When showcasing a real estate editing, every detail in your video matters. A passing car, a person walking by, or even a stray “For Sale” sign can distract viewers from the property itself. Fortunately, Adobe After Effects offers one of the most powerful ways to remove unwanted objects — the Content-Aware Fill feature.

This intelligent AI-driven tool automatically analyzes surrounding frames and fills in missing areas to make your video look seamless and professional — perfect for real estate walkthroughs, drone footage, or neighborhood highlights.

Step-by-Step Guide: Remove Unwanted Objects in After Effects

Step 1: Import Your Footage

1. Launch After Effects and import your real estate video clip.
2. Drag it onto the timeline to create a new composition.

Tip: Use high-resolution footage (1080p or higher) for more accurate fills.

Step 2: Draw a Mask Around the Object

1. Position the playhead at the start of the clip.
2. Select your video layer, then choose the Pen Tool (G) from the toolbar.
3. Carefully draw a mask around the unwanted object (e.g., a person walking across a front yard or a reflection in a window).
4. Leave a small buffer zone between the mask edge and the object for smoother blending.
5. In the Timeline panel, expand your layer properties → Masks → Mask 1, and temporarily set Mask Mode to None so you can still see the object while tracking.

Step 3: Track the Mask (for Moving Objects)

If your object moves — like a passing car or shadow — tracking is essential.

1. Right-click on your mask and select Track Mask.
2. The Tracker panel will appear.
3. Under “Analyze,” click the play button to let After Effects track the object’s movement across frames.
4. Review the keyframes After Effects generates to ensure the mask follows the object accurately.
   • Adjust manually if needed for better precision.

Example: If a car passes in front of a property during a drone pan, After Effects can automatically follow it while you remove it from every frame.

Step 4: Open the Content-Aware Fill Panel

1. Go to Window > Content-Aware Fill to open the panel.
2. Set the Mask Mode to Subtract (this makes the masked area transparent — the part you want to fill).

Step 5: Configure Fill Settings

In the Content-Aware Fill panel, choose your settings carefully based on the scene type:

• Object: Best for moving objects like cars, people, or pets.
• Surface: Ideal for static areas like walls, floors, or skies.
• Edge Blend: Use this for areas with changing light or gradients (like windows or reflections).

Set the Range to:

• Work Area: Only fills the area defined by the work area bar.
• Entire Duration: Fills for the full video length (recommended for most real estate clips).

Step 6: Generate the Fill Layer

1. Click Generate Fill Layer.
2. After Effects will analyze the surrounding frames and generate a new Fill layer, synthesizing pixels to replace the object.
3. The process may take several minutes, depending on video length and complexity.

Example: Use this to remove a signboard from a yard or a moving pedestrian from an exterior panning shot.

Step 7: Preview and Refine

1. Review the result by playing back the sequence.
2. If the fill looks unnatural or has minor glitches:
   • Adjust Mask Feather (to soften edges).
   • Increase Mask Expansion slightly to include more background area.
   • Delete the Fill Layer and re-generate with different settings if needed.
3. For specific frames needing extra cleanup, use the Clone Stamp Tool on a new layer.

Pro Tip: Combining Content-Aware Fill with subtle Color Correction ensures that the edited area blends perfectly with the rest of the frame.

Alternative Tools and Techniques

While After Effects offers the most professional workflow, here are alternatives based on your skill level:

Conclusion

For real estate professionals, presentation is everything — and video is your most powerful storytelling tool. Using Content-Aware Fill in After Effects, you can remove distractions, clean up imperfections, and make every listing look polished and market-ready.

Whether you’re showcasing luxury interiors or cinematic drone flyovers, mastering object removal ensures your property videos stand out for all the right reasons — letting potential buyers focus entirely on the beauty of the home.