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Premiere Pro can track an object by tracking a mask attached to an effect. In current desktop releases, use the AI-powered Object Mask tool to select people or recognizable objects, or use the standard mask tracker in Effect Controls for a manually shaped mask.
These workflows work for tasks such as blurring a face, changing a moving car’s color, or applying an effect only to a moving sign. They track masks for effects; they are not a general-purpose point tracker that automatically parents a title or graphic to an object. For advanced text, logo, and compositing tracks, After Effects remains the better tool.
Before you start
These instructions apply to current Premiere desktop releases. As of August 7, 2026, the current release is Premiere 26.3.2, and the current long-term-support release is 25.6.6 LTS. Object Mask was introduced in Premiere 26.0, so older versions will not have that tool. (Adobe, Premiere release notes.)
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Method 1: Motion-track an object with Object Mask
Object Mask is the quickest option when the subject is a person or clearly visible object. It uses AI to identify the subject, create a mask, and track that mask through the shot.
1. Select the Object Mask Tool
- Select the clip in the Timeline.
- Choose the Object Mask Tool from the toolbar.
- Move the pointer into the Program Monitor.
Premiere highlights prominent selectable people and objects as you move over them. Click the highlighted subject to create the mask.
If Premiere does not highlight the object, choose the Rectangle or Lasso tool in the Program Monitor and draw roughly around it. Premiere analyzes the area and attempts to identify the object inside it.
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|---|---|
| Hover and click | The subject is prominent and Premiere highlights it correctly. |
| Rectangle | The object occupies a roughly rectangular area. |
| Lasso | You need to indicate an irregular subject or separate it from nearby objects. |
2. Choose Sharp or Smooth quality
Before creating the mask, choose its quality mode in the Object Mask options in the Program Monitor:
- Sharp creates crisp, binary edges. Use it for solid objects with clearly defined outlines.
- Smooth creates softer, more natural edges. It is better for hair, fur, fabric, intricate edges, translucent subjects, and natural edge blending.
Smooth mode does not support the mask-expansion parameter in Effect Controls. See the compatibility limits below before using it in shared projects.
3. Refine the selection
Use the + and − controls to add or remove parts of the selection. On macOS, hold Option; on Windows, hold Alt to temporarily toggle the add/subtract modifier.
Start on a frame where the subject is prominently visible and easy to distinguish. A clear starting frame gives the tracker more useful information.
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4. Apply an effect to the mask
- Open the Effects panel.
- Find an effect, such as Gaussian Blur or Lumetri Color.
- Drag the effect onto the selected clip.
- Open Effect Controls.
Premiere applies the Object Mask to the effect, so it affects only the tracked object. For example, increase Gaussian Blur to obscure a face or use Lumetri Color to alter a moving car without changing the background. (Adobe, Sharp and Smooth modes in Object Masking.)
5. Track the mask
With the mask selected in Effect Controls, use its tracking controls to analyze the shot. Premiere generates mask movement across frames. Play the result in the Program Monitor and inspect the subject, especially where it turns, becomes obscured, or passes behind another object.
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If the mask slips, pause at the problem frame and correct its shape with the mask-editing controls. Premiere creates or updates keyframes. You can also divide a complicated shot into shorter sections and track each separately.
Method 2: Track a manually drawn mask
Use the standard mask tracker when Object Mask cannot recognize the subject or when you need precise control over the area being affected.
1. Add an effect
- Select the clip in the Timeline.
- Drag an effect from the Effects panel onto the clip.
- Open Effect Controls.
Common examples include Gaussian Blur for anonymizing a face or license plate and Lumetri Color for a selective color adjustment.
2. Draw the mask
In Effect Controls, expand the effect and choose a mask-drawing tool: Ellipse, Rectangle, or Pen. Draw the mask around the subject in the Program Monitor. Adjust mask feather, opacity, and expansion as needed.
A well-defined, high-contrast feature inside the mask gives the tracker the best chance of following the subject. Avoid including large areas of moving background unless they are part of the feature you want tracked.
3. Select the tracking direction
Expand the mask properties in Effect Controls. The tracking buttons are:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Track selected mask backward 1 frame | Moves the mask backward by one frame. |
| Track selected mask backward | Tracks from the current frame to the beginning of the clip. |
| Track selected mask forward and backward | Tracks the clip from the current frame, forward first and then backward. |
| Track selected mask forward | Tracks from the current frame to the end of the clip. |
| Track selected mask forward 1 frame | Moves the mask forward by one frame. |
For a shot with a clean starting frame, place the playhead there and choose Track selected mask forward. If the best frame is in the middle of the shot, choose Track selected mask forward and backward. (Adobe, Track masks.)
4. Check and correct the track
Scrub through the result in the Program Monitor. Tracking can fail when the subject changes shape, leaves the frame, becomes blurred, crosses a similar object, or is briefly hidden. Stop at the first frame where the mask drifts.
At a problem frame, reshape or reposition the mask. Frame-level changes create keyframes automatically. For a difficult section, track a few frames at a time with the one-frame buttons and correct the mask as you go.
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Vector mask tracking options
Premiere’s vector-mask tracker uses computer-vision methods; it is not an AI Object Mask workflow. Its options describe how the drawn mask moves:
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| Option | Tracks | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Basic X/Y movement | A mask moving across the frame without changing size or angle. |
| Scale | Changes in object size | A subject moving toward or away from the camera. |
| Rotation | Changes in orientation | A rotating object or tilted feature. |
| Perspective | Three-dimensional perspective changes | A sign or television screen viewed at an angle. |
Selecting Perspective supersedes Position, Scale, and Rotation and disables those options; Perspective tracking incorporates them. These options apply only to vector masks, not Object Mask selections. After tracking, clip-level adjustments affect the whole clip, while frame-level adjustments affect only the current frame and automatically create keyframes. (Adobe, Mask tracking tools.)
What to do when tracking fails
The mask loses the subject
Undo the last tracking result if necessary, return to a frame where the subject is clearly visible, and refine the mask before tracking again. A focused mask often works better than one that includes unrelated background detail.
The footage has low contrast or motion blur
Use the clearest frame as the starting point. For a manually drawn mask, include a distinctive, high-contrast feature. If the object is heavily blurred or repeatedly hidden, expect to make manual keyframe corrections.
Object Mask is unavailable
The first time you use Object Mask, Premiere automatically downloads the required models. The tool is unavailable during the download. Check the Progress panel and wait for it to finish.
The mask is offline
An offline Object Mask appears in Effect Controls with missing data and a Locate button. Select Locate and browse to the mask folder. If several offline masks use the same folder, locating that folder restores them all.
The track behaves incorrectly
Check the project and clip setup if the result is wrong. Adobe’s release notes document issues involving sequences imported through the Media Browser, multicamera sequences whose selected angle was not on the topmost source track, and trimmed clips with Speed: Reverse enabled. Premiere 26.3 added a restore capability that can rebuild masks while retaining edits when projects move between systems. If you encounter a rendering issue in an imported sequence, relaunch Premiere and test in a normal sequence. Mask tracking may also cause significant lag or freezes on Windows ARM devices. (Adobe, Premiere release notes.)
Object Mask tracking has also failed with a write-failure dialog on clips shorter than four frames. If you encounter that behavior, extend the clip or use a longer source section.
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- Premiere 26.0 introduced Object Mask and redesigned the Rectangle, Ellipse, and Pen mask tools.
- Premiere 26.2 added the Sharp and Smooth Object Mask quality modes.
- Premiere 26.3 improved Object Mask tracking performance and added a restore capability that can rebuild masks while retaining edits when projects move between systems.
- Do not open a project containing a Smooth mode mask in Premiere 26.0. Adobe says it will not render correctly there, and editing and saving the project in 26.0 can permanently corrupt the mask data.
- Smooth mode masks are not supported in Team Projects. Migrating a standard project to a Team Project, or copying sequences, clips, or effects containing Smooth masks into one, removes those masks.
If Media Encoder reports missing Object Mask data during export, update Premiere. Adobe fixed an issue in Premiere 26.0.2 that could cause Media Encoder to omit Object Mask data and show a Missing Mask Data warning. (Adobe, Premiere release notes and Sharp and Smooth mode limits.)
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Can Premiere attach text or graphics to a tracked object?
Premiere’s documented workflow tracks a mask through an effect. It does not provide a general command that automatically parents a title, logo, or graphic to a tracked point. Use a tracked mask for effects and selective corrections; for a graphic that must follow an object’s position, scale, rotation, or perspective, After Effects is usually the better tool.
For that workflow, send the shot to After Effects using Dynamic Link and use its tracking and compositing tools. You do not need After Effects for ordinary mask-based blurring, color correction, or selective effects.
FAQ
Does Premiere Pro have object tracking?
Yes. Current Premiere releases include the AI-powered Object Mask tool, which can identify and track people and objects. Premiere also includes standard mask tracking and vector-mask tracking through Effect Controls.
Is Premiere Pro’s object tracker AI-powered?
Object Mask is AI-powered. Adobe describes the separate vector-mask tracking system as computer-vision-based, not an AI solution.
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Select the Object Mask Tool, move over the face in the Program Monitor, click the highlighted face, refine the mask if needed, add an effect such as Gaussian Blur, and track the mask from Effect Controls.
Why is my Premiere mask tracking inaccurate?
Tracking is less reliable when the subject has low contrast, motion blur, large shape changes, occlusion, or a similar background. Start on the clearest frame, use a focused mask, and correct the first frame where the mask slips.
Can Premiere Pro track a logo or title to an object?
Premiere can track a mask used by an effect, but its documented mask tracker does not automatically parent a graphic to an object. Use After Effects for advanced text, logo, and compositing tracks.
What is the difference between Sharp and Smooth Object Mask?
Sharp produces crisp binary edges. Smooth produces softer edges suited to hair, fur, fabric, intricate edges, translucent subjects, and natural blending. Smooth mode does not support mask expansion in Effect Controls and is not supported in Team Projects.
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For the fastest object track, use Object Mask Tool, select the subject in the Program Monitor, apply an effect, and track the mask through Effect Controls. Use a manually drawn vector mask when you need tighter control or Premiere cannot identify the object. Inspect the result and correct drift with keyframes. If you need a title, logo, or graphic to follow an object rather than apply an effect to a masked area, move the shot to After Effects.
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