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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Duplicate your clip onto the track above
Select your video clip on the timeline, hold Alt (Option on a Mac) and drag it up to the track above. You now have two identical layers. The bottom one stays untouched and the top one will become your outline.
Step 2: Draw a mask around the object
Select the top clip, open Effect Controls and make sure the playhead is at the start of the clip. Under Opacity, click the Free Draw Bezier tool (the pen icon). Then click around the object you want to outline in the Program Monitor.
Zoom into the Program Monitor to make this easier, because more zoom means more precise points. Finish by connecting the last point to the first one so the mask is a closed shape.
Step 3: Track the mask through the clip
Back in Effect Controls, click the stopwatch next to Mask Path to add a keyframe. Then click the Track selected mask forward play button beside it. Premiere shows a Tracking progress window while it follows the object frame by frame, so wait until it finishes. When it is done, scrub the clip and check that the mask stays on your object.
Step 4: Nest the top layer
Select the top video layer, right-click it and choose Nest, then click OK. Nesting wraps the masked clip into one layer, so the next effect treats the mask as the shape of the object.
Step 5: Add the outline with Paint Bucket
Open the Effects panel, search for Paint Bucket and drag it onto the top (nested) clip. In the video the effect sits under Video Effects > Obsolete.
In Effect Controls, set Fill Selector to Alpha Channel and change the second dropdown to Stroke. Now raise Stroke Width until the outline is as thick as you like, and pick the outline colour with the Color swatch.
Faster with BetterFX: skip the Effects panel. Press your BetterFX shortcut, type the first letters of Paint Bucket and press Enter to apply it to the selected clip. Get BetterFX
Step 6: Animate the outline with Radial Wipe
A static outline already works, but a small animation makes it look finished. Search for Radial Wipe in the Effects panel (again in the Obsolete folder) and apply it to the top layer, below Paint Bucket in the effect list.
Go to the start of the clip, click the stopwatch next to Transition Completion and set it to 100%. Move forward a little and set Transition Completion to 0. The outline now draws itself around the object in a circular sweep.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the Transition Completion keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of dragging Bezier handles. See EaseFlow
Tips
- Choose a clear object. Tracking works best when the object stays visible and has good contrast with the background.
- Add mask points slowly. More points follow curves better, but too many make the outline shaky.
- Want outlined text instead? See our guide to the text outline effect in Premiere Pro.
FAQ
How do I outline an object in Premiere Pro?
Duplicate the clip, mask the object, track the mask, nest the layer and add the Paint Bucket effect set to Alpha Channel and Stroke. That gives you an outline that follows the object.
Why can't I find the Paint Bucket effect?
In the tutorial it lives in the Obsolete folder under Video Effects. If your version of Premiere no longer lists it, you can bring these older effects back with the free restored obsolete effects.
Why does my outline drift off the object?
The mask tracker can lose the object when it moves fast or changes shape. Scrub through the clip, find where the mask drifts and adjust the mask points at that frame.
Paint Bucket and Radial Wipe are both obsolete effects, so grab the free restored obsolete effects if they are missing from your Premiere Pro.
