<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nPut a green bed sheet or wall in front of you and shoot it and then change the scene to a city, forest, or outer space. Clean edges for hair and clothes can take some practice, but it’s easy. This is the quintessential first project and it will make you understand the importance of lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DaVinci Resolve (Fusion)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adobe Premiere Pro<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Clean up and key the edges<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Spill suppression<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Basic lighting control<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>2. Object Removal (Wire or Rig Removal)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nRecord a brief clip with an object obstructing your shot, such as a garbage can or someone strolling by, or a wire. Then let that object vanish. You will either repaint or clone out the object per frame or use a clean background plate. At times it’s a little dull, but it’s utilized in nearly every actual production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mocha AE<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DaVinci Resolve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Motion tracking<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Clean plate creation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Thorough and meticulous cleaning of site<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>3. Lightsaber or Energy Effects<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nPick up a stick or cardboard tube and wave it around, and transform it into a glowing lightsaber or energy sword. You will record the movement, add some glow, and will adjust the colour to the scene. Quite simply one of the most enjoyable VFX project ideas to get into, and the outcome is a cool effect from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mocha AE<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DaVinci Resolve (Fusion)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Rotoscoping and tracking<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Color and light effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Colour matching<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>4. Phone or TV Screen Replacement<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nRecord someone with a blank or black screen on their phone or sitting by a tv with a blank or black screen, then cover it with your video. You’ll mark the corners to ensure that the new screen remains in place when the camera is in motion. Slightly blur and add a few reflections, and all of a sudden it’s not pasted on and not fake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mocha AE<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DaVinci Resolve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Corner pin tracking<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Basic compositing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Finding match and blurs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>5. Sky Replacement<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDull, cloudy shots \u2013 replace with a dramatic sunset or stormy sky. It’s hard to know where to draw the line between the sky and buildings or trees, and matching colors so that it looks like it’s the same spot. After you’re done, you can even make a basic video of your street look like it’s part of a movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DaVinci Resolve<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adobe Photoshop<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Masking and rotoscoping<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Colour grading<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Matching light and atmosphere<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Intermediate VFX Project Ideas to Level Up Your Skills<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen you get the hang of the basic tracking and keying, it’s time to do something a bit more challenging. The intermediate VFX project ideas will require you to venture into the 3D, simulations, and more detailed compositing world, where you can expect to see a few failed renders. That’s normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>6. 3D Camera Tracking and Object Insertion<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nRecord a walkthrough in a room or street and follow the camera’s motion and then add a 3D object, such as a robot, table or floating cube. The difficult part is getting it to rest in the correct position and shadow correctly. When it does, it’s like magic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Blender<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- SynthEyes or PFTrack<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Nuke<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- 3D camera solving<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Creating a match in lighting and shadows<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A combined CGI and live camera feed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>7. Fire, Smoke and Explosion Effects<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMake a small explosion, object that can catch fire, or smoke trail and add it to a real shot. Use stock elements to begin then experiment with creating some by yourself. Also pay attention to the light from the fire on the nearby objects, as this little detail is the one which makes the shot sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Blender (Mantaflow)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Houdini Apprentice<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Nuke<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Basic fluid and particle simulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Layering effects elements<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Interactive lighting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>8. Water and Fluid Effects<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nHave a water splash, pour water through a door or out of a cup. It can take hours to bake a simulation, so bake small and test frequently. This isn’t a project idea that you’re going to do in a rush, but it is one that looks very impressive when it’s added to a reel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Blender<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Houdini<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DaVinci Resolve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Fluid simulation setup<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Render optimization<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Compositing water with live footage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>9. Face or Object Morphing<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSelect two sides (or two objects) and smoothly merge them together in one. Can be achieved using warping and masking, or further with 3-D scans. It is all about the timing here, if it’s too fast or too slow the effect will be ruined and it will appear fake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mocha Pro<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Blender<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adobe Photoshop<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- The process of warping and masking the mesh<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Tracking facial features<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Smooth transition timing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>10. Invisible Man or Clone Effect<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTake a “locked off” shot of your subject, then erase your body or make a duplicate of your body 2 or 3 times in the same shot. The shots will have to be carefully planned and the camera must remain completely still. Practice clean plates and masking skills and this is a lot of fun to put in your showreel for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DaVinci Resolve (Fusion)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Nuke<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mocha AE<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Clean plate creation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Rotoscoping and masking<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Planning & shooting for VFX<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Best VFX Project Ideas for Final Year Students<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nRemember, your last year project is a project that will stick in people’s minds so you need to think big. These VFX project ideas for final year students are more elaborate and more realistic to what studios work on day-to-day. Choose an assignment that you can complete well, rather than one that looks very big on paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>11. Short Film with a Full VFX Pipeline<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOrganize and film a 2-3 minute short film and perform each of the VFX tasks from tracking and cleanup through to CGI and final grading. Maintain the story relatively simple \u2013 perhaps a chase scene involving science fiction or a portal scene with glitches. Students enjoy having someone who is knowledgeable in the entire process, not just one facet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Nuke<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Blender or Maya<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adobe After Effects<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DaVinci Resolve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- End-to-end VFX workflow<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Building a shot list and shooting a script<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Managing teams and deadlines.Team and deadline management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>12. CGI Creature Integration<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCreate or import a design, rig it, add a short walk or roar movement and add it to a live shot of a street or park. Take time playing with shadows, contact points to make it feel solid. This is an excellent VFX project idea if you wish to put your creativity at the service of recruiters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Maya or Blender<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ZBrush<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Substance Painter<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Nuke<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Skills learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Modelling, texturing and rigging basics<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Character animation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Realistic lighting and compositing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>13. Sci-Fi Environment with Matte Painting<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCreate a large futuristic city, alien world or chaotic scene by combining digital matte painting with 3D elements. Next, add a live actor in front of it. There’s no need to render each and every building as all of these can be done with clever camera angles and layered paintings, which hide a lot of shortcuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n