Alight Motion actually has a proper drawing tool for that, and it's honestly better than people give it credit for. It's kind of buried in the layers menu so a lot of people never even open it, but once you do, you'll see it's got real controls — color, brush size, opacity, even separate tools depending on whether you're drawing or fixing a mistake. Let me just walk you through how it actually works.
Getting started with color
When you first open the drawing panel, you'll see a full color grid at the bottom with rows of preset colors to tap through, plus a bar up top showing your current color as a hex code along with its opacity percentage. If none of the presets are quite what you want, there's an eyedropper tool sitting to the side that lets you pick a color straight from your footage or image — genuinely useful if you're trying to match a drawn line to something already in your frame rather than guessing at a shade. There's also a palette icon nearby if you want to dig into more custom color options beyond the default grid.
Brush size and opacity
Right above the color grid, you'll find a slider with a number next to it — this controls your brush size, and you can see the exact value update as you drag it, so it's easy to dial in something precise rather than eyeballing it. The colored bar with the hex code and percentage doubles as your opacity control too, letting you draw with a fully solid line or something more translucent depending on the effect you're after. A lower opacity is great for softer highlight strokes, while full opacity gives you bold, solid lines.
Drawing and erasing
On the right‑hand side of the screen you will see a column of icons. This is where you switch between tools. The pencil icon allows you to draw lines. The tool is great for sketching or making outlines. Below that is the brush icon. The tool is usually highlighted when it is active. This tool creates strokes. The tool is perfect for filling in areas or drawing with pressure. There is also a squiggly line icon. The tool works like a smudge or blend tool. The tool lets you soften and drag existing lines while drawing ones. At the bottom there is the eraser icon. The tool does what you think. The tool removes parts of your drawing without erasing the sketch.
Why this tool is actually useful
You might think freehand drawing is a trick… The tool becomes really helpful when you use it on purpose. The tool lets you draw arrows or circles to point out something in a tutorial video. The tool lets you draw glowing outlines around a subject to make them stand out. The tool lets you add notes or annotations. The tool lets you even create animations by drawing on frames and playing them back one after another. Because this drawing is on its layer you can apply blend modes add glow effects or animate opacity. That means a simple hand‑drawn line can look like a design element. The tool does not just look like a scribble, on top of your video.
A quick tip for beginners
Begin by using a brush size and setting the opacity low while you are still learning how your finger or stylus moves across the screen. It is much easier to add a line slowly than to erase a thick line that you did not intend to draw.
When you are comfortable with how the pencil tool and brush tool feel, switching between the pencil tool and brush tool, for parts of a sketch becomes second nature. That is when the tool becomes a creative asset instead of just another menu item you never open.
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