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Compositing Visual Effects

Essentials for the Aspiring Artist
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Compositing Visual Effects by Steve Wright provides a richly illustrated guide to the essential concepts and techniques of digital compositing without relying on complex mathematics. The book offers an overview of digital effects like CGI integration, set extensions, and match-move shots, then explores key areas including bluescreen compositing, bullet-time shots, motion tracking, and rotoscoping. New chapters cover 3D compositing, stereo compositing, RED and digital capture with log images, and project tracking, with updates on planar tracking, Z compositing, and more.

The edition includes access to a companion website with images for practising compositing exercises, making it a practical resource for aspiring compositors.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for novice and aspiring digital visual effects compositors seeking a clear, comprehensive introduction with practical examples. It also suits students and professionals in film and post-production interested in up-to-date compositing methods.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Illustrated with hundreds of film shots, figures, illustrations, and diagrams to help the visual reader gain a vocabulary and understanding of the full range of visual effects, in which digital compositing plays a key role.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Put the essential concepts and techniques of digital compositing to work for you without the need of a single mathematical equation. Compositing Visual Effects is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of film shots, figures, illustrations, and diagrams to help the visual reader gain a valuable vocabulary and understanding of the full range of visual effects, in which digital compositing plays a key role.

Beginning with an inspirational tour of the scope and magnitude of digital compositing, you get a solid overview of the kinds of digital effects routinely executed today. See how CGI is composited with live action, how set extensions are done, and what a match-move shot is. Following that, you learn each of the key applications of digital compositing, which include bluescreen compositing, bullet-time shots, motion tracking, and rotoscoping. The subsequent chapters dig down into each of the major digital compositing applications, introducing the fundamental concepts, and processes behind them.

Learn what is easy and hard, possible and impossible, and what to expect when working on a job that entails digital compositing. New to this edition are four new chapters on:

  • 3D compositing, with lessons on what camera tracking is, how it is used to put CGI into a live-action plate, as well as live action into a 3D scene.
  • Stereo compositing, with descriptions of key stereoscopic terms and concepts, lessons on compositing shots that were filmed in stereo (both bluescreen and CGI), as well as the stereo conversion process when a flat 2D movie is converted to a stereo 3D movie.
  • RED and Digital Capture with Log Images, including log image formats. This is a very hot topic these days. Colleges hang around video because it is cheaper. Film is still big in the real world of production.
  • Tracking an entire project from start to finish.

This is in addition to robust updates on topics such as: planar tracking, Z compositing, working with Anamorphic HD formats, mocap, and more.

This edition also includes a companion website with images from the book for you to work with in your own compositing exercises. Access it at: Companion Website

  • An accessible introduction to a complex subject for novice and aspiring compositors, from experienced author and compositor whose compositing credits include Night at the Museum 2, Shutter Island, Solaris, Traffic, and more.
  • Full-colour presentation illustrating the art and techniques of the practice, providing inspiration along with instruction.
  • New to this edition is a companion website and new chapters on 3D compositing, stereo compositing, RED and digital capture with log images, and more, which will have you understanding the latest in compositing technology in no time.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Jeffery Jasper, a VFX compositor, praises the book as a must-have resource that guides readers through blockbuster visual effects techniques, making complex processes accessible to laypersons.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780240817811

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 August 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Focal Press

Edition: 2nd edition

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 191.0mm

Height: 235.0mm

Weight: 870g

Pages: 344

About the Author

Steve Wright is a visual effects compositing veteran with 70 broadcast television commercials and over 60 feature films credits. He's developed video games at Atari, done 3D animations for Robert Abel and Associates, and was senior compositor and 2D technical director at Kodak's Cinesite. Steve is now a freelance, digital-compositing guru, who teaches, trains, writes, and develops on-line training programs.

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