VFX Explained: What is Deep Pixel Compositing in Visual Effects?

This video shares how and why VFX studios and artists use Deep EXR files in their compositing work flows to have more control over the final image in the compositing process. Deep More full Blender tutorials coming soon! Enjoy and let us know what VFX tutorials you want to learn next on the channel!

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Notes: 3D CGI and visual effects compositing is about utilizing different visual data effectively to combine elements in the scene to create a seamless composite. This data often includes the live action shot, 2d stock elements such as smoke and fire, and any added or reconstructed 3d elements. When it comes to the 3d elements adding or recreating a scene we often render out multiple passes and layers to have more control in the final compositing process. These include data passes such as diffuse, glossy direct, Emission, mist passes, shadows, Ambient Occlusion, and more! We often render out these passes on a Multilayer OpenEXR file format so that we can access all of them individually without having to use multiple image sequences…streamlining our compositing process.

Now basic multilayer openEXR file formats are great for storing standard render passes of your 3d scene like those we just mentioned. However oftentimes a big part of visual effects compositing is compositing in 2d elements within a 3d rendered environment. This is where Deep EXR’s come in. Deep EXR’s contain depth information for each pixel of the image, allowing for greater control and manipulation of individual elements within a scene within the compositing process itself, without having to use standard 3d holdouts of certain elements.

Similar to basic camera projection, deep compositing doesn’t always offer the same 3d control as manipulating the actual scene within your 3d program…..so it’s use is often considered more 2.5d rather than full 3d itself. However because Artists can utilize the depth information from every pixel, this technique proves highly useful for precisely applying accurate depth of field effects, compositing extra 2D elements such as fire and smoke, creating realistic shadows and reflections, add volumetrics, and even tweaking basic lighting all after a sequence has been rendered. This technology ensures that the 2D elements more seamlessly interact with the 3D elements, creating a more cohesive and believable final composite.

To utilize Deep EXR VFX compositing, various programs are employed for both exporting deep data and compositing with deep data. In 3D rendering software such as Maya, 3ds Max, and Houdini, deep data can be exported by enabling the deep output option in the render settings and selecting the appropriate file format, such as Deep EXR. This allows the rendering software to include depth information for each pixel in the final render.

Now unfortunately for Blender Deep data isn’t functional yet with the Cycles rendering engine as well as the inbuilt compositor. However, you can export deep data using Octane from Blender and then use that data within a Deep compatible compositing software such as Blackmagic Fusion or Nuke. your creative process.

[LightArchitect]

This video shares how and why VFX studios and artists use Deep EXR files in their compositing work flows to have more control over the final image in the compositing process. Enjoy and let us know what VFX tutorials you want to learn next on the channel!
Our Blender Add-ons:

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[jgrayphotography]

This is the deepest composite I’ve ever seen!!!! 😂

BlackMagic Davinci Resolve / Fusion not support openEXR 2.0 deep data, it support only a combination of normals, position and depth to create their "deep pixel compositing" that work quite well and faster than the real openEXR 2.0 deep data but it's not like it (no anti aliasing data). Real deep data is great but heavy, a 1920x1080 image, with a good deep precision that is needed is a 120 MB file without other passes. on a 3D movie project, some of ours exr were in some case 3 GB by frame and for one explosion effect 120 GB. NOTE : in some case, DOF not work correctly or better than depth passes, many time you need to have deep for characters and have them in an other passes to have no occlusion problem when DOF is heavy, so like to have two render without deep. But is great to put together all the image data.

[begalooloo]

we should have a work around in blender for deep compositing....

[supergreat]

Hello sir. Which one better for advanced 3d compositing and merging 3d and live action footage. Fusion of nuke

[vay.]

So.. where is your soon tutorial about city builder 3d?