HitFilm can optionally apply automatic motion blur to layers and some effects and transitions based on their movement. This can greatly increase the realism of animations.
Motion blur needs to be turned on for each layer. This can be done by selecting the layer (or multiple layers) and clicking the Motion Blur button at the top of the timeline.
Each composite shot has its own motion blur settings. These affect the amount of blur applied to layers. To change a composite shot’s motion blur open its Settings window and switch to the Advanced tab. The Settings window can be opened clicking the cog icon at the bottom left of the timeline, or clicking the same icon next to the composite shot’s name in the Media panel.
Motion Blur Properties
- Enable: Turns motion blur on and off for the composite shot.
- Shutter Angle: A larger shutter angle will create more motion blur. The shutter angle simulates the amount of time a real camera shutter is open.
- Shutter Phase: Positions the blur in relation to the moving object. This can be used to offset the blur in front of or behind the clip. For realistic motion blur this is best kept set to 0.
- Use Adaptive Samples: When activated, HitFilm will automatically estimate how many samples are required for good quality motion blur and will only use as many as it needs, up to the value set in the Max number of samples property. When turned off the max number of samples will always be used, even when they’re not needed, which could impact on performance.
- Max Number of Samples: Motion blur is constructed by sampling the position of the layer over multiple frames. A higher number of samples will result in a higher quality motion blur. Fewer samples will be faster to render but may introduce visible banding in the motion blur.