Alpha Chromatica

From navigating low pixel values in a dimly lit environment to manually tracking wobbling screens when traditional methods fell short, Alison (Zhongyue) Yang’s attention to detail shines. She even smoothed out every movement in the curve editor for flawless accuracy. And that glow on the edges of the middle screens? Too bright to ignore, but not too bright for Alison to handle. Check out Alison’s incredible work and see for yourself : https://lnkd.in/gqX7m2Wv Need a problem-solver on your team? You can reach Alison at alisonyang.vfx@gmail.com.

Learn Houdini the Right Way with Svava! Ever felt overwhelmed by Houdini’s node-based workflows? Or struggled to turn procedural design into practical results? Join Svava Jóhannsdóttir, a seasoned FX Artist, for the Introduction to Houdini: Procedural Geometry Workshop, a hands-on session designed to help you conquer the fundamentals of Houdini while building scalable systems like a pro. What You’ll Learn: - Lean Houdini’s node-based workflow - Build procedural systems that generate infinite variations - Explore VEX, VOPs, and noise patterns to mimic nature - Create, simulate, and render with confidence Whether you're a complete beginner or looking to strengthen your foundation, this workshop will equip you with the essential tools and habits every FX Artist needs to succeed. Bonus Perks: - Full workshop recordings - Detailed Notion notes - Access to a private Discord community for ongoing support Live Classes via Zoom (Class Schedule) Day 1 : Jan 18 2025, Saturday - 10:30 am (PST) to 1:30pm (PST) Day 2 : Jan 19 2025, Sunday - 10:30 am (PST) to 1:30pm (PST) - Course Details : https://lnkd.in/gqvjac7B - Reserve your spot now: https://lnkd.in/gUfvuQyq ($399 CAD) Seats are limited, this is your chance to truly learn Houdini instead of getting lost in an endless sea of free tutorials! Don’t miss out!

Every clean frame tells a story, and this one is Chris Xiao's. Rig removal isn’t just about making something disappear; it’s about making you believe it was never there. Check out Chris’s meticulous work in High Res here : https://lnkd.in/gA3DjX3a Looking to hire someone who sees every pixel as an opportunity? Chris is available at chris.xiaochuan@gmail.com.

𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗧 - 𝗛𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 What does it take to build a habit? At Sunnybee Collective Pictures, we had the incredible opportunity to bring this idea to life for the HABITS Proteins campaign. From pre-production to the final frame, every moment of this journey was fueled by creativity, teamwork, and attention to detail. This is more than just a campaign — it’s a visual story about commitment and transformation. Whether you’re into fitness, filmmaking, or just love inspiring visuals, this one’s for you. I’ll be sharing some behind-the-scenes VFX breakdowns soon, where we dive into the magic that made this happen. Special thanks to the amazing team that made it all possible. Abraham Cantu Morales, Poncho Villarreal, Luis Marroquin, Leo Lozano, Alana Carlos 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/ggtsuWSe

𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝟬𝟯𝟯𝟵 - 𝗜𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮 🌟Blending Smoke: The Right Operation for the Right Effect🌟 Blending multiple smoke elements in Nuke isn’t just about stacking them together, it’s about crafting a seamless integration that feels alive and natural. Each merge operation has its role, and choosing the right one can transform your smoke from a flat layer to a dynamic, believable part of your scene. 🌟Plus, Over, and Screen: Your Core Tools🌟 Plus Is all about intensity. It adds the luminance of overlapping smoke layers, creating denser, brighter effects. This is ideal for high-energy moments like explosions or muzzle flashes, where brightness and density amplify the impact. But without careful control, Plus can easily overexpose highlights, making the smoke look unnatural. Over Is the compositing staple. It respects alpha channels, ensuring each layer maintains its unique structure. Over is great for clear, straightforward layering, like combining foreground and background smoke with distinct edges. It’s simple but effective for creating depth without losing detail. Screen Offers a softer, more natural touch. It lightens darker areas, creating an airy blend that works beautifully for smoke illuminated by bright light sources like fire or muzzle flashes. However, Screen can sometimes wash out the richness of the smoke, so balance is key. 🌟When to Go Beyond the Basics🌟 Sometimes, the standard tools aren’t enough. This is where operations like Max, Hypot, and Average shine: Max Emphasizes the brightest parts of overlapping smoke, perfect for dramatic, high-impact scenes. Hypot Creates a smooth, glowing blend, ideal for soft, diffused smoke interacting with light sources. Average Balances overlapping elements, softening transitions and reducing harsh edges. These tools provide creative flexibility, but they must be used with intention. Always think about what your scene needs, explosive energy, subtle interaction, or atmospheric layering, and let that guide your choices. 🌟The Role of Color and Lighting in Blending🌟 Smoke doesn’t exist in isolation, it’s shaped by the light and color of its environment. Adjusting hue, saturation, and contrast ensures the smoke aligns with the scene. For instance, daylight muzzle flashes might call for lighter, desaturated smoke, while nighttime explosions demand darker, richer tones. Use Grade nodes in Nuke to match luminance and balance. This step ensures every wisp and plume reacts naturally to your scene’s light sources, creating a cohesive and believable effect. 🌟Blending for Realism🌟 Blending smoke isn’t just about technical precision, it’s about storytelling. The right merge operation creates depth and texture, turning a simple effect into a compelling part of the narrative. P.S. Get it right, and your scenes will leave an impression long after the smoke clears.

Many franchises suffer from a bad case of sequelitis, leaving you wondering "who is this movie even for?". 🤷♀️ So when I walked into the theatre to see my favorite speed demon in Sonic the HedgeHog 3, I was relieved - and thrilled - that it didn't just leave a Super-Sonic-sized crater in my wallet. Heartfelt moments, Keanu Reeves as Shadow, Hedgehogs brawling with Dragon Ball Z intensity 💥 - what more could you ask for? The real standout for me was Jim Carrey's electric performance. As he performed two different characters interacting on the screen at the same time, he somehow managed to bounce his energy off himself with perfect synchrony. Do you have to shut off your brain to avoid overthinking the convoluted plot points? Absolutely haha, but the movie mostly leans into its absurdities with a fun and self-aware charm, leaving you to laugh and feel the thrill of these video game characters getting the Hollywood treatment they deserve. 🎥 Seeing this movie was also the perfect way for me to celebrate a friend's recent birthday. And as a cherry (or gold ring) on top, a different friend (and fellow compositor), Kuan Tsai got his name in the credits of the film! #ryandoesreviews #sonic #sonicthehedgehog #movie #vfx #vfxartist

When I started as a Compositor at Ingenuity Studios, I didn't expect one of my first shots to land in the opening credits of a hit comedy series - but here we are! 🩺🤲 Ever since the new mockumentary St. Denis Medical premiered a couple of months ago, it’s been an awesome bonding experience with my parents. Watching and laughing along together, I was thrilled (and shocked) to point out, “That’s my shot!” during the opening credits of the very first episode. I'm grateful that I was a part of this project and knowing one of my shots has been immortalized in this quirky medical comedy's opening is such a cool feeling. From the video, can you guess which shot it is? (Hint: it may involve the extraction of a LEGO brick from a kid's nose 👃🧱) #vfx #vfxartist #ryandoesvfx #compositing #artist

My new VFX training course featuring Silhouette has been released! Silhouette Essentials: Paint 🎨 https://lnkd.in/g7JhnE4B This is the third part of Silhouette Essentials available from Boris FX. Perfect for the beginner or the veteran artist. 🎦 ✅ Over 7 hours of tutorials, 8 classes, 8 shots ✅ Start to finish from shot approach, degraining, painting, tracking, roto, comping, alpha management, regraining and QC ✅ Hand painting and procedural methods ✅ Silhouette plugin usage in Nuke and Premiere Pro ✅ Mocha Pro and Silhouette interop with PowerMesh - two workflows The course is free to watch, and follow along with the Premium version that includes offline tutorials, project and footage files. 🤓 If you have already purchased the Silhouette Essentials course, then log in to your Boris FX account and go to the Training area. Your new downloads will be available in the Silhouette section. ☑️ Purchase here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/dvUjiiYC See the course overview here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gn_6QTta Thank you Marco Paolini, Ben Heusner Brownlee, FASTFOKUS and everyone at Boris FX. #vfx #vfxartist #digitalpaint #visualeffects #postproduction #compositing #mochapro #roto #rotoscoping

Chroma 0308 - In Which the Author Talks about Faces, Places, Voices, and Stages I know other schools are going to steal my ideas and use them in their marketing. Honestly, I don’t worry about it because, while you can steal ideas, execution is a whole other beast. When I started Alpha Chromatica, I wanted to put the people who teach and create the art forward. We are not a software company. We are a people company. So with that, here are the four things I’ve been trying to show --- Faces I want to show the humans behind the art - how excited they are, how frustrated they are, how challenged they are. These are real emotions driving the work. Every time I see names in the credits, I wonder who these people are and how they got there. We almost never hear the stories of the people in the trenches, so in this little corner of the internet, I want to leave a record of the people who create the art we love. Places This one’s a bit tricky since we’re a remote program, but it’s really about the environments we find ourselves in while making art. Whether it’s a home office, a kitchen table, or wherever the creative process takes place - it all matters. Check out Andrew's series on his home office - https://lnkd.in/g-HvTx2c Voices I want you to hear the people behind the art; their excitement, their frustrations, their exhaustion. Like when I mispronounce technical words that make sense in my head but somehow turn into gibberish when I speak. And with all of us having wildly different accents, every session has its own unique flavor. That’s what makes our class with students so real and memorable. Stages Finally, it’s about the artist’s journey. My role is small in the grand scheme of things, but I want to chronicle their progression from being novices to skilled professionals. Andrew and I make it a point to invite former students back to share their wisdom with the current cohort. Their journey doesn’t end when they leave our classes, and neither does ours. --- Here are the shots finished by Class 1 & 2 of Alpha Chromatica Education (ACE) - not as the final stage, but just one step in their artistic journey. These students are still at the beginning, building a foundation for what’s to come in their careers. Every shot represents a stage of growth, with many more stages ahead. Ready to begin your own journey with us? At Alpha Chromatica Education (ACE), you’ll gain not just technical skills but become part of a community that values your growth as an artist at every stage. You’ll work on real industry-level projects, with direct mentorship from professionals who’ve been through all the stages themselves. We’re here to guide you, from where you are now to where you want to be. Check it out I been here since 2011. Let’s talk about where Alpha Chromatica can take you next. P.S. What stage of your artistic journey are you in? 💬 #AlphaChromatica #Chroma #HeyGanz #ItsGoodtoBeGreat

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲-𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 (Part 3) Throughout this series, we’ve explored the delicate art of de-aging, dissecting the challenges that come with turning back the clock: - 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Understanding how eyebrows thin, skin sags and pores change over time is crucial to establishing realism. - 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: Reconstructing how light interacts with aged skin versus younger skin ensures seamless integration into the scene. - 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Tackling fine details like drooping eyebrow tails, thicker follicles, and the interplay of texture and elasticity. Each challenge required careful analysis, creative solutions, and collaboration to restore youth and make it believable within the story's context. But the lessons from de-aging apply beyond just turning back time. Every VFX shot, whether a paint-out, a comp, or an FX integration, demands a deep understanding of the story, a keen eye for detail, and the perseverance to refine until perfection. Have a tough VFX challenge you’re proud of solving?  This project was done at #AlphaChromaticaEducation and was possible because of my mentors pushing me forward. 👉Part One: https://lnkd.in/gNjx2gHs 👉Part Two: https://lnkd.in/gVFmvFM3