AI masking and roto tools are new buzzword of the VFX industry. The goal is to reduce the mundane work of artists, so they can focus more on creative aspects of the project. The new version of Sapphire is power packed with the said tech to enhance VFX workflow.

We will let you through insights of these AI powered effect tracking and masking tools.

What is Sapphire?

Let’s imagine the typical post production shot – The VFX roto artist is working on masking a car’s movement frame by frame. The client wants to give a glowing effect to car’s edge. But, the camera is not stabilized, which makes your work more hectic. Even if you are using a powerful point tracker, a lens flare or unwanted foreground object can make work lengthy and complex.

Boris’s Sapphire is solution for such complex shots. With the help of AI based VFX tools, the artists can get seamless roto and effect tracking. It is powered by Mocha’s award winning tracking algorithm. Instead of chasing individual pixels, Mocha analyzes entire surfaces (think walls, pillar, building, faces, car hoods etc.) to predict movement. Rather than 2D changes, it notices how it twists, scales, or fades under shadows. Paired with Sapphire’s effects library, this AI duo handles shot at ease.

Sapphire’s AI tools

Sapphire has many inbuilt AI masking and tracking tools. Some of the major are explained below.

1. LensFlare:

It is like ‘Stick it and forget it’. It generates realistic light interaction effects by modeling how light disperses through multi element lens systems.

The plugin uses parametric rendering rather than relying on static image overlays, calculating each flare element’s appearance based on physical light behavior algorithms. This procedural approach allows for complete customization. By the same time, it maintains physically accurate light interactions.

It can work on full 32-bit color specifications for individual elements. Hence, it maintains HDR light intensity values. Sapphire’s AI based LensFlare adjusts angle, brightness, and occlusion automatically.

2. UltraGrain:

UltraGrain adds realistic film grain to digital video. It makes your footage look like it was shot on actual film. It comes with preset options that match popular film stocks. 

The plugin creates patterns that look like real film grain. It doesn’t just add random noise. Instead, it mimics how film chemicals actually behave. The grain looks different in dark areas versus bright areas, just like real film.

It works in all video resolutions from SD to 8K. It runs smoothly on most computers because it uses your graphics card to process the effect. You can add grain to your entire image or just specific parts using masks. Many directors add grain to give footage a more organic, cinematic feel. It’s widely used in Hollywood productions to blend digital and film footage together.

3. UltraZap

It is Sapphire’s lightning generator. Draw a squiggly path for electricity, and the AI animates it realistically. It does so by adding secondary jitters and adapting to camera shakes.

UltraZap creates electric arcs, lightning bolts, and energy beams in your video. It is one of the most popular effects in the Sapphire plugin collection. This tool makes realistic electricity effects with just a few clicks. The plugin draws lightning-like lines between points you choose. Each bolt looks unique and natural. The electricity moves and flickers automatically. You don’t need to animate it frame by frame.

The lightning can follow moving objects. The bolts can branch out in multiple directions like real lightning. The glow effect uses realistic light physics. It interacts naturally with dark and bright areas of your footage.

New features of Sapphire 

• Area Brush: Quickly paint over areas to exclude from tracking (e.g., removing a photobomber from a mask).
• Edge Snapping: Masks now cling to high-contrast edges-perfect for isolating actors against chaotic backgrounds.
• Multi-GPU Boost: Complex scenes render up to 6× faster, letting artists iterate on the fly.
• Seamless connectivity: Whether you’re in After Effects or DaVinci Resolve, Sapphire’s presets travel with your project. No more rebuilding effects from scratch when switching software.

Apart from this, it support for ACES color spaces and OpenColorIO. So, the tracked effects hold up even in HDR workflows. 

Conclusion

With help of all these AI masking and tracking tools, we are eliminating manual keyframing. Such visual effects pipeline delivers results faster than ever. All thanks to Mocha’s machine learning based planar tracking, combined with Sapphire’s GPU accelerated effects.

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