Manual regions with keyframes

When you need full control, draw the mask yourself and tell it how to move. This is the manual counterpart to automatic tracking.

How it works

• Pause on any frame and draw a region over the area to cover.
• Move to a later frame and reposition or resize the region. Each adjustment becomes a keyframe.
• The motion between keyframes is interpolated, so a handful of keyframes covers a smooth movement.

When to reach for it

• Objects detection does not track, like a monitor in the background or a document on a table.
• A shot where automatic tracking keeps failing and repairing it takes longer than animating a box.
• Static areas that need covering for a whole scene: set one keyframe and it holds.

Tips

• Start with keyframes at the start and end of the movement, then add one in the middle only if the path curves.
• Make the region slightly larger than the object so interpolation never exposes an edge.
• Manual regions take effects like any target: blur, mosaic, or a solid box.