Advanced Visual Effects Compositing
Techniques for Working with Problematic Footage
- 218 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About This Book
In Advanced Visual Effects Compositing: Techniques for Working with Problematic Footage, learn to tackle difficult visual effect composites in layer-based and node-based compositing programs.
In this book, industry veteran and compositing expert Lee Lanier offers tips, tricks, techniques, and workflows for difficult visual effects shots, including poorly shot green screen, moving shots with no visible motion tracking marks, shots requiring three-dimensional (3D) elements that lack 3D renders, poor-quality stock footage, and incorrectly lit shots. Lanier details the common problems of visual effects shots and offers practical solutions using examples from Adobe After Effects and Blackmagic Design Fusion. An accompanying eResource (www.routledge.com/9781138668348) features video image sequences, 3D renders, and other tutorial materials, allowing you to practice the discussed techniques.
The visual effects challenges covered in this book include:
- Chroma keying
- Motion tracking
- Relighting in the composite
- Repairing plates
- Replicating damage
- Adding depth with 2.5D
- Working with stock footage
Frequently asked questions
Information
Chapter 1
Keying Difficult Green Screen
Chroma Keying Overview
The State of Chroma Keying
Green Screen Problems and Solutions
Problem | Solution |
Tracking marks Motion tracking tape marks are placed on the green screen. | ā¢ Depending on the color of the tracking marks, you may be able to key the marks with a separate keying effect/tool. ā¢ If an additional key is not practical, rotoscoping is necessary. |
Troubled green screen ā¢ Insufficient green screen coverage (key color only covers part of background) ā¢ Heavy wrinkles in green screen fabric ā¢ Unwanted shadows on green screen ā¢ Unwanted lighting or rigging equipment in front of green screen | Limit the area the key is operating on by adding a mask, either through rotoscoping or an internal matting process offered by the keying effect/tool. |
Spill Spill color exists in the foreground. | ā¢ Employ the spill suppression built into the keying effect/tool. ā¢ Add an additional, specialized spill suppression effect/tool. ā¢ Color grade the resulting foreground with color correction effects/tools to minimize the spill color. |
Noise or grain Heavy noise or grain interferes with the success keying tools. | ā¢ Pre-process the plate to reduce the noise or grain before applying the keyers. For example, add a blur or a noise reduction effect/tool. Some keyers , such as Keylight, carry built-in pre-processed softening options. ā¢ Apply different keyers or different keyer settings to different channels. For example, the blue channel may carry the heaviest amount of grain and may require slightly different settings. |
Tricky foreground Foreground objects include glass, smoke, or sheer fabric. | ā¢ Apply a secondary keyer. Programs generally include secondary keyers that are not good for general keying but may have specialized workflows that sometimes prove superior with tricky foregrounds. |
Technology limitations Older video systems or current consumer video systems suffer from reduced resolution or artifacts such as edge bleeding. | ā¢ Apply the approaches discussed for tricky foregrounds or complex foregrounds (see the following page). |
Complex foreground Foregrounds with heavy motion blur, light-colors that carry heavy spill, or soft edges that disappear into the background. | ā¢ Use additional matte effects/tools to fine-tune the matte edge after the application of the keyer. You can use the additional effect/tool to erode or soften the matte. You can also color grade the alpha channel. ā¢ Break the green screen into several parts using rotoscoping. For example, separate the head from the body and apply separate keying effects/tools to each part or apply separate keyer settings to each part. ā¢ Separate the foreground edge from the foreground core by rotoscoping or using an internal matting process offered by the keying effect/tool. |
No green screen On occasion, it may be necessary to separate a foreground object even though no green screen or similar key color has been added to the background. | ā¢ Rotoscoping is the standard solution. Although rotoscoping tools have become quite advanced, they may still require a tremendous amount of manual labor. ā¢ Depending on the footage, it may be possible to apply or create keyers by attacking background colors or special channels such as luminance. |
Keying Challenge A
Strengths | Weaknesses |
Green screen covers entire background. The green is not overexposed. | The green screen carries numerous wrinkles, which cause value variations in the green. There are two black lines at the left and right edge due to limitations of the camera. |
The color contrast between the green of the green screen and the red fur of the dog makes the keying process easier. There is green spill along the dogās belly, back, and ears but itās not overly heavy. | The... |
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Keying Difficult Green Screen
- Chapter 2: Motion Tracking Elusive Patterns
- Chapter 3: Relighting in the Composite
- Chapter 4: Fixing and Repairing Plates
- Chapter 5: Replicating Artifacts
- Chapter 6: Adding Depth to Flat Scenes
- Chapter 7: Using Imperfect FX Elements
- Chapter 8: Tackling a Complex VFX Shot
- Appendix A: Introduction to After Effects and Fusion
- Appendix B: Source File Information
- Index