VFX Fundamentals (PDF)

Learn concepts central to visual special effects using the free Blackmagic Design Fusion 8 software package. You'll discover foundational background information on concepts central to digital image compositing, digital video editing, digital illustration, digital painting, 3D, and digital audio. VFX Fundamentals builds on the foundational concepts of digital image compositing, digital audio, digital video, digital illustration and digital painting, and therefore expands on the other new media fundamentals titles in the New Media Fundamentals series, written by Wallace Jackson.

VFX Fundamentals builds on the foundational concepts of digital image compositing, digital audio, digital video, digital illustration and digital painting, and therefore expands on the other new media fundamentals titles in the New Media Fundamentals Series, written by Wallace Jackson. VFX Fundamentals covers topics such as flow node compositing, timeline animation,animated polyline masking, bluescreen and greenscreen matte pulling (generation), using Primatte and Fusion 8 ultra keyer, motion tracking, 3D rendering and compositing, auxiliary channels, and particle systems and particle physics dynamics, among other topics.

You will learn:

• The new media components (raster, vector, audio, video, rendering) needed for VFX
• The concepts behind the digital VFX content production workflow
• How to install and utilize Blackmagic Design Fusion 8 and its visual programming language
• Concepts behind resolution, aspect ratio, bit-rate, color depth, layers, alpha, and masking
• 2D VFX concepts such as animated masking, matte pulling (Primatte V) and motion tracking
• 3D VFX concepts such as 3D geometry, materials, lighting, animation, and auxiliary channels
• Advanced VFX concepts such as particle systems animation using real-world physics