FCP 10.4.8 Shape Mask not following moving person or object

A 2014 MacBook Pro can be upgraded up until macOS Big Sur 11.*

That would allow you to run FCP 10.6.5 on it.

Now, CAREFUL. Do not upgrade the OS until you make sure that other software you may depend on will work on the newer version (or can be updated).

And NEVER upgrade without a proper backup.

You could install Big Sur on an external SSD and try it without committing your main system to the upgrade.

Nevertheless, even with a tracker, it may very difficult to achieve perfection.

Do not expect too much.

I am thinking that what you would really need is the magnetic mask, but that would require FCP 11, and a much newer mac.

EDIT: I previously had written 'magic' instead of 'magnetic' - 'magnetic mask' is the feature I had in mind.

Ok - I don't know what you mean by checking the Keyframe "box" and that it should always be checked. What tutorials have you been watching? (Seriously — I want to know!)

To "rotoscope" a Draw Mask, you create all the control points you think you will need (it does not work well if you Add Points after you start keyframing!) [That means even adding "extras" in "convenient locations" that can be moved to fill a spot that might need to be utilized as the progress of the animation goes on.]

In Final Cut you would usually set ONE keyframe by clicking the keyframe icon/indicator (when "set", a small yellow-orange diamond to the right of the parameter being keyframed.) For a Draw Mask, you would click the diamond to the right of Control Points. Then all you have to do is move the playhead, then reposition the On-Screen control points to match that frame — a keyframe for that frame is ***automatically set*** by FCP. Do that for every frame that needs changes.

If you get into keyframing the Transforms (inside Draw Mask) as well, you can run into problems because of Anchor Point shifts... Anchor Points are something of an advanced topic.] Anyway, if you're going to be animating *more than one parameter* the same rule persists for each: Set one keyframe, move the playhead, **adjust the parameter value** (analogous to changing the position of control points on the screen) — you have to actually change the value for an animation to occur. If you set a keyframe and make no changes to the parameter value, it's the same as not setting a keyframe. If the yellow-orange diamond does NOT appear at any particular playhead position, then there is NO keyframe for that frame. Animation occurs as the interpolation of parameter values between any two set keyframes.

HTH

I came to this conclusion after this post, drawing multiple masks, for all the sabers

Either the sabers or the head is fine, just choose whichever requires the least amount of work.

I've been using FCP for 5 days, so lot of things I don't quite get

There are too many control points. Use the "Handles" from each point to manipulate the Bezier curve.

Hold down ⌘ and drag the point →A handle will appear

Hold down Option and drag the handle circle in a larger direction →You can change the angle to your liking

Select the clip →Press control+V to display the keyframe positions →Select the "Draw a mask" field →Press shift+control+V to switch to displaying only the selected field

Object tracking was introduced in FCP 10.6.

Post some screen shots of what you're trying to do.

alexxjian wrote:

Thank you Luis, at this point not looking to change OS, would mean to reconfigure or check compatibility for too many softwares...

I completely understand, that is why installing on a separate drive could be a solution. Leave your internal as is, and boot from the external when needing to use the new version.

I strongly recommend that you make a zip of the current version of FCP, for safekeeping, just in case.

I don't think the tracking feature is very important to you. You can solve this by overlapping the girl's head with the light using a draw mask and keyframes.

Take a look at this example where I've edited the light of a red laser trap to pass behind the woman. This is the same example you're trying to do.

●Lazer trap

Rotoscoping is mind-numbingly tedious work... You would have been a lot better off is you had draped a green sheet on the wall so that the action could be keyed out with a keyer (you could just shoot the empty room afterwords to fill in the wall detail).

The main difficulty I've had with this scene is the wall in the back. It is too close to skin color and also has a lot of yellow in it making masking (with a keyer) the hair, skin and (!)t-shirt nearly impossible. I was able to do it to a certain extent - Draw Mask outline on the child and keyers inside the pigtails. Still, very difficult work. (And, "collecting" those dark "chips" [inside the left side pigtail] also selects sections of the hair color! :P)

If the Light Sabers are objects you're adding to the scene, then my recommendation would be to use **multiple** Draw Masks on the Sabers, like so:

I've highlighted the draw mask outlines (to differentiate from those in the screenshot) used **on** the light saber generator. Basically, you only need a few points (with a little negative feathering) and just enough to extend past the glows. You still have a lot of keyframing to do (not nearly as much as before), but possibly you won't need to go frame by frame throughout the whole clip (although there *will* be sections where that will be necessary).

If you do the entire light saber animation *without* masking, then in those time spans where masking is necessary, you can simply blade the generator into shorter clips. FCP will automatically match the cut animations. [Make sense??]

As I said, it is possible to add as many Draw Mask effects as you need for each small section. You can also Shift-click-select multiple, or all the Draw Masks in the Effects inspector (by their "titlebars") so that ALL the points are accessible on screen at the same time.

Luis, with Apple not providing older FCP versions, will alexxjian be able to get 10.6.5?