a live football play --- so there are several players moving, the camera itself is moving, etc.) that the "motion tracking" feature is having a hard time just tracking the football.

I spoke to a friend tonight, and he said that the effect I am really trying to achieve should be done in After Effects. Since I am "not going there".. he has graciously offered to add the effect to this specific clip for me.

I am certainly learning A LOT in a very short period of time --- thanks to everyone for their help and suggestions

Kim

[Steve Grisetti]

We're just happy you found a solution, Kim! Should be a great effect.