In this workshop, Meliza shows how to composite a shot in Nuke from start to finish. She covers the technical foundations of professional compositing, including proper color space management and plate preparation. While studios often provide pre-set configurations, understanding the workflow helps artists spot and fix issues before they affect the final shot. Steps like reformatting, de-graining, and creating organized pre-comps set up an efficient workflow for tracking and integrating backgrounds in later lessons.

Duration: 15m 27s

In this lesson, Meliza guides us through her camera tracking workflow in Nuke, from preparation to solving. She shows how isolating static elements with garbage mats and keeping solve errors low is key to success. Because the camera movement is minimal, the footage is ideal for matte painting projection instead of building a full 3D environment.

Duration: 10m 51s

In this lesson, Meliza begins integrating her 3D matte painting into live-action footage using projection mapping in Nuke. By carefully managing color space, positioning layers in 3D, leveraging the camera tracker’s point cloud, and refining card positions and rotations, she creates convincing environment extensions that move seamlessly with the camera. The simple camera movement in this example makes it easy to achieve great results using basic card-based projections, while demonstrating techniques that scale up for more complex shots.

Duration: 39m 55s

In this lesson, Meliza demonstrates the process of greenscreen keying. She shows a careful, multi-layered approach that separates edge preservation from the main matte, uses 3D tracking for dynamic masks, and combines different keying techniques for the best results. This method produces clean, professional keys with crisp edges, and achieves a level of quality that quick automatic methods cannot match.

Duration: 41m 53s

In this lesson, Meliza demonstrates a comprehensive workflow for elevating a basic composite into a polished, dynamic shot by carefully integrating multiple stock elements and atmospheric effects. She uses good organization, proper color space management and creative layering techniques to bring life to the static backgrounds. By combining technical precision with artistic judgment, she shows attention to detail in both correction and enhancement stages creating rich VFX compositions.

Duration: 33m

In this lesson, Meliza continues her production-quality approach to atmospheric compositing, focusing on depth and subtle integration of details. She shows how to project elements in 3D space, use diffusion blur for natural atmospheric blending, and add animated, reactive lighting to create a dynamic composite. By constantly reviewing, adjusting timing, color-correcting, and fixing edges, she demonstrates that successful VFX compositing depends on ongoing quality control and refinement.

Duration: 46m 34s

In this final lesson, Meliza adds the finishing touches to her sci-fi composite. She focuses on matching depth of field, grain structure, and refining color management. While technical precision, like matching grain across channels and using proper depth passes, is crucial, she also demonstrates how creative choices in final color grading can elevate the shot. The lesson highlights the difference between client-ready renders and portfolio-ready presentation, an essential consideration for professional compositors.

Duration: 19m 22s