So many people asked why I don't "just use Fusion" in the comments on this video that I made a whole video talking all about it! Check it out here - ua-cam.com/video/c7BwmESMOQ0/v-deo.html&ab_channel=AlfieVaughan
Great vid, I use the exact same work flow except switch Nuke for Fusion (I have a few less guitars and a smaller drum kit though!). I also have scripts in Resolve that allow me to mark clips from a timeline to generate the EXR's. Switched to ACES a few years ago and it has really streamlined my workflow and removed all of the headaches involved with the various camera inputs and delivery outputs. Switched to Blender a few years back as well, glad I did as it is evolving so fast, just wish Cycles was a little more photoreal but amazing otherwise. As an indie operator I think this is a great workflow with tools that everyone can access.
Hi Alfie, with regards to this it’s very similar to mine except from blender, question: I have a custom .DCTL for resolve but how do I export it as a IDT to bring into nuke so it would appear in my drop-down menu of IDTs then I can export as ACES? Thank you again for the great content!
I forgot to mention that all of the software in this video has free versions that are still totally capable of working this way. Blender is obviously open source and free... But Nuke has a Non-Commercial version that has almost all the features it's just limited to 1080p renders. And Resolve also has a very powerful free version. I'm using the paid versions of Resolve and Nuke because I work professionally using them too. But you don't have to!
I think Fusion is pretty good but I don't know a single VFX studio that uses it. I use Nuke because I work as a compositor on "high-end productions" you're talking about and everyone either uses Nuke or Flame. It wasnt really that I picked it over fusion, it was simply that I was trained in Nuke and continue to use it because it's the best compositing software
@@AlfieVaughan Fair enough! Thank you for your reply. I asked you because you use Blender, And Maya is industry standard for 3D as Nuke is IS for VFX. About VFX studios that use Fusion, from BM site: "Fusion has been used on feature films like Ant-Man, Red Sparrow and London Has Fallen, as well as hit television shows like Empire, NCIS and Emergence." And many more ...
Holy fucking shit. that was incredible. so so many tips that only someone working in the professional field for a long time could have picked up! thanks so much for this video! :))
It's been just over a year since I started working with VFX, still on the most basic tool of them all, which is After Effects. Now is the time to start stepping up the software, and begin researching Nuke, but I must confess that watching videos like this just scares me without knowing where to start and thinking that I won't be able to do it... That said, what an incredible video, I hope to one day reach this level of work, congratulations on the channel!
Thanks a lot! The learning curve is a little steep but the sooner you start learning the sooner you'll be good at it. If you get scared and keep putting it off you'll never get there. Just start 💪
I have to say, while the technical aspect in how ACES works goes waaay over my head. It does make the workflow much easier. It's cool that we can have this all for just 300 bucks (since you can activate the studio version of Fusion too with a resolve key for those without Nuke.)
Good isn't it! I don't totally understand every aspect of it either but it just works and I love it 😂 you don't even need the paid one to use it. It works in the free version too!
Really amazing in-depth information in this one! Thank you very much, that cleared a lot of question marks in my head regarding the optimal VFX workflow 🙏
Very cool Alfie. Very well explained tut. Much appreciated. I'm an old school vfx comper from way back that's been out of the game for a while and everything you have explained brings it all back. Very well articulated and it all makes sense and takes me back to when I was comping in combustion / shake / after effects and the early versions of nuke. I work with GridMarkets and getting back into it all so appreciate the clear and well explained breakdowns. Keep up the awesome work.
Thank you very much Jason! It's lovely to hear that people with your level of experience still find these videos useful!! As one of the flame guys I work with always says, "everyday is a school day." 😁
@@AlfieVaughan I get it! My company uses an all Linux pipeline and it works great. I use Linux personally too, but I'm not a big gamer and the ones I do play are supported well thanks to Steam's great work.
Despite of the title("Ultimate") as a beginner in VFX and video editting, this video is quite short but detailed compared to other videos which long. I've learned new things and I will apply it. Thanks!
Thank you very much for the video, it was enriching and educational. I'm not sure that, according to what you showed, you rendered the files from Blender in a linear color space. If I'm not mistaken, under color management, you selected the "follow scene" option. Assuming you left it at Blender's default setting, then you are likely in sRGB. You need to explicitly request it to export the files in ACEScg.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! They're definitely rendered in AcesCG. I have the sequencer set to aces under the colour management settings. I've installed the aces config files so my blender isn't setup with the default colour management so it works a little differently. It defaults to acesCG which is linear
You could add a path to your scripts dir so you don't have to keep copying and pasting it and can just run it from whatever folder you're currently in. (type cmd into the folder path at the top of the window to open a command prompt within the folder.)
My holy trinity is Blender, UE5 and AE. Really tempted to delve into Davinci but I am so comfortable with AE and have a LOT of plug in's so hesitant to make the leap!!!
@@AlfieVaughan Thanks for the reply. Yeah I am tempted. Maybe use my usual workflow for pro jobs and try the other one out for personal stuff. Love your work btw.
Thanks! A viewer actually made me a little program that makes my exact structure just by typing how many shots I want. Very handy! But good suggestion :)
The info on the video is pretty good, but I do find it funny that someone boasting the "ULTIMATE VFX WORKFLOW" has obscenely choppy webcam footage. keep up the good work
I suppose you used aces 1.2 in nuke, and exported as aces cg in blender as well, right? nice workflow I was trying to solve some doubts and I found it here
Very good Alfie! Almost the same pipeline here. The only thing I think it will improve your pipeline is set the ODT to No Output Transform. That way your exports will be in Ap0 or ACES 2065-1. Same colorspace in Nuke 10 or above, ACES 2065-1.
Thanks! Yes I did do it that way for a little while but for matching colour charts etc I want the plate footage and CG to all be exactly the same. And seeing as the CG is acesCG, I also work in that for my resolve exports. It's been the same at both VFX studios I've worked at and I really like that workflow. But to each is their own!
You need to setup blender to use ACES, not filmic. It's a totally different colour management system. I think the new versions of blender ships with it by default. Before around 3.2 you have to install it yourself. It's really easy. I show how in my video about using aces
@@AlfieVaughan they expect minors to pay 4000 euro every year so we could learn this software. its just sad at this point. i got so much respect for this software cause its simply just better and the fact its easier than even layer based compositing softwares but they want future artists move to free softwares. thats why industry standards will change.
Thanks! I work as a compositor at a VFX studio and everyone uses Nuke. It's the best compositing software really. Fusion is pretty good but Nuke is the best!
It basically just tells nuke to replace the file path with whatever the script is called but it trims off the ".nk" on the end. Then the rest of it is similar to blender how it looks at where it's saved, goes up a level and saves it in the comp folder instead!
Yep undistorting and making the half res backplates for the blender camera. I used to use JPEGs because they're smaller file sizes and found they played back better than EXRs. But I now render the camera backgrounds as ProRes LT anyway as it works better than image sequenced when offsetting it to frame 1001
It depends on the person and how quickly you learn I think. It took me about 2 years of 8+ hours a day to be a decent junior. Another year to be more of a mid level artist. If you're doing 3-4 hours a day then probably 3-4 years. But also keep in mind i was in a studio environment with some of the best compositors in the world. If you're not around really artists to learn from it might not be as fast.
How do you get Blender to work with ACEScg? Is there another video about that? I'd prefer to work in ACES or DYG instead of just using an OCIO node in fusion or a LUT in Resolve. I don't see any CST options for getting AgX or Filmic into an intermediate color space, only LUTs. Thanks!
I've got a couple of videos on it. These should help ua-cam.com/video/3fyFkQiQrGQ/v-deo.htmlsi=sPEWuZ-DM-32J368 ua-cam.com/video/aw1xjChY_9U/v-deo.htmlsi=8EnrZFDWLx4_cbsD
Thank you so much for such a great content. I was on Blender+Houdini+AE for high-end Motion Design, but when you start getting serious AE is just not good enough. I started switching to Nuke, and everything has been God-level since the first day. My main concern was how to work with multiple clips. Here you have a good answer, but adding another piece to my pipeline is a hassle. So my question is, can you do the same without Resolve? I mean, using Nuke to get the final output? Thanks in advance for the answer.
Great video, but one question remains: how do you render overscan so that it is included in the exr? For the correcto Lens distortion in Nuke you know…
@@AlfieVaughan Thank you for the quick reply. Is this also included in the exr so that it is only used when the lens distortion comes into play or do you have to extract it with a reformat node and if so, how? Because if what I have read about the addon is correct, it just extends the focal lenght. But it could also be that I am wrong. (Too bad Blender doesn't have something like that built in). Anyway, thanks for the answers despite the late time.
Not quite, it actually keeps the focal length the same but increases the image size. So the resolution is scaled up slightly. Then in nuke you reformat it back down to the original plate size but keep the extra overscan pixels in the bounding box. Then when you add lens distortion those pixels are dragged inwards
I'm using paid versions here but this all works in the free versions too. I used the free versions of both for about 6 months before deciding to buy them
Hi, You exported the shots in 1080p from Davinci and the shot took a round trip and came back to Davinci. But your final output is in 4k. Why is that? Your render from nuke will be in 1080p right? So what's the point in export in 4k?
Well spotted! UA-cam plays 4k videos at a better nitrate which means that small details like grain don't get lost quite so much. So even though it's only an HD source, I upload at 4k so it can be viewed at the maximum quality
Great stuff, are you exporting to UA-cam in a sRGB colour space? I think UA-cam convert it to rec 709 and I was wondering if this will affect the gamma?
It does indeed! I started noticing this and have since switched to working in rec709 in all software. Ideally you should work in your monitor colourspace which is why I chose sRGB but like you say, it was messing with the gamma when posting on social media
I found that Resolve tags fail when two clips come from the same piece of footage. It’s as though Resolve can’t distinguish from a clip on the timeline and a clip in the bin. Do you have a work around for this?
Oh interesting. I don't think I've ever tried. Have you tried renaming them differently? It's based on the clip name so if they're called different names I can't see why it wouldn't work
Couldn't name the clips differently. Changing the second clip would also change the first. Same when using any other metadata field, like 'shot' for example. Seems to be a shortcoming
By default yes but there's a couple of work arounds! The one I use is you can set it's render location to your recycling bin. If you do that, blender won't even generate the files so it doesn't create any extra renders. Or you can set it to a default folder and just write over the renders each time. I've used both and either work fine! :)
Nope it should be the same! It's just saving 2 files as the render completes instead of one. The rendering itself is what takes time. The saving is instant. Although if you do the recycle bin thing I don't think it even saves them
Trying to follow along in 18.6 but the right click context menu item "ACES Input Transform" is missing. Trying it with several test footage from RED, ARRI, and Sony and they all have the same result. Is there a limitation in the free version where that is removed?
Definitely Nuke! Fusion seems really good but it's not as powerful for high end stuff. I've been using Nuke as a professional compositor for the last 5 years at VFX studios and I can pretty confidently say it's the only compositor that can do some of the shots I've done in that time. When you get into depth with CG, projections, 3D geo etc in compositing Nuke is the king
@@AlfieVaughan oh I'm fully aware it's industry standard, will be interesting to see tho will bmd put more into it to make it compete more with the foundery 🤔🤔, even a shuffle mode would help but I have a strange suspicion that the foundery has a patent on shuffle nodes in conpositors hmmmm, care to go into debth what's missing in those fusions tools 🤔
@@AlfieVaughan fair enough guess I'll learn eventually from what I've heard fusion is 95% overlapping with nuke but that 5% must be very important 😉, bmd will hopefully catch up eventually ❤️❤️
Can yuh please tell me what will be the pipline of chroma shots....is it grade done before vfx or after vfx....if it is after vfx....then how would yuh grade bg & chroma keyed shots.....i need to know the exact pipeline for chroma keying procedure till compositing & final grade....how is it done.......please explain 🙏🙏🙏
It's quite unusual to grade before VFX because if you do any keys in grade and then try to track or key that in comp it could cause problems. Most places do the VFX work and then grade as the final stage. And you wouldn't grade the BG and FG separately in grade. They should be balanced in comp and then a colourist will just grade the entire picture as one image
Great tutorial as always. Little question, is it ok to render the utility passes like vector, z-depth, and cryptomatte in half(16bit) color depth from blender?
Hi, thanks for the video, I have one question, at 15:56 you set up your EXR render in Nuke and you don't set the write ACES compliant EXR box, does that make any difference on how the file will be read in Resolve?
No it won't change anything. I could be wrong but I believe ticking that makes it a 32bit float EXR because it greys out the colour depth dropdown menu. So I never tick it because it makes the files needlessly big. Also neither of the studios I've worked at use that feature when we work in ACES
@@AlfieVaughani seee, that explains it. one other matter, in order to render in blender 4.0 in aces would i need to install anything or am i good by just setting the output color space mode to "override - acescg"? or should i set something up aswell in the scene color management settings? i dont really see much info regarding aces and the new 4.0 in the web, so a video about that would be really great. im sorry if im a bit asking too much, im pretty much new at this. Thanks so much!
I already have a video on it! I think you still need to manually put the aces files into your blender folder even in 4.0. watch this video and follow the steps ua-cam.com/video/aw1xjChY_9U/v-deo.htmlsi=cYM0AH52RxQHhGNm
I haven't really used fusion personally. I've heard it's good but Nuke is the main compositor used for professional level VFX. It's what I was trained on at work which is why I use it at home. From what I can see it's still the most powerful compositor by a fair way. Especially for CG stuff
How do you export to ProRes using a Windows workflow? I've used plugins, and tried using Adobe's Media Encoder to mixed results. I'm curious if you have a better solution. Thanks for making this video, very insightful!
From resolve? I think you have to install the codec or something. I've never done it. If I have to deliver a shot as prores I render as prores directly from nuke because it comes with it built in.
Hi @AlfieVaughan, thanks for your videos ! I know it's been already 1 year you upload this video but I have a question : I'm working with .MOV files with LUT integrated and with EXR without the LUT. I'm working as well with Davinci and I was wondering If I could check both files on the same timeline and at the same time putting the LUT on the EXR to see them on the same color space. What are the settings I have to put? Which color space?... I try the one you say on your video but I still have some trouble... I hope I'm clear enough. Probably it will be better to talk about it in private if it's possible. Thanks a lot for your answer and keep the old work ;)
If you tag them both as the correct colourspaces when they come in it should just work really. The movs with the LUT are probably rec709 and presumably the EXRs are linear ACEScg?
@@AlfieVaughan Thanks for your quick answer ! I really appreciate ;) Ok I've got something now. The only thing is how can I put the LUT on the EXR to match the MOV clip now?
@oliviermancardi4680 that's odd... That should work correctly. Perhaps the LUT is doing a different transform. It's difficult to diagnose just from this description I'm afraid
@AlfieVaughan Sorry I've got a last question... When I try to put the LUT on my EXR to match the MOV clip, I just have a dark clip... I tried both method : on the color page or right clicking the clip on the media page... Unfortunately none of them work... Do you have any idea? Thanks again for your help !
Do any of yall get one render from output properties, and one from the output node? Seems like there's no way to turn off the one in output properties. Blender takes a huge L with this one
Yeah it's quite annoying. You can set the output properties one to your recycle bin which instantly deletes the renders as they're created. That seems to be the best work around. Would be nice to be able to turn it off though!
Tried this again with version 3.4.1 on a workstation pc, but it haults the render after one frame because the recycle bin isnt a valid path. In earlier versions it would at least continue to the next frame. Now i have to define a path in output properties. Hate to see a fundemental part of a 3d software still being this wonky.
Yeah I've been having the same issue after updating recently. I've just set up a folder on one of my drives called "frame bin" 😂 I'm rendering black and white highly compressed jpegs into there. I set it as the default so it goes there all the time without me having to change it and it just overwrites the frames every time I render a new project as I don't need them. The JPEGs are so small it doesn't take up much space at all
There's an overscan add-on for blender that I use. A few people have asked about that! Scene scale I don't change I just make sure it's real world scale
In the thumbnail of this video? I bought them into blender as images and cut them out with a knife tool and then just extruded them back and added a subdivision surface modifier
@@AlfieVaughan you have provided me a holy grail of information that not even hours of google & reddit search can accomplish, i have no problem learning on my own just from your comment but would your channel happen to have tutorials on things like that?
great videos, im gonna begin useing hitfilm video edit. i need help on camera selection, i know the sony 7 III is also good option: Ursa mini 4.6 1gen BMPCC 4/or 6k Sony FX-30 vfx im gonna use it mostly indoor and for stopmotion/vfx/greenscreen work. im litterly lost, i know all 3 good but i know nothing about Vfx, i see the new sont fx30 is 14bit is that a better option post than the 12bit from the BMPCC 4k -6k? the sony 7III cost the same used as all thise 3
Personally I'd pick the Ursa mini out of them. I'm quite interested in the latest mini pro myself for my next camera at some point! As for bitrate, technically yes it's better to have more but not sure you'd notice much difference. 12bit is still vastly superior to 8bit from most consumer cameras. My a7iii is only 8bit but it looks great 😂 There's not really much between them in the specs that would make one better than the others for VFX. For me camera selection is more about the image itself. Dynamic range, formats and log profiles are my main interests
Okay, but what if i don't wanna work under ACES, specifically in Resolve (there's reasons, such as no correct IDT/ODT for my cam, etc.) ? I cano't seems to figure out correct linear roundtrip between resolve& nuke. Either Resolve cant export linear, or i should set up rec709 as an Input Transform FOR EXR in Nuke (which sounds odd by definition), otherwise colors looks wrong. Do you have an alternative solution?
I'm not entirely sure to be honest! I've never worked with linear EXRs in a non-ACES workflow at home. We did it at work at The Mill before switching but it was a custom made view transform similar to rec. I don't know the specifics. I think if you work in the davinci colour managed workflow instead of the yrgb one then there's options for outputting in linear. I've not tried it though
As long as you use the same view transform in all software's it shouldn't really matter what you output it from resolve as. If you're just avoiding ACES because there isn't a transform for your camera then maybe just use a similar one. The transform is just to get it to look like rec709 anyway. You could apply a similar one and then do a tech grade to tweak it if needed before exporting VFX plates
bro thanks for the tutorial...I have a confusion 1. why ur VFX clip is bigger than ur original clip? 2. can i exchange xml with vfx artist? bcz if i have so many shot for VFX how do I properly place After VFX without XML?
Do you mean file size? The EXRs will probably be bigger than the original file. You don't normally share XML files with VFX artist unless they're running the timeline.cuou just export plates
@@AlfieVaughan if i have like 200 VFX shots is that possible replace each and every shot 1 by1?and if they not use XML my speed change of the clip will not translate...what should be the best approach?I am little bit confuse...
@@AlfieVaughan I wouldn't consider, the "freaking" as a none chilled answer. It would be so much easier to use a dedicated software to also create your folder structure and your comp and blender files, along with any other documents you might need, so autosave will work immediately when you open them up. It's not a NukeStudio solution, but it is a very good safety net. And please don't tell me you have never forgot to save once in nuke and started working on a shot only for it to freeze and loose a couple of hours worth of work. So, unless this bat file is strapped in a pipeline line API, you might get a better working experience using Post Haste. And since you are showing a pipeline, you should consider also folks who won't be in you Patreon, that still want a nice pipeline, so at least give them an option instead of forgetting about them or giving them a half baked solution. At least consider it (or any other pipeline software, that can help) next time you do a pipeline video.
Hi Alfie, great video i have ever seen. for a large project can you tell me how to create spread sheet filled data with shot name, total frames, start frame end frame like that data? pls help on that..🥲
Thanks! I'm not really sure how you would automate that without some sort of software like shotgun that's used alongside all the work being done. You could make the spreadsheet and fill it out manually I guess!
So many people asked why I don't "just use Fusion" in the comments on this video that I made a whole video talking all about it!
Check it out here - ua-cam.com/video/c7BwmESMOQ0/v-deo.html&ab_channel=AlfieVaughan
Great vid, I use the exact same work flow except switch Nuke for Fusion (I have a few less guitars and a smaller drum kit though!). I also have scripts in Resolve that allow me to mark clips from a timeline to generate the EXR's. Switched to ACES a few years ago and it has really streamlined my workflow and removed all of the headaches involved with the various camera inputs and delivery outputs. Switched to Blender a few years back as well, glad I did as it is evolving so fast, just wish Cycles was a little more photoreal but amazing otherwise. As an indie operator I think this is a great workflow with tools that everyone can access.
Hi Alfie, with regards to this it’s very similar to mine except from blender, question:
I have a custom .DCTL for resolve but how do I export it as a IDT to bring into nuke so it would appear in my drop-down menu of IDTs then I can export as ACES?
Thank you again for the great content!
Came here to see the workflow as the title says. But for 18 minutes I couldn't take my eyes of the Tele, 335 and Silver Sky :)
Haha thank you! I built that Tele 😁 The 335 is a custom shop '64 reissue and I refinished the silver sky in nitro 😎
I forgot to mention that all of the software in this video has free versions that are still totally capable of working this way. Blender is obviously open source and free... But Nuke has a Non-Commercial version that has almost all the features it's just limited to 1080p renders. And Resolve also has a very powerful free version. I'm using the paid versions of Resolve and Nuke because I work professionally using them too. But you don't have to!
Worth to know that the nuke free version doesn't allow you to use some key nodes that you need to compose 3D models-animations
There's a few that are limited but I've never found I needed any of them
@@AlfieVaughan Why not Fusion, which is free and used in high end production?
I think Fusion is pretty good but I don't know a single VFX studio that uses it. I use Nuke because I work as a compositor on "high-end productions" you're talking about and everyone either uses Nuke or Flame. It wasnt really that I picked it over fusion, it was simply that I was trained in Nuke and continue to use it because it's the best compositing software
@@AlfieVaughan Fair enough! Thank you for your reply. I asked you because you use Blender, And Maya is industry standard for 3D as Nuke is IS for VFX.
About VFX studios that use Fusion, from BM site: "Fusion has been used on feature films like Ant-Man, Red Sparrow and London Has Fallen, as well as hit television shows like Empire, NCIS and Emergence." And many more ...
Holy fucking shit. that was incredible. so so many tips that only someone working in the professional field for a long time could have picked up! thanks so much for this video! :))
Glad you liked it!
It's been just over a year since I started working with VFX, still on the most basic tool of them all, which is After Effects. Now is the time to start stepping up the software, and begin researching Nuke, but I must confess that watching videos like this just scares me without knowing where to start and thinking that I won't be able to do it... That said, what an incredible video, I hope to one day reach this level of work, congratulations on the channel!
Thanks a lot! The learning curve is a little steep but the sooner you start learning the sooner you'll be good at it. If you get scared and keep putting it off you'll never get there. Just start 💪
I have to say, while the technical aspect in how ACES works goes waaay over my head. It does make the workflow much easier. It's cool that we can have this all for just 300 bucks (since you can activate the studio version of Fusion too with a resolve key for those without Nuke.)
Good isn't it! I don't totally understand every aspect of it either but it just works and I love it 😂 you don't even need the paid one to use it. It works in the free version too!
Really amazing in-depth information in this one! Thank you very much, that cleared a lot of question marks in my head regarding the optimal VFX workflow 🙏
Glad you liked it!
Fr this guy is so underrated
Thank you! ♥️
Very cool Alfie. Very well explained tut. Much appreciated. I'm an old school vfx comper from way back that's been out of the game for a while and everything you have explained brings it all back. Very well articulated and it all makes sense and takes me back to when I was comping in combustion / shake / after effects and the early versions of nuke. I work with GridMarkets and getting back into it all so appreciate the clear and well explained breakdowns. Keep up the awesome work.
Thank you very much Jason! It's lovely to hear that people with your level of experience still find these videos useful!! As one of the flame guys I work with always says, "everyday is a school day." 😁
Do note, Resolve Studio, Blender, and Nuke are all available on Linux and make a wonderful workflow for those of us on Linux systems.
They do indeed! All the VFX studios I've worked at use Linux. I just use Windows at home because I also play games etc. on my home PC
@@AlfieVaughan I get it! My company uses an all Linux pipeline and it works great. I use Linux personally too, but I'm not a big gamer and the ones I do play are supported well thanks to Steam's great work.
Amazing tut
Thanks!
Thank you
No problem!
Despite of the title("Ultimate") as a beginner in VFX and video editting, this video is quite short but detailed compared to other videos which long. I've learned new things and I will apply it. Thanks!
No problem!
Thank you very much for the video, it was enriching and educational.
I'm not sure that, according to what you showed, you rendered the files from Blender in a linear color space. If I'm not mistaken, under color management, you selected the "follow scene" option. Assuming you left it at Blender's default setting, then you are likely in sRGB. You need to explicitly request it to export the files in ACEScg.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
They're definitely rendered in AcesCG. I have the sequencer set to aces under the colour management settings. I've installed the aces config files so my blender isn't setup with the default colour management so it works a little differently. It defaults to acesCG which is linear
You could add a path to your scripts dir so you don't have to keep copying and pasting it and can just run it from whatever folder you're currently in. (type cmd into the folder path at the top of the window to open a command prompt within the folder.)
man. I've been using DR for years and didn't even know you could add tags on the Deliveries. damnn. I usually do them manually.. thanks man
I only realised a few months ago! Game changer
I reccomend reading up on DaVinci's VFX Connect feature in the manual. Should speed up your workflow. :)
Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check it out :)
Nice one Alfie!
Haha thanks man!
Love the usage of the bat file. Going to use that everytime now
Thanks! It's very handy 😁
I've been waiting for this tutorial update😊😊😊😊😊 Thank you so much sir!!
No problem! Glad you liked it!!!
Fantastic, man! Such a well oiled machine! Can't wait to dive deeper into Nuke (just started learning this fall )🤘
Thank you!
How are you learning nuke? There are very little resources online. Please share
This was excellent! So many insightful tips! Thank you Alfie! 🙂
Thank you! :)
My holy trinity is Blender, UE5 and AE. Really tempted to delve into Davinci but I am so comfortable with AE and have a LOT of plug in's so hesitant to make the leap!!!
I was hesitant for a while but I haven't looked back since. I think it's a lot better having used both!
@@AlfieVaughan Thanks for the reply. Yeah I am tempted. Maybe use my usual workflow for pro jobs and try the other one out for personal stuff. Love your work btw.
@@ukmonk good idea so the moment you feel you're ready to choose you already tried the 2 workflows
I use these exact programs
Same 😜
God bless you! Thanks for making this tutorial.
Thanks :)
Boom! Great info! Thx Alfie
As always, I appreciate your insight
Thanks!
Excellent workflow! I always get something out of your videos :)
Thanks Prashan! :)
BROOO thankyou so much, this really helped and the tutorial was really easy to use as well :)
Glad you liked it!
Bro add your pc specs/config so we'll have enough capable machines like you, loved the workflow.
I've got an i7 6700k, 32GB of RAM and a 3090 but you don't need all that to use this workflow!
@@AlfieVaughan Thanks man for replying, Appreciated it.
A faster way to create the folders is using a program named Post Haste, made by Digital Rebellion.
Thanks! A viewer actually made me a little program that makes my exact structure just by typing how many shots I want. Very handy! But good suggestion :)
@@AlfieVaughan That's awesome! It just great how cmmunities can form and mane cool lil tools to make life easier.
Thank you once again !
12:40 would you be able to make a tutorial on how you made this setup??
I have a video on it where I go a bit more in depth here - ua-cam.com/video/RQGRYmVkizo/v-deo.html
The info on the video is pretty good, but I do find it funny that someone boasting the "ULTIMATE VFX WORKFLOW" has obscenely choppy webcam footage.
keep up the good work
The webcam has nothing to do with VFX 😉 It's because it was super dark in the room so the webcam shutter speed was really slow to compensate!
awesome video! Thank you!
Thanks! No problem :)
I suppose you used aces 1.2 in nuke, and exported as aces cg in blender as well, right? nice workflow I was trying to solve some doubts and I found it here
I did, yep. It stays as ACEScg all the way up to colour grading for consistency
Very good Alfie! Almost the same pipeline here. The only thing I think it will improve your pipeline is set the ODT to No Output Transform. That way your exports will be in Ap0 or ACES 2065-1. Same colorspace in Nuke 10 or above, ACES 2065-1.
Thanks! Yes I did do it that way for a little while but for matching colour charts etc I want the plate footage and CG to all be exactly the same. And seeing as the CG is acesCG, I also work in that for my resolve exports. It's been the same at both VFX studios I've worked at and I really like that workflow. But to each is their own!
So there's no need to change the color space/output properties in Blender from Filmic or Standard?
You need to setup blender to use ACES, not filmic. It's a totally different colour management system. I think the new versions of blender ships with it by default. Before around 3.2 you have to install it yourself. It's really easy. I show how in my video about using aces
@@AlfieVaughan Rad! I'll check it out. Thanks.
Fantastic video!
Thanks!
Can you do compositing in After effect with blender render, like how to control mist past on after effect, add glow, etc
I don't use after effects anymore, sorry!
Would this be possible with Davinci Wide Gamut? my workflow isn't with ACES so I really hope it works with DWG ^^
Yeah it's kinda the same workflow. You just work in with linear EXRs with the viewer set to rec709 i believe
Why you didn't keyed sky inside Nuke while compositing?
I could have done. It gives the same result really so it doesn't matter. I was just using that as an example of the grading process
Only problem i have with nuke is writegeo node on non commercial
Yes it is a bit annoying. I suppose if they put it in non commercial most people would never pay for Indie or the full license
@@AlfieVaughan they expect minors to pay 4000 euro every year so we could learn this software. its just sad at this point. i got so much respect for this software cause its simply just better and the fact its easier than even layer based compositing softwares but they want future artists move to free softwares. thats why industry standards will change.
@pxrposewithnopurpose5801 Nuke Indie is only about $30 a month. Same sort of price as Adobe subscriptions
yoo this is amazing! I have a question, why not use Fusion instead of Nuke?
Thanks! I work as a compositor at a VFX studio and everyone uses Nuke. It's the best compositing software really. Fusion is pretty good but Nuke is the best!
cool, can you tell more about expressions you use in nuke automate things like automatic write nodes and all that?
It basically just tells nuke to replace the file path with whatever the script is called but it trims off the ".nk" on the end. Then the rest of it is similar to blender how it looks at where it's saved, goes up a level and saves it in the comp folder instead!
I do everything the same!! and Matchmove 3DEqualizer4
Nice! 3DE is great. I should learn it really...
Thanx for the video. May i know what's your system setup for your work ?
Thanks! Do you mean the computer specs of my machine at work?
What's the point of importing to nuke before blender? To undistort? And why export jpeg?
Yep undistorting and making the half res backplates for the blender camera. I used to use JPEGs because they're smaller file sizes and found they played back better than EXRs. But I now render the camera backgrounds as ProRes LT anyway as it works better than image sequenced when offsetting it to frame 1001
how many months or year would it take for someone practicing 3-4 hrs everday to become a good intermediate freelancer?
It depends on the person and how quickly you learn I think. It took me about 2 years of 8+ hours a day to be a decent junior. Another year to be more of a mid level artist. If you're doing 3-4 hours a day then probably 3-4 years. But also keep in mind i was in a studio environment with some of the best compositors in the world. If you're not around really artists to learn from it might not be as fast.
How do you get Blender to work with ACEScg? Is there another video about that? I'd prefer to work in ACES or DYG instead of just using an OCIO node in fusion or a LUT in Resolve. I don't see any CST options for getting AgX or Filmic into an intermediate color space, only LUTs. Thanks!
I've got a couple of videos on it. These should help
ua-cam.com/video/3fyFkQiQrGQ/v-deo.htmlsi=sPEWuZ-DM-32J368
ua-cam.com/video/aw1xjChY_9U/v-deo.htmlsi=8EnrZFDWLx4_cbsD
Thank you so much for such a great content. I was on Blender+Houdini+AE for high-end Motion Design, but when you start getting serious AE is just not good enough. I started switching to Nuke, and everything has been God-level since the first day. My main concern was how to work with multiple clips. Here you have a good answer, but adding another piece to my pipeline is a hassle. So my question is, can you do the same without Resolve? I mean, using Nuke to get the final output? Thanks in advance for the answer.
Thanks! Yes you could use the timeline in Nuke studio to remove resolve from the workflow. It's not quite as user friendly but works fine
@@AlfieVaughan Hi Alfie and thanks for the answer. I use the Indi version, so maybe I will need the other piece anyway, AE in my case I assume.
The timeline is in Nuke indie :)
Great video, but one question remains: how do you render overscan so that it is included in the exr?
For the correcto Lens distortion in Nuke you know…
There's an overscan addon for Blender! It was made by Barnstorm VFX I think... It's great!
developer.blender.org/T49068
@@AlfieVaughan Thank you for the quick reply.
Is this also included in the exr so that it is only used when the lens distortion comes into play or do you have to extract it with a reformat node and if so, how?
Because if what I have read about the addon is correct, it just extends the focal lenght.
But it could also be that I am wrong. (Too bad Blender doesn't have something like that built in).
Anyway, thanks for the answers despite the late time.
Not quite, it actually keeps the focal length the same but increases the image size. So the resolution is scaled up slightly. Then in nuke you reformat it back down to the original plate size but keep the extra overscan pixels in the bounding box. Then when you add lens distortion those pixels are dragged inwards
@@AlfieVaughan That's great news for me.
Thank you very much.
dope
Thanks!
did you use the free version of DaVinci and Nuke, or paid version, as these are quite expensive as I understand...
I'm using paid versions here but this all works in the free versions too. I used the free versions of both for about 6 months before deciding to buy them
Hi, You exported the shots in 1080p from Davinci and the shot took a round trip and came back to Davinci. But your final output is in 4k. Why is that? Your render from nuke will be in 1080p right? So what's the point in export in 4k?
Well spotted! UA-cam plays 4k videos at a better nitrate which means that small details like grain don't get lost quite so much. So even though it's only an HD source, I upload at 4k so it can be viewed at the maximum quality
@@AlfieVaughan Oh great. Thanks for this video. I've been also doing the same workflow. But I learned few more things from your video.
Great stuff, are you exporting to UA-cam in a sRGB colour space? I think UA-cam convert it to rec 709 and I was wondering if this will affect the gamma?
It does indeed! I started noticing this and have since switched to working in rec709 in all software. Ideally you should work in your monitor colourspace which is why I chose sRGB but like you say, it was messing with the gamma when posting on social media
can i work in this workflow without batch files?
There's a piece of software called post haste that I use now that does it automatically
Wow! You look like virat kohli
😂😂😂
I found that Resolve tags fail when two clips come from the same piece of footage. It’s as though Resolve can’t distinguish from a clip on the timeline and a clip in the bin. Do you have a work around for this?
Oh interesting. I don't think I've ever tried. Have you tried renaming them differently? It's based on the clip name so if they're called different names I can't see why it wouldn't work
Couldn't name the clips differently. Changing the second clip would also change the first. Same when using any other metadata field, like 'shot' for example. Seems to be a shortcoming
Ah that's annoying. Not a great solution but I guess a workaround would be exporting the second one as a new piece of footage and bringing it back in
can you do a tutorial for expressions in Nuke? even if it's basic
I only use about 3 haha 😅
while doing render through compositing tab
won't blender render in it's default setting/output properties?
like double rendering?
By default yes but there's a couple of work arounds! The one I use is you can set it's render location to your recycling bin. If you do that, blender won't even generate the files so it doesn't create any extra renders. Or you can set it to a default folder and just write over the renders each time.
I've used both and either work fine! :)
@@AlfieVaughan
oh i see
does it effect on render time?
Nope it should be the same! It's just saving 2 files as the render completes instead of one. The rendering itself is what takes time. The saving is instant. Although if you do the recycle bin thing I don't think it even saves them
Trying to follow along in 18.6 but the right click context menu item "ACES Input Transform" is missing. Trying it with several test footage from RED, ARRI, and Sony and they all have the same result. Is there a limitation in the free version where that is removed?
It shouldn't be... it's the footage raw? It's so it auto detectes colour space
@@AlfieVaughan According to the meta data one of the videos are DRAGONcolor color space
and REDgamma4 gamma curve
@@AlfieVaughan False alarm, all the footage was Raw, popped in a prores clip and I got the option to change the ACES input transform.
Ah thought so!
Any thoughts regarding fusion vs nuke?
Definitely Nuke! Fusion seems really good but it's not as powerful for high end stuff. I've been using Nuke as a professional compositor for the last 5 years at VFX studios and I can pretty confidently say it's the only compositor that can do some of the shots I've done in that time. When you get into depth with CG, projections, 3D geo etc in compositing Nuke is the king
@@AlfieVaughan oh I'm fully aware it's industry standard, will be interesting to see tho will bmd put more into it to make it compete more with the foundery 🤔🤔, even a shuffle mode would help but I have a strange suspicion that the foundery has a patent on shuffle nodes in conpositors hmmmm, care to go into debth what's missing in those fusions tools 🤔
It's a very long discussion haha! There's just a lot of tools that are superior or don't exist at all in other software
@@AlfieVaughan fair enough guess I'll learn eventually from what I've heard fusion is 95% overlapping with nuke but that 5% must be very important 😉, bmd will hopefully catch up eventually ❤️❤️
Can yuh please tell me what will be the pipline of chroma shots....is it grade done before vfx or after vfx....if it is after vfx....then how would yuh grade bg & chroma keyed shots.....i need to know the exact pipeline for chroma keying procedure till compositing & final grade....how is it done.......please explain 🙏🙏🙏
It's quite unusual to grade before VFX because if you do any keys in grade and then try to track or key that in comp it could cause problems. Most places do the VFX work and then grade as the final stage. And you wouldn't grade the BG and FG separately in grade. They should be balanced in comp and then a colourist will just grade the entire picture as one image
Great tutorial as always. Little question, is it ok to render the utility passes like vector, z-depth, and cryptomatte in half(16bit) color depth from blender?
Thanks! Vectors and depth will be ok as 16 but cryptos have to be 32bit so I tend to just render all my utility passes together as 32bit
@@AlfieVaughan Got it. Thank you for the reply.
Hi why you didn’t continuous your compositing on Davinci Résolve ? Why you use Nuke ? Thank you for your answer
I use Nuke because I work as a professional compositor and everyone uses Nuke in the industry. Fusion is good but I don't believe it's as good as Nuke
Hi, thanks for the video, I have one question, at 15:56 you set up your EXR render in Nuke and you don't set the write ACES compliant EXR box, does that make any difference on how the file will be read in Resolve?
No it won't change anything. I could be wrong but I believe ticking that makes it a 32bit float EXR because it greys out the colour depth dropdown menu. So I never tick it because it makes the files needlessly big. Also neither of the studios I've worked at use that feature when we work in ACES
So, do you use linear or acescg workspace to bring exr renders around other programs? Or is It kind of a mixture? I get pretty lost there😢
Because un davinci i understood you rendered acescg but them in nuke It was linear renders you were working with
Linear and aces are basically the same. AcesCG is still linear EXRs. But yes technically it's always acesCG. Nuke just refers to it as scene linear
@@AlfieVaughani seee, that explains it. one other matter, in order to render in blender 4.0 in aces would i need to install anything or am i good by just setting the output color space mode to "override - acescg"? or should i set something up aswell in the scene color management settings? i dont really see much info regarding aces and the new 4.0 in the web, so a video about that would be really great. im sorry if im a bit asking too much, im pretty much new at this. Thanks so much!
I already have a video on it! I think you still need to manually put the aces files into your blender folder even in 4.0. watch this video and follow the steps
ua-cam.com/video/aw1xjChY_9U/v-deo.htmlsi=cYM0AH52RxQHhGNm
How much resolve fusion can keep up with nuke ? Is nuke soo much more advanced for conpositing?
I haven't really used fusion personally. I've heard it's good but Nuke is the main compositor used for professional level VFX. It's what I was trained on at work which is why I use it at home. From what I can see it's still the most powerful compositor by a fair way. Especially for CG stuff
How do you export to ProRes using a Windows workflow? I've used plugins, and tried using Adobe's Media Encoder to mixed results. I'm curious if you have a better solution. Thanks for making this video, very insightful!
From resolve? I think you have to install the codec or something. I've never done it. If I have to deliver a shot as prores I render as prores directly from nuke because it comes with it built in.
Hi @AlfieVaughan, thanks for your videos ! I know it's been already 1 year you upload this video but I have a question : I'm working with .MOV files with LUT integrated and with EXR without the LUT. I'm working as well with Davinci and I was wondering If I could check both files on the same timeline and at the same time putting the LUT on the EXR to see them on the same color space. What are the settings I have to put? Which color space?... I try the one you say on your video but I still have some trouble...
I hope I'm clear enough. Probably it will be better to talk about it in private if it's possible.
Thanks a lot for your answer and keep the old work ;)
If you tag them both as the correct colourspaces when they come in it should just work really. The movs with the LUT are probably rec709 and presumably the EXRs are linear ACEScg?
@@AlfieVaughan Thanks for your quick answer ! I really appreciate ;)
Ok I've got something now. The only thing is how can I put the LUT on the EXR to match the MOV clip now?
@oliviermancardi4680 that's odd... That should work correctly. Perhaps the LUT is doing a different transform. It's difficult to diagnose just from this description I'm afraid
@@AlfieVaughan Sorry for my last question I found what I was doing wrong... My bad... 😞
@AlfieVaughan Sorry I've got a last question... When I try to put the LUT on my EXR to match the MOV clip, I just have a dark clip... I tried both method : on the color page or right clicking the clip on the media page... Unfortunately none of them work... Do you have any idea? Thanks again for your help !
Do any of yall get one render from output properties, and one from the output node? Seems like there's no way to turn off the one in output properties.
Blender takes a huge L with this one
Yeah it's quite annoying. You can set the output properties one to your recycle bin which instantly deletes the renders as they're created. That seems to be the best work around. Would be nice to be able to turn it off though!
@@AlfieVaughan Do they get deleted because there's no original file path to reference? Thanks for the tip tho!
I think so yeah! Or it just realised it's a recycle bin folder and it doesn't make them in the first place. Either way, seems to work
Tried this again with version 3.4.1 on a workstation pc, but it haults the render after one frame because the recycle bin isnt a valid path. In earlier versions it would at least continue to the next frame. Now i have to define a path in output properties. Hate to see a fundemental part of a 3d software still being this wonky.
Yeah I've been having the same issue after updating recently. I've just set up a folder on one of my drives called "frame bin" 😂 I'm rendering black and white highly compressed jpegs into there. I set it as the default so it goes there all the time without me having to change it and it just overwrites the frames every time I render a new project as I don't need them. The JPEGs are so small it doesn't take up much space at all
How do you deal with Overscan and Scene scale from one program to another?
There's an overscan add-on for blender that I use. A few people have asked about that! Scene scale I don't change I just make sure it's real world scale
Hi
👋
What do you use to make icons 3d? Asking for video game thumbnail purposes
In the thumbnail of this video? I bought them into blender as images and cut them out with a knife tool and then just extruded them back and added a subdivision surface modifier
@@AlfieVaughan you have provided me a holy grail of information that not even hours of google & reddit search can accomplish, i have no problem learning on my own just from your comment but would your channel happen to have tutorials on things like that?
Thanks! I'm afraid I don't have a video on it but it's very simple. My first reply is quite literally the whole process 😂
@@AlfieVaughan many thanks i appreciate it!
great videos, im gonna begin useing hitfilm video edit.
i need help on camera selection, i know the sony 7 III is also good option:
Ursa mini 4.6 1gen
BMPCC 4/or 6k
Sony FX-30 vfx
im gonna use it mostly indoor and for stopmotion/vfx/greenscreen work.
im litterly lost, i know all 3 good but i know nothing about Vfx, i see the new sont fx30 is 14bit is that a better option post than the 12bit from the BMPCC 4k -6k?
the sony 7III cost the same used as all thise 3
Personally I'd pick the Ursa mini out of them. I'm quite interested in the latest mini pro myself for my next camera at some point!
As for bitrate, technically yes it's better to have more but not sure you'd notice much difference. 12bit is still vastly superior to 8bit from most consumer cameras. My a7iii is only 8bit but it looks great 😂
There's not really much between them in the specs that would make one better than the others for VFX. For me camera selection is more about the image itself. Dynamic range, formats and log profiles are my main interests
@@AlfieVaughan thanks also the sony fx30 is 14bit idk if its anygood its so new still
@@silverbulletin846 Yes sorry I was talking about the difference between 14bit of the fx30 and 12bit of the others
Okay, but what if i don't wanna work under ACES, specifically in Resolve (there's reasons, such as no correct IDT/ODT for my cam, etc.) ? I cano't seems to figure out correct linear roundtrip between resolve& nuke. Either Resolve cant export linear, or i should set up rec709 as an Input Transform FOR EXR in Nuke (which sounds odd by definition), otherwise colors looks wrong. Do you have an alternative solution?
I'm not entirely sure to be honest! I've never worked with linear EXRs in a non-ACES workflow at home. We did it at work at The Mill before switching but it was a custom made view transform similar to rec. I don't know the specifics. I think if you work in the davinci colour managed workflow instead of the yrgb one then there's options for outputting in linear. I've not tried it though
@@AlfieVaughan right, there's a linear output. But still not quite giving me wanted flawless roundtrip. Well, thanks anyways!
As long as you use the same view transform in all software's it shouldn't really matter what you output it from resolve as. If you're just avoiding ACES because there isn't a transform for your camera then maybe just use a similar one. The transform is just to get it to look like rec709 anyway. You could apply a similar one and then do a tech grade to tweak it if needed before exporting VFX plates
bro thanks for the tutorial...I have a confusion 1. why ur VFX clip is bigger than ur original clip? 2. can i exchange xml with vfx artist? bcz if i have so many shot for VFX how do I properly place After VFX without XML?
Do you mean file size? The EXRs will probably be bigger than the original file. You don't normally share XML files with VFX artist unless they're running the timeline.cuou just export plates
@@AlfieVaughan if i have like 200 VFX shots is that possible replace each and every shot 1 by1?and if they not use XML my speed change of the clip will not translate...what should be the best approach?I am little bit confuse...
Yes they can be replaced 1 by 1. If the speed change hasn't come across, ask for an exported edit with it in and eye match it
What are your PC specifications?
I have an i7 6700k, 32GB of RAM and a 3090 :)
Use Post Haste instead of a freaking bat file...
Chill out mate 😂 someone made me a little program so when I run it I just type in how many folders I want and it does it. It's great
@@AlfieVaughan I wouldn't consider, the "freaking" as a none chilled answer. It would be so much easier to use a dedicated software to also create your folder structure and your comp and blender files, along with any other documents you might need, so autosave will work immediately when you open them up. It's not a NukeStudio solution, but it is a very good safety net. And please don't tell me you have never forgot to save once in nuke and started working on a shot only for it to freeze and loose a couple of hours worth of work. So, unless this bat file is strapped in a pipeline line API, you might get a better working experience using Post Haste. And since you are showing a pipeline, you should consider also folks who won't be in you Patreon, that still want a nice pipeline, so at least give them an option instead of forgetting about them or giving them a half baked solution. At least consider it (or any other pipeline software, that can help) next time you do a pipeline video.
✨👌😎😉😎👍✨
Hi Alfie, great video i have ever seen. for a large project can you tell me how to create spread sheet filled data with shot name, total frames, start frame end frame like that data? pls help on that..🥲
Thanks! I'm not really sure how you would automate that without some sort of software like shotgun that's used alongside all the work being done. You could make the spreadsheet and fill it out manually I guess!