Bonding photo to one spot in video

[Tay3]

Hi so I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to Photoshop so please bare with me! I've opened a video file in PS and place a photo on the video, but I want the photo to stay in a fixed spot as the camera moves around and the photo will block other things. Does anyone have a solution (sorry if I'm not being clear enough)?

[Chuck Uebele · Accepted solution]

So you want a separate photo fixed in one spot, while the video plays behind it? If that's the case, create a new video group and put the photo in that new group, and the video clip below it in it's own group.

[Tay3]

Thanks so much for the speedy response and pictures, but unfortunately that's not what I meant. I want the photo to stay in one place so when the camera pans over and moves around, the picture doesn't follow the camera. Is that better clarification?

[Chuck Uebele]

Are you talking about one still photo that the camera pans around - the Ken Burns effect?

[Tay3]

I looked up the Ken Burns effect and I don't think that's what I mean. I'll upload a video to help you.

In the video I circled my window and then panned to the left and the red circle follows. What I'm trying to do is have the circle stay on the window. I want the circle (my photo in PS) stay in one spot (my window) while the camera moves away. Hopefully I'm explaining myself better.

[Benjamin Root]

What you’ll need to do is manually adjust the image to line up with an object in the video for each frame, as well as scale and, possibly, distortion. Not being at my computer to demonstrate, I’ll recommend this tutorial on key framing:

Add key frames as needed. You’ll likely need a key frame for every frame in the video clip. If the video is super smooth, maybe every several frames

[Chuck Uebele]

This is something that can be done easily with Premier Pro, but more difficult with Photoshop.

[Tay3]

Can this be done with PP? I just assumed this could only be done through photoshop. I'm a little more familiar in PP.

[Mylenium]

All kinds of tracking (that's what you seem to describe) are available in After Effects, though to be honest your footage wouldn't lend itself too well to any semi-automated form of animation as this. Doing proper preparation is always half the formula to success. Still, even if you hand-animate the positioning in AE you will have much more options and finer control over the motion, so I suggest you give it a whirl.

Mylenium

[Chuck Uebele]

I'm more familiar with PS, but look up motion tracking in Premier, there should be some tutorials on it.