Shah Gabrielse VFX Mattes Essay 21600180
This essay will explain the uses of mattes, alpha channels, and masks, while defining what they are and demonstrating a scenario wherein they work together during compositing.
To start off with, let’s define compositing. Compositing is taking different visual media and blending them together. This makes it look like separate elements are part of the same scene. Ifyou look to the figure on the right, you can clearly see the different layers used and how they line up to craate the final image.
Mattes, as used in the nineteenhundreds, were paintings done on glass. Most often used to create the backdrop or setting of a scene, these glass panes had gaps or blacked out portions. Those portions were where the …show more content…
Masking is taking an area of footage or an image and cutting it out.
Assuming you have one, the image below will show through the areas that are cut out.
Shah Gabrielse VFX Mattes Essay 21600180
Now that we understand the terms we can see how they are used in compositing. When Iron man flies across the New York sky, these techniques are used to make it look realistic. I have created this exact picture to demonstrate how the techniques are used together.
The process I used:
I looked at the RGB channels within the Iron Man picture and created an alpha channel by using the green channel to select Iron Man and make the rest transparent. I then clicked the mask button and it used my Alpha channel to create a mask. So I placed the mask of Iron Man over the New York skyline. I also used a simple lighting effect to match the lighting in both pictures. This is compositing. Doing this five minute project I’ve used: Masking, Alpha Channels, and Mattes to create a composite.
This demonstrates how they can work together and the process in which they do when creating a still image. In film it’s more complicated, as the images are moving. Even so, the general idea is the same.
Shah Gabrielse VFX Mattes Essay …show more content…
The Matte Paintings of The Original Star Wars Trilogy http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/alpha_channel.html (accessed 19th February 2017).
Techopedia explains Alpha Channel https://www.techopedia.com/definition/1945/alpha-channel (accessed 19th February 2017).
RGB? CMYK? Alpha? What Are Image Channels and What Do they Mean? https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/42393/rgb-cmyk-alpha-what-are-image-channels-and-what-do-they-mean/ (accessed 19th February 2017).
Adobe After Effects Basics – Masking Tutorial http://www.surfacedstudio.com/tutorials/adobe-after-effects-basics-masking-tutorial (accessed 19th February 2017).
Images:
http://www.nameandform.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/vfxExplanation_01.png (accessed 19th February 2017). http://www.richmahon.com/Welcome_files/shapeimage_1.jpg (accessed 19th February 2017). http://pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com/photo-effects/texture-map/image-layer-mask.jpg (accessed 19th February 2017). http://www.2oceansvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/iron-man-flying.jpg (accessed 19th February 2017). http://wallpapershome.com/architecture/new-york-rockefeller-center-sky-sunrise-light-blue-twilight-855.html (accessed 19th February
This essay will explain the uses of mattes, alpha channels, and masks, while defining what they are and demonstrating a scenario wherein they work together during compositing.
To start off with, let’s define compositing. Compositing is taking different visual media and blending them together. This makes it look like separate elements are part of the same scene. Ifyou look to the figure on the right, you can clearly see the different layers used and how they line up to craate the final image.
Mattes, as used in the nineteenhundreds, were paintings done on glass. Most often used to create the backdrop or setting of a scene, these glass panes had gaps or blacked out portions. Those portions were where the …show more content…
Masking is taking an area of footage or an image and cutting it out.
Assuming you have one, the image below will show through the areas that are cut out.
Shah Gabrielse VFX Mattes Essay 21600180
Now that we understand the terms we can see how they are used in compositing. When Iron man flies across the New York sky, these techniques are used to make it look realistic. I have created this exact picture to demonstrate how the techniques are used together.
The process I used:
I looked at the RGB channels within the Iron Man picture and created an alpha channel by using the green channel to select Iron Man and make the rest transparent. I then clicked the mask button and it used my Alpha channel to create a mask. So I placed the mask of Iron Man over the New York skyline. I also used a simple lighting effect to match the lighting in both pictures. This is compositing. Doing this five minute project I’ve used: Masking, Alpha Channels, and Mattes to create a composite.
This demonstrates how they can work together and the process in which they do when creating a still image. In film it’s more complicated, as the images are moving. Even so, the general idea is the same.
Shah Gabrielse VFX Mattes Essay …show more content…
The Matte Paintings of The Original Star Wars Trilogy http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/alpha_channel.html (accessed 19th February 2017).
Techopedia explains Alpha Channel https://www.techopedia.com/definition/1945/alpha-channel (accessed 19th February 2017).
RGB? CMYK? Alpha? What Are Image Channels and What Do they Mean? https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/42393/rgb-cmyk-alpha-what-are-image-channels-and-what-do-they-mean/ (accessed 19th February 2017).
Adobe After Effects Basics – Masking Tutorial http://www.surfacedstudio.com/tutorials/adobe-after-effects-basics-masking-tutorial (accessed 19th February 2017).
Images:
http://www.nameandform.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/vfxExplanation_01.png (accessed 19th February 2017). http://www.richmahon.com/Welcome_files/shapeimage_1.jpg (accessed 19th February 2017). http://pe-images.s3.amazonaws.com/photo-effects/texture-map/image-layer-mask.jpg (accessed 19th February 2017). http://www.2oceansvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/iron-man-flying.jpg (accessed 19th February 2017). http://wallpapershome.com/architecture/new-york-rockefeller-center-sky-sunrise-light-blue-twilight-855.html (accessed 19th February