User Manual

Table Of Contents
Perform the Track Analysis
Before you begin analyzing, you’ll need to make sure you’ve set a render range in the Time
Ruler that corresponds to the range of frames during which the pattern is visible. This may be an
entire clip or only a small portion of that clip. Depending on the type of motion you’re tracking,
you may want to use the Adaptive Mode option to aid the analysis (see below for more details).
Once your options are set, you can use any of the tracking transport buttons at the top of the
Inspector to start tracking. Once tracking has started, you cannot work in the Node Editor until it
has completed.
The tracking transport buttons and analysis parameters.
To begin tracking, do one of the following:
Click the Track Reverse button to track from the very end of the render range.
Click the Track Backward from Current Frame button to track backward from the current
playhead position.
Click the Track Forward button to track from the very start of the render range.
Click the Track Forward from Current Frame button to track forward from the current
playhead position.
Pattern tracking will stop automatically when it reaches the end of the render range (or the start
when tracking backward), but you can also interrupt it and stop tracking at any time.
To stop tracking, do one of the following:
Click the Stop Tracking button in the tracker transports.
Click Stop Render at the bottom of the Fusion window.
Press the Escape key.
When tracking is complete, the path will be connected to the pattern. The path from that pattern
can now be connected to another node or used for more advanced operations like stabilization
and corner positioning.
Once the track is complete, assuming it’s good, you can use the various techniques in this
chapter to use the track in your composition.
Tips for Choosing a Good Pattern
The Tracker works by searching each frame for the pixels contained in the pattern. In order for a
track to be successful, a fairly high contrast and unique region of the image must be located in
the footage. This process is known as pattern selection.
The first step in pattern selection is to review the footage to be tracked several times. Watch for
candidate patterns that are visible through the entire range of frames, where the contrast is high
and the shape of the pattern does not change over time. The more unique the pattern, the
more likely the track is to be successful.
Chapter – 73 Using the Tracker Node 1498