How Do I Add More Track Points in After Effects?

The method for adding more track points in After Effects depends on the context of what you're trying to track. Here's a breakdown of common scenarios:

Adding Track Points While Tracking a Single Feature:

If you're already using After Effects' built-in tracker and want more points to improve accuracy, you can:

1. Select the Layer: In the Timeline panel, select the layer containing the footage you're tracking.
2. Open the Tracker Panel: Go to Window > Tracker.
3. Choose Your Tracking Method: Decide whether you're doing Position, Rotation, or Scale tracking, or a combination.
4. Analyze and Add Manually: After the initial automatic tracking, manually step through your footage using the navigation buttons in the Tracker panel. If the track drifts off or the object changes, you can adjust the position of the existing track point, or click inside the Composition panel (with the layer selected) to add a new track point where needed. This is useful when the tracked object briefly becomes obscured or significantly changes its appearance.

Using Multiple Track Points for Detailed Motion Tracking:

For complex motion or tracking objects with distortion, use multiple track points:

1. Add Multiple Track Points: In the Tracker panel, click "Track Motion" or "Track Motion Source". Multiple track points will appear.
2. Place Each Track Point: Drag each track point to a distinct feature on the object you're tracking. Choose features that are likely to remain visible throughout the shot.
3. Track Forward/Backward: Track forward or backward as needed. After Effects will analyze the motion of each track point.
4. Use Motion Stabilization or Motion Tracking: Once tracking is complete, you can apply the tracking data for stabilization (smooth camera shake) or attach other layers to the tracked object.

Creating Track Points Using Masks:

As suggested in the reference, you can use a mask and spline to create tracking points, particularly for object replacement or when the built-in tracker struggles.

1. Draw a Mask: Select the layer with your video. Choose the Pen tool (G) from the toolbar. Draw a mask around the object you want to track. The reference mentions using the Spline tool, which is essentially the Pen tool allowing you to create Bezier splines.
2. Add More Points: After creating an initial shape, you can add more vertices (points) to the mask by clicking on the mask path with the Pen tool (with Add Vertex option enabled).
3. Track the Mask: Use the Mask Path property in the Timeline panel. Enable keyframe recording (click the stopwatch). Manually adjust the mask's shape and position frame-by-frame, adding/adjusting mask vertices as needed, to precisely follow the object's movement. This creates a series of keyframes that represent the motion.
4. Use Mask Path Data: The mask path data can be used to drive other animations or effects.

Tips for Effective Tracking:

• Choose High Contrast Features: Select track points that have good contrast with their surroundings.
• Avoid Occlusion: Try to choose points that won't be obscured by other objects.
• Plan Your Shot: If possible, plan your shots to make tracking easier.
• Use Mocha AE: For very complex tracking, consider using Mocha AE, which is included with After Effects. Mocha provides planar tracking, which is more robust for tracking surfaces.