Learning Baselight – Tracking Shapes with Keyframes and the Area Tracker

Note: As an experiment, this series is being cross-posted to Mixing Light’s YouTube channel – these Insights will appear there one to two weeks after being first released into the Insights Color Library.

Learning Baselight Student, Part 13

Have you created a shape within Baselight and now you need to track it throughout your shot? Good news – you’ve found the right Insight!

How to track your shape both automatically and manually

The manual method uses good old-fashioned keyframes to set your shape position throughout the shot. This is a great technique for simple tracks and adjustments, so we’ll break down the keyframing essentials and get you comfortable using keyframes within Baselight.

The automatic method uses Baselight’s area tracking to automatically track a shape – which is a lot faster! We’ll cover how to track an area of the image, how to link the track to a shape and and how to toggle different tracking parameters on and off.

Learning Goals

What should you learn from this Insight?

• How to set Shape Motion keyframes
• Essential keyframing shortcuts
• How to use an area tracker to track a shape
• How to tweak an area tracker’s parametres

Related Insights

• Learning Baselight Student – Creating, Manipulating, And Color Grading With Shapes – Learn to apply and manipulate shapes to grade layers and use the MatteTool for the ultimate in shape edge control.

– Luke