Tattoo your face in Davinci Resolve 18! (surface tracker effect)

Today we're going to look at the AMAZING surface tracker in Davinci Resolve 18 Studio. There are so many things that you can do with this effect. Today I am going to show you how you can track a face, and then composite face paint or maybe even a tattoo onto your subject!
0:00 - preface/intro
0:51 - example #1
2:48 - example #2
7:10 - something I hadn't seen covered elsewhere (and more of example 2)
9:02 - example 3
________
Motion Array - My personal FAVORITE place to get templates!
geni.us/MotionArrayPCG
Artlist - Get 2 months for free on top of your yearly subscription!
geni.us/LDq0KAh
Footage is from Artgrid - unlimited stock footage - Get 2 extra months free here:
geni.us/PpRe
---------------------------------------------
Gear links
---------------------------------------------
Lumix S5: geni.us/IztQce
Panasonic G9 - get yours!: geni.us/Dltux5
One of my favorite lenses: geni.us/TSNX
Another great lens: geni.us/JBYd
My editor: geni.us/aa1E6My desk: geni.us/Cocg
light stands: geni.us/Wo3oJNv
Smaller BenQ monitor: geni.us/Oogs43
Larger BenQ monitor: geni.us/lv3sz3
tablet: geni.us/GZeJJx3
my speakers: geni.us/Yc9AaA
Elgato Steam Deck: geni.us/LpVU98
Davinci Resolve Speed Editor: geni.us/wB9pmS
Arteck keyboard: geni.us/qn6BBhY
Zoom H6: geni.us/mMLqL7
Godox ES45 lights: geni.us/AEA9
Laptop (mine is discontinued, but this is a newer model): geni.us/VHstojQ
Large contender microphone: geni.us/ER9w
Shotgun mic: geni.us/RNxxN1
Rode boom arm: geni.us/dAnbQHq
Aputure light: geni.us/MWHAZ
My mouse: geni.us/6cMAeO
Godox tube lights: geni.us/WqF6
headphones (newer model): geni.us/DHHA
BenQ screenbar: geni.us/BUSUX
Chair: geni.us/8Sh9ayL
Godox on-camera mic: geni.us/C6KT6EN
Slider: geni.us/ikM9
---------------------------------------------
Social channels
----------------------------------------------------
geni.us/4tun - Instagram
/ postcolorgear - Twitter
geni.us/OnrAEkQ - Facebook group (ask questions, and provide answers)
NOTE: I am part of the Amazon affiliate program. As a buyer, this has NO impact on you. I do get a small percentage from Amazon for what you purchase, and this contributes to me being able to upload more often, fund the channel, and do this full time. Thank you for your support!

[@AlexCameron-Depiqd]

Really fantastic demonstration of the surface tracker! Love it!

[@adsmithtx]

Excellant! Great explanation of aspects of this tracker. Would like to see your additional usage and capability of this tracker!! THANK YOU

[@mrnessss]

Awesome! I was wondering how to do colour correction on the surface-tracked image and you explained it perfectly 🙏

[@thmallik]

Very informative. well-done all through.

[@rano12321]

Great tutorial. BMD has added surface tracker in the fusion page on the latest beta version. Would be cool if you'd do a video on that.

[@l0rdcroissant]

this is incredible

[@ericchase1294]

that was fantastic to know!

[@2424rocket]

thank you! I watched several other surface tracker tutorials and they were a convoluted mess. Finally! Yours made perfect sense!

[@PostColorGear]

Glad it was helpful!

[@maenzeidan9154]

Thank you, that was helpful

[@LightFormFilm]

Amazing tutorials!

[@PoppinJeff]

thanks for sharing , very useful

[@BasicFilmmaker]

Amazing. Simply amazing.

[@PostColorGear]

I appreciate the kind words as always, my friend!

[@Photovintageguy]

Yes to a second video.

[@ColdfireNightfire]

Very Awesome. I know this makes things much easier. What I would like to know is , can you show me the work around to get the same result as this, but in the free version?

[@QDWorld-SwiftUI]

Fantastic thank you ! please do a plane tracker tutorial

[@JimRobinson-colors]

Cool, I have a Mac Studio Ultra on order, can't wait to get it so I can do stuff like this. Apple tells me late August. On your thumbnail for this video, man adding a tattoo on your face really makes you look like Mike Tyson - it's amazing. This really would have come in handy when they made the planet of the apes. Amazing demo - Thanks Dave.

[@PostColorGear]

It's like magic haha

[@nadernads5204]

you're great

[@caspiansfriend]

You sold me the moment I saw your Vault Boy bobble head. yessss!. excellent tutorial. Thanks!

[@PostColorGear]

Ha! Glad you liked it!

[@kalinkakylab7276]

Nice

[@uncleanAlibertine1]

cool. subscribed

[@raymondstpaul4913]

Is there a way of doing this for an image that comes into frame? Do you have more on this subject? What if the image isn't forward an is off to the side off frame?

[@rickboyerdev]

@post. Color. Gear. Any tips on where to find this Fusion Surface Tracker in the latest DR (18.1.2 Build 6)? I'm new to DR and haven't been able to find it anywhere but in Color. Thanks

[@TWDub]

Thanks for the demo video. Would it be possible to show how to deal with a surface that gets obscured throughout the course of the clip? I've scoured Google and KZbin and Reddit, and *NOBODY* is talking about this issue. I have many clips where I'd like to do some edit work and use the tracker to put a logo/image on a surface that's in motion, but once it gets obscured by something the mesh gets pushed out of its original position and never goes back to its proper place. Would you happen to know how to deal with that, and potentially make a video on it? Cause again, *NOBODY* else seems to be addressing that issue. Basically every video out there is focused on a surface that's clearly visible from start to finish in the clip which isn't helpful and not realistic for all surfaces which one might want to track. Especially in more lively clips where there's lots of stuff happening.

[@movietrailer4113]

A W E S O M E 👏 Let`s to go

[@davidp158]

Thanks for the tutorial. I am having trouble getting Resolve to recognize the transparency of the graphic. I have confirmed there is an alpha channel, and have tried .png, .tif and .psd. Any suggestions for what I'm doing wrong here?

[@PostColorGear]

Apologies for not replying sooner! Did you get it sorted? To answer you, no. I am not sure. If it has an alpha channel, it should be recognized. I'd have to play around with some settings. Or, if this is still an issue, you could ask over on the Blackmagic forums. But regardless, that is very strange behavior.

[@flipnap2112]

last year I did a trial of power mesh but ended up not buying it. discovered the "lockdown" plugin and its been a lifesaver. I tried the surface tracker and im glad they implemented it but the lockdown plugin is lightyears ahead, you should give it a trial run. especially for roto work

[@PostColorGear]

I'll take a look!

[@MarselT75]

Hi, how do you "Resolve" the last Mask issue that you mention on video to be sure that Mask appear like a 3d object? Thnx M.

[@PostColorGear]

The one where the points get bunched together in a group? You won't be able to, delicately. You'd have to do something inside Fusion or a 3D program like Blender for something like that.

[@MarselT75]

@@PostColorGearIt would be nice to see how Is possible track a mask in a 3d scene in fusion page

[@theblacktruth]

This is great! Where are you getting these mask images!? I want to follow along and I love these :)

[@PostColorGear]

I honestly don't remember, sorry. I believe I Googled free pdf ages and they came up. I forget what other search terms I used. They're out there though. Good luck!

[@theblacktruth]

@@PostColorGear Understood! Thanks anyways! Great video.

[@MrStevenhogg]

tried everything to get this to work , i know i have done everything right , is there a bug in 18.6.2 ?

[@PostColorGear]

Good question. I haven't attempted this recently. Check over on the Blackmagic forums. Maybe someone else has run into it too

[@pithecusaustralo4452]

Can we make another one for davinci resolve free version? if possible.

[@PostColorGear]

I don't have the free version, sorry. I can download it, of course, but I can't run them both on the same machine. I don't believe this effect is able to be used in the free version, regardless, sadly.

[@pithecusaustralo4452]

@@PostColorGear Okay. Thanks bro

[@mavchb]

at 4:36. when I connect the line my logo does not show up. Am I missing something?

[@PostColorGear]

Are you connecting them to the exact squares as shown on the video? Each square does something different

[@mavchb]

@@PostColorGear Yes I made sur eof that.

[@badmax7319]

too bad, works only in the Studio version ;-(

[@theduckking406]

Why on earth would you use color page tool for compositing if there are smart vectors in nuke that do that job hell lot of better

[@PostColorGear]

Because this is a Davinci Resolve tutorial. You're not wrong. But that wabet the purpose of the video.