Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Second Edition (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation) [Paperback]

Steve Wright (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 024080760X | ISBN-13: 978-0240807607 | Publication Date: May 16, 2006 | Edition: 2

Digital Compositing for Film and Video is a hands-on, how-to guide that addresses the problems and difficult choices faced by the professional compositor in real-life situations. This book presents you with tips, tricks and techniques for dealing with the badly shot elements, color artifacts, and mismatched lighting that bedevil compositors. Included in this book is: in-depth, practical methods for bluescreen matte extraction, despill operations, compositing operations, and color correction-the "meat and potatoes" of all digital effects. Written in a completely software independent style, it is totally applicable to any brand of compositing software.

The second edition contains many important additions:
* printed in full color with over 400 color photos and illustrations
* companion DVD with 3.7 gigabytes of test images, including hard to get HiDef video and feature film scans
* new section on working with HiDef video
* new section on digital intermediate, the feature film finishing process of today
* more Adobe Photoshop blending modes and procedures
* new material that reveals the add-mix composite, light wrap, slot gags, and how to defeat banding problems

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"From start to finish, Digital Compositing for Film and Video gives you the much needed knowledge to be competitive in the business...If it's a process involved in compositing it is in this masterpiece of a book." - Filmmaking Central

"In Digital Compositing for Film and Video, his 400-page-plus bible for all things compositing, Wright painstakingly describes every step of pulling mattes, tracking pixels, correcting green-screen pill, working with film and video-you name it." -Ben Rock, Back Stage, Sept. 2006

"Anyone whose business it is to know how to do compositing, motion graphics, green - or blue-screen work, or even high-end titles must have this book in his or her collection."-Ben Rock, Back Stage, Sept. 2006

"Whilst some areas are specifically aimed at specialist compositors, it is nonetheless a very good book to have many areas of technical knowledge explained in a colourful and practical way. A vital book in the current technological age we now live and work in." British Cinematographer, Sept. 06

Book Description

Focused, In-Depth Explanations of Professional Methods!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 2 edition (May 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 024080760X
• ISBN-13: 978-0240807607
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Resource, December 4, 2006

By 

Sean Devereaux "filmsoup" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Second Edition (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation) (Paperback)

Well written and good reference for technique, however a key tool the author uses throughout the book is not common in all applications and does not take 3d color space into account. Also check out The Art and Science of Digital Compositing, more expensive but a bit clearer in it's approach.
Not for the beginner, but for anyone with basic compositing knowledge ready to move past pro-sumer applications.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for your VFX library, January 5, 2007

By 

A. Thompson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Second Edition (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation) (Paperback)

If you're new to the effect industry or a seasoned pro this is still the bible for understanding what is happening under the hood of a compositing software. This is not software specific, but be it 'Shake' or 'an other' this will help you truly understand the what, when and why.

This book together with - Ron Brinkman's 'The Art and Science of Digital Compositing' - also available at Amazon, will hold you in good stead throughout your career.

It truly gives you the 'wow' factor.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An oasis in a bleak landscape of compositing books..., July 27, 2006

By 

Josef K (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Second Edition (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation) (Paperback)

There are few books on the market concerning digital compositing. Fewer still are worth reading. This book is an exception. The author has clearly put a lot of thought into writing both this and the previous edition. It is not a book with step by step instructions for software, so you will be disappointed if that is what you are looking for. What the author does present are concepts which can be applied to any decent compositing application. This book is far more useful and insightful than anything else I have found in the marketplace. If you are looking to better understand this field from both an artistic and technical viewpoint, I highly recommend this book. What you learn here will be useful for many years to come, not just until the next version of your compositing package is released. If, however, you want a book to tell you what buttons to press in what order, you should probably look elsewhere.