Mocha Tracking After Effects

Think the After Effects face tracker is amazing? This mocha Pro tutorial explains why it may not be the best option for tracking.

Mocha Pro is by far a better tracker than After Effects due to its expanded functionality and spline-based track system. That’s not to say that the built-in tracking features in After Effects aren’t useful. They are, but only up to a point. If you’re working on a high-end film or commercial job, you definitely want to refine your tracks using mocha Pro as After Effects can leave some less-than-impressive results.

Adobe After Effects Professional has a wide variety of third-party plug-ins like Mocha. This advanced tracking system means that you can create and adjust scenes with greater professionalism. There are advantages to After Effects moving to Creative Cloud. Using Mocha AE to Track Out Of Focus Footage in After Effects Stefan Surmabojov looks at methods for tracking footage that may be out of focus using Mocha for After Effects (mocha is really great at this) and then creating and attaching a hovering style interface for the track in After Effects to finish the shot. Mocha also exports native tracking, spline and 3D data in a wide variety of host formats: 1 Requires the free 3D Track Importer plug-in for After Effects (download) 2 Requires the free Mocha Lens Importer plug-in for After Effects (download) COMPARE MOCHA PRO & SILHOUETTE. Mocha Pro is by far a better tracker than After Effects due to its expanded functionality and spline-based track system. That’s not to say that the built-in tracking features in After Effects aren’t useful. They are, but only up to a point.

Using Mocha Tracking Data In After Effects

In this video tutorial created by Imagineer Systems (the people that make mocha Pro), we take a look at the impressive ways in which mocha Pro can track faces. All of that tracking data can then be applied to your footage in After Effects for color grading and compositing. The tutorial covers:

Using splines in mocha Pro
Exporting tracking data from mocha Pro
Importing tracking data into After Effects
Planar tracking

The thing that makes this technique so much better is the fact that it uses a planar tracker rather than a pixel based tracker. The mocha Pro tracker can also deal with points that go on and off of the screen, so your track points should be obscured if a portion of your subject leaves the frame.

This video was first shared by Imagineer Systems on their Vimeo page. Thanks for sharing guys!

Like any other technique in After Effects,good tracking takes time to learn. If you stick with it, you’ll be able to easily work in After Effects and mocha Pro seamlessly.

Want to learn more about tracking in After Effects? Check out a few of the following links:

Have any other tips for motion tracking in mocha Pro or After Effects? Share in the comments below.

After Effects Mocha Tutorials

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