Professional Digital Compositing: Essential Tools and Techniques

Professional Digital Compositing: Essential Tools and Techniques

Released December 2009
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780470452615

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Book description

Learn professional secrets of digital compositing with this detailed guide

After filming is done, digital compositors move in to manipulate color, retouch, and perform other behind-the-scenes tricks that are necessary to improve or finalize movies, games, and commercials. Now you can learn their secrets with this one-of-a-kind guide to digital compositing.

Professional animator and author Lee Lanier not only draws upon his own experience, he has also combed some of Hollywood's most active post-production houses in search of the best solutions. Learn valuable techniques, tricks, and more.

  • Covers techniques for digital compositing including transformations, plate preparation, rotoscoping, advanced render passes, particle integration, 2.5D painting, HDRI, stereoscopy and more

  • Shows you digital compositing techniques that can be applied to a variety of software tools, including After Effects and Nuke

  • Includes a DVD with scenes, sample bitmaps, image sequences, and more

Start your animation career right with the solid instruction in postproduction you'll find in this practical guide.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Dear Reader,
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. About the Author
  5. Introduction
    1. Who Should Buy This Book
    2. After Effects and Nuke
    3. The Companion DVD
    4. Naming Conventions
    5. How to Contact the Author
  6. 1. Setting Up a Composite
    1. 1.1. Compositing Challenge
    2. 1.2. Compositing Examples
      1. 1.2.1. Freestyle Collective for Cartoon Network
      2. 1.2.2. Click 3X for Sharp
      3. 1.2.3. AILV for Spec Commercial
      4. 1.2.4. Tonya Smay for Westchester Medical Center
    3. 1.3. Layers vs. Nodes
    4. 1.4. Resolutions and Frame Rates
      1. 1.4.1. Common Resolutions and Aspect Ratios
      2. 1.4.2. Common Frame Rates
      3. 1.4.3. Interlaced vs. Progressive
    5. 1.5. Setting Up a Composite
      1. 1.5.1. After Effects Projects
        1. 1.5.1.1. Importing Footage
        2. 1.5.1.2. Using the Layer Outline
        3. 1.5.1.3. Nesting, Parenting, and Precomping Compositions
        4. 1.5.1.4. Using Composition, Footage, and Layer Panels
        5. 1.5.1.5. The AE Flowchart
        6. 1.5.1.6. Previewing a Composition
        7. 1.5.1.7. Rendering a Composition
        8. 1.5.1.8. Interlacing in AE
        9. 1.5.1.9. 3:2 Pulldown in AE
      2. 1.5.2. Nuke Scripts
        1. 1.5.2.1. Importing Files
        2. 1.5.2.2. Connecting Nodes
        3. 1.5.2.3. Using the Viewer Pane and Viewers
        4. 1.5.2.4. Playing the Timeline and Creating a Flipbook
        5. 1.5.2.5. Writing an Image Sequence
        6. 1.5.2.6. Interlacing and 3:2 Pulldown in Nuke
      3. 1.5.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 1.5.3.1. AE Tutorial 1: Working with Interlaced Footage
        2. 1.5.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 1: Working with the Reformat Node
    6. 1.6. Interview: Dorne Huebler, Industrial Light & Magic, San Francisco
    7. 1.7. Interview: Michael Coleman, Adobe, Seattle, Washington
    8. 1.8. Interview: Richard Shackleton, The Foundry, London
  7. 2. Choosing a Color Space
    1. 2.1. Color Theory Overview
      1. 2.1.1. RYB and RGB Color Models
      2. 2.1.2. Employing Color Harmony
    2. 2.2. Color Space and Monitor Calibration
      1. 2.2.1. Working with Gamma
      2. 2.2.2. Calibrating a Monitor
    3. 2.3. Understanding Bit Depth
    4. 2.4. Bit Depth Conversions
    5. 2.5. Log vs. Linear
      1. 2.5.1. Log File Formats
      2. 2.5.2. White and Black Reference
    6. 2.6. Integer vs. Float
    7. 2.7. Favored Image Formats
    8. 2.8. Working with Color Space
      1. 2.8.1. Working in AE
        1. 2.8.1.1. Color Management in AE
          1. 2.8.1.1.1. Common Color Profiles
          2. 2.8.1.1.2. Color Profile Converter
          3. 2.8.1.1.3. Linearization
          4. 2.8.1.1.4. Color Space Simulation
        2. 2.8.1.2. Log-to-Linear Conversions in AE
      2. 2.8.2. Working in Nuke
        1. 2.8.2.1. Color Space in Nuke
        2. 2.8.2.2. Log-to-Linear Conversions in Nuke
      3. 2.8.3. Color Space Tutorials
        1. 2.8.3.1. AE Tutorial 2: Working with DPX and Cineon Files
        2. 2.8.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 2: Working with DPX and Cineon Files
    9. 2.9. Interview: Jason Greenblum, Sony Pictures Imageworks
    10. 2.10. Interview: Rod Basham, Imaginary Forces, Hollywood
  8. 3. Interpreting Alpha and Creating Mattes
    1. 3.1. Alpha Support and Premultiplication
    2. 3.2. Fundamental Math Operations
      1. 3.2.1. Normal (Over) and Stencil
      2. 3.2.2. Add (Plus) and Screen
      3. 3.2.3. Multiply
      4. 3.2.4. Lighten (Max) and Darken (Min)
    3. 3.3. Chroma Key
      1. 3.3.1. Bluescreen vs. Greenscreen
      2. 3.3.2. Common Approaches to Keying
      3. 3.3.3. Keying Workflow
    4. 3.4. Working with Alpha
      1. 3.4.1. Alpha in AE
        1. 3.4.1.1. Blending Modes
        2. 3.4.1.2. AE Keyers and Chokers
          1. 3.4.1.2.1. Simple Choker and Matte Choker
          2. 3.4.1.2.2. Color Key, Linear Color Key, and Luma Key
          3. 3.4.1.2.3. Color Difference Key
          4. 3.4.1.2.4. Color Range and Extract
          5. 3.4.1.2.5. Difference Matte
          6. 3.4.1.2.6. Keylight and Inner/Outer Key
          7. 3.4.1.2.7. Spill Suppressor
      2. 3.4.2. Alpha in Nuke
        1. 3.4.2.1. The Merge Node
        2. 3.4.2.2. Additional Blending Nodes
        3. 3.4.2.3. Nuke Keyers
          1. 3.4.2.3.1. The Difference Node
          2. 3.4.2.3.2. IBKGizmo and IBKColour
          3. 3.4.2.3.3. The Keyer Node
          4. 3.4.2.3.4. HueKeyer
          5. 3.4.2.3.5. Primatte
      3. 3.4.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 3.4.3.1. AE Tutorial 2 Revisited: Refining Color and Edge Quality
        2. 3.4.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 2 Revisited: Refining Color and Edge Quality
        3. 3.4.3.3. AE Tutorial 3: Removing Greenscreen
        4. 3.4.3.4. Nuke Tutorial 3: Removing Greenscreen
    5. 3.5. Interview: Johnathan R. Banta, Zoic Studios, Culver City, California
  9. 4. Channel Manipulation
    1. 4.1. Histograms and Tonal Ranges
      1. 4.1.1. Reading Histograms
      2. 4.1.2. Histogram Tips
      3. 4.1.3. Tonal Ranges, White Points, and Black Points
    2. 4.2. Working with Channel Manipulation
      1. 4.2.1. Channel Manipulation in AE
        1. 4.2.1.1. Channel Shifters
          1. 4.2.1.1.1. Set Matte
          2. 4.2.1.1.2. Shift Channels and Set Channels
          3. 4.2.1.1.3. Channel Combiner
        2. 4.2.1.2. Channel Math Operators
          1. 4.2.1.2.1. Arithmetic
          2. 4.2.1.2.2. Calculations
        3. 4.2.1.3. Channel Color Correctors
          1. 4.2.1.3.1. Brightness & Contrast
          2. 4.2.1.3.2. Curves
          3. 4.2.1.3.3. Levels and Alpha Levels
          4. 4.2.1.3.4. Gamma/Pedestal/Gain
          5. 4.2.1.3.5. Hue/Saturation
          6. 4.2.1.3.6. Color Balance
          7. 4.2.1.3.7. Color Balance (HLS) and Exposure
          8. 4.2.1.3.8. Broadcast Colors
      2. 4.2.2. Channel Manipulation in Nuke
        1. 4.2.2.1. Channel and Node Controls
        2. 4.2.2.2. Channel Shifters
          1. 4.2.2.2.1. Copy
          2. 4.2.2.2.2. ChannelMerge
          3. 4.2.2.2.3. ShuffleCopy and Shuffle
        3. 4.2.2.3. Color Space Converters
          1. 4.2.2.3.1. The Colorspace Node
          2. 4.2.2.3.2. HueShift
          3. 4.2.2.3.3. HSVTool
        4. 4.2.2.4. Channel Color Correctors
          1. 4.2.2.4.1. The Saturation Node
          2. 4.2.2.4.2. The Histogram Node
          3. 4.2.2.4.3. The Grade Node
          4. 4.2.2.4.4. ColorCorrect
          5. 4.2.2.4.5. HueCorrect
        5. 4.2.2.5. Math Nodes
      3. 4.2.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 4.2.3.1. Nuke Tutorial 3 Revisited: Creating a Luma Matte
        2. 4.2.3.2. AE Tutorial 4: Matching CG to Degraded Footage
        3. 4.2.3.3. Nuke Tutorial 4: Matching CG to Degraded Footage
    3. 4.3. Interview: Andy Davis, Method Studios, Santa Monica, California
  10. 5. Transformations and Keyframing
    1. 5.1. Understanding Transformations
      1. 5.1.1. Matrix Operations
      2. 5.1.2. Transformation Order and Concatenation
      3. 5.1.3. Interpolation Filters
        1. 5.1.3.1. Tent Filters
          1. 5.1.3.1.1. Cubic Filters
    2. 5.2. Working with Transformations
      1. 5.2.1. Transformations in AE
        1. 5.2.1.1. Moving, Scaling, and Rotating in 2D
        2. 5.2.1.2. Moving, Scaling, and Rotating in 3D
        3. 5.2.1.3. Keyframing
        4. 5.2.1.4. Using the Graph Editor
          1. 5.2.1.4.1. Manipulating Tangent Handles
          2. 5.2.1.4.2. Interpreting the Speed Graph
          3. 5.2.1.4.3. Manipulating Keyframes in the Graph Editor
          4. 5.2.1.4.4. Editing Curves in the Viewer
      2. 5.2.2. Transformations in Nuke
        1. 5.2.2.1. Moving, Scaling, and Rotating in 2D
          1. 5.2.2.1.1. Choosing an Interpolation Filter in Nuke
        2. 5.2.2.2. Specialty Transform Nodes
        3. 5.2.2.3. Keyframing and the Curve Editor
          1. 5.2.2.3.1. Curve Editor Basics
          2. 5.2.2.3.2. Changing Tangent Types
      3. 5.2.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 5.2.3.1. AE Tutorial 5: Adding Dynamic Animation to a Static Layer
        2. 5.2.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 5: Adding Dynamic Animation to a Static Output
    3. 5.3. Interview: Erik Winquist, Weta Digital, Wellington, New Zealand
    4. 5.4. Interview: Darren Poe, Digital Domain, Venice, California
  11. 6. Convolution Filters
    1. 6.1. Filter Matrices
      1. 6.1.1. Blurring Kernels
        1. 6.1.1.1. Gaussian Blurs
        2. 6.1.1.2. Directional Blurs
      2. 6.1.2. Sharpening Kernels
      3. 6.1.3. Unsharpening
      4. 6.1.4. Stylistic Filter Kernels
        1. 6.1.4.1. Edge Enhancement
        2. 6.1.4.2. Edge Detection
        3. 6.1.4.3. Sobel Filters
        4. 6.1.4.4. Emboss Filters
    2. 6.2. Working with Filters
      1. 6.2.1. Filter Effects in AE
        1. 6.2.1.1. Layer-Based Motion Blur
        2. 6.2.1.2. Blurring and Sharpening
          1. 6.2.1.2.1. Gaussian Blur Variations
          2. 6.2.1.2.2. Directional and Radial Blurs
          3. 6.2.1.2.3. Control Layer Blurs
          4. 6.2.1.2.4. Sharpening Effects
        3. 6.2.1.3. Stylistic Effects
      2. 6.2.2. Filter Nodes in Nuke
        1. 6.2.2.1. Node-Based Motion Blur
        2. 6.2.2.2. Custom Convolutions
        3. 6.2.2.3. Blurring and Sharpening
          1. 6.2.2.3.1. Blur, Sharpen, and Soften Nodes
          2. 6.2.2.3.2. Defocusing
          3. 6.2.2.3.3. Specialized Blurs
      3. 6.2.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 6.2.3.1. AE Tutorial 5 Revisited: Creating a Shadow and a Camera Move
        2. 6.2.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 5 Revisited: Creating a Shadow and a Camera Move
        3. 6.2.3.3. AE Tutorial 6: Building an Unsharp Mask from Scratch
        4. 6.2.3.4. Nuke Tutorial 6: Building an Unsharp Mask from Scratch
    3. 6.3. Interview: Alex Lovejoy, The Mill NY, New York City
  12. 7. Masking, Rotoscoping, and Motion Tracking
    1. 7.1. Mattes vs. Masks
    2. 7.2. The History of Rotoscoping
    3. 7.3. Rotoscoping Approaches
      1. 7.3.1. Bisecting
      2. 7.3.2. Key Poses
    4. 7.4. Motion Tracking Overview
    5. 7.5. Applying Masking and Tracking Techniques
      1. 7.5.1. Masking and Tracking in AE
        1. 7.5.1.1. Masking with the Pen Tool
        2. 7.5.1.2. Manipulating Paths and Masks
          1. 7.5.1.2.1. Mask Properties
          2. 7.5.1.2.2. Transforming and Keyframing a Mask
          3. 7.5.1.2.3. Choosing a Mask Mode
        3. 7.5.1.3. Masking with Shapes
        4. 7.5.1.4. Masking with Auto-Trace
        5. 7.5.1.5. Rotoscoping with RotoBezier
        6. 7.5.1.6. Motion Tracking in AE
        7. 7.5.1.7. Motion Tracking Problem Solving
        8. 7.5.1.8. Motion Tracking Variants
      2. 7.5.2. Masking and Tracking in Nuke
        1. 7.5.2.1. Using the Mask Input
        2. 7.5.2.2. Drawing Beziers
        3. 7.5.2.3. Combining Beziers
        4. 7.5.2.4. Rotoscoping with Beziers
        5. 7.5.2.5. Tracking with the Tracker Node
          1. 7.5.2.5.1. Calculating the Motion Track
          2. 7.5.2.5.2. Match-Move and Add Jitter Workflow
          3. 7.5.2.5.3. Stabilize and Remove Jitter Workflow
          4. 7.5.2.5.4. Applying Data to the CornerPin and Stabilize Nodes
          5. 7.5.2.5.5. Editing Track Curves in the Curve Editor
      3. 7.5.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 7.5.3.1. AE Tutorial 3 Revisited: Finalizing the Composite
        2. 7.5.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 3 Revisited: Finalizing the Composite
        3. 7.5.3.3. AE Tutorial 7: Corner Pin Tracking with a Non-Square Object
        4. 7.5.3.4. Nuke Tutorial 7: Corner Pin Tracking with a Non-Square Object
    6. 7.6. Interview: Entae Kim, Freestyle Collective, New York City
  13. 8. DI, Color Grading, Noise, and Grain
    1. 8.1. Digital Intermediates
      1. 8.1.1. DI for Film
        1. 8.1.1.1. Digitizing Film
        2. 8.1.1.2. Conforming the Footage
        3. 8.1.1.3. Applying 3D LUTs
        4. 8.1.1.4. Bringing Effects Work into DI
        5. 8.1.1.5. DI Color Grading
      2. 8.1.2. DI for Video and Animation
    2. 8.2. Color Grading without DI
      1. 8.2.1. Color Grading in AE
      2. 8.2.2. Color Grading in Nuke
      3. 8.2.3. 3D LUTs in Nuke
        1. 8.2.3.1. Reading 3D LUTs
        2. 8.2.3.2. Generating 3D LUTs
        3. 8.2.3.3. Viewing Log Files with the IP Button
    3. 8.3. Noise and Grain
    4. 8.4. Working with Noise and Grain
      1. 8.4.1. Noise and Grain in AE
        1. 8.4.1.1. Fractal Noise, Noise, and Add Grain
        2. 8.4.1.2. Removing Grain
        3. 8.4.1.3. Matching Grain
      2. 8.4.2. Noise and Grain in Nuke
        1. 8.4.2.1. The Noise Node
        2. 8.4.2.2. Adding Dither and Grain
        3. 8.4.2.3. Using Scanned Grain
        4. 8.4.2.4. Degraining
      3. 8.4.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 8.4.3.1. AE Tutorial 8: Color Grading Poorly Exposed Footage
        2. 8.4.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 8: Color Grading Poorly Exposed Footage
        3. 8.4.3.3. AE Tutorial 9: Disguising Posterization with Blur and Grain
        4. 8.4.3.4. Nuke Tutorial 9: Disguising Posterization with Blur and Grain
    5. 8.5. Interview: Shawn Jones, NT Picture & Sound, Hollywood
  14. 9. Integrating Render Passes
    1. 9.1. Dividing a CG Render
      1. 9.1.1. Combining Layers
      2. 9.1.2. Common Render Passes
        1. 9.1.2.1. Beauty, Diffuse, and Specular Passes
        2. 9.1.2.2. Shadow and Depth Passes
        3. 9.1.2.3. Holdout Matte and ID Passes
        4. 9.1.2.4. Reflection and Refraction Passes
        5. 9.1.2.5. Light Passes
        6. 9.1.2.6. Ambient Occlusion and Reflection Occlusion Passes
        7. 9.1.2.7. Rim Passes
        8. 9.1.2.8. Motion Vector and UV Texture Passes
        9. 9.1.2.9. Surface Normal Passes
        10. 9.1.2.10. Ambient, Translucence, and Subsurface Scatter Passes
        11. 9.1.2.11. Text and Effects
    2. 9.2. Working with Render Passes
      1. 9.2.1. Combining Passes in AE
        1. 9.2.1.1. Stacking Common Passes
        2. 9.2.1.2. Using Holdout Matte Passes
        3. 9.2.1.3. Applying Depth and ID Passes
      2. 9.2.2. Combining Passes in Nuke
        1. 9.2.2.1. Employing Common Passes
        2. 9.2.2.2. Using Holdout Matte and RGB ID Passes
        3. 9.2.2.3. Using Depth Passes
          1. 9.2.2.3.1. Applying Depth through the Mask Input
          2. 9.2.2.3.2. Applying Depth through Z-buffer Nodes
        4. 9.2.2.4. Creating Blur with Motion Vectors
      3. 9.2.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 9.2.3.1. AE Tutorial 10: Combining CG Render Passes
        2. 9.2.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 10: Combining CG Render Passes
        3. 9.2.3.3. AE Tutorial 11: Employing RGB Light Passes
        4. 9.2.3.4. Nuke Tutorial 11: Employing RGB Light Passes
    3. 9.3. Interview: Dan Rice, Blur Studio, Venice, California
  15. 10. Warps, Optical Artifacts, Paint, and Text
    1. 10.1. Warping and Morphing
    2. 10.2. Adding Text
    3. 10.3. Adding Optical Artifacts
    4. 10.4. Painting in the Composite
      1. 10.4.1. Warps, Optical Artifacts, Paint, and Text in AE
        1. 10.4.1.1. Warping and Distorting Layers
          1. 10.4.1.1.1. Bezier and Mesh Warps
          2. 10.4.1.1.2. Displacement Effects
        2. 10.4.1.2. Re-creating Optical Effects
          1. 10.4.1.2.1. Lens Flare and Optics Compensation
          2. 10.4.1.2.2. The Glow Effect
        3. 10.4.1.3. Generating Text
          1. 10.4.1.3.1. Text Tools
          2. 10.4.1.3.2. Basic Text and Timecode Effects
          3. 10.4.1.3.3. Path Text
        4. 10.4.1.4. Painting in AE
          1. 10.4.1.4.1. Painting with the Paint Tool
          2. 10.4.1.4.2. Painting with the Eraser and Clone Stamp Tools
          3. 10.4.1.4.3. Painting with Vector Paint
          4. 10.4.1.4.4. Painting with Liquify
      2. 10.4.2. Warps, Optical Artifacts, Paint, and Text in Nuke
        1. 10.4.2.1. Warping Inputs
          1. 10.4.2.1.1. Warping with GridWarp
          2. 10.4.2.1.2. Morphing with GridWarp
          3. 10.4.2.1.3. Warping with SplineWarp
          4. 10.4.2.1.4. Morphing with SplineWarp
        2. 10.4.2.2. Re-creating Optical Artifacts
          1. 10.4.2.2.1. Lens Distortion
          2. 10.4.2.2.2. Lens Flares, Glints, and Sparkles
          3. 10.4.2.2.3. God Rays and Glow
          4. 10.4.2.2.4. LightWrap
        3. 10.4.2.3. Painting in Nuke
        4. 10.4.2.4. Generating Text
      3. 10.4.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 10.4.3.1. AE Tutorial 2 Revisited: Adding Shadows, Glow, and Text
        2. 10.4.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 2 Revisited: Adding Shadows, Glow, and Text
    5. 10.5. Interview: Aron Baxter, Guava / Nice Shoes, New York City
  16. 11. Working with 2.5D and 3D
    1. 11.1. 2D vs. 2.5D vs. 3D
      1. 11.1.1. Multiplaning in the Composite
      2. 11.1.2. Using 2D Cards and 3D Projections
    2. 11.2. Compositing 2.5D and 3D
      1. 11.2.1. 2.5D and 3D in AE
        1. 11.2.1.1. 3D Layers and Cameras
        2. 11.2.1.2. Importing Maya Camera Data
        3. 11.2.1.3. 3D Depth of Field
        4. 11.2.1.4. Arranging 3D Layers
        5. 11.2.1.5. 3D Materials and Lights
      2. 11.2.2. 2.5D and 3D in Nuke
        1. 11.2.2.1. Setting Up a 3D Environment
        2. 11.2.2.2. Geometry Types, Group Nodes, and Constraints
        3. 11.2.2.3. Reading and Writing Geometry
        4. 11.2.2.4. Creating 3D Lights
        5. 11.2.2.5. Shared 3D Parameters
        6. 11.2.2.6. Adding Shaders
        7. 11.2.2.7. Additional Geo Nodes
          1. 11.2.2.7.1. UVProject and Project3D
          2. 11.2.2.7.2. Normals
          3. 11.2.2.7.3. DisplaceGeo
        8. 11.2.2.8. Adjusting the Scanline Renderer
        9. 11.2.2.9. Importing and Exporting Data
          1. 11.2.2.9.1. Importing an Animated Camera
          2. 11.2.2.9.2. Importing Lights
          3. 11.2.2.9.3. Importing Transformations
          4. 11.2.2.9.4. Importing and Exporting Chan Files
        10. 11.2.2.10. The MotionBlur3D Node
      3. 11.2.3. AE and Nuke Tutorials
        1. 11.2.3.1. AE Tutorial 11: Replicating a Hallway with 3D Layers
        2. 11.2.3.2. Nuke Tutorial 11: Replicating a Hallway with Imported Geometry
    3. 11.3. Interview: David Schnee, Tippett Studio, Berkeley, California
    4. 11.4. Interview: Aaron Vasquez, Click 3X, New York City
  17. 12. Advanced Techniques
    1. 12.1. High Dynamic Range Images
      1. 12.1.1. HDRI in Visual Effects
      2. 12.1.2. HDR Formats and Projections
      3. 12.1.3. Exposure Adjustment and Tone Mapping
    2. 12.2. Stereoscopic 3-D
      1. 12.2.1. Anaglyphic 3-D
      2. 12.2.2. Polarized 3-D
      3. 12.2.3. 3D Projection and Display
      4. 12.2.4. Recording 3-D
    3. 12.3. Time Warping and Optical Flow
    4. 12.4. Working with Advanced Techniques
      1. 12.4.1. Advanced Techniques in AE
        1. 12.4.1.1. HDRI Support in AE
          1. 12.4.1.1.1. HDR Compander
          2. 12.4.1.1.2. The Exposure Effect
          3. 12.4.1.1.3. HDR Highlight Compression
        2. 12.4.1.2. Stereoscopic Workflow in AE
        3. 12.4.1.3. Time Warping
          1. 12.4.1.3.1. Time Stretch and Frame Blending
          2. 12.4.1.3.2. Time Remapping and Timewarp
          3. 12.4.1.3.3. Other Time Effects
        4. 12.4.1.4. Simulation Effects
          1. 12.4.1.4.1. Particle Playground
          2. 12.4.1.4.2. Creating a Light Trail
          3. 12.4.1.4.3. Using the Layer Map
        5. 12.4.1.5. Scripting in AE
          1. 12.4.1.5.1. An Introduction to ExtendScript
          2. 12.4.1.5.2. An Introduction to Adobe Expressions
      2. 12.4.2. Advanced Techniques in Nuke
        1. 12.4.2.1. HDRI Support in Nuke
          1. 12.4.2.1.1. Environment Light and SphericalTransform
          2. 12.4.2.1.2. Creating Animated HDRs
        2. 12.4.2.2. Stereoscopic Workflow in Nuke
          1. 12.4.2.2.1. Setting Up a Stereoscopic Script
          2. 12.4.2.2.2. Preparing for Stereoscopic Output
          3. 12.4.2.2.3. Writing and Reading OpenEXR Files with Multiple Views
        3. 12.4.2.3. Time Warping Nodes
          1. 12.4.2.3.1. Retime and OFlow
          2. 12.4.2.3.2. Other Time Nodes
        4. 12.4.2.4. UV Retexturing
        5. 12.4.2.5. Gizmos, Scripts, Links, and Expressions
          1. 12.4.2.5.1. Gizmos and Group Nodes
          2. 12.4.2.5.2. Python Scripting
          3. 12.4.2.5.3. Links and Expressions in Nuke
          4. 12.4.2.5.4. TCL Support
    5. 12.5. Interview: Jerry van der Beek, Little Fluffy Clouds, Marin, California
    6. 12.6. Interview: Tonya Smay, Freelance / Stardust Studios, New York City
    7. 12.7. Interview: Chris Staves, Justin Lane, and Jeffrey Dates, MassMarket / Psyop, New York City
    8. 12.8. Final Inspiration
    9. 12.9. AE and Nuke Tutorial Challenge
  18. A. About the Companion DVD
    1. A.1. What You'll Find on the DVD
      1. A.1.1. Support Files
    2. A.2. System Requirements
    3. A.3. Using the DVD
    4. A.4. Troubleshooting
      1. A.4.1. Customer Care

Product information

  • Title: Professional Digital Compositing: Essential Tools and Techniques
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: December 2009
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470452615