Category: VFX Fundementals Unit

During this nuke class we learn how to clean up markers from someones face. We also learn how to add textures and how we use the technique to add some corrections as well. We start off by learning that we need to degrain the footage we are using before removing the markers. The idea is to first degrain the footage then remove the markers and then apply the regrain to the finished plate. For degraining and regraining we have different techniques we can use. We can denois the plate by using the “Merge (Minus)” node followed by the “Merge (plus)” node. Or we can use the “F_ReGrain” node This is a more precise way to degrain/regrain.

After Learning about how to degrain the next thing on the list was about how to Patch correctly. We have learnt about how to patch before but now we learn how to work with uneven lighting. As normally not everything is even we work with how best to remove these trackers. To get the Low frequency we use blur to tackle it and for the high frequency we use from, after we use the plus “merge” node to merge them.

For this class we got assigned a Small homework assignment regarding the patch clean up work. For this homework I used the techniques we learned during the class. I created a denoised plate and I did a simple track for each separate tracker point on her face and Rotopainted this and used the roto blur tool to individually blur the parts that needed the low frequency to work. I kept it simple Since this video does not have big light play.

For this weeks class we have worked with how to get rid of green screen and add our own backgrounds. During the classes we have talked about many different ways on working with green screen. for example we worked with the Keylight which for many people already is a well known node to work with. it is quite a standard green screen removal node and also a quite simple one. In this node you use one key that selects the green of the green screen to remove it from the scene but by using this you can see in the alpha that is does not perfectly remove the green screen. One other technique we used was with the IBK Colour and IBK Gizmo node this node system is a little bit more clean then using the keylight. Using the IBK nodes you can use the IBK color node to use the plate and try to create as close to a clean plate as u possibly can and then comp this back into the gizmo to get the results of the removal of the greenscreen.

For this weeks class we had to work on some homework for the next week. For this homework we needed to recreate a video that Gonzalo already made, for this video we got given the background plate and the foreground plate. When looking at this homework I went back into Gonzalos tips and tricks file and choose to work with one of the examples he gave during the classes (look at the images above).

Using the example for the green screen removal I started working on how to implement this in my own work. I started off by removing the greenscreen using the IBK nodes as given in the example then I used the core and gave it a filtererode to clean up the edges a bit more. Aside from that I also used a keylight to minus despill from the original footage and desaturated to remove unwanted colors. one more important part was to move the particles from the background and copy it on top of the foreground. I did this by using a grade on the background and changed the White and Black point values and merge this over the end scene.

Looking back at my work there are a few things that I had problems with or that I would like to change. One of the things is even though I have quite some detail in the hair it is still missing some of the nice glowing hairs on top and on the sides where it is blowing. I have looked at this for a long time but did not manage to get these hairs back. I need to work on this in the future. Another thing is that if you look at the fore and background together it looks a bit off. My background is quite green/dark and the Girl is quite bright and orange, this makes her stand out from the background. But overall looking at my video I think I did a good job in trying to match Gonzalos video.

For this class homework we had to green screen out the video given to us and add the background to it. I used the technique of the IBKColour and IBKGizmo node. First I created the IBKColour and tried to make it as an matched up green screen plate then I added the IBK Gizmo to get the green screen part separate and get the right alpha for the scene. I color graded the plate to match it a little bit more with the chosen background.

At the top of the screen there is a microphone that sometimes pops up in the screen, I removed this microphone using a simple Rotoscope and stencil this over the scene there the green screen is already removed. I did not have to do many extra things to the Rotoscope since it is a small area that the microphone pops up in.

Lastely I merged the foreground and background together and gave the background a little bit of an defocus to make the foreground image stand out more and give it a bit more realism.

For this weeks class we learned how to place CG objects in a composition and figured out how to grade and color correct the object so that it will fit into the plate we are working with. This months work is the Garage project we have been working on in this project we have to add a machine given to us by Nick. After that we also have to add our own environment in the scene to give it our own feeling.

Gonzalo gave us a ready made file so we could explain what we had to do for the machine step by step, one of the steps was to work with Multipass Comp, The 3D model given to us is rendered in Arnold so it is an Arnold multipass. In class we got shown how to work in the specular direct and indirect. after looking into the nodes and changing the grading we use merge plus to add it all to our comp.

We also got shown the how to give the model a proper shadow area. The shadow is a n important part to add, these are area shadows over the machine so it looks less fake in the entire scene. When adding the shadow you need to use the multiply merger to add this to your scene. The shadows will give the object more like a 3D feeling to it.

We also got shown to add the relighting and the re-texturing of the object. we got given 3 options on which texture we wanted to add to the scene, as shown I choose the option shown in the nodes image. and as for the relighting we used different passes to help us get the right alpha and then screen merge it so we could add it to a grade and give it a little bit extra lighting

We also have an master CG where we added basic grading to change the basic color of the machine given to us. we used the technique of basic grade matching. for this you pick 2 different colors in your plate, one being dark and the other being a light point.

During this class we were talking about how CG is used in Nuke. We see depending on the CG built we are giving how many more channels we have instead of only RGB. This will help us work better on the model that we get and be able to create better lighting, tones and shades. For our lightings we need to merg is down with the plus merge and if we are doing shadows we will need to work with the multiply merge node. This is a given to us by Gonzalo. During this class we learned all about the AOV’s.

AOV’s (Arbitrary Output Variables) are primarily use of the passes that create additional outputs for your render. We got given an example during class to work on. This example was a little legocar that was on a real life street. As for the Lego car image we got with different outputs. These output are for example the indirect, diffuse or specular (see the nodes above). We got to play around in these nodes to create a realistic looking Legocar in the scene given to us. So we grabbed those different outputs and graded each individual pass as we please with a grade.

For this class we also got homework for next week. It was a little bit the same as the lego car but then with a different Car and a street/plate of our choice. The image just below this texts shows you the different outputs of the CG model given to us by Gonzalo.

For this we also got an example node system going on and we could use this for giving the car. I used this example and tried to match the car with the chosen background. So again I graded the different outputs I was given and tried to match the greenish glow that the background has. The first image you see below this text is the image of the car in the chosen scene but then unedited. The one below that image has been the one I added, for color I think I have done a good job blending in the car with the plate. the only thing that is a little bit off is where it shows the glow part of what would be the light reflecting off the car.

Last time we had to play around with this same file we played around with last time. But this time instead creating the grid and point to the tracker nodes as we did last time this time we worked with as I said the same plate but we had to clean up the tracker pads that are visible in the scene and we had to create a Rotoscope for around the hole in the wall. This will be our terms project, The Idea is that we get a machine in the background of this plate. This is why we have to Rotoscope the wall.

First I started by removing the tracker nodes on the ground and on the wall. In total there are 15 trackers in this scene. 9 on the ground and 6 on the wall. I removed this using a technique Gonzalo told us during his classes. Looking at the image below this text (left) you can see the structure I used to remove the trackers. I used the Rotopaint technique where I could use the clone tool to copy the surrounding area around the trackers. I tracked the scene so I could create a card of a tracking point of the trackers. This card will move through the 3D space and will calculate the Rotoscope relying on the FrameHold where I produced my Rotoscope.

After removing all the Trackers from the scene I had to Rotoscope around the hole in the wall. For this I quite did the same as the clean up above. Hold a frame in where you can Rotoscope the part you need and then place this in a card that I created from one of the tracks that we calculated. I had to Rotoscope many different parts of the scene so that the calculation would work separably for the different parts.

Here you see my first version of the clean up I did and how I did my Rotoscope. The clean up in my opinion looks very good. You don’t see the trackers that were once on the ground anymore. But as for the Rotoscope I need to spend a littlebit more time on creating a better Rotoscope. You can see that at some parts it will move off of the bricks that it is suppose to be on. I will be working on this for the next week’s class.