Rotoscoping is a tedious and time-consuming process in the world of video editing and special effects. It involves drawing a mask or outline around an object in a video frame by frame to separate it from the rest of the scene. This allows you to manipulate the object separately or remove it entirely from the footage.
Traditionally, rotoscoping has been done manually, but with the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), there are now several options for automating the process. Here are the top seven AI rotoscoping tools, both free and paid, that can help save you time and improve the accuracy of your rotoscoping tasks.
Related: 6 Node based Compositing Software (Free & Paid)
AI Rotoscoping Tools
ProPainter
ProPainter is an AI rotoscoping tool that outperforms previous methods in terms of both accuracy and efficiency. It leverages two key technologies: enhanced propagation and an efficient transformer. Enhanced propagation combines the advantages of image and feature warping, while the efficient transformer achieves high efficiency by discarding unnecessary and redundant tokens. ProPainter can be used for a variety of rotoscoping tasks, including object removal, video completion, and video outpainting.
AutoMask – a Blender Add-on
AutoMask is a free Blender add-on that uses machine learning to generate a mask and will automatically track around an object in your video footage.
It produces decent results and is easy to use compared to the default rotoscoping method, and you can fine-tune the mask using the built-in tools. AutoMask is great for beginners or those on a budget, as it’s completely free to use.
Price: Free
Magic Mask – Davinci Resolve
Magic Mask is a feature of the popular video editing and composition software, Davinci Resolve. It uses AI to automatically generate a mask around an object in your footage, which you can then refine using the built-in tools.
Magic Mask is only available in the paid studio version of Davinci Resolve, so it’s not a budget-friendly option. However, it’s known for its accuracy and is a popular choice among professional editors.
SmartROTO – Nuke
SmartROTO is a feature of the compositing software Nuke. It uses AI to automatically generate a mask around an object in your footage, which you can then refine using the built-in tools. Nuke is professional-grade software, so it comes with a hefty price tag. However, it’s known for its powerful features and is a popular choice among VFX professionals.
Roto Brush – After Effects
Roto Brush is a feature of the popular compositing software After Effects. It uses AI to automatically generate a roto selection around an object in your footage, and it will also track it, which you can then refine using the built-in tools.
Roto Brush is a premium feature of After Effects, so it’s not a budget-friendly option. However, it’s known for its accuracy and is a popular choice among professional editors.
RotoBot UAI
RotoBot UAI is an AI roto tool that forms part of the UAI toolset. It simplifies artificial intelligence and machine learning processes, making them accessible to all. With its user-friendly interface and node-based functionality, RotoBot UAI enables effortless rotoscoping of footage using AI algorithms. It saves time and delivers precise results. Beyond rotoscoping, the UAI toolset offers a wide range of AI-powered features, including in-painting, facial deep-fake, HDRI creation, image-to-text generation, speech cloning, style transfer, and motion-capture from video. UAI democratizes AI adoption, empowering users to explore creative possibilities with ease.
Green Screen – Runwayml
Green Screen is an AI service that uses machine learning to automatically remove the background from your video footage. It’s fast and easy to use, and Green Screen is a budget-friendly option. There is a free plan that only lets you export 720p videos, but it has two other plans.
Remove Video Background – Un Screen
Price: Free
Remove Video Background is a free online AI service that uses machine learning to automatically remove the background from your video footage.
It’s fast and easy to use, and you can fine-tune the mask using the built-in tools. Remove Video Background is a great, budget-friendly option for those looking for a quick and easy way to remove the background from their footage.
Video background removal – cutout.pro
Remove Video Background is a free online AI service that can remove the background from your footage.
Video background removal is a budget-friendly AI service that also produces decent accuracy and is popular among hobbyists. It can have issues with its edges, but this will be good enough for most VFX hobbyists.
