Tracking Marker Removal Services
Markers on screens, sets, faces and bodies painted out once they’ve done their job.
Tracking markers make matchmove and keying possible. We remove them cleanly afterwards, frame by frame, so nothing gives the shot away.
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Track From Them. Then Lose Them.
Tracking marker removal is the paint work that erases the dots, crosses and tape marks placed on set so the camera, objects or a performer’s face could be tracked.
Markers are there for a reason. On a green screen they give the matchmove team fixed points to solve the camera from. On a face or body they let a performance or rotomation track follow the skin. On a set they mark where a CG element will sit. Once that data has been captured, every marker still visible in the plate has to go — and the surface underneath it has to look as though it was never there.
RotoEdge is a women-led VFX studio in India working across paint, roto, keying, matchmove and compositing. That matters for marker work: we know which markers the tracking still needs, the order to work in, and how a marker removed from a screen will behave when the shot is keyed later.
Markers Wherever They Were Placed.
Removing a marker is simple on a flat, even surface. It gets harder on skin, fabric, folds and anything under changing light.
- 01
Green & blue screen markers
Tape crosses and dots on screens and floors removed with even colour, so the screen keys cleanly and no marker ghosts through the matte.
- 02
Face & body markers
Dots on faces and bodies used for performance capture or tracking, removed with skin texture, pores and shading rebuilt underneath.
- 03
Set & prop markers
Markers on walls, floors, props and set pieces that stay in shot, removed from textured, lit surfaces through camera moves.
- 04
Markers on moving surfaces
Markers on costumes, fabric and other deforming surfaces, tracked through folds, motion blur and partial occlusion.
Marker Removal Deliverables.
Every shot is scoped with you before work starts. Deliveries are usually agreed as image sequences matching your plate, or as a cleaned plate ready for keying; the exact format is agreed per project.
- Screen & floor marker removal
- Face & body marker cleanup
- Set & prop marker removal
- Skin & surface texture rebuilt
- Key-ready cleaned screen plates
- Grain matched to the original plate
- VFX studios
- Post houses
- Streaming series
- Commercials
- Independent films
Marker cleanup tends to arrive in volume: a green-screen sequence can have markers in nearly every shot. Outsourcing it to a dedicated paint team frees your compositors for the creative work, and because we also offer keying and compositing, cleaned plates can carry straight on through the same pipeline if you want them to.
How Marker Removal Pricing Works.
We quote each shot after reviewing the plates, since the number and placement of markers vary more than the frame count suggests.
Ten markers on an evenly lit screen and ten dots on a talking face are not the same job. A sample of plates with frame ranges lets us quote what is actually in front of us. For a general overview, read how VFX outsourcing pricing works.
- Frame count and the number of shots
- Plate resolution and grain level
- Number of markers, and how many stay in frame
- Surface underneath: even screen, textured set, fabric or skin
- Camera and performer movement, motion blur and occlusion
- Whether markers cross hair or the subject’s edges, and the number of revision rounds
From Marked Plate to Clean Frame.
Every project follows the same five-stage pipeline, with quality control before anything leaves the studio.
To quote accurately, send- Plates or a sample of the footage, and the frame ranges
- Whether tracking is finished, or which markers must stay for now
- Notes on what happens next: keying, compositing or final conform
- Any clean passes or reference of the surfaces underneath
- Your required delivery format and deadline
- 01Discovery & planning
Confirm the markers
Which markers to remove, whether tracking is complete, and what happens to the plate next.
- 02Shot preparation
Plan each surface
Plates are reviewed to choose an approach for screens, set surfaces, fabric and skin.
- 03Production
Paint out & rebuild
Artists remove each marker and rebuild the surface, tracking fixes through movement and folds.
- 04Quality assurance
Check every frame
Shots are reviewed for leftover marks, ghosting and texture that doesn’t match the surrounding surface.
- 05Final delivery
Deliver securely
Clean plates are delivered securely, ready for keying, compositing or conform.
Marker Removal Questions.
Should markers be removed before or after tracking?
After. The tracking team needs the markers to solve the camera or performance, so removal happens once the track is approved. If tracking is still in progress, tell us which markers must stay.
Can you remove markers from a green screen before keying?
Yes. Markers can be painted out of the screen so the key is clean, or handled as part of the key itself. Which works better depends on the shot, and we’ll recommend one when we review the plates.
Can you remove dots from an actor’s face?
Yes. Face and body markers are removed with the skin rebuilt underneath, tracking with the performance through expressions and head turns.
Can you track the shot as well as clean it?
Yes. We offer matchmove & camera tracking and rotomation, so the tracking and the cleanup can be done by the same team.
How should we prepare footage for you?
Send full-resolution plates and frame ranges, with notes on what happens to the plate next. Our guide to preparing plates for a VFX vendor covers the details.
How do you keep client footage confidential?
We work under Non-Disclosure Agreements, with secure workflows and controlled access to client plates at every stage.