Compositing Zombies in NUKE

Compositing Zombies in NUKE

2h 40mIntermediate2016-01-28

Authors

Steve Wright

Steve Wright

Senior Visual Effects Compositing Artist

Course details

Practice your NUKE skills and prepare for the zombie apocalypse in this NUKE Compositing tutorial. Along with the green-screen zombie clip and graveyard plate supplied in the exercise files, you'll use NUKE's keying, color correction, and effects tools to make a zombie rise from the grave and animate the glow of an approaching zombie hoard.

First you'll learn how to apply a quick key with Primatte, and enhance the zombie with realistic blood, red eyes, and fangs. Then, turning to the graveyard plate, you'll make a day-for-night color correction and add interactive lighting. Finally, you'll composite the key, plate, and effects and finalize the shot, using color correction and a push in effect. The process is broken down into easy-to-watch five-minute videos, rich in valuable VFX production techniques from compositing guru Steve Wright.

Learning objectives
Keying the zombie
Adding a garbage matte
Adding effects
Turning a daytime shot into a nighttime graveyard
Adding interactive lighting effects
Compositing the zombie
Applying final color correction

Skills covered

NukeThe FoundryCompositingVisual EffectsMotion Graphics and VFXProject

Concepts

Overview of the Project

  • Project overview
  • Using the exercise files

Keying the Zombie

  • Keying the zombie
  • Adding a garbage matte
  • Spill suppression and color correction

Adding Zombie Effects

  • Enhancing the bloody parts
  • Making the zombie eyes
  • Tracking the zombie eyes
  • Making the zombie fangs
  • Tracking the zombie fangs

Building the Nighttime Graveyard

  • Tracking the sky matte
  • Clamping the sky
  • Day-for-night color correction

Adding the Background Headstone Glows

  • Building the headstone masks
  • Tracking the headstone masks
  • Timing the headstone glow animation

Adding the Zombie Headstone Glow

  • Building the headstone masks
  • Setting the individual stone brightness
  • Adding a photorealistic falloff
  • Building the headstone corner masks
  • Building the zombie glow

Compositing the Zombie

  • Positioning the zombie in the graveyard
  • Creating holdouts for the hands
  • Fixing the exposed arms
  • Adding the front glow

Finishing the Shot

  • Final color correction
  • Adjusting the background green glows
  • Adjusting the foreground green glows
  • Adding the edge blur and push-in effects
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