The Art and Science of Digital Compositing
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Computer-generated visual effects are now used extensively in feature films, commercials, music videos, and multimedia. The backbone of this process, the final and most important step, is known as digital compositing. The Art and Science of Digital Compositing is a comprehensive reference that provides a complete overview of the technical and the artistic nature of this process. This book covers a wide range of topics from basic image creation, representation, and manipulation, to a look at the visual cues that are necessary to create a believable composite. Designed as both an introduction to the field as well as a valuable technical reference, this book should be of interest to both novices and professionals alike. Written by a working professional in the visual effects industry, the book provides over 250 different images and illustrations (including a 40-page color insert) as well as a complete glossary of compositing and visual-effects terminology. Also included are in-depth case studies from well-known films such as Speed, Independence Day, and Titanic.
Key Features
Balances fundamental "hard science" topics with the more qualitative/artistic challenges which face anyone involved in a digital composition project
Provides examples and illustrations from motion picture work
CD-ROM contains additional composition examples, illustrations, and development software
Includes 32 pages of colour
Provides examples and illustrations from motion picture work
CD-ROM contains additional composition examples, illustrations, and development software
Includes 32 pages of colour
Readership
Computer designers working in the film industry, primarily those who create the work but also those who supervise, produce, commission, design or direct
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
Preface
Chapter 1 Introduction to Digital Compositing
Definition
Historical Perspective
Terminology
Organization of the Book
Chapter 2 The Digital Representation of Visual Information
Image Generation
Pixels, Components, and Channels
Spatial Resolution
Bit Depth
Normalized Values
Additional Channels
The HSV Color Representation
Image Input Devices
Digital Image File Formats
File Format Features
Vendor Implementations of File Formats
Compression
Choosing a File Format
Nonlinear Color Spaces
Chapter 3 Basic Image Manipulation
Terminology
Color Manipulations
RGB Multiply
Add
Gamma Correction
Invert
Contrast
Channel Swapping
HSV Manipulations
Look-up Table Manipulations
Expression Language
Spatial Filters
Convolves
Blurring
Sharpen
Median Filter
Geometric Transformations
Panning
Rotation
Scale
3D Transforms
Warping
Expression Language
Filtering Algorithms
Chapter 4 Basic Image Compositing
The Matte Image
The Integrated Matte Channel
Multisource Operators
Over
Mix
Subtract
In
Out
Atop
Masks
Compositing With Premultiplied Images
Color-Correcting and Combining Premultiplied Images
Luminosity
Chapter 5 Matte Creation and Manipulation
Procedural Matte Extraction
Keying Based on Luminance
Keying Based on Chrominance
Difference Matting
The Color Difference Method
Specialized Keying Software
Matting Techniques
Garbage Mattes
Edge Mattes
Combining Mattes
Manipulating Mattes
Chapter 6 Time and Temporal Manipulations
Apparent Motion
Temporal Resolution
Temporal Artifacts
Changing the Length or Timing of a Sequence
Keyframing
Chapter 7 Image Tracking and Stabilization
Tracking an Element Into a Plate
Choosing the Feature to Track
Limiting the Search Area
Human Intervention
Using Tracking Curves Manually
Stabilizing a Plate
Tracking Multiple Points
Chapter 8 Interface Interactions
Workflow
Online Versus Batch
Methods of Representing the Compositing Process
Compressed Trees
Timelines
Curve Editors
Working With Proxy Images
Chapter 9 Image Viewing and Analysis Tools
Image Viewers
Flipbooks
Image Statistics
Pixel or Regional Information Tools
Histograms
Chapter 10 Formats: Media, Resolution, and Aspect Ratiosr>
Aspect Ratio
Nonsquare Pixels
Deciding on a Resolution When You Have an Aspect Ratio
Format Conversion Pipeline
A Format Conversion Example
Film Formats
35mm Formats
16mm Formats
Specialized Film Formats
Video Formats
Lines of Resolution
Fields
Color Resolution
Gamma
NTSC
PAL
SECAM
HDTV
Other Formats
Working With Nonsquare Pixels
Combining Formats
Converting Between Film and Video
Chapter 11 Quality and Efficiency
Quality
Efficiency
Methodology
Minimizing Data Loss
Internal Software Accuracy
Consolidating Operations
Region of Interest
Working in a Networked Environment
Disk Usage
Precompositing
Chapter 12 Learning to See
Judging Color, Brightness, and Contrast
The Camera
Distance and Perspective
Perspective and the Camera
Depth Cues
Combining Depth Cues
Lens Flares
Focus
Motion Blur
Chapter 13 Creating Elements
Lighting
Interactive Lighting
Matched Cameras
The Reference Stand-in
Clean Plates
Film Stock
Filters
Choosing a Format
Lighting and Shooting with Bluescreens
Bluescreen versus Greenscreen
Shooting Order
Chapter 14 Integration Techniques
Scene Continuity
Lighting
Shadows
Lens Flares
Atmosphere
Camera Mismatches
Camera Movements
Focus
Motion Blur
Film Grain
Bluescreen Integration
Digital Integration
Chapter 15 Advanced Topics
Beyond Black and White
White Point and Black Point
Nonlinear Color Spaces
Working with Nonlinear Color Spaces
Working with 3D Elements
Z-Depth Compositing
Related 2D Disciplines
Morphing
Digital Painting
Editing
Chapter 16 Case Studies
James and the Giant Peach
Speed
Star Trek: Insurrection
Con Air
Budweiser Lizards Commercial
Independence Day
X-Files: Fight the Future
T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous
The Prince of Egypt
Titanic
Appendix A Digital Compositing Software: Tools and Features
Color Correction
Spatial Filtering
Geometric Transformation
Miscellaneous
Image Combination
Control
Field Controls
Matte Generation
Timing/Duration
Image Generation
Tracking
Other
Appendix B Digital Compositing Software: Manufacturers
Appendix C Digital Image File Formats
Common File Formats
The Cineon File Format
Appendix D Common Film and Video Formats
Film
Scanning Resolutions and File Sizes
Video
HDTV
Bibliography
Glossary
Index
Product details
- No. of pages: 364
- Language: English
- Copyright: © Morgan Kaufmann 1999
- Published: June 2, 1999
- Imprint: Morgan Kaufmann
- eBook ISBN: 9780080499321
About the Author
Ron Brinkmann
Ron M. Brinkmann has been working in the field of Computer Graphics for over a decade, involved with both hardware and software design, development and use. His primary field of expertise is in visual effects for feature films, and his personal feature-film credits include: Contact, The Ghost and the Darkness, James and the Giant Peach, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Speed, Hideaway, Tall Tale, Last Action Hero, and In the Line of Fire. He has had articles published in a number of magazines, and has lectured on the topics of digital compositing and visual effects in the U.S., Europe, Australia and China.
Affiliations and Expertise
Hermosa Beach, CA, USA
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