TrackFinger for After Effects: Product Review
TrackFinger seems like a cool motion tracking tool for After Effects users, but does it work?
For more info on trackFinger check out our earlier post here.
Overview
TrackFinger is the latest app by Exmachina designed to track your finger movements on an iPad and move them into After Effects. In our previous article we talked about some of the features that TrackFinger offers, but does it really work? In this article we review the features in TrackFinger, analyze the workflow and give the verdict on what we really think of this app.
The Features
TrackFinger has one main purpose: Convert iPad finger movements to After Effects tracking data. The app features:
- A project management screen with ratings system
- A fully customizable clapboard
- Finger tracking
- A green screen for keying.
- A settings menu with many customizable options
Getting Started
We noticed that TrackFinger was difficult to find in the app store so here is the link just in case you can’t find it. TrackFinger is not an easy app to figure out so it is highly recommended that you watch the how-to video before attempting to use it. After watching the video the app interface will be much easier to understand. 
Using TrackFinger
The app itself is not incredibly intuitive but it does work just as advertised. After selecting “New Track” simply fill out the clapboard with all the information you need and click the clapboard to begin tracking. After the screen turns green you are ready to record your finger movements. Once you’re done simply click the the bottom corner and the tracking will stop. Upon hitting the bottom corner a screen will pop up asking you to rate the track between good, bad and reserve. From that screen you can send the tracking data to up to 2 emails at a time. After a track has been labeled and stored you can sort through and delete previous tracks. 
The Verdict
As stated before, TrackFinger works exactly as advertised and there is a lot to be said about that. However, even with the app working perfectly the workflow isn’t exactly “convenient”. Our biggest complaint is the fact that you must connect to your email to get the tracking data. It can also can get confusing in After Effects when you have a situation in which a person has picked up their finger and placed it down again. Convenience aside the app works great as a tool to simulate finger movement on an iPad. It is very accurate and it read our finger movements perfectly.
Who Should Use It
If you are a video editor who does a lot of app demos or simply wants to film an iPad screen, than this app is for you. The price is a bit steep at $39.99 but if you need to record finger movements on your iPad this seems to be one of the best options. A free version (trackFinger lite for iPhone) is scheduled to be released in the next few weeks. More info and download on the trackFinger site.
