Tracker Node

Hi everyone. I am using Fusion Beta 2 on Mac. I used Shake up-untell about 6 months ago when Yosemite killed it and am VERY eager get fluent in Fusion!

I have always used taking and stabilization a tun in my work, but am having trouble understanding Fusion's Tracker node, and there seems to be a lack of good tutorials that do more than the (very) basics.

Does anyone have a good place to look?

The big one I am trying to figure out right now is: in Shake I would use a MatchMove node to stabilize the footage and then a copy of the node at the end of the tree to add the stabilization back in. How do I add the removed stabilization back in to the footage after I do my comp?

Hi Dallas,
Welcome to fusion!!

Ok, here is how it goes..

match move settings...

BG only will stabilize your image that is in the background input
FG only will output the tracked matched moved image in the foreground input
FG over BG is the same as above, but with a merge over the background, build into the tracker
BG over FG will de-stabilize the image.

Hope that helps

Hey, Dallas!

When you will stabilise your shot and do adjustments and if you want to destabilise it back to original motion try to use destabilize script for transform node:

transform node -> right mouse button click -> script -> destabilize transform

Thanks for that information.

1. I don't have default scripts installed with v8 beta - is this something I've missed?

2. I found a version of destablize http://www.steakunderwater.com/VFXPedia/96.0.243.189/index57ad.html?title=Useful_Scripts - and applied to a transform node in series, but the destabilize was not perfect so...

3. Is there a hook into the tracker info to use to 'destablize', preferably without baking in the animation, further down workflow?

Thanks for the reply Rony and Mikhail.

I am not sure I we are meaning the same thing by de-stabilize, as BG over FG does not behave as I would expect for de-stabilization. I am looking to add the original motion back on-to the original clip, in effect reversing the stabilization movement.

Mikhail, I don't seem to have that script either (or any scripts). I am also using the 2nd mac beta, which may be why?

I found a script (Destabilize_Transform_v3) at the link Trevor gave, but am having trouble figuring out how to "install" it.

Hi Dallas

To 'install' a script I just right clicked on a node in the flow and selected Script | Edit | New... and copy/pasted from the link into the empty .lua doc that opened up and saved it. (I think you can rename the .eyeon scripts to .lua and put them in the scripts directory... but the former seemed easier).

I'm trying to achieve the same as you, I think. I want to stabilize an image (e.g. so an athletes bib stays in one position in the screen so I can paint it out - then invert the 'stabilization' to reintroduce the movement.

BG only does the stabilize
FG only applies the match move to the foreground only
FG over BG applies the match move to the foreground and comps on the unchanged background
BG over FG seems to stabilize the BG and comp the FG, unchanged on top.

Thanks for the reply Rony and Mikhail.

I am not sure I we are meaning the same thing by de-stabilize, as BG over FG does not behave as I would expect for de-stabilization. I am looking to add the original motion back on-to the original clip, in effect reversing the stabilization movement.

Mikhail, I don't seem to have that script either (or any scripts). I am also using the 2nd mac beta, which may be why?

I found a script (Destabilize_Transform_v3) at the link Trevor gave, but am having trouble figuring out how to "install" it.

I see.. this script should be in (extract to) :../Fusion Root Folder/Scripts/Tool - then it will appear in a context menu.

Huzzah! Thanks, that worked perfectly for me! Though my test rack was pretty basic. I will try a "real" shot thats more complicated tomorrow and see how it works.

I don't know why I couldn't get it to work for me before, though I did have to change the extension like Trevor said.

this script should be in (extract to) :../Fusion Root Folder/Scripts/Tool - then it will appear in a context menu.

For OSX destination is:

~/Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/Fusion/Scripts/Tool

And I need to rename it to .lua for it to appear in my scripts drop-down.

Does work a charm though- live update of tracking info, inverted

Hi there,

Anyone know whether this script still works in Resolve/Fusion 16? If not, is there another way to achieve the same effect?
(Because stabilize->comp work->un-stabilize is standard workflow in Nuke)

Thanks!

Edit: Obviously I already tried it, but couldn't get it to work. However, I am perhaps installing it in the wrong place. Using Resolve 16 non-studio on Linux.

Edit: [SOLVED] Okay I think I've solved this, so I'm posting it here in case anyone else happens upon the same problem:
1. Drop in a transform node at the end of your operator chain.
2. Right click on the animate buttons for centre/size/angle, go to "connect to" and find your stabilizing tracker, and select"unsteady position/size/angle."
3. Here's the trick: you must also connect the xform node's "Pivot" to the stabilizer's "Axis." There is no unsteady version, just straight.

There you have it. An incredibly common workflow, documented nowhere in BMD manuals. Not impossible, but more complicated than it need be. (Could've just been an "invert" checkbox, like on the planar tracker).

An updated version of the script is in the Eyeon Legacy script collection available in Reactor.

Another method is to make a copy of the Tracker, set it to Matchmove/FG Only, and connect your image to both inputs. The FG input will be the one destabilized and displayed, but the BG still needs to be connected because that's what Fusion reads the format from.

Note that if you've cropped wider for the purpose of keeping all your pixels in-raster, you'll need to crop back down to your original format before destabilizing (just remember to set Clipping Mode to "None.")

Sorry for the off-topic but I was glad here ti re-read a post from Rony

Check the date.

Yeah I saw the five years ago date, that's specifically what's funny. I remember one of his live Fusion demo (ihmo around Fu v. 8) and was actually impressed