WORKED EXAMPLE
Hide a moving license plate
The plate crosses the frame and remains readable for four seconds
A feathered blur covers the plate throughout the shot without hiding the surrounding action
1. Add a blur shape over the sensitive area
Move the playhead to the first frame where the private detail appears. Add a shape, change its purpose to Blur, and set the start and duration to cover the relevant shot.
Drag the on-screen handles to fit the sensitive area. Leave a small margin because motion blur and frame-to-frame movement can expose the edge of a face or object.
2. Balance strength and context
Increase blur until identifying detail is no longer readable at full-screen preview size. Avoid covering more of the frame than necessary when the surrounding action matters.
Scrub through the entire shape duration. A blur that looks adequate on one frame can reveal high-contrast text or facial detail on another.
3. Follow movement with manual keyframes
Add a motion keyframe at the starting position. Move forward until the subject has shifted noticeably, reposition or resize the shape, and add the next keyframe.
Use more keyframes when motion changes direction or speed. Use fewer when movement is steady; smooth interpolation can carry the blur between positions.
4. Inspect the boundaries frame by frame
Zoom the timeline near fast movement and step through the frames around each keyframe. Watch all four edges of the blur, not only its center.
Check the first and last frame of the clip carefully. Extend the shape slightly if the detail appears before or after its current duration.
5. Verify the rendered video
Export a test section and inspect it at the delivered resolution. Encoding and scaling can change how much detail remains visible.
For sensitive material, ask another person to review the export. The preview and keyframes help position the effect, but the final file is what viewers receive.
Make room for your next take.
Put this guide into practice with a short recording. Your scripts and audio stay on your device.
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