Blender For Dummies®

Chapter 15. Compositing and Editing

In This Chapter

• Editing video and animations with Blender's Video Sequence Editor

• Compositing images, video, and un-rendered scenes

In live-action film and video, the term post-production usually includes nearly anything associated with animation. Nearly every animator or effects specialist has groaned upon hearing a director or producer say the line, "We'll fix it in post." Fortunately, in animation, post-production is more specific, focusing on editing and compositing.

Editing is the process of taking rendered footage – animation, film, or video – and adjusting how various shots appear in sequence. This is typically done using a non-linear editor (NLE). An NLE, like Apple's Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere, differs from older linear tape-to-tape editing systems that required editors to work more sequentially. With an NLE, you can easily edit the beginning of a sequence without worrying too much about it messing up the timing at the end. Blender has very basic NLE functions built into its integrated Video Sequence Editor.

Compositing is the process of mixing animations, videos, and still images into a single image or video. It's the way that credits show up over footage at the beginning of a movie, or how an animated character is made to appear like she is interacting with a real world environment. Blender has an integrated compositor that can be used to do these sorts of effects, as well as simply enhance your scene with effects such as blur, glow, ...