Planar tracking and a simple screen replacement

Planar tracking estimates the movement of a flat surface. It is useful for signs and screens, but reflections, occlusion, and changing perspective still need careful compositing.

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Work through it

1. Choose footage with a visible flat surface and enough texture. On a useful reference frame, define a tracking region that stays on the same plane and avoids unrelated moving objects.
2. Track in both directions as needed. Review the entire range, especially when the surface rotates, blurs, or becomes partly hidden.
3. Use the tracked motion with the available planar transform or corner-pin workflow to position your replacement graphic. Confirm the reference frame and coordinate assumptions.
4. Match the replacement’s brightness, softness, grain, and motion blur to the shot. Mask foreground occlusions separately and preserve natural reflections where the material supports it.

Your turn

Replace a flat sign or screen in a short shot using a graphic you create. Check the corners frame by frame at the most difficult moment, then review at speed.

Your notes

Write down what worked, what surprised you, and what to try next. Saved on this device.

Original practical lesson · Open the in-house resource shelf for practice files and definitions. Completion records your self-assessment, not certification.