It’s the year 2026, and simple visual effects have quietly become a mandatory tool in every creator’s skillset. See for yourself! Nowadays, even Instagram reels with talking heads made by influencers include text animations, fancy transitions, and moving graphic elements. Sure enough, lots of them are simply using ready-made presets. So, if you’re a professional film and video maker, you need to be a step ahead and have more creative control in your hands. In other words, it’s good to know the basics of compositing and how to add elements to your VFX shot to make it look more real and convincing. Do these terms still ignite fear and insecurity in you? Worry not! After this article, they won’t. Of course, we’re not talking about top-notch multi-million blockbaster-ready VFX, made by industry-leading companies like Weta FX. These effects require years of technical training and experience, alongside patience, talent, and masterful skills in a specific role. (If you want to know more about VFX jobs in general, head over to our comprehensive multi-part guide here, here, and here.) No, here we look at something much simpler and more beginner-friendly. Namely, a step-by-step guide on how to add elements to your VFX shot to sell the illusion. This text is based on a lesson from Digby Hogan’s course “Get Me Started with Adobe After Effects – Compositing” on MZed. If you want to watch the entire course, click here. What makes a VFX scene feel real? Imagine you have footage of a...
Published By: CineD - Friday, 23 January