In order to explore the dynamic evolution law of soil microstructures in real time, image correlation,
matching template and search region adapted to the automatic tracking system are studied towards moving features
of soil particles under loadings. It is vital to satisfy the real-time requirement and accuracy performance of the
tracking system. By analyzing calculation time, kurtosis and statistical distribution of four types of correlation
coefficients, we propose to use the square relation instead of the traditional cubic formula. The rectangular template
and search region are used to replace the square template and search region to take advantage of the template’s gray
information and meet the real-time requirement. Experimental results show that the automatic tracking system is
reliable, which provides an experimental means for the research of continuous deformation in the soil microstructure.