HELP! Need to know about tracking a moving object in a video

[RPH2515]

I need to be able to track or identify a moving subject(basketball player) in a video of a game to make it easy for the player to be identified by a viewer. What is the easiest way to accomplish this. I have Adobe elements premiere but it will not function properly at all on any of my computers and they meet specifications. Is there another software program that will do what I'm looking for. I appreciate all input.

Thanks,

[edDV]

Identify a single moving object or isolate one object from many?

If the latter, you need a way to ID or isolate the object.

Otherwise it becomes a frame by frame manual masking project.

[RPH2515]

I have basketball game video and I need to be able to somehow identifiy one player from the others as the clips from the games are being played so one player can be easily identified from the others .

Not sure what you mean by frame by frame manual masking project?

[poisondeathray]

You have to be more descriptive in what your goal is. Is something like a rough oval around a player good enough, do you want to dim the rest of the picture so the player is highlighted like on sports highlights? Can you find an example on youtube ?

He means drawing a shape around the object/player on each frame . You have to isolate that player. The concept is the same as making mask selections in photoshop. If you're not already familiar with masks, layers and selections, you have a bit of reading to do . The process of animating those the masks from frame to frame is called rotoscoping . It's normally very tedious work. There are tools that simplify this, but not with Premiere Elements. It would be quite difficult to do accurately with Elements (unless a blob like shape or simple box would suffice - you haven't described EXACTLY what you want.) . Most people would use After Effects for something like this.

[RPH2515]

sorry, yes an oval around a player would suffice or even an arrow over the top of the individual. It really doesn't have to even have to follow the individual but would be nice if it could. An example can be found on the following website
http://www.highlight-videos.com/samples/basketball/

[guns1inger]

All they do in that sample is freeze a frame for a few seconds, and put a box around an object. Easy (if time consuming) to do manually.

This tutorial uses Photoshop as well to produce a more sophisticated effect : http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/videotutorial/tutdes_stopnglow.htm however it is essentially the same type of thing.

[DB83]

sorry, yes an oval around a player would suffice or even an arrow over the top of the individual. It really doesn't have to even have to follow the individual but would be nice if it could. An example can be found on the following website
http://www.highlight-videos.com/samples/basketball/

It is relatively easy to put an arrow over the head of an individual. Here is an example I made some time ago - watch closely the last few seconds. This was made using Ulead Video Studio 10 and makes use of the overlay track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HOmtVAFEGs

What is not so easy is to put that same arrow on to every frame unless you have a lot of time and a lot of patience.

Professionals will use mixing desks to achieve this and have real-time manual control over the placemnt of the mask.

[Safesurfer]

This Wrigley Moving Track Matte tutorial might be more appropriate, you should be able to adapt for Premiere Elements.

http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/videotutorial/tutdes_ppro_blurface.htm