Short version

  • Phone stabilization or rolling shutter (Use the original file when possible, avoid extreme electronic stabilization, move smoothly, and convert to an image sequence before tracking.)
  • Weak phone footage (Shoot with physical camera translation, visible texture, stable exposure, and low motion blur before running Quick Tracking or Heavy Tracking.)
  • Moving people, cars, or foreground subjects (Create SAM2 AI masks or polygon masks before Heavy Tracking so the static background defines the solve.)
  • Messy imported result (Import the solve, clean floating points, align the floor, and judge the track with the footage set as the camera background.)

Start with footage that has real parallax

Move the phone through the scene instead of only panning from one spot. Camera translation gives the solver real depth information. Avoid heavy motion blur, blank walls, overexposure, and scenes where the only visible detail is moving foreground content.

Convert, track, import, clean, and align

Use Select Footage to convert the video into a sequence. Run Quick Tracking first if you want fast feedback, or Heavy Tracking when quality matters. Import the result, clean floating points, align the floor, then set the footage as the camera background to judge whether the track sticks.

Use masks when people or cars move through the shot

If the footage includes a moving subject, create a SAM2 mask or polygon layer before Heavy Tracking. Tracking the background region helps prevent moving objects from damaging the solve.