How to blur an area...NOT track

[Robotics]

Hi, I am trying to blur a certain area of a video. I do not want it to track anything, I want it to be stationary in one area only.
I have tried numerous things and cant get it to work. It always wants to track something or move even if there is nothing there moving.
I have tried the "set tracker as area" thinking this was the setting, but it ends up moving anyway.

Anyone able to help me with detailed instructions on this, or is it impossible?

Im using Corel Video Studio X7

Thanks

[asik1]

2 ways 4u robot

0) Same clip on track0 and Overlay
1) use a mask on overlay with the blur/other FX
2) Use static CROP on overlay with with the blur/other FX
AND... than select Advanced motion BUT... do nothing with it.

[BrianCee]

In order to keep the mosaic blur stationary you must put the red "gun sight" icon on something which remains stationary in the video - the masked section will always move with the point you placed that 'target' on and the blur will move with it

if nothing remains stationary you have a bit of a problem - but depending on exactly what you need there may be a work around

For instance the effect in my image below was made by putting a coloured image in the overlay track and apply the FX 'Mosaic' to it and the using the 'customise filter' option to set the mosaic size - then sizing the image in the main screen

It does not move or do anything when played - but is it any where near what you want to do

[Robotics]

Thank you asik1,

I will give this a try, and it will help with things I do later on.

2 ways 4u robot

0) Same clip on track0 and Overlay
1) use a mask on overlay with the blur/other FX
2) Use static CROP on overlay with with the blur/other FX
AND... than select Advanced motion BUT... do nothing with it.

[Robotics]

Thank you Brian.

For some reason this doesn't work all the time. For instance, I will put the gun sight on a plain white wall (which is in the back round), and try to mask the top part of the video while someone is walking alongside the wall...the gun sight even though it is on the wall will start jumping around when people are walking alongside the wall but the people walking around are no where near the gun sight area.
I have had this happen in other situations also.

I was able to have the masked locked down stationary once, but I don't remember how I did it. And it very well might have been a slight glitch, but it worked. Pretty sure I had the setting set to "set tracker as area".

Thanks again.

In order to keep the mosaic blur stationary you must put the red "gun sight" icon on something which remains stationary in the video - the masked section will always move with the point you placed that 'target' on and the blur will move with it

if nothing remains stationary you have a bit of a problem - but depending on exactly what you need there may be a work around

For instance the effect in my image below was made by putting a coloured image in the overlay track and apply the FX 'Mosaic' to it and the using the 'customise filter' option to set the mosaic size - then sizing the image in the main screen

It does not move or do anything when played - but is it any where near what you want to do

simulated mosaic.JPG

[lata]

Hi

Would it be easier to use an Image Editor to create your image, maybe save as a transparent PNG.

Take a Snapshot of your video to use as the image, cropping the area you require

You would be able to vignette the edges, blur the main area, in fact anything you wish to do with it.
Then add the image to the overlay track and position.

[Robotics]

This is a good idea for some of the things I do, although wont do for certain other projects.

I just don't understand what or why the tab that is labeled "set tracker as an area" doesn't do what it implies it will do, and doesn't seem to do anything at all. And so far no one has explained exactly what that tab is for and exactly what it does. Cant even find an answer to it in another forum for Corel Video Studio and or on their YouTube page of tutorials. They bring up everything else but the one tab.
Like I mentioned earlier, I was able to do what I am trying to do once, but this happened out of error of trying numerous settings in the tracking window. But it did work. I just cant remember the combination I used to have it work...but it can be done, or I ran into a glitch in the program unexpectedly.

Thanks for your suggestion

[lata]

Hi
When you say you want to blur certain parts of a video, do you wish to add an image to overlay the video, of course that image would be blurred
Or
Do you wish to blur the actual video file. Again you could use an image of the video, cropped to size and blur that.

Using the tracker we can force the track to be static by using a still video.
The mosaic it creates becomes embedded to the video clip, its position cannot be altered, if we opted for the “placeholder” that would be placed on the overlay track again embedded to the video.
We can however replace the placeholder with any image of our choosing, unfortunately we cannot re-position the image.

So why not simply use your own image of the area you wish to blur.

I think I need more info on exactly what you are trying to do.
Create a test project indicating the area you wish to blur.
Use clips from the library. Otherwise create a Smart Package, zip and upload to a sharing site.
For projects save and zip the VSP and attach to your post.

Tracker Settings

Set tracker as a point would target a small area being very precise in tracking, it may however loose its target as it progresses?
Set tracker as an area would target a larger area, tracking would not be that precise, but having a larger target would probably work well.
Maybe a compromise depending on the subject.
At least that how I see it, setting as an area does not mean that is static.