Analyze the motion of a clip

Analyze the motion of a clip

The Analyze Motion behavior analyzes and stores tracking data from a clip. Analyze Motion data tracks are meant to be referenced by other tracking behaviors.

For a full description of Analyze Motion parameters, see Analyze Motion controls.

Note: Tracking in one pass rarely yields perfect results. For information on tracking methods and tips, see Basic strategies to improve tracking results.

Generate a tracking data using the Analyze Motion behavior

  1. In the Layers list, Timeline, or Canvas, select the video clip to track, then click the Add Behavior pop-up menu in the tool bar and choose Motion Tracking > Analyze Motion.

    Toolbar showing Add Behaviors pop-up menu and Motion Tracking behaviors submenu

    Note: Alternatively, you can drag the Analyze Motion behavior from the Library onto the video clip in the Layers list, Timeline, or Canvas.

    An onscreen tracker is added to the footage. By default, a single tracker appears at the center of the footage.

    Tracker in Canvas

  2. Play your background clip several times to determine a good reference point in the footage, then move the playhead to the frame where you want to start the track analysis.

  3. In the Canvas, drag the tracker to the reference point you want to use.

    Note: For more information on using the onscreen tracker, see Adjust onscreen trackers. For more information on selecting a tracking reference point, see Basic strategies to improve tracking results.

  4. To add more trackers, click the Add button in the Behaviors Inspector.

    Each new tracker is added to the center of the footage.

    The more trackers you use, the more spatial information you’ll record: One-point tracking records position data; two-point tracking and four-point tracking record position, rotation, and scale data (by comparing the relative change between the points); multiple-point tracking can record all the control points (vertices) on a shape.

  5. Drag the additional trackers to the reference points you want to use.

    Note: You can specify a portion of a clip to be analyzed. For more information, see Define a range of frames for analysis.

  6. Click the Analyze button in the HUD or Behaviors Inspector.

    HUD showing Analyze Motion behavior parameters

    When the tracking analysis begins, a progress window opens, and track points appear on a motion path in the Canvas. The track point at the current playhead position is emphasized.

    Canvas showing analyzed track

    The tracking keyframes contained in the behavior appear in the Keyframe Editor. (If the Keyframe Editor is not visible, click the Show/Hide Keyframe Editor button in the lower-left corner of the Motion project window.)

    Keyframe Editor showing tracking keyframes

    Because the Analyze Motion behavior is not applied to a source object or destination object, only the tracking keyframes appear in the Keyframe Editor. However, when you use a Match Move or Stabilize behavior, the tracking keyframes appear as well as the transform curves of the source object (for Stabilize) or destination object (for Match Move).

    A confidence curve is also displayed in the Keyframe Editor. This curve provides a visual indication of the tracker’s accuracy relative to its parameter settings in the Inspector. The confidence curve is for reference only and is not used for editing purposes.

  7. To stop a track analysis, click the Stop button in the progress window or press Esc.

    Tip: If the tracker loses its reference pattern, do not click the Stop button. Allow the analysis to continue for a few seconds. When the tracker fails, the playhead jumps to the exact frame where the reference pattern was lost.

    The analyzed track, contained in the Analyze Motion behavior, can now be loaded into other tracking behaviors. See Load existing tracking data into a tracking behavior.