LOCKED-ON STABILIZATION EFFECT TUTORIAL

The locked-on stabilization effect's popularity has blown through the roof, largely thanks to TikTok and viral videos alike.

The effect mimics a camera move that is locked on to a specific subject, usually a face, and gives the illusion that the locked-on subject isn't moving within the frame.

Unfortunately, however, you cannot achieve this effect easily from directly within the camera or smartphone you're using.

What you will need is a decent editing program such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects or Final Cut Pro. You will also need a third-party tracking and stabilization plug-in. We recommend FCPX Stabilizer 2.0.

You will then have to film your RAW footage at the highest resolution possible. If you have the ability to shoot in 4K, then do so. The stabilizer effect will crop your video footage in slightly, and shooting in 4K will render your work at a higher quality when rendering out to 1080p.

When you have imported your footage into Final Cut Pro (or preferred editing suite), head over to the FCPX Stabilizer plugin and select Track Editor.

You will then need to move the tracker over the subject you want to keep at the centre of the frame, such as your subject's face, and make adjustments to the height and width of the tracker selector.

You can then select Auto Track and your editing suite should create motion keyframes to reposition your subject to the middle of the frame.

Take a look at the video below by the YouTube channel, Daniel Schiffer, on the Locked-On Stabilization Effect Final Cut Pro Tutorial.