Before understanding Nuke Software’s relevance in compositing, it is critical to know what compositing means. After all, it is one of the most prevalent techniques within the field of visual effects.
Anybody who wants to become a visual or VFX artist must fully understand compositing and then move on to how it is done. So, let’s begin.
What is VFX Compositing?
In a nutshell, VFX compositing is the method of combining two or more images to make them appear like a single picture.
For example, suppose you want to create an explosion scene for a movie. Clearly, you cannot shoot it in real life. Instead, the crew shoots the background of the explosion, be it inside a city, a forest, or whichever setting. Now, an animator will animate a bomb explosion, and the effects artists will create the rubble effects caused by that detonation.
Once all this is done, a VFX compositor will combine all the independently shot scenes into one seamless shot. To do this, you require the right digital tools, and one of the most popular ones is the Nuke compositing software.
The most common compositing techniques include:
- CGI
- Multiple Exposure
- Matting
- Greenscreen
- Physical Compositing
- Front or Rear Projection
Who is Responsible for VFX Compositing?
Trained professionals responsible for VFX compositing are called Compositors. Since they bring entire scenes together, they are in high demand for all types of productions requiring 2D or 3D compositing.
Be it integrating CGI characters with VFX shots in a movie or stitching together invisible VFX like rain or fog into a TV commercial; compositors are the ones that make it happen. They can do it on-set or during post-production.
The most common instance of VFX compositing is when compositors combine a weatherman with a dynamic weather screen with details behind them.
How Does the Nuke Software Aid Compositors?
Compositors leverage software tools like Nuke to layer together different elements to make them appear together in the most natural way. Nuke compositing is primarily positioned for freelancers and solo artists who delve into both 2D and 3D compositing.
For 2D compositing, Nuke comes with special features such as:
- A Nodal Toolset
Nuke has over 200 nodes for 2D compositing. Some of these include colour correction tools, rotoscopes, vector paint tools, and many more.
- Deep Image Compositing
These tools help you work with images with multiple opacity, so you don’t require rendering them again in case the content changes.
- Machine Learning Toolset
This digital toolbox allows compositors to generate and apply sequence-specific effects as per their own sensibilities.
For 3D compositing, Nuke comes with the following features:
- 3D Camera Tracker
This tool helps compositors convert 2D camera motion into 3D motion. 3D camera tracker also comes with refinement options that improve the accuracy of tricky frames.
- 3D Workspace
This workspace allows compositors to render intricate scenes with 2D and 3D footage, camera angles, lights and meshes.
There are many more features included in Nuke’s capabilities, but the ones mentioned above are key to Nuke compositing.
Final Thoughts
Want to become a compositor? The best way to start is by enrolling yourself in a VFX course at a renowned institution like Edge Metaversity to learn about Nuke compositing. It’ll give you in-depth understanding of all technicalities you require, including compositing, in your toolkit as a VFX artist.