What It Does
Curve Tracer converts video footage into stylized line drawings by detecting edges and rendering them as smooth vector curves. The plugin simulates how an artist sketches by layering rough preliminary lines with detailed main contours, then adding shading and lighting effects.
Key Features
The plugin analyzes frames using the Canny edge detection algorithm, which identifies contours based on pixel gradients. You control which edges get traced with Low Limit and High Limit parameters. A 2:1 to 3:1 ratio between these values typically works best. Image Smoothing removes high-frequency noise before detection, producing more organic spline curves.
Curves split into three types: Main Contours form the baseline drawing, Lighting Contours simulate directional shading with a user-defined light angle, and Sketch Contours add rougher preliminary lines that mimic early pencil strokes. Each type has separate color, opacity, and blending controls.
Ghosting overlays previous or future frames as fading contours, creating motion trails similar to traditional cel animation. You can layer multiple ghost frames with adjustable opacity falloff and control timing in seconds or frame counts. Edge Time Mode handles loop points with options for Repeat Last, Wrap, or Mirror.
Vector controls include Detail for sampling precision, Width for stroke thickness, and Line Ending parameters that taper curves to a point. Dashed line styles break curves into short strokes. Source Color Mix lets you blend contour colors with the original footage’s palette.
Rendering options add Halo effects (Gaussian blur overlays on main and highlight curves), Composite On Original for layering traced lines over the source image, and Skip Frames to reduce the effective frame rate for a stop-motion feel.
Who It’s For
Useful for motion graphics artists creating stylized animations, title sequences with hand-drawn aesthetics, or music videos that need organic line art effects. The ghosting feature works well for abstract visualizations or transitions where motion trails add visual interest.
Pricing
Single user license costs $43.99. A trial version is available. The plugin works in both After Effects (CS6 through 2025) and Premiere Pro, with full GPU acceleration and Multi-Frame Rendering support.
