Introduction to Nuke VFX Compositing: The Essentials - NK101

Learn Nuke interface basics: frame ranges, global versus input ranges, scrubbing and caching, and overlay control with the roto tool; note color space basics for linear exr and srgb.

Explore the updated shuffle node in Nuke and its handling of alpha and color channels for CG compositing. Use roto and pre multiply to create or preserve alphas.

Learn how to manage image size and formats in Nuke, including 2k, 1080p, and 4k. Set the project resolution and use reformat and transform nodes to align differently sized images.

Explore Nuke merge nodes, including plus, screen, multiply, mask, stencil, and key mix, and learn how A over B and alpha masks control foreground and background.

Explore transfer nodes in a Nuke compositing workflow and transform controls to adjust scale, rotation, skew, and motion blur, and learn to use crop and dot nodes to stack transforms.

Master color correction concepts with the grade node, exploring contrast, saturation, hue, and gamma, gain, lift, and crush to match black levels in composites.

rotoscoping moving objects relies on keyframes and alpha masks across frames, with multiple pieces for rotating parts. use feathering and motion blur to match motion and keep edges clean.

Explore extra roto techniques for effective rotoscoping in vfx compositing with Nuke, including tips for beginners on handling complex motion, tracking basics, and working with various footage types.

Explore premultiplication, multiplying RGB by alpha to create a clean pre-multiplied cutout. Learn why color correction should precede premultiplication and how to use masks or copied alpha to manage edges.

Learn to correct lens distortion in Nuke using line analysis or checkerboard pattern, undistort then re-distort for CG, and use corner pin with cropping to match curved edges.

Learn to match film grain and digital sensor noise in composites by sampling shadow noise, applying it with regrade, and constraining grain within the alpha for a believable shot.

Create a clean plate from a moving shot by selecting a clean frame, undistorting the lens, painting out artifacts with a clone stamp, and reapplying distortion and grain.

Master screen replacement in Nuke VFX compositing from scratch by tracking corners, baking a match move with corner pin, and performing quality-control stabilization for a solid track.

Practice offset tracking in Nuke by using a track node, tracking backwards, and selecting a stable reference frame to bake a match move and apply a text node.

Learn chroma keying and luminance keying to create alpha mattes for green screen work, adjust with gain, balance, and blur, and refine with roto and key mix.

Master advanced keying techniques to separate the cutout from color, contaminate edges with color spills, and build clean alpha using alpha bias, display bias, and multiple keys.

Walk through completing a shot in nuke vfx compositing from scratch, reformatting 4k to 1080p, keying, color correction, defocus, roto, holdouts, tracking, and grain.

Render a shot in nuke using image sequences for fast previews, naming files with underscores and hashtags to mark frames, then export final video in mlv or mp4 with h.264.

Improve Nuke VFX workflows by organizing scripts top-down from background to foreground, using precomp and pre render steps to speed previews, and labeling backdrops and layers for clarity.

Learn a simple contrast smoothing trick in Nuke VFX: blur, darken slightly, and mix back a tiny amount to soften highlights without killing overall contrast, and simulate lens diffusion.