Boris FX Mocha: What Is It and How to Use It in Your Videos

Boris FX Mocha Pro: Advanced Tracking and Masking

Built-in tracking or masking tools in a video editor often fall short for high-level visual effects (VFX) work. To meet these demands, many editors rely on third-party plugins, with Boris FX Mocha Pro among the most reliable and advanced options for achieving precise and professional results.

Boris FX Mocha interface replacing screen

Definition

Boris FX Mocha Pro is an award-winning tracking and masking plugin and software that supports planar motion tracking, 3D tracking, rotoscoping, object removal, image stabilization, and PowerMesh organic warp tracking.

This technology has been used as a solution for complex visual effects challenges, such as tracking non-rigid surfaces, replacing screens, stabilizing shaky footage, and removing unwanted elements from a scene. With Boris Mocha, you can isolate moving objects and handle shots that traditional point trackers often struggle with.

Technical Breakdown

Core Technology: Mocha by Boris FX is built around planar tracking, a system that analyzes flat surface areas across multiple frames rather than following individual points like traditional tracking tools. The result is more stable and accurate tracking, even in challenging conditions like motion blur, occlusion, or low-contrast footage.

And because of the Boris FX acquisition of SynthEyes, Mocha now includes some of its advanced 3D tracking capabilities. A new 3D module has been added, featuring a dedicated viewport for previewing 3D scenes, support for importing and exporting 3D meshes, and texture previews for projection workflows.

Features of Boris FX Mocha

1. Tracking

Mocha's signature planar tracking lets you follow flat surfaces accurately across frames.

2. AI-Powered Masking

Mocha includes Object Brush and Matte Assist, two AI tools that help you create masks quickly. They let you isolate objects or generate animated mattes with minimal effort while keeping your data secure on your local device.

3. Power Mesh

PowerMesh offers flexible surface tracking, perfect for faces, fabrics, or warped objects. It lets you create stabilized views, smooth rotoscoping, and even reverse-warped inserts for VFX and cleanups.

4. 3D Camera Solves

Mocha simplifies 3D camera tracking by combining planar and mesh tracking. Built on SynthEyes tech, it lets you export tracking data to your preferred editing or VFX software without extra learning.

5. Roto with Less Keyframes

Mocha's spline-based roto tools reduce the number of manual keyframes you need. Tools like X-Splines, edge-snapping, and the Area Brush help you create detailed masks quickly, even on complex motions like skin or cloth.

6. Object and Wire Removal

The Remove Module lets you delete unwanted elements like wires or rigs without tedious cloning. It analyzes nearby frames to fill in gaps and can even generate clean plates automatically.

7. Lens Calibration Tool

Mocha's lens module fixes or matches lens distortion from your camera. You can calibrate using built-in tools and reuse settings, or export the data to other VFX tools for seamless compositing.

What's New in 2025.5

With the 2025.5 update, Boris Mocha introduces several powerful upgrades to its toolkit, including:

Face Detection for automated face tracking and masking.
Matte Assist ML Upgrades for faster and more accurate matte cleanup.
Improved 3D Object Tracking, even in static camera scenes.
Custom Exports and Batch Processing: Speed up your editing process by saving your favorite export settings as presets and exporting multiple clips in one go.
Custom Export Presets and Batch Processing that lets you save your favorite export settings as presets and export multiple clips at once.

Supported Operating Systems

Windows	Win 10 and 11
macOS	Monterey 12.7.6 and higher
Linux	Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7-9, CentOS 7-9, Rocky 7-9, or compatible distribution on x86_64

Boris FX Mocha Pricing

Mocha plugins can be used on different platforms and hosts, and each option comes with its own pricing plan.

Host	Subscription (monthly)	Subscription (billed annually)	Perpetual License
After Effects & Premiere Pro	$48	$27.08/mo	$765
Avid Media Composer	$48	$27.08/mo	$765
OFX (Nuxe, Fusion, Vegas Pro, etc.)	$48	$27.08/mo	$765
Stand-alone + Multi-host Plugin	$96	$54.58/mo	$1,645
Filmora	Free Download (within Filmora)	Free Download (within Filmora)	Free Download (within Filmora)
All Supported Plugin Host	$64	$36.25/mo	$1,095

Part 2. Application Section - When/Where to Use

Real-World Applications of Boris FX Mocha:

Because of its robust capabilities and professional results, the Mocha Pro plugin is trusted by industry professionals across film, television, advertising, social media, and whenever precision tracking, masking, or object removal is needed.

Industry Impact:

Film & TV Production

Mocha Pro plays a big role behind the scenes of major shows and movies. It's helpful for replacing screens, cleaning up messy shots, adding digital makeup, and stabilizing handheld footage.

Advertising & Commercials

In video ads, elements like billboards or product shots are often enhanced or replaced using Mocha. It helps editors quickly track logos, update branding, or insert visuals into moving footage with precision.

Social Media Content Creation

Content creators also use Mocha to attach titles, emojis, or effects to moving objects, clean up backgrounds, and give everyday videos a professional quality edit.

Architecture & Real Estate Videos

In property videos, Mocha is useful for overlaying floor plans, labels, or annotations that track the camera movement. It can also be used to stabilize drone footage or remove unwanted visual distractions from exterior shots.

Case Studies:

1. Using PowerMesh Tracking in "The Last of Us"

The VFX team of HBO's The Last of Us used Boris FX Mocha Pro with Nuke to track over 140 shots, including CG animals, set extensions, matte paintings, and blue screen extractions. Jacob Maymudes, CEO and chief creative officer, noted its PowerMesh tracking feature was especially valuable for scenes with heavy parallax, moving characters, and layered occlusions.

2. Planar Tracking in "Ted Lasso"

Barnstorm VFX, the studio behind the Emmy-nominated VFX in Ted Lasso Season 3, relied on the Mocha plugin to handle complex roto and planar tracking tasks across dozens of high-action sports scenes.

3. Set Extension in "Moon Knight"

On Moon Knight, Mocha Pro was used to track and composite greenscreen set extensions for scenes set inside Egyptian tombs. In another scene, where Marc Spector's reflection needed to be replaced with his alternate persona, Mocha Pro handled the tracking and roto work.

Limitations and Challenges:

Steep Learning Curve

The Mocha Pro plugin can feel complex at first if you are not familiar with planar tracking concepts. Beginners may need to watch tutorials to understand the interface and tools.

Heavy Processing Power

Powerful features require powerful hardware. You need a strong GPU, plenty of RAM, and a fast processor to run Mocha Pro smoothly. Without a capable setup, you might experience slow performance.

Module Availability

Not all features are available in every version. Some functions are only in the standalone app or require a separate license.

Future Outlook

Given the continued support and development from Boris FX, Mocha Pro is likely to remain a core part of the industry pipeline. The tool is evolving to meet the growing demands of modern VFX workflows, which is essential as production becomes more complex and fast-paced.

There's also potential for deeper AI integration and faster real-time processing, which could make the software even more accessible and efficient for both large studios and solo creators.

Part 3. Practical Demonstration Section - How to Use

To show you how to operate and use Boris FX Mocha Pro, we'll walk you through a simplified example using its integration in Wondershare Filmora.

Mocha Pro's advanced tracker is no longer limited to high-end VFX studios. It's now available inside more beginner-friendly tools like Filmora, which makes complex visual effects more accessible to everyday editors.

Compared to the Mocha plugin in After Effects, Filmora offers a much simpler interface to help you get started fast. The workflow after you're done tracking is also more straightforward, with built-in options to apply the effect directly within your timeline.

Mocha Filmora offers similar core tools to Mocha Pro, including planar tracking, PowerMesh tracking, roto and masking, lens distortion, and more.

How to Use Boris FX Mocha in Filmora:

Step 1

Create a New Project and Import Your Video
Open Filmora and start a new project. Import the video clip you want to edit by clicking import or dragging it into the media library. Then, drop it onto the timeline.

Step 2

Apply Mocha Filmora Effect
Once your video is on the timeline, head to Effects > Boris FX. Find Mocha Filmora and click the "+" icon to apply the effect. Next, go to the Effects > Tracking settings and click "Launch Mocha UI" to enter the Mocha interface.

Step 3

Start Using the Mocha Filmora Tools
You'll now be inside the Mocha Filmora workspace. From here, you can start tracking, masking, or using PowerMesh depending on your needs. Refer to the user guide here.