An object tracking algorithm that uses the flexible kernels based on the normalized metric dalpha distance transform for the mean shift procedure is proposed and tested. This replaces the more usual Epanechnikov kernel (E-kernel), improving target representation and localization without increasing the processing time, minimizing the similarity measure using the Bhattacharya coefficient. The target shape which defines the dalpha distance transform is found either by regional segmentation or background-difference imaging, dependent on the nature of the video sequence. The algorithm is tested on several image sequences and shown to achieve robust and reliable frame-rate tracking.