Blur part of a video.

A guide to the privacy studio

Think of each area as a rectangular cover. Choose what it hides, when it appears and how it moves. Make one area for each detail that needs its own timing or movement.

Choose an example to try

These examples use made-up contact details. Try opens the matching example in the studio and replaces the video open in this tab. Models load only when you press Track.

Start and End are different from position points

Pausing at 6 seconds and drawing does not set Start to 6. A new area initially covers the whole clip. To cover a house only from 6.00 to 9.60, enter those Start and End values explicitly.

Read and edit the position points

The numbered time buttons appear only for manual movement. Each stores the box’s position and size at that moment. A button such as 2 · 0:05.40 means the second point is at 5.40 seconds.

• Click a time to inspect that point. Move or resize the box to change it.
• Seek to a different time and move the box to add another point automatically.
• Add point at current time saves the same position at another moment. Use this to keep the box still before a later move.
• Remove current point removes the point at the displayed time. At least one position must remain.

For example, keep the same box at 0 and 2 seconds, then put it somewhere else at 3 seconds. Move between points holds it still until 2, then moves it during the next second. Adding a point does not change Start or End.

Run tracking and correct a path

Choose Follow automatically to reveal model and tracking controls. Press Go to area start to reach the first frame in the area. Fit the box around one whole subject before pressing Track this area.

The time beside that button shows the current playhead and End. Tracking runs forwards from the playhead. Starting halfway through does not analyse earlier frames. Narrow text strips can drift; a whole panel or manual points may be easier to check.

• Extra cover on each edge adds a 20% margin by default. Wider cover can hide more background.
• Stop tracking or Cancel stops the run and keeps the previous edit.
• Go to review seeks to the path’s start, a correction or a point that needs attention.
• To correct drift, pause and move or resize the automatic box. Earlier positions stay. Later guesses are cleared, so the correction holds until End. Press Track from here to continue.
• Play the complete range again. Press I’ve reviewed this area only after checking it. Editing the area asks for another review.

The manual point editor stays hidden during automatic tracking. Switching a completed path to a manual mode starts from the current box. Undo restores the automatic path.

Open, draw and choose an effect

Choose a video, drop it anywhere on the page or paste a file. In Masked view, drag over a detail to create an area. Add area places a central box instead. Select an area’s number, then drag it or its corner handles.

You can use up to 24 areas. Leave a margin. Open another replaces the video and its areas. Clear returns to the drop zone. Files and paths stay in this tab, so save your result before closing or reloading it.

Use the player and timing lane

Understand why Save is unavailable

The Next step strip explains the current reason. Follow automatically needs a completed path and your review before Save becomes available.

• No areas: draw a box or use Add area.
• Tracking not run: press Track this area, or choose another movement.
• Review needed: inspect every automatic area, then mark each as reviewed.
• Invalid time range: use a Start before End, within the source duration.
• Output unavailable: wait for the encoder check, then choose an available format or remove audio.

For manual covers, play the edit before saving even though no acknowledgement is required. Check just before and after each area’s range.

Review, then save or share

Save video creates a new file and opens Saved video. Your original stays unchanged. Play that encoded result through and listen before sharing.

What it will not do

You select each subject. The tool does not find every face, plate or text block. Covers remain rectangular. Occlusion, narrow text and scene changes can defeat tracking. Neither tracking nor manual points guarantee anonymity.

Clips must be SDR, up to 300 MB, five minutes and 8.8 megapixels per frame. Output has a maximum 1920-pixel long edge. Memory and codec support can impose lower limits. Tracking also needs worker video decoding and canvas support. Manual movement remains available when it cannot run.

The result keeps only the primary picture and optional primary sound. Additional tracks and embedded subtitles are omitted. Export is not a certified metadata scrubber. Consider cutting an interval out if the detail does not need to appear at all.