If your PlayBase plan doesn’t include automatic tracking, you can still follow players across the screen using Manual Player Tracking.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to manually adjust visuals frame by frame to stay attached to a moving player—giving you full control over how your analysis looks.

How Manual Tracking Works

Manual Player Tracking allows you to:

• Attach a visual (like a spotlight or tag) to a player

• Move that visual with the player using the play/pause method

• Track the player’s movement throughout a sequence by adjusting the visual position manually

It takes a bit more time but gives you precise results when automatic tracking isn’t available.

How to Do It

1. Add a visual to your clip using the Annotations Module

2. Press Play, then Pause shortly after the player moves

3. Drag the visual back on top of the player

4. Repeat this process—Play, Pause, Drag—until the player is tracked through the whole sequence

As you move through the timeline, PlayBase automatically adds keyframes so your visual follows the path you set.

Edit the Effect

At any point, you can:

• Resize or recolor the visual

• Add text or tags (e.g. player name or speed)

• Change styles (e.g. rings, spotlight, glow)

These changes apply across all frames where the visual appears.

Pro Tip

Use manual tracking to highlight off-ball movement or sequences where multiple players interact. It’s especially useful for custom presentation moments.

👉 Want to go a step further? In the next lesson, we’ll show you how to anchor your visuals to the field using Manual Field Tracking.