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IntermediateMochaAfter Effects

Introduction to Mocha AE

What you need to know about Mocha AE before you solve your first shot: the interface, planar tracking, perspective with the Surface, shapes and how to bring it all into After Effects.

6sections
30lessons
2 hof video

An introduction to Mocha AE, the Boris FX planar tracker included with After Effects. You'll learn to prepare the clip, create tracking planes with X-Splines and Béziers, analyze the motion, place the Surface for a perspective track, fine-tune with AdjustTrack, create shapes linked to a track with feather, and apply the results in After Effects from the Mocha AE effect: transform, corner pin and mattes. With Jorge Mochón, who has been an Adobe Certified Instructor.

By the end of the course you'll know how to

  • Prepare the footage so the track doesn't fail from the start: lock the variable frame rate of a phone clip and build a composition that matches it in every respect.
  • Read a shot before tracking it: where there's parallax, which areas have useful edges and texture, and which elements (a bus crossing, a screen whose content changes) would spoil the analysis.
  • Get a transform track with X-Spline, Bézier and X+, and apply it to a null object knowing where it will be placed and why that matters when there's rotation.
  • Track a screen in perspective even when it leaves the frame: place the Surface, correct drift with AdjustTrack and insert the image with a corner pin without distorting it.
  • Decide when to track a shape directly and when to link it to the track of another area with Link to Track, and bring those shapes into After Effects as animated masks, with the feather you set in Mocha.

Is it for you?

This course is for you if…

  • You are comfortable in After Effects (compositions, layers, masks, keyframes) and haven't used Mocha yet, or have used it without really understanding what it was doing.
  • You are an editor or motion designer who needs to replace a screen, follow a surface or build animated masks for retouching.
  • You have After Effects: Mocha AE comes included, so you don't need to buy anything else. If you use a version earlier than 2019, the appendix covers the workflow with Mocha as a standalone application.

It's not for you if…

  • You haven't used After Effects yet: start with «After Effects 101».
  • You already master Mocha and want advanced techniques: that is what «Tracking with Mocha and After Effects» is for.
Audio:Spanish, English, Portuguese
Subtitles:Spanish, English, Portuguese

Curriculum

1. Mocha AE today3lessons
  1. Course introduction
  2. Preparing the clip and opening Mocha AE from After Effects
  3. Comprueba lo aprendido
2. Planar tracking: transform tracking5lessons
  1. Analyzing the shot before tracking
  2. X-Spline, Bézier and the add and subtract tools
  3. Creating the tracking planes and analyzing
  4. Applying the transform track to a null object
  5. Comprueba lo aprendido
3. Perspective tracking and the Surface6lessons
  1. Choosing what to track in a shot with perspective
  2. Perspective tracking of a screen that leaves the frame
  3. The Surface: defining where the screen will go
  4. Fine-tuning with AdjustTrack
  5. Applying the corner pin without distorting the image
  6. Comprueba lo aprendido
4. Shapes and rotoscoping with Mocha8lessons
  1. The first shape on the skin
  2. Correcting the shape with keyframes
  3. Tracking another area and linking the shape to that track
  4. Forehead shape linked to the face track
  5. Per-point feather and the Uber Key
  6. Rotoscoping the lips by joining splines
  7. From shape to matte: creating the masks in After Effects
  8. Comprueba lo aprendido
5. Appendix: if you have a version earlier than After Effects 2019 (Mocha AE as a standalone application)7lessons
  1. Opening Mocha AE as a standalone application and touring the interface
  2. Exporting the transform track to a null object
  3. Exporting the corner pin from AdjustTrack and applying it
  4. Export Shape Data: selected layer, visible or all
  5. Pasting the shapes as masks (without feather)
  6. Pasting the shapes as a Mocha Shape effect (with feather)
  7. Comprueba lo aprendido
6. Final exam1lessons
  1. Examen final del curso

Frequently asked questions

How long is the course?

This course has 2 hours of video across 30 lessons and 6 sections. Watch it whenever you want, at your own pace — no mandatory live classes.

Does access expire?

No. You pay once and access is unlimited: you can watch and rewatch the videos as many times as you want, with no subscription and no deadline.

Is there a diploma? How is it verified?

Yes. When you finish the course and pass its final exam you get a diploma with a unique code that anyone can verify publicly at jmochon.training/certificado, plus a digital badge (Open Badge) for your LinkedIn profile.

What languages is it available in?

This course’s audio is in Spanish, English, Portuguese and the available subtitles are: Spanish, English, Portuguese.

What level do I need to start this course?

This is an intermediate-level course: you should already handle the software basics before starting.

Can I get an invoice under my company’s name?

Yes. Payment is processed securely with Stripe, and after purchase you can request an invoice with your company’s billing details.

What is the AI tutor?

An assistant available 24/7 inside the course: ask it any question and it answers citing the exact lesson and minute of the video where it’s explained, at no extra cost.