Can I attach an empty mask outline to a "Target Object" using parenting to nulls?

[Letty2019]

I don't even know if I asked that correctly, but I'm giving it a shot.

I have a dark scene that won't Camera Track. it's an ugly bar scene w/counter tops and people moving, no stable areas for a camera track read.

So, I can install one of those Target Objects by going to Layer / New / Null Object.

I like that little target caz it will lock on to a contrasting image in the scene.

I think that is motion tracking.

So I locked the target in place, But can I attach a blank mask to it ?..using the null parent thing?     

If you need more about the scene, it's a TV set in the bar, I have to replace the tv image with new tv images, and the camera is moving around during the scene.   I can link the new tv images to the target object null, but, the mask needs to be synced up to the camera movement,which I can't do.  😞

Thanks for reading and your advice.  I hope I can link the empty maskt to the object null thing.

Thank you for help!!!

Letty

[Rick Gerard · Accepted solution]

If you are replacing a TV screen in a shot the most efficient workflow is probably corner pin tracking using Mocha AE. If we saw the shot or at least a screenshot of the shot I'd know for sure.

I have to update this tutorial to use the latest version of Mocha AE, but this is my most common workflow for replacing surfaces in after effects. I call it stabilized corner pin. It will work on almost any shot where you need to replace, repair, or create a mask on a moving surface (plane).

[Letty2019]

Thanks very much Rick! 

Yeah, my problem was not being able to track the tv in Mocha because there is an actor's head in front of the screen and he's moving around... it throws off the Mocha tracking.  Very annoying.

I was looking for an easy way out for tracking, and was hoping I could just create one mask outline and link it to an object in the scene.  Not sure if that even exists or is possible, but it would solve a whole lot of tracking problems.  Maybe AE can make something like that?

ie:  create a mask, and parent it to another layer so the mask moves with the camera.  That would be a neat trick.

Thanks for the video, I'm on it.

Best,

Letty

[Letty2019]

If anybody reading, this worked fine for getting mocha to track:

To help Mocha track better, I placed a white solid object over the tv screen and manually tracked it.  (it didn't move too much, but took a while: 400+ frames.)  then pre comp'd it, then stuck it in mocha.  It tracked the white screen fine, then brought back to AE, then applied the new key frames to the original image and the new image underneath the layer.  Seems ok.  Only took me 4 hours of trial and error.   

I basically did the track job manually that mocha should've been able to do, but doesn't.  I'm not impressed with mocha's tracking.  It's a headache.  Rotobrush 2.0 works better then mocha's tracking.  I hate mocha.  It tricks me everytime that it will work, and after hours of playing with it, it's just a waste of life.