Want your visuals to stay attached to the field instead of the screen? Manual Field Tracking allows you to calibrate the pitch and anchor your drawings in real space, so they move naturally with the camera.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to perform a manual pitch calibration and use it to create advanced telestration effects.

What Is Manual Field Tracking?

Field tracking lets you:

• Calibrate the pitch using reference points

• Place visuals that stay fixed to the field (not the video frame)

• Enable features like distances between players, 3D tags, or future trails

It’s ideal for tactical analysis where spatial awareness and positioning are critical.

How to Calibrate the Field Manually

1. Open a clip in the Annotations Module

2. Click the Field Tracking button and select Manual Calibration

3. Select 5–6 key points on the pitch (e.g. corners, center circle, penalty spots)

4. Click Process—PlayBase will map the pitch using those coordinates

Once calibrated, visuals will behave as if they’re “pinned” to the field, not the screen.

What You Can Do

• Draw shapes that remain static on the pitch

• Show distances between players using measuring lines

• Anchor text or tactical instructions in 3D space

• Visualize team shape, positioning zones, or pressing areas

Best Practices

• Choose reference points that are clearly visible and evenly distributed across the field

• If calibration looks off, re-select the points and try again

• Combine with Chroma Key to make visuals appear under the players

👉 Want this process done for you automatically? The next tutorial covers Automatic Field Tracking.