Product Description

Put the essential concepts and techniques of digital compositing to work for you without the need of a single mathematical equation. Compositing Visual Effects is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of film shots, figures, illustrations and diagrams to help the visual reader gain a valuable vocabulary and understanding of the full range of visual effects, in which digital compositing plays a key role.

Beginning with an inspirational tour of the scope and magnitude of digital compositing you get a solid overview of the kinds of digital effects routinely executed today. See how CGI (Computer Generated Image) is composited with live action, how set extensions are done, and what a match-move shot is. Following that, you learn each of the key applications of digital compositing, which include bluescreen compositing, bullet time shots, motion tracking, and rotoscoping, and you get a primer on digital images, key concepts, and terms used in the compositing process. The subsequent chapters dig down into each of the major digital compositing applications, introducing the fundamental concepts and processes behind them. This includes the many ways to composite CGI, bluescreen compositing, animation, creating masks, working with digital keyers, and many more; but most importantly, the art of digital compositing-making your shots look not just photorealistic, but cool.

Learn what is easy and hard, possible and impossible, and what to expect when working on a job that entails digital compositing. There are tips on when not to use the new low-end DV video cameras and tips for the client, such as guidelines on how to shoot a quality bluescreen or greenscreen to get the best results at compositing time. All the while, special attention is paid to defining new terminology and telling a clear story from the ground up, with the only requirement being that you have read the previous chapters.

* An accessible introduction to a complex subject for novice compositors
* Full color presentation illustrating the art and techniques of the practice
* An experienced book author of 20 years compositing experience; with 60 feature film credits including Vanilla Sky, X-Men 2, Swept Away, and Solaris

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #157811 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780240809632
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
...leads the reader through the entire process and techniques used to create blockbuster effects, but makes the journey easy for the layperson. This is a MUST-HAVE book for anyone who wants to know the magic that digital compositing is. Jeffrey Jasper, VFX Compositor, New Deal Studio (The Good Shepherd, X-Men 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3)

Steve Wright is the master of clarity. Compositing Digital Effects is easy on the brain and on the eyes... the perfect textbook for students who are just becoming familiar with computer graphics and filmmaking. --Larry Elin, Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University

Review
"Steve Wright has hit it out of the ballpark again. After his wildly successful book Digital Compositing For Film and Video he tackles digital compositing anew, but this time from the perspectives of the curious beginner all the way to industry professionals. In easy to follow terms he leads the reader through the entire process and techniques used to create blockbuster effects, but makes the journey easy for the lay-person. This is a MUST HAVE book for anyone who wants to know just what is this digital compositing magic."
-- Jeffrey Jasper, VFX Compositor, New Deal Studio (The Good Shepherd, X-Men 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3)

"Steve Wright is the master of clarity. His new book Compositing Digital Effects is easy on the brain and on the eyes, as he deftly explains fairly complicated computer graphics and digital effects in a way that is so easy to follow, augmented with hundreds of color pictures. It is the perfect textbook for students who are just becoming familiar with computer graphics and filmmaking. I'm excited to begin using it for my animation and special effects courses."
-- Larry Elin, Associate Professor, Television, Radio, Film, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University

"Every time I come out of a conversation with Steve I know a lot more about how visual effects are done than I did before and am more confident that I can handle whatever the movie I'm working on is going to throw at me next. Reading Compositing Visual Effects is nearly as much fun as talking to Wright in person because he writes just like he speaks: entertainingly, concisely and accurately. Now when we can't get him on the phone we can pull him off the shelf."
--George Merkert, Visual Effects Producer (As Good As It Gets, Total Recall, In The Line of Fire, Starship Troopers)

About the Author
Steve Wright is a visual effects compositing veteran with 70 broadcast television commercials and over 60 feature films credits. He's developed video games at Atari, done 3D animations for Robert Abel and Associates, and was senior compositor and 2D technical director at Kodak's Cinesite. Steve is now a freelance, digital-compositing guru, who teaches, trains, writes, and develops on-line training programs.

Customer Reviews

A good primer
I had originally wanted to get Steve Wright's other book, Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Second Edition, but read another review of this book make mention that it is geared more towards a beginner. At first, I thought this to be what I needed and when I got the book and scanned through it, it just seemed like an overview of the variety regarding compositing. I was a bit disappointed, until I started to peruse through more thoroughly.

What I liked (and am liking) is that it is geared towards more of a primer in the sense of the fundamental operations involved in digital compositing. And ironically, it was also what I did not like. I expected to have a more thorough or at least a methodical approach (not necessarily step-by-step) towards teaching basic compositing principles. That is what the aforementioned book describes. (And I say this based on the Table of Contents.)

So, I give a 5-star review to let people know that if they want to get a handle on "essential" concepts, that is easy to understand and comprehend, then get this book. Even if you have no interest in making movies or working in a VFX field, this will be a fun read to see the tricks the pros build upon to create some truly imaginative results. However, if you know what bluescreen compositing is, multi-plane compositing, premultiplication, etc., then this book might be redundant for you.

Once I'm done with this book, though, I'll be moving onto his other text and will be better prepared to absorb more detailed techniques.

fantastic introductory book
I first bought the other book from Steve Wright and I found it quite difficult. This book, 'Essentials' is just as it says. very clearly written with lot's of pictures. It covers every compositing aspect so it's very valuable.

A Must Read for Teach-Yourself Types
Like a lot of people getting into visual effects, compositing, motion graphics and the like, I'm self-taught. Plenty of books and tutorials and trial and error, but no formal instruction. This book serves as a formal resource to help fill in the gaps of your own self-education.

"Compositing Visual Effects" is definitely as beginners book, covering the absolute basics of electronic imaging. Things like frame rates, aspect ratios, bit depths, film formats and elementary compositing techniques. Topics you may have a working knowledge of, but don't know the finer points of it all. Wright explains everything at the most basic level, giving us a more solid foundation to build upon.

I can personally say now that knowing the actual math that goes into a certain blending mode is much more helpful than just trying them all out and guessing at which one I should use.

Wright also takes us through some of the basic tasks a compositor faces (dust removal, color correction, etc...) and overviews the steps and thought process to take to accomplish them.

Again, "Compositing Visual Effects" is beginners book, although a very thorough one. After reading this book, I can't say I know all that much more than I did before. But I am sure that now I know it all better.