Mocha AE is a powerful planar tracking and masking plugin included with Adobe After Effects. It’s used for advanced tracking tasks such as screen replacements, object removal, rotoscoping, and match moving. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you understand and use Mocha AE effectively.
🎬 What is Mocha AE?
Mocha AE is a planar tracking software built into After Effects. Unlike traditional point trackers, Mocha AE tracks surfaces and patterns, which gives it superior performance when tracking flat surfaces like screens, walls, signs, or faces.
✅ How to Use Mocha AE: Step-by-Step
🔹 Step 1: Add Your Footage to the Timeline
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Open Adobe After Effects.
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Import your footage and drag it into a new composition.
🔹 Step 2: Apply the Mocha AE Effect
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Select your footage layer.
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Go to Effect > Boris FX Mocha > Mocha AE.
🔹 Step 3: Launch Mocha AE
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In the Effect Controls panel, click “Launch Mocha” to open the Mocha interface.
🔹 Step 4: Track an Area
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Use the X-Spline or B-Spline tool to draw a mask around the object or surface you want to track.
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Click the Track Forward or Track Backward button to begin tracking.
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Mocha AE analyzes the planar surface and creates a tracking dataset.
🔹 Step 5: Adjust Tracking if Needed
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If tracking drifts, stop the tracking process.
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Manually correct the spline and continue tracking.
🔹 Step 6: Save and Exit Mocha AE
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After completing the track, click Save and Close Mocha.
🔹 Step 7: Use Mocha Data in After Effects
You can:
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Use the tracking data to create null objects.
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Apply data to layers for screen replacement.
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Use Mocha’s mask data directly as roto-masks.
🧰 What Can You Do with Mocha AE?
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| ✅ Screen Replacement | Replace TV screens, phones, etc. |
| ✅ Rotoscoping | Create precise masks that move with objects |
| ✅ Object Removal | Combine with clone stamp or clean plates |
| ✅ Stabilization | Smooth shaky footage |
| ✅ Text/Element Attach | Attach graphics or text to moving surfaces |
💡 Tips & Best Practices
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Always draw splines slightly outside the object for better planar tracking.
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Avoid tracking shadows, reflections, or fast-moving elements.
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Use multiple layers if tracking different planes in the same scene.
📌 Final Thoughts
Mocha AE is a professional tool that offers unmatched accuracy in planar tracking inside After Effects. With a little practice, you can use it for advanced effects, VFX, and clean, stable tracking that’s far better than the default AE tracker.
