Customer Reviews

Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Third Edition

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It took me a long time to review this book, primarily because the only topic I understood prior to reading the book was chroma-keying. The other topics were only buzzwords to me (including "digital compositing"!), or completely foreign. If you're a beginner, you will progress slowly. You will only be carried forward if you have a strong desire to understand digital compositing or if the subject is just very interesting to you. If you are an intermediate photo/video person, you will pick things up more quickly.

The book is well illustrated and the writing is clear. That's a good one-two combo that I "require" before I give a good rating to any non-fiction book. The book, if you stick with it, will give you a solid understanding of digital compositing. With that background, you can progress on your own through practice - or you can use your new base knowledge as a springboard to even more technical study in the subject.

Just be forewarned that if you are a beginner, the road will be rough, but satisfying if you stick to it. I cautiously recommend the book for beginners. For intermediates, this is a great book.

I have been editing videos for much longer than I care to admit. I even wrote software plugins used by video editors all over the world. So, naturally, I know something about digital editing and compositing. Or so I thought.

Reading this book has been a truly humbling experience, as it has shown me how little I know. And as I am reading through it, I keep discovering new ideas and new ways of doing things, and I just have to keep asking, "Why have I not thought of this?!"

Steve Wright sure knows what he is talking about. Well, many authors do. But many authors do not know how to explain what they know and just leave you scratching your head frustrated, wanting for more. Not so Steve Wright. He has an amazing ability of letting you, the reader, understand what to do and how to do it. The book even comes with a DVD which contains many of the pictures from the book, plus several videos showing what is hard to explain in words or just printed images. And it comes with numerous exercises to practice what you have learned.

But wait, there is more. This book does not rely on any specific editing software, let alone a specific operating system. It does not matter whether you are a Mac user or a Windows user or a Unix user. It does not matter whether you use Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas or any other video editing package. What he teaches you applies equally to all of them.

Last but not least, Steve Wright does not look down upon you. He does not think you are too dumb to delve into some mathematical formulae. But neither does he expect you to have an advanced (or any) degree in mathematics. Everything he says is clear to understand.

Whether you are just starting in editing and compositing or you are a seasoned pro, you need this book. Not on your shelf but in your hands. You will not set it down until you have finished reading it (well, except for trying it all out). And you will be referring to it for years to come.

One of the best aspects of Mr. Wrights new 3rd edition is how perfectly up to date it is. Now, this is truly fantastic for beginners, but it is actually crucial for already experienced professionals who need to catch up with the latest trends in this line of work. It contains the latest areas of development in digital compositing; that being 3D, stereo and CGI compositing. It even has a new 3D section devoted to helping 2D compositors learn key concepts and terminology essential to working in 3D. Before this book came out this information could only be obtained by experiencing production in a visual effects studio or by reading industry related white papers. And the best part of it all is that it is presented, as everything else in this book, in perfectly clear terms and with exceptional examples. Thanks not only to the quality of the text but also to the inclusion of a DVD with tons of great audiovisual material.

Take away any pre-conceptions you might have about software preferences. The information contained in this book applies to every compositing package in the market today; that being either NUKE, Shake, Digital Fusion or After Effects.

I find it perfectly adequate to be writing this review as I am finishing working as a digital compositor on another Hollywood block buster. Where this book, just as his previous edition older brother, are standing proud right next to me; knowing that they saved me more than once by providing me the info and tools necessary to conquer yet another challenging shot.

I confess, I am very new to digital composting and film editing in general, so this really is a rather difficult review to write. With the learning curve in just being able to maneuver around in Final Cut Pro or Sony Vegas Pro or Avid is daunting. The real art comes when putting together composting so that everything looks as if it was shot at the same time in the same place. I love that author Steve Wright made a real effort to not focus so much on the mathematics involved in such operations, but gives a great deal of hands on examples and advice so that a reader / user can reakkt see how to apply the techniques in the book. It is going to take me a long time to work through everything in the book. I showed it to two of my professors and both were impressed with the amount of detail and techniques of doing things in ways that they hadn't even thought of!

There is a reason why film is regarded as the most technical of all visual artforms and this book underscores this by showing what is possible as well as showing how it can be done. I do suspect I am going to be adding to this review because this book is not something you just sit down to read in a day or two. It's a user's manual that definitely has earned its place in our editing lab.

I wish this book had been available when I was in college. To be honest, I'd passed it over several times when I was getting started, and in hindsight, I wish I'd picked it up sooner. As someone working in the field, this is one of the two books I recommend to everyone I know. I strongly believe every artist should have it as a desk reference, its that good. Whether you're a beginner at home or a professional in the filed, it doesn't matter, there's probably something in here you can use to improve or maintain your skill set. What makes this book so special is that it's not focused on one software and it's not a "canned" tutorial book. This is about the core-concepts used every day by professionals in visual effects. What you learn from it can be applied to any application, and that's what makes it so invaluable. Your "How to use Software X" book will be out of date by the next version, but this book will still be useful as you upgrade your software or move to another tool. Once you are comfortable with the ideas you can apply them on your own anywhere, and that's what counts!

Steve is one of the premiere trainers in the industry, he's able to communicate the subject matter in an engaging & practical manner. Depending on your skill level, some areas may require a few re-reads, but once you grasp the concepts you will quickly enhance your abilities. This edition is nicely updated with emerging technologies and techniques. Additionally, there are several online exercises that allow you to play around with the concepts presented.

I only have two criticisms for the Kindle edition. In some cases, I wish the reference images were larger or higher quality and that I could zoom in on them (on the iPad). Compositing is about detail and sometimes that can be hard to see in scaled images. Its also disappointing that all the content media isn't available online for Kindle purchasers (yet). I was able to get a copy of the disk from the publisher, and I was assured that this is something they are working to address ASAP.

I've owned every previous edition of this title in on paper, and I'm now the happy owner of the Kindle edition.

I have had this book for several months now, reading every chapter and also doing green screen tests. But the reason why I took my time with this book was because there was so much to learn and each chapter, I was hooked.

"Digital Compositing for Film and Video" by Steve Wright is a go-to book for a lot of professionals in the industry. In fact, this book is high on the reading list as ILM, used as a textbook in colleges and training institutes and with this latest third edition, a new chapter has been added and devoted to CGI compositing with major sections on multi-pass and 3D compositing including stereo compositing.

And what best than to learn from one of the best out there, Steve Wright who has worked on 70 feature films and 70 television commercials and pretty much has given visual effects followers the bible on digital compositing. There are many books out there but this is hands down, the best book out there! A book you want to have in your library as it is a fantastic resource to go back to and read up on.

The book features the following chapters:

CHAPTER 1: Introduction - Information about the book and new chapters
CHAPTER 2: Pulling Mattes - A chapter on the various mattes and color difference mattes as well as Chroma Key and Adobe After Effects mattes
CHAPTER 3: Refining Mattes - Using a Matte Monitor and filtering mattes
CHAPTER 4: Despill - Despill artifacts and algorythms
CHAPTER 5: The Composite - Compositing Operations
CHAPTER 6: CGI Compositing - Pre-multiplied, Unpremultiply, Multi-Pass CGI, 3D Compositing and more
CHAPTER 7: Blend Operations - Image Blending Operations, Adobe Photoshop Blending Modes, Complex Modes
CHAPTER 8: Color-Correction - Behavior of light, filters, light directions, shadows and more.
CHAPTER 9: Camera Effects - Focus, Depth of Field, Flares, Glares, Grain
CHAPTER 10: Animation - Transformations, Motion Tracking, morphs and more
CHAPTER 11: Gamma - All about Gamma
CHAPTER 12: Video - How Video Works, NTSC, PAL, types of video, etc.
CHAPTER 13: Film - Film process, formats, etc.
CHAPTER 14: Log vs. Linear - Behavior, digitizing, bit depth, banding, etc.
CHAPTER 15: Log Images - Converting and working with Log Images, Matte Paintings, CGI, etc.

Images and files are included on a special DVD (which has bonus materials as well).

JUDGMENT CALL:

I was very impressed with the latest revision of "Digital Compositing for Film and Video". It's a well-written, thoroughly written book that really should be part of your resource and a go-to book for digital compositing. I've read a few books but nothing that comes close to the amount of topics and information that this book has. Steve Wright really does a magnificent job in giving people what they want and you can't help but be impressed with the information. Sure, nothing beats experience but this book is about experience and as mentioned earlier, what best than to learn from one of the best out there!

Highly recommended!

p.s. be careful when removing the DVD from the inside back cover!

Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Third Edition

This has got to be one of the most in depth books I have read on not only the subject but maybe in film. I have many a book of filmmaking and all of the different types of things involved. From writing to directing, to editing, to fake blood, I have it all. This of course is a book to help out with all those pesky post production errors that you may notice in way of say color. That of course is only one example of what the book helps you fix, there are many more things, particularly lighting.

There are many other reviews on this book, so I don't feel the need to bore you with all the details of this book. Instead I am going to tell you that this is an excellent purchase and well worth the money you would spend. This is very detailed in telling what to look for, and how to fix it. It is of course a book about compositing for film so I am sure if you are reading this you know what that means. It comes with an easy but educated step by step informative narrative with everything you could want, including pictures.

I do recommend this book as I found it to be very informative and helpful, especially with the lighting and stuff. If you are into filmmaking and are looking for something like this then get this. From the different books I have read this may be the best one on the subject, especially for home users or independents. It also comes with a DVD that is also very helpful, enjoy.

This book is superb on all the latest technologies of digital compositing for film and video. As others have said it is in no way a book for dummies and that is a good thing. There are many basic training books for the laid back home user out there but they end up usually telling the reader things they already know and also not being up to date on the latest technologies. That is where this book rises high and above. It is what it is. It is a highly educational book that is 100% up to date on all the latest technologies in the field. There are tips, techniques and solutions for badly shot elements and helps with reproducing or correcting color errors as only a start. There is even extensive info on bluescreen.

This book is definitely for those already knowledgable in the fields and from there it does become very user friendly. It guides you through all the compositing tasks through steps that are explained well and make sense. There are diagrams and pictures throughout and many before and after examples especially on the very useful dvd that comes with the book. The day of families merely filming home movies, vacation trips or baby's first steps are gone. People are filming videos for facebook and thety have risen to very high quality. Also there are many independent filmmakers who shoot using many different forms of film and video. Often many different types of work are formed together for one single piece and this book will in great detail show the user how to make it work effortlessly. This book is perfect for the home student and also perfect as a teaching tool. Any teacher in film and video could use this as a great textbook. So for those in the field or with some previous knowledge this book will take you all the places you need to go. For those with some education it becomes the next step in knowledge and an update on all the latest technologies. For the newbies out there getting a little experience before tackling this book is a definite must.

But as a person with a degree in film and video I was very impressed with how this book took my knowledge and brought it to another level. Highest kudos to the author for all his hard work in presenting such an excellent tool in film and video work.

"Digital Compositing for Film and Video" presents a concise and well rounded overview of the many issues, technologies and creative concerns involved in the combining of film elements, that may not have been filmed together, into believable motion pictures and television sequences.

The problems of combining foreground action, artificial (rear projected, blue screened, green screened, or matted) backgrounds, special effects and other elements into a single, believable motion picture illusion has become vastly easier with the power of digital technology. But the essential problems faced by even the earliest film makers, of reconciling the different and inherent contrast and color qualities of the elements, different light patterns and refractions, light quality and lens perspective issues, these age old problems of cinema are still with us.

How many films have you seen where some slightly off, or way off, aspect of foreground action and a supposed background ruined the flow of action, breaking the spell that the film makers were hoping to cast over the audience? In each case the skill, or the hardships, off the compositors were critical to you "buying" or rejecting the scene. A large amount of what makes these problems either better or worse is the skill and forethought of the teams and artists charged with producing or procuring the different elements to be combined. Money plays a not inconsiderable part in what the compositor is given to work with. Directors and producers can be either the compositors friends or diabolical foes.

"Digital Compositing for Film and Video" moves through all the major topics and techniques involved in this specialized field of cinema and television production, and touches on both the traditional old school technologies of film and the modern day digital tools and techniques that have revolutionized the process of compositing. "Digital Compositing for Film and Video" is an extremely useful primer for students and professional alike in the use of compositing techniques for film production. RECOMMENDED.

very good book for visual effect and compositing.junior vfx compositrs,vfx dop shoul learn many thinks from this book.
steve wright is a master :)