How would I draw a tracked animated line on a Google Earth Studio video

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Level 1

28 points

How would I draw a tracked animated line on a Google Earth Studio video

So I have an output from Google Earth Studio that takes me from one location to another. I want to draw a line along a road that gives the path that one would take if they were to drive from one location to the other. I know how to do this no problem if I just take a still image and do this, but the problem with that is that as I zoom in on the image, the resolution becomes horrible. To resolve this I'm using Google Earth studio to produce the video that shows this animation. Now I need to lay the line on top of that, but of course I'm not sure how to get the line to track accurately enough to follow the path of the roads that are on the map. Hope this makes sense.

Mac Studio, macOS 14.6

Posted on Jul 20, 2025 10:36 AM

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Answer 1

fox_m

Level 6

13,160 points

Jul 20, 2025 7:41 PM in response to htown

Are you trying to trace FM 1887? or some other road? If FM 1887, it looks like it actually goes out of the scene.

Is that flood damage or wildfire damage??

Is this the target center (or "close enough") on the Brazos Ranch?

The technique I'm trying out is:

Track the location/focus of map (from end to beginning). Use a "null object" (crosshair image, small shape, whatever is easiest).

Near the beginning of the video (zoom into the image if you have difficulty seeing the detail), trace the route you want to highlight/animate. Set the Anchor Point of the line to the first point. Link it to the null object position.

As the video progresses, animate the XYZ Rotation and Scale to match your map's route.

You also have the option of animating the route line's control points (if you have trouble manipulating the Scale/Rotation controls to match.)

I did not spend a *lot* of time on this example, but this might give you an idea that it's possible:

https://youtu.be/dnIDtqn1L28

I didn't know which route you wanted to trace, so I just traced the Brazos River as an example. (Notice the crosshair image marking the location at the edge of the Brazos according to the beginning of the still frames at the end of the video [also, not all that exact — approximately every 25 frames or so in a 60fps project.)

The map inset will likely be easier ;)

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Answer 2

fox_m

Level 6

13,160 points

Jul 20, 2025 9:48 PM in response to htown

Yeah... this sort of thing usually breaks down to be a frame by frame keyframe operation... :P ... in which case, the easiest method may be to simply keyframe the control points of your (Bezier) line. Try to use as few points as possible.

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Answer 3

htown Author

Level 1

28 points

Jul 20, 2025 5:39 PM in response to fox_m

I have been able to do this in some cases but because I start off wide maybe showing a main nearby city or 2 or 3 and then i zoom down to the property itself. Of course, when you start with an image that zoomed out that far and then zoom all the way into the property, the resolution is horrible. By the time you are zoomed in. In the past, I have just a gigantic Hi-Rez flat map by merging 6 to 9 screen grabs in Photoshop and then blending them all together, but that takes a lot of time. I was hoping I could just take a video from Google Earth studio and put in a few of the main highways and other points of interest.

But what I'm gathering from your comment is it is really not possible.

Here is a link to view the map animation (video) on Google Drive.

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Answer 4

fox_m

Level 6

13,160 points

Jul 20, 2025 12:42 PM in response to htown

I'd have to see the video first... but don't hold your breath. Your best option might be to use a "flat map inset" for the scene.

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Answer 5

htown Author

Level 1

28 points

Jul 20, 2025 8:29 PM in response to fox_m

I tried that same technique and ended up with a shaky trace as well such as the one in your video. Unfortunately that is unacceptable for my application. It must look rock solid.

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