Here’s the video of the AI eye: https://youtu.be/T3k8LjY5zSU?si=BmevvPU4dlWKAZko
Let me take you behind the scenes of one of the coolest little tricks I’ve done in Final Cut Pro — how I created the AI eye effect that gives the feeling of a living, thinking humanoid presence.
I got a ton of questions after sharing that little clip. Some of you asked: “How did you make the eye track so smoothly?” or “Was that effect made in After Effects?”
Nope. No After Effects. No fancy plugins. Just Final Cut Pro, two video clips, some creative layering, and a touch of magic ✨.
So here’s exactly how I did it, step by step.
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🧠 The Vision
I had this idea in my head — a humanoid eye, but enhanced. Almost like it was scanning, learning, adapting. I wanted to fuse the organic human quality with something cold, high-tech, and… almost sentient.
I recorded a close-up clip of an eye (yes, it’s real!) — and I had a separate graphic: a circular, glowing, digital “AI interface” that I wanted to embed into the eye, and make it move with it.
The challenge? Making that glowing AI overlay stick to the eye as it moved slightly in the shot.
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🎬 The Setup
🧩 What I had:
1. Clip A – A close-up video of the human eye.
2. Clip B – A circular AI effect with a black background (created elsewhere, possibly in Motion or another video layer).
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🔧 Step-by-Step: Object Tracking in Final Cut Pro
✅ Step 1: Import your clips
Open Final Cut Pro and import both clips:
• Drag Clip A (the human eye) to the timeline.
• Add Clip B (the AI graphic with black background) as a layer above it.
✅ Step 2: Set blend mode to “Screen”
This is key!
Since the AI graphic had a black background, I wanted only the glowing parts to remain. I clicked on the AI graphic in the timeline, went to the Inspector, and under Compositing > Blend Mode, I changed it to Screen.
Now the black background disappears — leaving only the glowing graphic!
✅ Step 3: Resize and position the AI graphic
Still in the Inspector or directly in the viewer:
• Scale down the AI graphic until it fits naturally over the iris.
• Position it so it aligns with the center of the eye.
This part is manual — but trust your gut. You’ll feel when it clicks visually.
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✅ Step 4: Track the Eye (Object Tracking!)
Now for the magic. Final Cut Pro has native object tracking, and it works beautifully for shots like this.
👉 Here’s how:
1. Select Clip B (the AI graphic) in the timeline.
2. In the Viewer, click the small square icon that says “Track” when you hover over it (looks like a crosshair). It’s in the lower left corner of the viewer.
3. A blue “Add Object Tracker” box will appear on the video.
🎯 Now:
• Drag and resize this blue box over the part of the eye you want to track — usually the iris or pupil.
• Once it’s placed, click Analyze (either in the viewer or in the Inspector > Tracker section).
Final Cut will now go through the video frame by frame and follow that part of the eye. It’s surprisingly accurate!
✅ Step 5: Attach your graphic to the tracked object
Once Final Cut finishes tracking:
1. In the Inspector, under the Tracker section, you’ll now see your tracked object.
2. Click the “Attach to Object Tracker” dropdown and choose the tracker you just made.
Boom. The AI graphic is now locked onto the eye. It’ll move subtly with it — giving that hyperreal, sci-fi feel that makes people go: Wait… was that real?!
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🎨 Bonus polish
Here’s where I added some finishing touches:
• Slight Gaussian Blur or Glow to the AI layer to make it look like it’s inside the eye, not pasted on top.
• Color correction to the overall clip to add a colder, more futuristic tone.
• Added a light hum or synth pulse as sound design to make the visual feel more immersive.
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🧪 Final Result
The end result? A human eye, merged with digital intelligence — and all done in Final Cut Pro.
What I love about this technique is how accessible it is. You don’t need crazy software or 3D motion tracking. Just a good eye (pun intended 😉), a clean graphic, and a few clicks inside FCP.
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🗝️ Want to try it?
If you’re experimenting with sci-fi visuals, this is a great first effect to try. You can replace the eye graphic with:
• A radar circle
• A flame
• A galaxy
• Even a spinning record if you’re doing a music video! 🎶
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Let me know if you try this — tag me or send me your clips. I love seeing how others build on ideas and make them their own.
✨ Until next time, keep creating.
/Melisha 💜