Customer Reviews

Digital Compositing In Depth: The Only Guide to Post Production for Visual Effects in Film

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

while i have no doubt this is a real written and researched tome, i must give this book 1 star based on the deliberately misleading title

this book should be titled "digital fusion in depth"

if you need to master digital fusion, by all means please purchase this title, however if digital fusion is not your compositor of choice DO NOT BOTHER!

fight the power

I bought this book hoping to learn more about compositing techniques and instead had to skim throught all the explanations of how to use Digital Fusion. If you don't use Digital Fusion don't bother with this book. Literally half of the book has tutorials that read more like a software step by step than an actual overview of compositing. I usually don't like to write negative reviews, but I really don't like spending money on a poor product. Sorry.

The title of this book is misleading: There is more *breadth* than actual "depth". This book has the potential of being the digital compositing world's equivalent of Trish and Chris Meyer's "Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects"--An invaluable *practical* bible for its field. Unfortunately, the author wastes way too much space by attempting to appease users of several different compositing applications at once. He tries to explain how to perform each compositing topic in Digital Fusion, Adobe After Effects, Newtek Aura, Nothing Real Shake, Puffin/Pinnacle Commotion, Discreet effect* and Silicon Grail Chalice.

This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that a great majority of the time (particularly in regards to Newtek Aura), you are told that if you want to do such-and-such compositing task, you'll need to "use another program" that does because "<insert app here> doesn't support it". It's so recurring that it almost seems like a joke whenever you get to the Newtek Aura section of each tutorial, and the book basically tells you that you're screwed if you want to do that particular compositing task in it.

As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a heavy bias towards Eyeon Digital Fusion in this book. However, even as a heavy After Effects user, I didnt mind this at all, since its the *concepts* and techniques that matter to me more. If you understand these basic concepts, you can apply them to *any* compositing application. This is the book's main virtue. The in-depth discussions of Matchmoving, bluescreening, tracking and "cleanup" are very good, and haven't really been practically discussed at length in any other book, AFAIK. Theres also a lot of good information about the unglamourous side of CGI work--the "business" of selling yourself and getting work.

If the author would have just narrowed his scope, application-wise, this could have been an absolutely killer book. The inclusion of Chalice and Shake in this book are particularly puzzling, since it would seem to me that anyone who is in a position to be actually /using/ these products is already doing high-end film compositing to begin with, and probably wouldn't need a book like this. The fact is that the vast majority of digital compositors who would even *need* a book like this are most likely using more common applications like Digital Fusion, After Effects and Commotion. If this book just concentrated on these apps, more space could be used to discuss each of thier strengths and weaknesses relative to the compositing task at hand, and in the end, it would make for a much more practical and useful book.

All that being said, I still think this book is worth getting if you aren't already a battle-scarred veteran of digital compositing. Just be prepared to wade through a lot of chaff to get to the real useful bits. I would still recommend buying Brinkmann's "The Art and Science of Digital Compositing" first, though. Thats as close to a "bible" as you'll get right now. "Digital Compositing in Depth" is *almost* there....

This book is for you if you want to experience real world projects in Compositing. Using Digital Fusion as software , you will go through many tutorials learning and understanding basic and advanced compositing concepts. You get 2 CDs full of tryout software, plugins and Project footage. If you like to master the power of Digital Fusion (with additional info. on Shake, After Effects and Effect) don't miss this book , it has much more what can be revealed in this review.

I can't say the book doesn't have any useful information within its pages, because it does have some. But considering its size, it doesn't have much. The author could have written 2 seperate books, one on compositing, and one on Digital Fusion, and still used less paper. At one point, he spends 15 pages showing the reader how to preform a simple time-stretching feature on every piece of compositing software. Then he uses 15 pages to show you how to reverse footage for every piece of compositing software. I found the book very frustrating to try to read from cover to cover. He also tells you constantly to refer to the manuals of programs that are not Digital Fusion. I wouldn't describe the coverage of Digital Fusion are truely 'in depth' either. But someone who uses Digital Fusion would get more out of the book than I did.

This book could have been much better, I'm surprised so many people actually like it.

Just so there's no impression of bias, I'll mention that I co-wrote one of the case studies, and have a few photos in this book. That being said, I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about and create visual effects. Compositing is one of the most crucual elements in the process, and this is the best book on the subject I've ever seen. Doug has written a book with a great combinaion of theory, practical advice, and clear, step-by-step tutorials. Better yet, there is sample software and clips that allow anyone with a decent PC (or Mac) to actually do the exercises. I've been doing visual effects for clients like Fox, UPN, and HBO for ten years, and I wish I'd had this book when I started.

Why stop at Lee Stranahan? Why not have doug Kelly review it too? That should bump the # of stars up more.

Like others I agree that this is a digital fusion book. There is way too much space taken up with "get another compositing package" there is page after page of listing what each comp package can't do.

What really killed me was I saw stuff in there from Doug's other books. Let pad out the books with old stuff there Doug. We didn't see enough of that lamp composite in the others.

I would have to say Ron's book is better.

I just got my copy of Digital Compositing in depth and already I have learned so much from it. This is the first book I have ever seen with 2 CD-Roms included and the color section has plates that are useful not just 'gee-wiz'. The software and examples represent the real-world problems that I face using video. The definition of terms and step by step explanations and how to sections make this book ideal for anyone with compositing needs. Highly recommended.

hi,
I teach compositing(after effects,combustion,flame).
I read this book a few years back when i was just starting out and refer it as a MUST READ to all my students.
I wish the author had followed up after this book...woder why he did not :( .
this book is a bit dated but has all the theory and practise you'll eve need.Actually it'll be more than what you need if youre just starting out.

4 stars cause no one or nuthing is perfect.

thanks kelly.

b

Being relatively new and in self education of digital compositing, this was one of the first books I purchased. Based on the way the context goes, this book will either be your bible or a dust gathering reference on the shelf. For me this was the perfect way to get started and learn exactly and truly in depth on how many different things can be acheived.

However, it may be too precise. Unless you have the high-end programs Commotion, Digital Fusion, or After Effects, this will probably be a waste of your time. The projects it focuses on are very common to the field, but there isn't enough of the creative aspect, or case studies on how problems are fixed. Also, I found it very useful that the book went into how to do each effect in various programs, but others have said this was a relative waste of space.

Overall, the book stretches into every basic realm of the field and career, giving numerous case studies and information to help people develop their demo reels etc.

If you already have a job in the field, or are relatively experience, then this book is a good reference on the basics and common problem solving techniques. For others, this book is good to open your horizons... if you have the right software that is.

I give this book four stars, mainly because of how much it helped me.