The Flame Learning Channel: Recent Episodes
Autodesk
The official learning channel for the Autodesk® Flame® software products, the most comprehensive VFX, real-time color grading, and editorial finishing post-production solutions. The Autodesk® Flame® Learning Channel provides tutorials of all levels to help you learn Autodesk® Flame® Products.
In Flame 2023.2, the team have continued to improve the Flame interface when it comes to node compositing.
So now you have custom layouts in Batch, allowing you easily switch up the Batch UI as you perform certain tasks.
This matches what you can currently do in the Effects Environment.
So you’ll learn how to switch between the different Batch layouts, create your own Batch layouts, and some of the differences when using the layouts in either the Batch Environment or Effects Environment.
One of the many small improvements in Flame 2023.2 is a couple of automated functions to make your life even easier.
In this video, you’ll touch on automatic Batch durations as well as automatic durations when setting up render and write file nodes.
In the Flame 2023.2 update, a few enhancements have been made to the render and write file nodes based on your feedback.
So in this video, we’ll discuss setting up a render, looking at the render duration, offsetting Timecodes where needed and various improvements to the Write File node which should make the Open Clip and Versioning workflows a lot easier.
As your composites grow larger in the Batch Schematic, it can sometimes get difficult to locate and find the nodes you’re looking for.
As of Flame 2023.2, A new search tool has been added to the Batch Environment to help you find exactly what you want based off a set of criteria.
In this video, you’ll learn how to search for specific nodes in the Batch Schematic, explore the various search options as well as set up presets for frequent quick and easy searching.
When it comes to handling multi-channel media in Flame 2023.2, there have been a few significant improvements to make it easier within the Flame workflow.
So in this video, you’ll look at the multi-channel clip, the Multi-Channel rules, changes in Action Outputs And finally, how multi-channel media is now handled in the Render and Write File nodes.
With Flame 2023.2, the team have continued to add more functionality to the animation editor based on your feedback.
So now you can manipulate your animation keyframes using an Edit Box, giving you a more interactive experience when retiming and scaling an animation.
This video will cover using the Edit Box on the Curves as well as using the Edit Box with the Dope Sheet.
Flame 2023.1 brings a host of improvements to the revamped animation editor. This is mostly based on your feedback!
This video covers usability improvements, range and keyframe indicators, selection enhancements, curve display, new filtering criteria and new expression linking options.
With the release of Flame 2023.1, more Python functionality has been added to the Flame Products. This is available via the Flame API and a full list is available on the Flame "What's New" Documentation. This includes the new PyTransition for the Timeline and various MediaHub controls. This video will specifically cover browsing and messaging functionality using Python. This should enhance your user experience while driving Flame through scripting.
When it comes to caching and rendering in the Flame products, you have a variety of formats to choose from. You would determine what to use based on your workflow and the type of media you are using.
The Flame products have always been designed with this in mind and in Flame 2023.1, The menus and options have adjusted in order to give you better clarity. So you'll learn about render format choices and format details when selecting the appropriate format for your project.
One of the crucial aspects of running your Flame product is to ensure that your disks have enough performance in order to give you a great Flame experience.
With Flame 2023.1, you now have access to "easy to use" disk performance tools which can be used at various different levels.
So in this video, you'll go through the process of testing the performance of your project's media cache as well as testing the performance of media at their original location.
Flame 2023 introduces a revamped animation editor with loads of modernisation and updates.
Over the next four videos we'll cover features and improvements for a better user experience when working with animation in Flame.
Starting off, you'll go through the updated interface and cover some of the new default behaviours which have been carefully chosen to improve your navigation and workflow of the animation channels.
This video focuses on the curves, colour-coding and new channel filtering in Flame 2023.
So you'll examine how the curves behave as well as the selection tools now available when manipulating keyframes and curves.
You'll also cover the updated colour coding features, making it easier to visually identify an animation channel and curve when working in the editor.
Finally, you'll learn all about the new filtering in the Animation Editor. This allows you to filter channels by various properties and even create custom filter presets that are connected to your user profile!
The tracks editor has been renamed as the Dope Sheet and it controls the timings of an animation. So you can adjust the timing of a keyframe or a selection of keyframes and you can also slip entire channels.
You'll also cover the functionality of scaling the timings of an animation to make it either longer or shorter. This can be achieved with a couple of workflows.
With the updated to the Animation Editor, animating in Flame 2023 is easier then ever! This also includes updated workflows to give you lots more choice with the way to you like to create animation.
For example, this video covers the Animation View Workflow whereby you can have the Animation Editor visible in a view. This enables you to see your animation curves and your composite at the same time! Now this might now be brand new to Flame 2023 however with the introduction of the context menus in the Animation Editor, you can now do so much with this workflow without having to switch menus in the interface to access standard controls. Huge Timesaver!!!
Flame 2023 introduces a revamped animation editor with loads of modernisation and updates.
As part of the Flame 2022.2 update, there have been significant enhancements to the grading curves within the MasterGrade.
This includes a variety of new HSL curve choices as well as significant improvements to the overall usability of the curves.
So you'll cover what curves are now available and how to interact with the curves in general.
You'll also cover a workflow of plating and adjusting a colour with the curves.
Finally, we’ll briefly discuss the second HUE curve that keeps your adjustments technically accurate by minimising artefacts and folding colours.
In this video, you’ll learn how to cache Motion Vectors that have been generated in the Flame 2022.1 update.
This includes motion vectors that have been generated for tasks such as 3D tracking or motion warp tracking.
So you’ll cover how to cache motion vectors, re-use Cached motion vectors in other composites and address how the Motion Vectors cache is handled in the Timeline.
In part 8 of the 3D Tracking series with Camera Analysis, you'll learn how to perform manual 3D tracking.
You’d usually resort to this when the automatic 3D track struggles with a shot or the 3D trackers don’t lock onto the specific point you’d like.
So you’ll cover how to set up the camera analysis for manual 3D tracking, manually place and track your points, create the Scene Tracker Axis from Camera Analysis and finally attach an object as part of your composite.
In part 7 of the 3D Tracking series with Camera Analysis, you'll learn a cool technique of using 3D tracking in an existing composite.
This allows you to combine any work you may have done previously with any 3d tracking data from the Camera Analysis.
So you’ll cover how to set up the camera analysis for this kind of situation, perform the 3D track and assign the tracking data to an axis instead of a camera.
You would then add scene trackers to compose the additional elements into the existing composite.
In this video, you’ll learn about some of the new enhancements to the Gmask Tracer tools in Flame 2022.
This affects the Gmask Tracer, Image Toolset and Action 3D compositor.
So you’ll cover Gmask Creation and Manipulation, discover the new softness options and get to grips with improvements to the Gmask Edit box.
Please see the on-line documentation for the other additional improvements to the Gmask Toolset in Flame 2022.
In this video, you'll learn how to set up the Effects Environment to start the way you want!
Perhaps always start off with a certain TimelineFX or a particular setup you’d like to use when starting a new Image, Action or Gmask Tracer TimelineFX.
This is new to Flame 2022. It so easy to set up custom default TimelineFX and custom default setups for Image, Action and the Gmask Tracer.
This also affects the Batch nodes which is covered in the last section of this video.
Big timesaver to start with exactly what you want!
In this video, you’ll cover the new capability of loading LUTs (Look Up Tables) directly in the Image and Action tools within Flame 2022.
This new matchbox shader gives you enhanced capabilities of having your LUTs directly in the grading context. The LUTs can also be used as part of the creative process when working with Selectives to isolate a part of your image.
So you’ll cover loading LUTs in the Effects Environment, using LUTs within a Selective isolation, loading the LUTs in the Batch node flow graph, changing the colour space tagging output and how your LUTs are backed up once you’re finished with the project.
The Colour Management shader supports a whole range of Colour Transforms, so please check the on-line documentation for a list of supported formats.
In this video, you’ll start learning all about the new 3D camera tracking tools in Flame 2022.
This new technology uses “simultaneous localization and mapping techniques” better known as SLAM 3D tracking, and it should help you tackle most 3D tracking challenges directly in Flame.
This could be adding objects into a scene, clean-up work with projections, set extensions and more.
This works in all colour spaces provided that your tracking plate is correctly tagged and colour managed.
And like all 3D trackers, the camera needs to be moving in the shot and any parallax will definitely help solve the camera’s movement.
This video serves as your high-level introduction into the new 3D tracking and the upcoming videos will dive deeper into the toolset and showcase various scenarios.
In the first part of this series, you learnt the standard workflow to set up the Camera Analysis and perform a 3D track.
In this video, you’ll pick up just after performing the first analysis and look into all the different refinements and validations to get the best 3D track.
So you’ll look at what information you get just after the analysis, refining the 3D track, hiding unwanted points, defining the ground plane, setting the centre point of the 3D composite and finally, you’ll check the point cloud for 3D accuracy.
In this video on 3D tracking with Camera Analysis, you’ll learn how to exclude certain parts of your image when performing a 3D track.
This becomes a necessity when there is any unwanted movement in the shot.
For example, moving people, animals, cars or even flowing water.
So the best approach is to predict the unwanted movement before the analysis takes place.
You’ll first learn the workflow of excluding areas with a mask and then you’ll learn the second workflow of excluding areas with Machine Learning.
These are very power tools and both options are worth exploring.
One common task that we do every day as compositors is image clean up.
So you need to remove something whether it was intentional or not.
So in this video, you’ll learn how to clean up your shots using a combination of 3D tracking and projection.
Please bear in mind that these techniques can also be used to add objects into the shot.
So you’ll start off with looking at the shot and creating a clean frame.
Next, you’ll analyse the camera movement for the 3D track.
And finally, you’ll produce the cleaned-up shot by projecting the clean frame either over a flat 3d shape or 3D geometry generated by the point cloud.
In part 5 of 3D tracking with Camera Analysis, you are going to learn the workflow of locking your background plate to the 3D tracked camera.
This is quite essential if you want to integrate elements behind foreground objects such as sky replacements or set extensions.
So you’ll start off performing the 3D camera track, adding in the additional elements and then locking the tracked shot to the 3D camera.
In this video, you’ll learn about selective grading through a 3D track.
So you’re able to analyse the movement of an object based on the 3D camera move and then grade that object using a combination of masks and Selectives.
So you’ll cover 3D tracking in the Image toolset, prepare the tools to grade through a 3D track, create the 3D tracked mask to apply to the Selective and finally perform the Selective grade on the inside and outside of the mask.
Please note that even though this video shows grading with 3D tracking in the Image Toolset, this is also possible using the Action 3D Compositor.
In this video, we are going to talk about an exciting new technology in Flame that lets you stream your video and audio outputs without the need for dedicated video hardware.
This is called NDI (NETWORK DEVICE INTERFACE) and it has the potential to simplify workflows within your studio as well as enable remote workflows between you and your clients for an incredible review and approval experience.
So we’ll discuss a bit more about NDI, how to set it up in Flame and how to use it in various workflows such as in the same building and even remote review and approval with your clients!
In this video, we are going to look at the exciting new improvements when grading in Flame with the Tangent ARC Panels.
Now working with control surfaces or panels is not new to the Flame products. But with the introduction of the Effects Environment, Image toolset and the MasterGrade, the way the panels work has been redesigned to give you the most pleasant and effective grading experience.
So we’ll break down the typical grading workflow and go through the various everyday tasks using the ARC panels.
Please note that some of these improvements also apply to the Tangent ELEMENT panels.
In this video, we are going to look at the exciting new improvements when grading in Flame with the Tangent ELEMENT Panels.
Now working with control surfaces or panels is not new to the Flame products. But with the introduction of the Effects Environment, Image toolset and the MasterGrade, the way the panels work has been redesigned to give you the most pleasant and effective grading experience.
So we’ll break down the typical grading workflow and go through the various everyday tasks using the ELEMENT panels.
Please note that all of these improvements also apply to the Tangent ARC panels.
In part 8 of the Machine Learning series, we examine a series of performance enhancements for Machine Learning and internally generated Motion Vectors in the Timeline in the Flame 2021.2 Update.
When using Machine Learning Models and generated Motion Vectors Maps, Flame will now cache the frames to disk to enhanced performance. This removes the need to recalculate the data analysis each time you visit the TimelineFX.
Since this type of caching is now part of the project, it can now be managed as well as archived with the Flame project!
There is also a new notification when Machine Learning models are initialising to let you know what Flame is doing.
And finally, as a new CentOS only feature, the machine learning models are serialised or written to your system disk in order to load faster when you need them. To be clear, this affects the loading times for the machine learning algorithm and not the computations when analysing the footage with a machine learning model.
In this part of the Machine Learning series, a new machine learning model called the Salient Semantic Keyer has been added to Flame!
As part of our continued development of machine learning technology, This amazing tool can identify objects within a bounding box based on its shape.
So you can now create isolation mattes for objects based on the machine learning training and the picture quality (buildings, cars, boats, animals, people and more!) and use them within Image or Action for various grading and VFX tasks. Seeing is believing!
This video introduces a brand new workflow in Flame to build node flow graphs quickly and efficiently, even if you don't know the names of the nodes!!!
The new "Search..." functionality can be used with the node bins or you could bypass the node bins entirely to build any type of node flow graph. Set your favourite tools and hide the ones you don't need. Flame is also smart enough to show you the tools you use the most when using "Search..."
This welcome feature will accelerate your productivity and speed more than ever before!
In this video, you'll learn about a big enhancement to the user interface in terms of VFX and Grading.
The new Single Panel View allows you to focus on the tool you have selected in an uncluttered display. Tools become easily accessible with fewer sub-menus and it also makes Flame easier to learn for new users. This is a global setting in your user profile for Action, Image and the Gmask Tracer, allowing you to work the way you want. The original Dual Panel View is still available for long time users that prefer that interface.
In this video, you’ll learn how to compare images when performing VFX and Grading in the Flame 2021.1 products.
This is quite an essential function if you’re comparing the progression of an effect, one look to another look or simply comparing the current frame to a still reference.
Perform comparisons in the Effects Environment and Batch Environments with one set of controls!
In this video, you’ll learn how to compare images when working in the timeline of the Flame 2021.1 products.
This has many practical functions such as on-line to off-line comparison, video track comparison and comparison to reference images.
This is an essential task during most post-production and we’ll cover the functionality in depth with various examples.
In the first three videos of this series, you’ve learnt how the Explorer can manage your TimelineFX setups for VFX and Grading within the context of the Effects Environment.
In this video, you’ll look at how the Explorer has been implemented in all the environments of Flame 2021.1.
We’ll look at MediaHub, Conform, Timeline and finally how the Explorer works with Batch.
In parts 1 & 2 in this series, you learnt how to create, organise and apply TimelineFX via the Explorer.
This is great for any VFX or grading workflows and I am sure that you’ll put it to good use!
In Part 3, we are going to focus particularly on an isolation tool known as a Selective.
This tool is available in the Image and Action toolsets and it creates some very interesting opportunities when it comes to TimelineFX Setups and the Explorer.
For example, you can have an Image TimelineFX which contains one or multiple Selectives that builds the VFX or grade of a shot.
Using the TimelineFX management workflow with the Explorer, allows you to pick specific Selectives within the Image TimelineFX and create TimelineFX setups.
These setups can then be repurposed in other shots or even used to experiment with different variations of the Selective within the same or different Image TimelineFX.
So this is pretty powerful functionality and I encourage you to watch how it works in this video.
In the first video on working with TimelineFX Setups in the Flame 2021 products, we introduced the workflows and showed you how to create and apply TimelineFX Setups in combination with the Explorer.
They are all quick and intuitive methods but in order to keep your growing TimelineFX Setups under control, we do recommend organising and filtering your setups where necessary.
So in part 2, we’ll dig deep into the Explorer to help you manage and understand what you see.
And then we’ll move onto filtering which will be an invaluable tool in the Effects Environment regardless of the type of production and the workflows you are using.
In the Flame 2021.1 products, a new TimelineFX management workflow has been introduced in order to give you the most flexibility when performing any VFX, grading or finishing work.
This allows you to create, organise and apply TimelineFX setups in a very interactive and user-friendly way.
So you now have a system where you can store multiple grades, manage multiple VFX setups and even a still store for grabbed references.
There is so much potential with the Explorer!
So this video will focus on creating and applying TimelineFX setups.
And in the upcoming videos, we’ll expand into greater detail regarding organisation, Selectives, image comparisons and much more.
This video takes a deep dive into some of the flexible tools you get with Physical Defocus.
The three main areas you’ll cover are depth slicing, Focus Distance and Focus Model.
Each one of these aspects can help you refine Physical Defocus to give you the desired depth of field blurring.
If you’ve never used Physical Defocus then please watch the earlier videos in this series.
This video shows you how to take your own bokeh sample and use it as part of your depth of field blurring.
This allows you to be even more creative with the bokeh as well as match real world lens.
All you need to do is to lift a small lens bokeh sample from an image or even paint your own one and this works very well with Physical Defocus.
One final note is that you can only customise your bokeh with the Physical Defocus Matchbox node and not using Action or Image.
This video will take you through the workflow of remapping a Z-depth render pass from absolute values to normalized values in order to make use of it in a compositing situation.
Using a normalised Z-depth render pass is a requirement for all the various workflows of adding depth of field blurring using physical defocus and any other 3D post effects.
We'll discuss the Z-depth information in detail as well as demonstrate the Depth Normalizer for the main purpose of remapping Z-depth data.
This is very useful to know when handling Z-depth data from external CGI render passes.
With the release of Flame 2021, the machine learning models have been enhanced yet again to give you more choice and flexibility When working on your productions.
So previously, the machine learning models were able to recognise and isolate the human body and human head for various finishing tasks.
With this new release of Flame, you can now segment various parts of the human face for any compositing, grading and beauty work.
So you can isolate the skin, eyes, the mouth, nose, ears and much more.
This is all achieved using the familiar Semantic Keyer workflow and the Human Face Segmentation is available in the timeline as well as Batch and BatchFX.
We’ll run through some examples to cover the features.
But as a usual reminder with Machine Learning, this is not a perfect solution.
Similar to all the previous videos, the Machine Learning Models are only as good as their training And depending on certain conditions They may or may not be successful.
As long as you try these tools on multiple shots, you’ll eventually understand Which situations may be successful.
In parts 1 and 2 of the Physical Defocus series, you learnt how to create depth of field blurring in an Action 3D composite as well as with CG render passes for final look development.
In both cases, the 3D depth was already provided since all the examples originated in a virtual 3D environment and the camera depth was provided in the form of Z-depth map.
In part 3, the situation is somewhat different when it comes to live action footage.
Unless the shooting camera is able to capture the depth of the scene, normally no depth information is provided.
So in order to use Physical Defocus with live action material in Flame, you can use machine learning to analyse the shot and produce the required Z-depth information.
In parts 1 and 2 of the Physical Defocus series, you learnt how to create depth of field blurring in an Action 3D composite as well as with CG render passes for final look development.
In both cases, the 3D depth was already provided since all the examples originated in a virtual 3D environment and the camera depth was provided in the form of Z-depth map.
In part 3, the situation is somewhat different when it comes to live action footage.
Unless the shooting camera is able to capture the depth of the scene, normally no depth information is provided.
So in order to use Physical Defocus with live action material in Flame, you can use machine learning to analyse the shot and produce the required Z-depth information.
In part 1 of the Physical Defocus series, you learnt how to create depth of field blurring in an Action 3D composite that consisted of 3D objects.
So if you were building your compositions within Flame’s 3D environment, The controls are really easy and quick to use.
In part 2 of this series, You’ll examine another scenario where you could have been provided with CG render passes from a 3D application and you need to add depth of field blurring.
In this situation, we’ll discuss two potential workflows With Batch and Action.
In this video, you’ll learn about a new look development tool which allows you to create depth of field blurring in a variety of compositing scenarios.
This tool is known as Physical Blur and it is a continuation of the convolution shaders such as Convolve, Physical Bokeh and Physical Glare.
So whether you’re working on a 3D composite in Action, performing post operations on CG render passes or even look development with Flame’s finishing tools, Physical Blur allows you to create realistic depth of field blurring with lots of flexibility.
We’ll be covering some of the most common scenarios over the coming videos.
In this series, we are going to cover how to master Dolby Vision™ deliverables which has been introduced in the Flame 2021 products.
There is support for Dolby Vision™ 2.9 and Dolby Visio™n 4.0 and this is available in the timeline as well as Batch enabling you to have HDR workflows ranging from simple mastering tasks all the way up to complex conform workflows.
Now Dolby Laboratories developed this HDR format to make the most of High Dynamic Range and wide colour gamut technology.
So its main purpose is to provide the content producer with some control over how HDR masters will play back on displays that have less dynamic range or colour gamut.
Dolby Vision™ has become one of the deliverable standards and it has been implemented with various content streaming providers such as Netflix, Amazon, etc.
And in order to view the content, Dolby Vision™ has also been added across a range of displays including the latest UHD viewing hardware.
So in the Flame products, you can master Dolby Vision™ As well as edit the Dolby Vision metadata with a sophisticated, yet flexible, suite of tools.
This video will assume that you have a general understanding of Dolby Vision™.
If you need to familiarise yourself with Dolby Vision™ as well as their best practices and hardware display recommendations, Please visit the Dolby website - http://www.dolby.com
Please refer to the Flame on-line documentation for a detailed explanation of the various supported Flame, Flare and Flame Assist configurations.
In part 8 of the animation series, You’ll learn how to manage your animation beyond the keyframes and the curve.
So before and after your keyframes, you can control the extrapolation of your curve to determine whether keyframe values remain constant, the animations loops, ping pongs or continues in a linear fashion.
Makes easy work of repetitive animation for graphics etc.
As an added bonus, you'll also learn to convert the extrapolation into editable keyframes to further tweak an animation. Also very handy in lots of situations.
In part 7 of the animation series, you’ll look at the various uses of the INSERT KEY function.
This is a very handy but under used tool that enables you to insert keyframes into an animation curve as well as insert extra timing into curve where needed.
This will hopefully become a lot clearer as you progress through the video. Lots of interesting possible uses.
In part 6 of the animation series, you are going to cover the concepts of copying and pasting animation.
The reason for making a video on this universal subject is that you can copy and paste curves, copy and paste keyframes as well as copy and paste with an offset.
Understanding these methods will help you achieve the expected results when moving animation between the channels.
In part 2 of the 3D Interoperability series, you went through the workflow of exchanging 3D data between Flame and Mudbox.
This allows you to take 3D geometry in Flame and push it over to Mudbox for sculpting and painting.
Once you were happy with your model, tt gets sent back to Flame with an updated 3D geometry and a new diffuse texture map that was processed in Mudbox.
In part 3, you’ll learn to troubleshoot some mesh issues, when sending 3D geometry to Mudbox.
This is actually quite easy to manage since Mudbox points out the issues as well as offers a solution to fix them.
This is due to the technical complexity of sculpting on a 3D model and there are just a couple of guidelines that need to be followed in order to sculpt successfully in Mudbox.
Please check out the Mudbox documentation for detailed descriptions when troubleshooting mesh issues.
In the first part of this series, you learnt the fundamental basics of how to instantly exchange 3D data between the Flame 2020.3 Update, Maya 2020 and Mudbox 2020.
In part 2 of the 3D Interoperability series, you'll recap some of the topics from part 1 as well as start looking at the interoperability between Flame and Mudbox.
Mudbox is a 3D sculpting and 3D painting application compared to Maya which is a more general 3D application.
So their toolsets are different and because of that, their 3D dataset requirements are slightly different.
In fact Mudbox is really smart and it will tell you when something is wrong and how to correct that.
We’ll discuss this in detail as you progress through the workflow.
To learn more about Mudbox, you can watch the following videos:
Dynamic Tessellation Autodesk Basic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTubn6dTGMk
Dynamic Tessellation Impressive Usage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idF5C8mu4Ds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqyCYjz9AHk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXD8_7wS5Ew
Vector Displacement Map(Very Cool for Flame users):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJJQaQDRkG8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHWbOVYNoKw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuGDdhSqIhg
Modelling And Painting with Mudbox:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIP9L7N5JTE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrzbNaCFtEw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvcS3_De9yg
Retopology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPQfB333TBc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXSkVfsZZic
Meet the Experts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElVbyLyD_ts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fziRd30iECQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrolEp1uQY0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylgPKhgWzzA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWldS1Jzq0U
All aspect of Mudbox (third party):
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPnvnhNXATxhKeNeKClD2yw/videos
With the release of Flame 2020.3, Maya 2020 and Mudbox 2020, it is now possible to instantly exchange 3d scenes between Flame and Mudbox or Maya, running on the same workstation (Mac or Linux).
This is known as the 'Send To' workflow which offers 3D data exchange without the need for manual importing and exporting.
In part 1, you'll go through the fundamentals of setting up the workflow as well as the potential for tons of creative and technical capabilities for any Flame Artists working with 3D assets.
This video will cover a basic example of interoperability between Flame and Maya.
Please note that this is a single system workflow and all the applications need to be on the same workstation.
Please check the on-line documentation for the setup configuration.
To learn more about Maya, please watch the Maya Learning Channel - http://www.youtube.com/mayahowtos
With the Flame 2020.2 update, two new machine learning models have been introduced into the Flame products.
So part 5 in the Machine Learning Series introduces Human Body Extraction and Human Head Extraction.
Both machine learning models allow Flame to look at an image and identify parts of the human body.
So Human Body Extraction attempts to identify the entire human structure whereas Human Head Extraction concentrates purely on the human head.
In both cases, you can then use the extraction as part of a selective or composite.
For example, you may need to roto someone in a shot or perhaps blur some faces out really quickly.
In parts 5,6 and 8 of the Image Toolset series, we looked at the 3D AOV capability where you could produce a selective matte for your image based on supplied 3D information.
So you could create isolation mattes based on the z-depth of the image, the normals of a 3D object as well as the movement of an image based on motion vectors.
In part 11 of the series, you’ll learn about a new tool to refine your 3D AOVs known as “Primitives”.
This allows you to constrain the effect of a 3D AOV by placing virtual 3D objects in 3D space.
If you are new to 3D Selectives, please watch part 5, 6 and 8 of the Image Toolset series to explain the basics and fundamentals of 3D AOVs.
In the Flame 2020.2 update, Flame supports a variety of AJA and Blackmagic Design hardware configurations.
With this release, there have been a number of driver upgrades on Mac and Linux as well as additions to hardware support for Flame products running on Linux.
In this set of videos, we’ll look at the workflow of the Burn-In Metadata tool in the 2020.2 update of the Flame Products.
This allows you to access loads of metadata from your media and the sequence that you can burn onto your images.
Burn-In Metadata is accessible in all areas of the Flame Products where you need it.
So you’ll find it as a TimelineFX, as a node in Batch and BatchFX and as a separate module in the Tools Area of the Desktop.
In the previous video on Burn-In Metadata, you looked at the basic workflow of using the tool in the timeline with source timecode, record time code and duration.
You also learnt how you could define what video tracks influence the metadata as well as drive the colour scheme of the metadata.
This was all done in the Timeline view and you could save this as a preset.
In part 2, you’ll take a look at some of the other metadata tags as well as customisations through the Effects editors.
You’ll also learn another workflow where you’ll stack multiple tracks of Burn-in Metadata in the sequence and finally, you’ll cover some of the differences when using Burn-In Metadata in Batch and BatchFX.
In part 5 of the animation series, this short video will explore the three different views available in the Animation Editor.
The Channels view displays animation curves, the Tracks view shows animation over time and the Info view gives you a "spreadsheet" representation of the channels and their animation.
In part 4 of the animation series, you'll explore some of the additional tools that can be used with the Animation Editor.
This refers to the Select, Add Points and Delete tools for fast adjustment to the curve.
We'll also cover ways of limiting movement with keyframe selections as well as locking keyframe selections when moving keyframes around.
This also includes scaling keyframe animations in time and intensity with the X & Y scale tools.
In part 3 of the animation series, you will focus mainly on Interpolation and the Tangent handles of keyframes.
Interpolation refers to the animation that is calculated between the keyframes and the different ways in which the curve can be created resulting in different animation.
The Keyframe Tangents are the "small handles" that appear on a keyframe when using smooth interpolation methods. Pulling, breaking and smoothing tangents allow you to further bend and refine a curve to give you exactly the animation you want!
In part 2 of the animation series, you are introduced to the Animation Editor and learn all about keyframing on a curve.
This will also cover the different methods of animating in Flame using the Animation Editor.
The first part in this new video series on animation in Flame starts off by covering the fundamentals of animation in the Flame products.
We start off with the basic concepts of keyframe animation as well as cover the different methods of animating in Flame.
You will also learn how to animate with the Channel Sliders and understand what the colour indications mean in terms of animation.
Get animating fast without even looking at an animation curve!
This video shows the workflow of exporting an IMF distribution package from the Flame 2020.1 update.
The Interoperable Mastering Format or IMF has become a required deliverable for streaming platforms such as Netflix, etc.
Using the EasyDCP plug-in, Flame creates the package of files which are predictable in every aspect of broadcasting and can be customized by the broadcaster after they have received the IMF package.
This is fast becoming a mandatory requirement for broadcasters.
Please note that Flame ships with a demo version of Fraunhofer’s “EasyDCP plug-in for Flame” which is watermarked but it allows you to try out and test the exports.
To create IMF Distribution Packages with no limitations, you need to purchase a license of the plug-in from the EasyDCP website -- https://www.easydcp.com
In part 10 of the Image Toolset series, you’ll learn about the flexibility you have when it comes to combining your masks with other constraints within a Selective.
So you may be using an external matte, a Keyer, a 3D AOV or even a combination and you can use a mask in multiple ways to refine the Selective even further.
Take total control of your Selective Mattes with masks!
In this video, you'll learn about some new viewing enhancements in the Image toolset with the Flame 2020.1 Update.
This will give you more visual feedback as you segment your image with Selectives.
Firstly, you now have a dedicated Selective View that is dynamic and interactive as you work with Selectives.
Secondly, there are now coloured overlays in the Selective inputs allowing you to see the Selective in the context of the shot.
These new viewing tools are available in the Image TimelineFX and the Image node and the Action node in Batch and BatchFX.
In this video, you'll learn about the new 3D AOV capability to generate an isolation selection using a Motion Vectors Data pass.
So you can identify an object’s movement and direction and use that as the basis for a 3D Selective.
You can then feed the isolation matte into any SelectiveFX shader and be as creative as you like.
In this example, you’ll add more motion blur into a shot using the 3D Selective workflow.
In this video, you’ll learn how to group shots in the Effects Environment.
This is the ability to take a selection of shots and group them together with a custom name.
You can then call up the group at any time for any VFX, grading or finishing purposes.
When working with integrated VFX and grading in the timeline, the Effects Environment is a great place to tackle most of your creative requirements.
In this video, we have introduced the ability to save your layouts in order to make things a lot easier as you work.
This includes the viewers, media panel, storyboard, scopes, time-bar as well as the general behaviours of the controls.
You can set up the interface they way you like and then save it as a custom layout.
In the Flame 2020.1 update, another type of machine learning has been introduced into the Flame products.
So in part 4 of the Machine Learning Series, you’ll learn how to extract the sky out of a shot.
So Flame can look at an image and using Machine Learning identify what parts of that image make up the sky.
You can then use that extraction as part of a selective or composite.
For example, you may want to grade the sky or perhaps even do a sky replacement.
We’ll run through two examples and discuss some of the finer details as the video progresses.
When it comes to animated masks in the Flame products, one question that always gets asked is how do you offset a vertex that already contains animation?
For instance, the animation may have been tracked or key-framed but now you’d like to move the same vertices and keep the original animation.
This video will cover the vertex offsetting technique for both the Gmask Tracer and the older Gmask Toolset.
In this video, you'll learn how to use the refractive properties of a surface to distort an image.
This is different to previous examples where you have a semi-transparent object and light is refracting through it.
Instead, you’ll use refraction to create localised distortion and not see any 3D objects.
This workflow video will cover extended bicubics, refraction, masks and tracking.
Now Flame already has other tools that can perform distortions and warping and this technique is another option for you to choose from.
Refraction in Action has introduced some really creative opportunities but did you know that its not just limited to 3D models?
In the new video example added to added to the Flame Learning Channel, you learn how refraction can work with a flat object such as a surface object or a flat 3d plane geometry.
You'll also see how extended bicubics can affect light refracting through a surface.
Finally we'll discuss what happens when you have multiple overlapping objects in composite and they have refraction!
This video shows you how to add custom menu actions in the context menus. This requires NO coding knowledge to enable them in Flame.
A few versions ago, the Flame products were given python scripting capabilities to automate a variety of tasks.
This can help with production pipelines as well as various functionality within the Flame products.
These tools have grown in popularity hence the new ability to easily add custom menu actions.
For those of you creating python code, you can easily share them with other Flame Artists.
And for those of you who are not Python savvy, you can use these scripts simply by copying them into a shared directory.
The ideology is very similar to the way the Flame community shares Matchbox shaders and hopefully this will also apply to Python scripts.
We’ll cover all you need to know in this video!
In this video, you’ll learn about using the expanded user interface with the MasterGrade.
This will give you more controls up front and less digging down into multiple menus.
We’ll cover some of interface options as well as the new layout of the MasterGrade when it is fully expanded.
Please note that the expanded user interface is also available for other tools within the image toolset, Gmask Tracer and the Action 3D compositor.
These can be either in the editorial or compositing contexts.
The Selective toolset in the Image tools and Action is very powerful, allowing you to create a matte or alpha based on a key, gmask and 3D data. This matte or alpha is normally confined to the Selective due to the image processing pipeline.
But in this video, you'll learn about a new SelectiveFX shader known as "Selective Matte Extraction".
This allows you to push the matte or alpha from the Selective to the main output result of Action or the Image node.
You can take this output and use it further upstream in your flow graphs.
This video introduces the 3D selective which uses 3D information to isolate a part of your image.
This works alongside the 2D selectives such as keyword and masks when performing any grading, compositing and final finishing.
So you can take 3D information such as a Z-depth data pass and a Normals data pass to break up your shots.
This is available in the Timeline Effects Environment, BatchFX and Batch.
This video will look at the general 3D Selective workflow as well as how to apply a Z-depth data pass to the Selective.
The next video will cover the usage of a Normals data pass with the 3D Selectives.
In part 6 of the Image Toolset series, you’ll carry on exploring the 3D Selectives.
But this time, you’ll use a normals pass to create the isolation Selectives and these isolations are based on the X, Y and Z coordinates of the surface’s normals in 3D space.
And finally, to conclude this video, you will go over how to perform 3D relighting using a combination of the Z-depth map, normals map and the Action 3D lights.
With the release of Flame 2020, a whole range of new technology has been integrated into the Flame products.
This is in the form of machine learning which uses trained artificial intelligence to analyse an image and compute a variety data that you could use for VFX and look development.
So you could use this data to isolate a part of your image when grading through a 3D selective or further enhance a 2D or 3D composite when working in Action.
There are quite a variety of use cases and this is where you start learning about it.
In part 1, you’ll be introduced to the Z-depth Generator when working in a sequence within the Effects Environment.
This machine learning is also available in Batch and BatchFX.
In part 2 of the Machine Learning Series, you'll continue looking at Machine Learning in Batch as well as another generator which can detect the human face and then extract a normals map.
This can be used to isolate and enhance facial features whether you’re performing look development using 3D Selectives or even 3D lighting in the Action 3D compositor.
In part 3, we continue with the “Face Maps” generator to extract a normals and depth map of the human face.
You learn how to deal with shots other than close ups using constraints and the region of interest.
Finally, you learn how to uses these generated maps with 3D lights in the Action 3D compositor to relight the human face.
In this video, you’ll learn how to apply refraction to 3D Objects in Action.
The concept of refraction refers to the way that light distorts as it passes through an object that has transparent or semi-transparent properties.
This includes objects such as glass, plastic, ice, diamonds and the list is goes on.
Each material has its own refractive properties and you can now emulate this in the Flame 2020 products.
It’s incredibly fast and works with a range of GPUs and not just the latest and greatest.
This is available on the Linux and Mac platforms of the Flame products and it can be used on 3D Models, 3D text, 3D shapes as well as regular Image objects.
In this video you’ll learn how to use the new Cryptomatte node in Flame 2020.
The Cryptomatte data pass allows you to automatically generate a variety of mattes even after the CGI had been rendered.
It’s not an image pass that is filled with colours like an RGBA matte pass.
Instead it contains actual metadata for each object in the CG render.
The other big advantage is that the Cryptomatte takes into account transparency, motion blur and depth of field.
This makes the matte generation even more practical when it comes to compositing, look development and grading.
In this video, you’ll cover grading using the new Manager view in Flame 2020.
The Manager is a much more simplified way of working with some of Flame’s tools.
And whether you’re a beginner or an experienced Flame artist, the Manager will allow you to access a whole range of functionality without digging deep into the node flow graph.
Other videos cover the Manager in the context of compositing and rotoscoping.
In this video, you’ll cover compositing using the new Manager view in Flame 2020.
The Manager is a much more simplified way of working with some of Flame’s tools.
And whether you’re a beginner or an experienced Flame artist, the Manager will allow you to access a whole range of functionality without digging deep into the node flow graph.
Other videos cover the Manager in the context of grading and rotoscoping.
In this video, you’ll cover rotoscoping or masking using the new Manager view in Flame 2020.
The Manager is a much more simplified way of working with some of Flame’s tools.
And whether you’re a beginner or an experienced Flame artist, the Manager will allow you to access a whole range of functionality without digging deep into the node flow graph.
Other videos cover the Manager in the context of grading and compositing.
With the release of Flame 2020, OFX support has been expanded in the Flame products enabling you to use other 3rd party creative tools in addition to Neat Video.
OpenFX works on both the Linux and Mac versions of the Flame products and integrates seamlessly into your Flame experience.
Many common OFX have been tested but it is possible that some specific plugins may not work correctly.
If you encounter any issues, please report them to us via Autodesk Technical Support.
This video showcases the Sapphire OFX plug-ins in Flame but there are others that you can purchase and use with any OFX host.
In this video, you’ll learn about the new background rendering functionality in the Flame 2020 products.
This is available on single GPU Linux configurations as well as dual GPU Linux configurations.
This is currently not available on the MacOS platform.
Also Known as "Background Reactor", the background rendering works on your local creative workstation and does not require a separate render farm.
Background Reactor works with various supported graphics cards which are listed on the Flame system requirements page.
You'll also cover Automatic Background Rendering which is only available in Conform, Timeline, Effects Environment and BatchFX.
In part 16 of the Effects Environment Series, you’ll learn about the new “Cache on Playback” functionality as well as the render indications which are now available in the Effects Environment with Flame 2020.
So you’re now able to see the render state of each segment without having to switch to the timeline view and you can also interactively cache your renders as you work within this environment.
In part 9 of the Motion Warp Tracking Series, we take a deep dive into understanding how motion warp tracking works with Motion Vectors as well as generating the tracking information for each frame.
We’ll discuss "Analysis" and "Integration" and hopefully by having a better understanding, you should be able to get the best performance out of the tools.
We’ll also discuss the different methods of how this data is cached to disk as well how to render out Motion Vectors as a standalone source.
In the previous video on Motion Warp Tracking, we looked at the analysis and integration of Motion Vectors to track a logo to a t-shirt.
You would use these techniques for a variety of scenarios.
Now working with Motion Vectors is very powerful and extremely flexible, however the downside is that it is really processor intensive and the data sets can get quite big.
So in Part 10 on Motion Warp Tracking, you’ll learn how to use a different render pass known as "UVs" in order to perform very fast motion warp tracking.
UV passes are smaller and less intensive than Motion Vectors Data but they are also limited in certain ways concerning motion warp tracking.
We’ll cover all of that to help you choose when to use "UVs" or "Motion Vectors" for your next Motion Warp Tracking experience.
This video covers a new emerging request whereby clients ask for their full resolution graded source material to be included with the final edited masters as part of their deliverables.
To add to this, your source material may be a different resolution to the final edited master.
So this video will show you a particular way on how to achieve these goals in a very efficient manner using Flame.
In this video series, you’ll take a look at animation through mathematics or better known as expressions.
Starting with part 1, you’ll be covering the fundamental basics in order for you to get the most out of this timesaving tool.
You learn about the channel animation relationships, perform some basic mathematics as well as cover the initial expression syntax in Flame.
In part 2 of the Expressions 101 series, you’ll start expanding expressions across multiple objects through an understanding of channel hierarchy in the animation editor.
You’ll also learn to determine a value at a specific point in time.
And finally, you learn an expression function which allows you to offset the start time of an expression across multiple objects.
In part 3 of the Expressions 101 series, you’ll carry on with evaluations but this time, you’ll be introduced to random generator functions which can create a varieties of animation super fast!
You can than fine tune your noise functions by combining them with mathematics.
You'll cover the "rand" and "noise" generators but please check the on-line documentation for a list of other generators available in Flame.
In the previous videos of the Expression 101 series, you have seen that driving animation based on a mathematical curve can very useful in a whole range of tasks.
But sometimes after creating an expression, you may want to take the mathematical curve and develop it manually.
So in part 4, you’ll learn how to take the curve generated by an expression and convert it into an editable key-framed curve that you can further enhance using keyframes.
In a previous video of the Expressions 101 series (part 2), you learnt about the animation channel hierarchy and this enabled you to drive the animation of one object off another.
This was referred to as the "Controller" Technique.
In part 5 of the Expressions 101 series, you are going to take this technique one step further and combine multiple animation curves into a single curve that will than drive your primary animation.
This is possible through combining multiple expression curves or even combining an expression with a key-framed animation.
There are plenty cases where you would use this.
For example, controlling the height of a bouncing ball, Controlling the intensity of a camera shake or perhaps controlling the randomness of an object in a motion graphic.
In the first part of Light Wrap in Action, you learnt that light wrap is now a component of the Action 3D compositor.
Because of that, you can apply light wrapping to any 3D object in the 3D scene.
So in part 2 of the series, you'll learn how to apply light wrapping to a 3D geometry. This could be used for better integration or even creative effect in a motion graphic composite.
Keeping it all live and aware of the 3D composite.
If you’re someone who does keying in your post production work, you should be familiar with an integrating technique known as “light wrapping”.
This is a process of blending the edges of your key with a background.
The purpose of this is to help give your composites a sense of realism.
So the light and colour of the background should wrap around your subjects matching real world physics and the final result looks more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Now there are many techniques, node trees and shaders you can use to do a light wrap.
However, it can be quite an involved process of creating edge mattes, performing multiple blending and finally recomposing everything back together again.
With the Flame 2019.2 Update, light wrapping has been introduced as part of the Action 3D compositor.
This means that you can light-wrap in the context of a live 3D scene and the light wrapping is totally aware of all the other objects within the composite.
This can help solve some really tricky blending issues when images overlap.
In the Flame 2019.2 update, the file browsing experience has now been unified across the entire application.
So if you’ve been using the file browser in the MediaHub, you will now have the same experience when loading setups, fonts, 3D models, media and more.
The bookmarks have also been totally revamped to give you a much better user experience in any production scenario.
Finally session history has been added to remember the last paths you visit in the current Flame session.
In this video on the MasterGrade, you’ll learn about the Printer Lights shortcuts in the Flame 2019.2 Update.
For those of you who may not know, Printer Lights go back to the old photo-chemical days before digital colour.
They were measured in points and the idea was that you could add or subtract exact amounts of red, green and blue light in order to change the colour balance within a given shot.
With celluloid film, technicians used filtered red, green and blue light but now days, you perform the same operation digitally within an application.
This may be considered as a basic grading tool but it is very powerful because of the adjustment precision…
That is more accurate than using the mouse or a pen and tablet.
In this video, you'll learn how to perform segment nudging.
In short, this is a quick and easy way to push video or audio segments around the sequence by 1 frame or a set amount of frames using various keyboard shortcuts.
It’s really handy because you don’t need to zoom into the timeline and you don’t even need to move the positioner around.
In this video dealing with the Effects Environment, you’ll learn how to create and use searchable presets.
This enables you to navigate your sequence quickly by using segment metadata to search and filter the segments.
The search presets are available in the Effects Environment as well as in the Timeline View.
Lots of pointers given as well as the differences between using the presets in the Effects Environment and the Timeline View.
This will certainly speed up your workflow!
Part 4 of the Image toolset shows you how to deal with external matte inputs as well as embedded channels when it comes to working with the Selectives in the Image toolset.
The Image toolset does have its own masking and keying tools for image isolation but it’s also quite common to be provided with external mattes/alphas or even multi-channel media for flexibility.
These assets can be a major help when it comes to isolated look development but there is a certain workflow you need to know in order to use them with your media in Flame.
Please note that external Mattes and RGB matte passes are currently only supported in Batch and BatchFX. They are not available in the Image TimelineFX.
This may not be a flashy or creative task but it comes up in quite often in every form of production. This practical video covers the way to set a custom start frame for your composites.
Normally the default is frame 1 but there are quite a few cases, including sequence publishing or shot collaboration with Shotgun, which would require a custom start frame.
We'll run through the preferences and options of how the start frame works in Batch as well as BatchFX.
This video focuses on media versioning or shot versioning when working in a collaborative production pipeline.
In other words, you may start off with the original camera media in your timeline or your composite.
But later in the production, other artists may give you the same piece of media with grading applied or even additional VFX from a 3rd party application.
This is quite common in a multi-artist production pipeline.
So with Flame being the central point in the pipeline, you need to be able to manage and choose all these incoming versions.
You could manage the versioning using the Open Clip workflow shown in previous releases of Flame.
However with Flame 2019, a more developed workflow known as “Pattern Browsing” can do the same thing but without having to create or script separate Open Clip XMLs.
Pattern Browsing works on a series of pattern-based tokens that you can set and this allows Flame to recognise multiple files as part of the same versioned clip as its developed.
When it comes to masking or rotoscoping in the Flame products, the Gmask Tracer is a very powerful option that allows you to isolate a part of your image.
Now when you are in the process of masking your image, there are a number of views you can use to view your progress.
With Flame 2019, there is another viewer you can use that is called the “Matte Viewer”.
This is a Matchbox shader that provides some additional overlay functionality when working with masks and mattes.
This tool can also be used in Action to overlay the mattes within a 3D composite.
In this video, we’ll run through the interoperability between Autodesk Flame and FilmLight Baselight.
So through the use of Flame’s Pybox architecture and the FilmLight BLG plug-in, you’re able to load the grade information from Baselight directly into any edits and composites in Flame.
So regardless of their complexity you can load Baselight grades into Flame, see everything in the context of the grade without rendering and even process the final results within Flame using the BLG plug-in.
Only metadata is passed between the applications allowing you to work faster without constantly rendering.
This workflow is currently only available for Flame on Linux as the BLG-Plug-in is currently not available on Mac OS X.
The FilmLight BLG for Flame plug-in is available as a separate purchase from Filmlight and for more information, please contact FilmLight - www.filmlight.ltd.uk
In this video, you will learn how to draw a motion curve for freehand animation.
This allows you to record the movements of your cursor on the screen and apply the X and Y values to any animation curve.
This helps achieve very organic looking animation without trying too hard.
Basic example to start, followed by more complex one with linking expressions.
In this video, you'll learn a great workflow to connect and link your sequences with any VFX work that you may do in Batch.
So unlike the BatchFX workflow where everything is always contained in the timeline, this workflow will allow you to start in a sequence, automatically separate your segments and load them into Batch. And finally the flow graph renders will automatically update in the timeline.
This is not replacing BatchFX but it does give you an alternative way to do VFX work in separate Batch Groups which still have a connection to your sequence.
Some people like to keep everything in a timeline using BatchFx while others like to break things apart.
You now have the option of both with a great degree of connectivity between the various parts of the application.
In this additional video on the Connected Conform Workflow, we are going to take a look at the Flame 2019.1 update changes to managing Time-warps or speed changes when using multiple sequences in a Connected Conform.
If you’ve never used the Connected Conform Workflow before, please watch the previous videos to take you through the whole workflow step by step.
With the Flame 2019.1 update, there have been a few enhancements to the Connected Conform Workflow allowing you to sort your source media in two ways in the sources sequence.
So you can now sort your sources by either source or record timecode.
If you have never used the Connected Conform Workflow, please watch the whole series to get you up and running.
In Flame 2019, we introduced the MasterGrade for floating-point HDR capable grading within the timeline and VFX toolsets.
Now with the Flame 2019.1 update, the MasterGrade has now been enhanced with RGB curves allowing you to have even more dedicated control when it comes to grading the colours within your image.
We’ll start off with an explanation of the curves and then we’ll take a look at how they work.
In this short video, you learn how to swap and replace nodes in your batch flow graph.
This means you don’t have to disconnect and reconnect your flow graph if you’re trying out different nodes as your flow graph develops.
In this video, you’ll learn about the updated copy and paste behaviours when working in the timeline.
This is a small setting but it can make a big difference as to how you’d like to end up after performing copy and paste.
In this video, you’ll learn about another retouching tool that now comes with Flame 2019.
This tool is known as the “Washer”.
The Washer is not as powerful as A2Beauty but it uses a faster calculation allowing you to maintain a faster degree of interaction when doing various clean-up work.
The results will differ from A2Beauty but you can decide which one works best in different scenarios.
his video shows off a small performance enhancement for browsing media in the MediaHub.
When typically browsing your media, you’re exposed to a wealth of information to ensure that you are well informed when making any input or output decisions. So ideally the directory and media browsing is designed to fit in with any production workflow.
This is why you should actually refer to the MediaHub as a clip browser, rather than a standard file browser or file explorer.
So each piece of media display loads of information at any given point. However the slight downside is that when it comes to the masses of metadata, there is a small-time penalty in order for Flame to read the information from the various media and then display it in the user interface.
This could also be compounded by having to scan a large number of files in a single directory and Flame reports the metadata on each file.
Admittedly this may become frustrating if you are trying to fly through directories and scan files pretty quickly by eye.
So a new viewing mode has been introduced to enable fast and quick browsing.
With the frequent release of Flame updates, it's very easy to accumulate multiple project archives from older releases of Flame.
Now if you are continually working and archiving a project, or perhaps restoring an older project for updating, archives created in previous versions of Flame are normally read only.
This meant that you couldn't add to them with a later release of Flame. So in order to have an archive with all your amendments, you would have to restore everything and make a new archive with the latest release of Flame to have a writable archive.
However in Flame 2019, you now have the ability to convert and upgrade old Flame archives to the latest release.
This means you can "freshen up" the old archives and this also allows you to amend or add new media into the archive without having to create a brand new one each time.
This is a massive time, space and money saver when it comes to archiving at all skill levels.
In this video, we’ll cover how to setup, render and exporting OpenEXR multi-channel media directly from the Batch node flow-graph.
This can definitely help you in multi-channel workflows within a Flame project. But facilities can also take advantage of this in order to have a multi-channel pipeline between various applications throughout their production.
In this video, you’ll learn the workflow to clean up your images using 3D Shapes and Projections.
In a lot of cases, this might be a lot quicker than the traditional 3D tracking and projection technique.
Now we’ll be covering two methods and they differ slightly when it comes to projecting the clean frame.
Areas covered include: cloning in paint, 3D shape generation, planar tracking and projection.
The previous A2Beauty videos mainly focused on skin examples. So you could revitalise skin by removing spots, moles and wrinkles or you could age skin by inverting the functionality of the SelectiveFX shader.
In this example, you’ll move away from skin and examine the effect of A2Beauty on a different texture.
So our focus will be clothing but you should try it out on other textures and hopefully you’ll be surprised by the result.
This is part 4 in the A2Beauty Series.
In the previous videos, you were introduced to A2Beauty in Flame 2019 and shown a few workflows perform a variety of skin retouching.
So A2Beauty’s main purpose is beauty retouching but with a few different settings it can offer you a lot more than just its original intended purpose.
In this video, you’ll use A2Beauty to do the reverse of beauty work.
You can make skin look a lot worse than it really is and this can be used for ageing effects or enhancing special effect prosthetics like monsters and zombies.
This is part 3 in the A2Beauty Series.
In this video, we'll expand on another Effects Environment workflow where you'll learn how to version your grading and VFX using segment connections in combination with the Effects Environment.
This exciting workflow will allow you to try multiple variations of your effects and then you can switch back and forth when choosing the final version for your production.
This gives you great flexibility during a session and it’s very fast to use.
And by the way, you can do all of this without having to use the whole Connected Conform Workflow!
If you have not seen or used the Effects Environment before I suggest going to the beginning of this series to give you a great start!
In this video, we’re going to discuss Segment TimelineFX versus Source TimelineFX in the Effects Environment.
This means that you decide whether your Image TimelineFX appears in the regular FX pipeline with all the other TimelineFX or you can apply it at the source media level with your format processing and colour management tools.
For the most part, you’ll probably stick to the default segment FX processing pipeline. But there might be the occasion where you see it necessary to first affect the source media before injecting it into the segment as part of a sequence.
For example, you might want to do technical corrections on the source media, like white balancing, and then perform your creative work on the segment using the segment’s TimelineFX.
If you have not seen or used the Effects Environment before I suggest going to the beginning of this series to give you a great start!
In this video, you'll about the workflow of applying grading and VFX above your edit, instead of working directly on each segment.
For example, Perhaps you prefer to build your effects and grading in separate stages or maybe for versioning purposes, you need to keep everything separated out instead of all in one segment.
Whatever the reason, you’ll use gap segments in the sequence to achieve this.
If you have not seen or used the Effects Environment before I suggest going to the beginning of this series to give you a great start!
In this video, we’ll look at the new multi-channel support within Lustre and how this influences the Connected Colour Workflow when combining the dedicated grading from Lustre with the VFX finishing capabilities of Flame.
In previous releases, you had some of this capability using Matte Containers but with the Multi-Channel support in the 2019 release the workflows have been enhanced and that will be covered in this video.
So we’ll start in Lustre and bounce back and forth between Flame when needed.
For those of you who are using this workflow, the same can be achieved if you’re using Flare instead of Flame.
Please note, that all the software needs to be on the same workstation in order to use the Connected Colour workflow.
And as an additional benefit, a Lustre hotkey profile is also available in Flame if you prefer to stick to one set of keyboard shortcuts.
In this video, you’ll explore a new look development tool in Flame 2019 known as Physical Glare.
This SelectiveFX is designed to help you create and customise various lens glaring artefacts that occur naturally with various light sources directed at the camera.
So depending what you’re shooting, you may want glare or not.
But adding physical glare with Flame 2019 allows you to add to or enhance what you already have.
So the previous video taught you how to use the general Physical Glare SelectiveFX to create additional glare and starbursts through the camera lens.
This was all done procedurally and there are so many variations you could experiment with.
However, if you can’t find or create what you’re looking for, the next step is to use a custom aperture or lens noise pattern to design the look that you may not be able to achieve procedurally.
In this video on Physical Glare, you’ll use the Action 3D lighting to help you create lighting effects including the physical lens glare.
The use-case for this scenario, is what if you wanted to add glare to a light, like head lamps for example, but the light source was never there to begin with?
So you’ll use 3D lights to position where you want the lighting and then through the Physical Glare SelectiveFX, you’ll create the light and introduce the lens light artefacts.
With the release of Flame 2019, one of the major enhancements is a new task-based environment that brings a new level of Grading and VFX integration directly into the timeline.
So all your Timeline VFX and Grading toolsets are in one place with full navigational tools and access to the rich Flame toolset.
This will allow you to work faster than ever before develop and iterate a shot or multiple shots and there are a bunch of new tools for sophisticated image treatments such as colour grading, beauty retouching and 'creative look FX'.
This is all integrated within Flame's core keying, masking and tracking systems.
This environment is known as EFFECTS and it also has its own task-based tab alongside MediaHub, Conform, Timeline, Batch and Tools.
This video serves as a general overview of EFFECTS to get you started and future videos will take a deep dive into specific features and workflows.
In this video you’ll start learning all about the Storyboard Reel within the EFFECTS environment.
The Storyboard Reel provides you with lots of visual feedback as well as a fast way of moving between your shots without constantly switching back to your timeline.
So whether you’re creating VFX or grading, you can see the context of shots in the sequence as well as bounce between them with a single click.
Continuing on from the previous video, you were introduced to the Storyboard Reel within the Effects Environment.
During all that time, you were browsing on the range of a single clip when it was selected.
In this video, you’ll learn how to expand the frame range to the entire timeline allowing you to navigate even faster as you make your way through your edit.
This video expands on the sorting capabilities of the Storyboard Reel.
You'll look at the three different storyboard modes which enable you to see all the segments in your edit but in a variety of different sorting.
This does not limit any creative functionality and you can continue to apply grading and effects to your edit.
In this video, you learn to take the Storyboard Reel and apply filtering and searching to it, even if you're using any storyboard sorting.
So instead of just re-ordering all the shots, you can lock down on specifics ones.
This helps you speed up various creative tasks through being very exact using the Storyboard Reel.
In this series so far, you’ve looked at the navigational aspect of the Effects Tab which primarily focuses on the Storyboard Reel.
So whether you’re navigating the storyboard, sorting, filtering or searching the Reel, the storyboard is a visual strip that sits at the centre of the EFFECTS Environment.
In this video, you’ll learn an alternative way to view the storyboard through the viewports which will also introduce some extra functionality.
When performing any VFX or grading, either in the EFFECTS Environment, Timeline or Batch, one of the repetitive tasks between adjustments is reviewing.
In this video, you’ll learn about the various player options for fast and east reviewing.
Please note that these player options are available in all areas of Flame.
In this video, you’ll start going through some of the general functionality when it comes to the TimelineFX tools that are accessible in and around the EFFECTS environment.
This covers TimelineFX indications, the FX pipeline, working with single or multiple TimelineFX, interacting with the FX-Pipeline or Storyboard Reel and deleting TimelineFX.
This video focuses specifically on the workflow of copying TimelineFX between multiple segments using the Storyboard Reel.
You will cover the copy and paste method and the gestural drag and drop method.
In the previous video, you learnt all about copying TimelineFX within the FX environment.
In this video, you learn how to take a single or multiple TimelineFX and save them as presets in the Media Panel.
You might have a specific effect or grade that you’re using in a campaign or maybe you want to save a variety of grades to try them out or keep them for later.
We discuss the preset creation as well as organisation in the Media Panel.
When it comes to working with any effects or grading in your sequence, at some point there will be the requirement to render your results.
Now you may think to yourself, what the point about watching a video on how to render?
Well the render button is available in the EFFECTS Environment as well as the Timeline View. But in Flame 2019, a series of render options have been introduced that may make you consider rendering as an interactivity and performance enhancer.
This is the main focus of this video and this will certainly enable you to work faster especially with heavy grading and VFX work.
In this next set of videos, you’ll be learning about a new finishing toolset known as the Image TimelineFX.
This module has been incorporated into the new EFFECTS environment giving you integrated grading and look development alongside other VFX tools directly in your timeline.
This includes primary as well as secondary look development functionality without accessing complex workflows or Batch processing flow graphs.
Now the main focus will be using the Image module as a TimelineFX within the EFFECTS environment and we’re going to look at a variety of examples to illustrate the general workflows of the tools.
But for those Flame artists that use the batch flow graph and node compositing the Image module is also available as a node in the Batch node bin.
In this video, you’ll continue the example from part 1 and use a few techniques to remove an unwanted item out of the shot.
You'll cover applying different shaders to a Selective, working with multiple shaders in a Selective and moving Selectives around within the current Image TimelineFX.
In the previous parts using the Image TimelineFX for grading and look development, you learnt how to use the Image TimelineFX to a variety of grading and look development tasks.
Up to this point, this has all been done within one Image TimelineFX within a single segment.
In this video, you start looking at the bigger context of the edit and start copying Selectives between shots and creating a consistent look development across the sequence.
In this video, you’ll take a close look at the new Master Grade in Flame 2019.
This next generation grading toolset is HDR ready and float-point capable and gives you amazing control over your grading capabilities in Flame while accurately respecting the colour sciences and information within a given colour space.
We’ll be covering the general workings of the toolset but please read the online documentation and application tooltips for detailed explanations of every available control.
In this video, you learn about the new A2Beauty shader available in Flame 2019.
The main purpose of this pixel shader is to be able to perform a whole range of digital retouching which could be used for beauty work as well as image clean-up.
Now you’ll be using the Effects tab to run through and explain the processes.
However you can perform the exact same steps in Batch using the Image node, Action or the Matchbox node.
In the previous video, you were introduced to A2Beauty in Flame 2019 and this powerful SelectiveFX is designed for beauty retouching and much more.
It can tackle small blemishes, spots and wrinkles but it can also take bigger issues like deep lines and other obvious problems.
In this video, you’ll learn how to remove the bags from under a model’s eyes through the deeper use of the A2Beauty toolset.
You’ll be using Batch for this example but as seen in the previous video, you can also do the same steps in the Timeline using the Effects Tab and the Image TimelineFX.
In the Flame 2018.2 Update videos, we introduced an enhanced UV tracking and shading functionality that you could use with the Action projectors.
This helps with various texture projection tasks as well as motion graphics type work.
In the Flame 2018.3 Update, the Projector controls underwent a bit of an upgrade in order to accommodate the additional motion vector enhancements as well as support for multiple UV references.
So this video will show you how to take the projected texture on a 3D model and track the UVs using the upgraded interface.
The rest of the original exercise is still valid in the Flame 2018.2 video covering projectors, UV tracking and shading.
This video covers a small enhancement to the workflow of using the Burn-In Metadata TimelineFX with a gap segment, in order to display the markers and segment markers in the sequence.
You are now able to display all markers and segment markers in a single Burn-In Metadata TimelineFX. This makes it easy and efficient to use especially without having to apply a TimelineFX to every segment as well as controlling all your burn-in information in one gap segment containing the Burn-In TimelineFX.
This video shows you how to use 3D render passes that have been rendered in a 3D application, such as Autodesk Maya or Autodesk 3Dsmax, and use them within the Flame's 3D compositor, Action.
This includes post Z-depth blurring, motion blur, selective colour adjustments and selective highlight blooming.
The benefit to you, is that even though these renders passes are flat 2D images, you can access the render pass data in Action and treat your 2D pixels as if they were still in 3D space.
This includes using multi-channel GLSL Matchbox shaders for a variety of post processing effects.
Part 4 is an additional video to the 3D round tripping series and this will cover the workflow on how to create the PBR textures in Maya as opposed to Flame.
So unlike the previous videos where the substance PBRs were created and applied in Flame before sending the FBX to Maya, part 4 will show you how to start in Maya 2018.1 and enable the ShaderFX materials and apply the StingrayPBS material to a model.
You can set the physical based properties like Roughness and Metallic and these will be applied to the Shader node when the FBX is imported into Flame. You also have the ability to apply EXR images as textures maps that will embedded in the FBX and correctly applied in Flame.
Finally, this video continues the trend of maintaining a scene-linear workflow, so ensure you set both Flame and Maya to work in Scene-linear Rec709/sRGB.
This three-part series takes you through a round tripping workflow between Autodesk Flame and Autodesk Maya in a linear colour pipeline using the FBX interchange format. Please be aware that this is not actually 3D application specific.
In part 3, you conclude the 3D round tripping workflow by importing the new FBX into Flame and matching all the various settings to the original action composite. You'll redo the IBL which is not supported in the FBX and you'll also reapply the substance PBR textures to any baked materials that you'd like to tweak further in Flame.
This three-part series takes you through a round tripping workflow between Autodesk Flame and Autodesk Maya in a linear colour pipeline using the FBX interchange format. Please be aware that this is not actually 3D application specific.
Part 2 continues after exporting the FBX from Flame and you'll import the FBX into Maya. You'll learn how to match the 3D scene to Flame as well as check what was carried over during the import. You'll examine the materials and colour space settings as well as fix a model's UV mapping. You will also refine a few meshes to make them look better. And don't forget clients may also want changes to the 3D geometry. This video will conclude by exporting the 3D scene as a FBX to be round-tripped back to Flame.
This three-part series takes you through a round tripping workflow between Autodesk Flame and Autodesk Maya in a linear colour pipeline using the FBX interchange format. Please be aware that this is not actually 3D application specific.
In part 1, you'll import a 3D model into Flame and relight it with image-based lighting. You'll also retexture geometry with Substance physical based textures as well as reverse a 3D camera move. You also identify issues that could potentially make you go back to the 3D application to fixing or tweaking. You'll end off exporting a FBX with the various settings and go through what is supported via the round tripping workflow.
Part 7 continues on from the previous video and explores further Selectives.
You’ll refocus viewer attention with selective grading, add a bit of keyed Selective blooming, finalise the overall look development and finally dial back some of the Selective intensity using the PUNCHBACK SelectiveFX.
In part 6, you start to cover the workflow of applying Selectives to a 3D composite. This is very different to previous videos whereby the Selectives were only applied to a single image or object.
This video introduces a 3D composite and defines the difference between applying a Selective to image or object versus applying a Selective to an entire 3D composite. You will apply two Selectives to the composite using masks for Selective isolation and go over how to apply SelectiveFX to the inside as well as outside of the Selective.
In part 8 of the Motion Warp Tracking series, you'll look at a stabilisation workflow for a variety of uses.
Firstly you learn the workflow to stabilise a handheld camera shot using the motion vectors analysis. This will give a pretty good stabilisation in particular cases.
Secondly, you'll learn how to use motion vector stabilisation in a rotoscoping use-case. You would apply the "stabilise and destabilise" workflow to make quick work of the root-scoping task.
For other stabilisation techniques, please check out the other videos on the Flame Learning Channel.
In the Flame 2018.3 Update, the interface is no longer locked out when it comes to the sliders in multiple effects. This means that as your media is playing back in the timeline viewer or viewports, you are able to adjust the values and see the updates in real-time as the frames play back.
So you could start tweaking an effect or a grade to rough out the look and than refine it further when needed.
This works in the Timeline, TimelineFX editor and Batch. Playback will depend on your system's performance and hard specifications.
As a tip, you can also animate the values during playback for added effect.
In part 7 of the Motion Warp Tracking Series, you’ll carry on with the example of using motion vectors and Motion Warp Tracking for a creative purpose.
There are multiple things you could try and it can all be done through experimentation.
You’ll take the results you achieved in part 6 and start combining them in the 3D environment as well as finish off the composite with CameraFX and a Camera Selective.
In part 6 of the Motion Warp Tracking Series, you’ll go through a new example of using motion vectors and Motion Warp Tracking for a creative purpose.
There are multiple things you could try and it can all be done through experimentation.
You’ll start off by creating Motion Vectors outside of Action using the Batch Motion Analysis node. This will be combined with other nodes in Batch and eventually fed into Action.
In Action you’ll learn about applying different motion vectors to different media and get creative with the results.
In part 5 of the Motion Warp Tracking Series, you take on a difficult tracking shot where things either get in the way or there is too much pixel motion that affects the motion vectors analysis.
Basically you will track a tattoo to a street musician’s arm but his knee gets in the way and there is a lot of activity behind him.
Using a series of suggested techniques, you can take on these tracking challenges and generate a good motion vectors map for the correct tracking and distortions.
Part 4 of the Motion Warp Tracking Series takes you through the workflow of tracking the result of a mask with motion vectors.
In this use case, you learn how to track an image with a mask and motion vectors.
You can carry on refining the mask spline even though the mask's result has been tracked and distorted by the Motion Warp Tracking.
The end result of this example is blurring out part of the picture but you can use this workflow for a variety of rotoscoping tasks.
In part 3, you’ll carry on with the same example from part 2 and you’ll use a series of techniques to refine the accuracy of the motion warp distortions even further.
This includes the Motion Vectors Softness as well as projecting onto an invisible extended bicubic surface for localised tweaking.
Part 2 starts a new use-case scenario of tracking an animated logo to clothes or fabric.
You go through the initial setup and cache the motion vector generation and tracking.
You’ll also learn about setting multiple reference frames in order to control when your logo is distorted or not by the motion Vectors.
Please note that the workflow and techniques would be the same for tracking other organic materials such as skin, liquids and more.
In part 5 on Selectives in Action, you conclude example using the Selectives on an image for VFX and look development. You can follow this example by starting at part 2 on Selectives.
This video will illustrate how to manipulate the lighting in the image to direct your audience’s attention to the model’s face. You’ll cover Selective duplication as well as SelectiveFX inversions to apply Selectives on the outside of the Selective as opposed to the inside shown in the previous videos.
In part 4 on Selectives in Action, you continue exploring Selectives on an image for VFX and look development. You can follow this example by starting at part 2 on Selectives.
This video will take you through the process of creating hyper-real futuristic skin on the model. This includes keying and masking the skin for a targeted selective, tracking and multiple SelectiveFX in a selective.
In part 3 on Selectives in Action, you continue exploring Selectives on an image for VFX and look development. You can follow this example by starting at part 2 on Selectives.
This video covers of working with multiple Selectives and SelectiveFX to continue developing the VFX aspect to the shot. You’ll cover creating Selectives with the Selective Manager, deleting Selectives and Duplicating Selectives. You also learn how to control what Selective is applied first to the image using the Priority editor.
In part 2 on Selectives in Action, you’ll start a new example that takes a deep dive into applying Selectives on an image for VFX and look development.
This video starts off by applying a selective to a models eyes to give them an intense glow. You also cover the context of using multiple SelectFX shaders (part of the Matchbox family) to create the desired VFX result. This includes masks and tracking as a well as a more detailed look at the Selective Manager and the image processing pipeline with the priority editor.
This video series will cover the new Action Selectives available in the Flame 2018.3 Update.
The Action Selective is an image isolation tool. So the purpose of an Action Selective is that you are able to block out a portion or region of your image and apply pixel-based VFX or look development to that area. You can uses masks, keys, pre-existing mattes or a combination of components to create a selective.
This could be applied to many VFX or motion graphics workflows as well as grading workflows if you use Flame for look development.
In part 1, we’ll discuss the Action Selective fundamentals and you’ll go through a simple example to get you started with this great new workflow.
In part 1 of this series on Motion Warp Tracking, you’ll start learning about Motion Warp Tracking in the Flame 2018.3 Update.
This technology allows you to distort and track images based on motion vector data.
This video will start discussing the fundamentals as well as a great use-case example.
The Motion Warp tracking adds to the existing tracking features already available in Flame (point tracking, planar tracking and 3D Camera Tracking).
The Motion Warp Tracking enables you to track on more organic-types of materials.
For example, it could be used for skin beauty work, tracking fabrics such as clothes, general clean-up work or even other surfaces that may not be flat or have some kind of movement to them.
It’s uses are quite broad and it definitely adds to the tracking toolset in Flame.
In the previous video, you had an introduction to the scopes and how they work in the editorial context.
Part 1 also covered how to customize your own presets.
In Part 2, you’ll examine the scopes in the context of a VFX scenario.
This covers cover grading or look development with the colour tools, image comparisons in the viewers and scopes and how the scopes work with colour management.
In this video, you’ll learn about the revamped video scopes in the Flame 2018.3 Update.
We’ll cover how the scopes work as well applying them within specific Flame workflows.
In Part 1, you get an introduction to the new scopes with the different types and modes.
So you’re able to set up presets to quick access to the scopes you need and view them in an editorial or VFX scenario.
In the previous videos on UV tracking and shading with the Action Projector, you learnt all about projecting an image onto animated 3D object and the projection tracked and distorted using the object’s UVs.
This applies to most 3D objects as well as extended bicubic surfaces.
So you’re able to introduce texture elements onto 3D objects in the composite and Flame automatically integrates the projection with the receiving object.
This is quite powerful with pack shot work or motion graphic design.
In part 3 of this series, we will complete the workflow with the Flame 2018.3 Update by outputting the matte of the projection combined with the UV tracking.
In this video, you’ll learn all about the new Flame 2018.3 update ability to export embedded multi-channel OpenEXRs.
This long time requested functionality allows you to establish a round-trip workflow between other applications utilizing multi-channel EXRs.
The idea is that any multi-channel EXRs you import into Flame or even multi-channel media that you create in Flame can now be exported out as multi-channel OpenEXR media for external uses.
In this video, you learn how to copy cuts from one track to the next.
There are many practical uses of this functionality including cutting up a flattened off-line clip in order to match it up to an on-line conform.
You could also copy the cuts onto an empty gap track in order to make virtual VFX clips above each segment in your sequence.
There are plenty of practical uses with this feature but in order to copy the cuts the workflow is the same in each instance.
In the Flame 2018.3 update, we have introduced a 360 VR option in the player and Batch viewports.
This will allow you to take any Lat-Long VR mediaand view it correctly.
This video will show you all the controls you havewith the 360 VR player.
In this video, we’ll go through the process of incorporating CDLs into the Flame products as part of your production pipeline.
CDL stand for Colour Decision List.
This gives you the ability to make colour decisions in the early stages of production and carry them through the production pipeline.
You’ll learn how to apply a CDL to a shot using the LOOK node as well as applying a bunch of CDLs to an editorial sequence.
This user requested video will cover how to set up centralized colour management within your facility using shared folders.
The great point is setting up the centralized colour management can all be driven through the graphic user interfaces (GUI) making it easy for everyone to access without too much technical know how.
This allows you to standardise your colour policies on multiple workstations and keep everything looking right!
This goes through the various workflows of using a region of interest when masking.
The “Region of Interest” refers to the area of a matte or alpha when it’s been combined with a mask or multiple masks.
You’re basically adding to or removing from an existing matte or alpha.
A typical use case is when you have created a matte or alpha, like a key for instance, and you want to isolate portions of the matte or alpha with a mask.
We’ll cover the various techniques covered in the Classic Gmask node, Gmask Tracer Node and Action.
Localization is a daily task in post production. This refers to preparing a timeline for delivering a multitude of different versions of a production. These versions could be different languages, graphics or footage. In addition to localizing the production, you could also have multiple versions of a timeline as different deliverables.
For example a common scenario at the end of a production, you could be tasked with delivering a 10, 15 and 20 second version in English, a 10, 15 and 20 second version in French and maybe a 10, 15 and 20 second version in German.
So localization and versioning is quite a big subject in almost every production And the tools in the Flame 2018.2 update give you enough flexibility to set up your initial localizations, management them as you build the different versioning and still keep things connected to make last minute changes.
We’re going to cover all of these points in this video.
This video continues with the Projector UV tracking functionality in Action. Part 2 shows you how to track projections on an extended bicubic surface. You would use the same workflow if you were using the deform mesh functionality in Action.
This workflow is slightly different than projecting onto 3D models so this video is worth watching.
We also talk about the workflow of applying animation and keyframes before using the Projector UV tracking to ensure it works correctly.
This video shows how you can customize a paint brush in desktop paint.
You can save these brushes as custom presets and load them into any project to use in either Desktop Paint or Batch Paint.
In this video we’ll look at the setting marker durations using the Flame 2018.2 update.
So now you can set marker durations over areas of the sequence as well as segment marker durations within a segment.
This video show you how to colour your segments in the sequence.
You can colour code your all your segments with your Flame user or you can apply specific segment colouring through the contextual menus.
This is a great functionality to track any segments in the sequence or if you just want to define each type segment with a different colour.
This visual usability tool should be useful in all your Flame projects.
This video highlights the new Python Scripting in the Flame 2018.2 Update.
This initial implementation mainly affects the Batch node compositing in the Flame products.
So you are now able to automate a variety of tasks when integrating within a facility pipeline.
This includes running a python script when launching Flame.
There is also additional functionality to execute python scripts while Flame is currently running which allows you to validate python scripts directly in the Batch flow-graph as well as apply certain functions to help move things along.
We’ll examine some scenarios but our main focus will be applying the general Python workflow.
Please note that you will already need to understand the basic fundamentals of programming with Python scripting.
If you want the detailed breakdown of all the available Python functions and attributes, please visit the Flame Online documentation.
In this video you’ll learn about some of the enhanced UV tracking and shading that you can now use with Action Projectors in the Flame 2018.2 Update.
This will definitely help you with various texture projection tasks as well as motion graphics type work.
In this video, you'll learn how to add items to the Action Contextual Menus by editing the XML text files. A great example of this is making your favourite matchbox shader available through the Action contextual menu.
The contextual or right-click menus were introduced in the Flame 2018.2 Update and hopefully they have increased your usability and speed when working in the Action 3D compositor.
One of the most powerful VFX toolsets in the Flame Products is the Action 3D compositing environment.
Action allows you to seamlessly blend two-dimensional images and 3D-models in an environment that has traditionally been node driven for maximum flexibility.
So typically, your interaction would be a mixture of node bins and connecting nodes in the Action schematic.
This is a fast and flexible way to work.
But through the integration of the new Action contextual menus in the Flame 2018.2 update, you can work even faster by performing multiple operations with fewer clicks.
These selection sensitive contextual menus will give you all the options you need in a right-click as well as hidden functionality that used to only be accessible through keyboard shortcuts.
This will benefit all Flame artists at any skill level.
In this short video, we’ll take a quick look at how you can now export different lists from the Flame 2018.2 Update.
This can be really useful when working in the Flame products and you need to provide your producer or client with a list of various details from Flame.
You can export any list view from Flame as an XML text file.
This includes the file browser, Media Panel, Conform Events, Markers view and even the animation tables.
Just ensure that you look at the tables in list view and you will be able to export them through the contextual menu.
In this video, we focus on a small but long time requested feature that editors and VFX artists use all the time.
This is the ability to hide a selected segment or segments as you work within a sequence.
It’s really quick and simple to use with either the contextual menus or keyboard shortcut.
Part 3 continues the Connected Conform Workflow and production progresses with the VFX. You’ll now start using Batch to create a more complicated composite with node based compositing.
This will cover proper shot naming for VFX work as well as the Smart Replace function for automatic shot replace when rendering and replacing the same VFX media across all the sequences in the Connected Conform.
And perhaps you might receive another version of the edit that also needs to be added to the Connected Conform even after the VFX work!
Part 2 picks up from where you left off at Part 1 where you conformed the first edit in Flame and created the Connected Conform. Shortly after a new version of the edit was supplied and this was added into the Connected Conform.
Now you’ll start adding standard VFX to all the sequences using the Shots Sequence. This allows you to apply the VFX once and it affects all the sequences within the Connected Conform.
As as always… you will get revised edits of the production at any point and you’ll deal with that when it happens.
In this set of videos, you'll experience the Connected Conform Workflow with an enhanced usability through the Flame 2018.2 Update.
The Connected Conform workflow allows you to share the same sources and VFX across multiple timelines.
So if you're working on any production that has multiple versions or cut downs of an edit, you can make changes anywhere and all your sequences will remain in sync.
The 2018.2 update now allows you to add more edits to the Connected Conform even at different stages of production.
It would be nice to receive everything at once but realistically you get your first edit and more sequences get added as time moves on. So you'll be learning how to handle this situation.
This video picks up from part 2 when you have just conformed a sequence using Open Clips.
At this point if you want to start versioning your media, you have two choices.
If the media already exists, than you will use the Multi-version Open Clip.
If the media does not exist yet and you want to create a place holder that can be monitored for media, than you will use the pattern Open Clip.
The pattern Open Clip scenario is more common as new versions are typically introduced as the production progresses. So this will be the main focus of this video.
In this video, you start your way through the key stages of accessing the Open Clip workflow.
This video takes you through an example of creating Open Clips on import with the new Open Clip Creator.
So you can create Open Clips without any scripting knowledge and get started straight away.
Open Clips are treated as regular media clips when working in the Flame applications. So you can import, Conform, Edit and apply VFX using Open Clips.
In this video, you are given an introduction to the Open Clip Workflow in the Flame Products.
The Open Clip allows you to version external media within your master timeline.
So as new versions are delivered from other applications, CGI or VFX, you can choose to use these new versions or automatically update the Open Clips to reflect the latest version of the media.
The Flame 2018.2 Update introduce a new easy way to create open clips without any scripting knowledge allowing anyone at any skill level to take advantage of this powerful workflow.
In this video, you’ll learn the correct workflow to trim multiple segments in the sequence simultaneously.
Trimming multiple edits comes down to selecting the segments correctly and not selecting the cuts or transitions between the edits.
You’ll also learn how to select multiple segments in the sequence using the Timeline Search window.
In this short video, we look at how to slip media under a Timewarp TimelineFX.
Normally when it comes to a speed change, speed ramp or timewarp, if you have to slip the source media, any applied VFX animation to the segment is also slipped with the footage.
That might be fine in most cases if you want to change the start point of your media and keep the VFX animation in sync to the source media.
However there are times when the VFX keyframe animation starts at the right time but the footage does not. So there is the requirement to slip or slide the underlying media but not the keyframe timing of the timewarp.
This quick tip show you how to do that!
In this extended video we discuss the fundamentals of Sequence Publish for sharing media from Flame to external 3rd party applications.
Sharing media can refer to the source media but it can also include any media caching or renders done in Flame. So when it comes to sequence publishing, media is being source from multiple locations to give you the most comprehensive sequence sharing experience possible.
This advanced level video covers the sequence publish process as well as detailed explanations as to how each of the options affect the sequence publish.
Ultimately this will allow you to output your sequence to the rest of your facility to establish a collaborative workflow for a variety of tasks including VFX shot distribution, media grading, media versioning and much more!
We also discuss media linking at the operating system level to create multiple links to the same media dataset which can be much faster as well as better manage your disk space when performing a sequence publish.
In this video, we’ll continue to look at the Gmask improvements and focus on the selection enhancements that affect the Gmask splines and to some degree extended bi-cubic vertices as well.
Using a new set of selection rules, it easier than ever before to mask or rotoscope your work without worry about overlapping objects in the composite.
A few versions back we introduced the Action Gmask and Gmask Tracer node in Batch.
This masking and rotoscoping tool is built to take on every day post production tasks but there is always room for improvement.
Based on user feedback, there have been some enhancements in the Flame 2018.1 update and this will affect Gmask display preferences and general vertex selection.
This video will cover the display preferences and another video will cover the vertex selection.
In this update video on Batch Paint, we’ll run through the updated workflow using the consolidate feature when painting brush strokes on a canvas.
This was introduced in Flame 2018 but it has been modified in the Flame 2018.1 update for technical reasons and user feedback.
This video takes you through the workflow of using the Keyboard Shortcut Editor to customize your own shortcuts or hotkeys.
In the Flame 2018.1 update, the workflow has been updated to clarify the shortcuts in new categories. The on-screen keyboard has also been updated to dynamically show you what keystrokes are available for newly assigned keyboard shortcuts.
This new built-in functionality should make assigning keyboard shortcuts much easier than previous versions of Flame.
When working in Flame, you can use all the new Marker functionality to keep track of your work within the Flame Products.
However there is always the scenario when your producer or client is not around and you need to send them a draft version of the sequence.
Now you can already burn information into the image using the burn-in metadata tool and this can provide details such as tape name, timecodes, segment information etc.
In the Flame 2018.1 update, you can now burn marker information into the image as part of the burn-in metadata layers.
This video will run through the updated functionality with Markers and Segment Markers in a clip or sequence.
These redesigned tools will help you stay informed when working with a sequence as well as carrying over a wealth of information when importing sequences from other editing applications.
This video looks at using Object IDs generated from a 3D composite as a means of further refining your images.
This requires your Object ID data-pass to be at least 16-bit float point.
You’ll learn how to generate an Object ID pass in the Action compositor as well as two workflows using Object IDs in the Flame products.
The first workflow occurs in Batch and uses a Matchbox GLSL shader node to use the Object IDs when isolating parts of the comp in the node flow graph.
The second workflow occurs in Action when generating Object IDs and using it as a selective with post processing CameraFX. So similar to Batch, you can isolate objects within the Action 3D comp based on their Object ID without having to leave the 3D compositor.
This video features a new texturing technique for 3D geometry called Tri-Planar Mapping.
This mapping technique allows you to create seamless organic texturing with minimal stretching over the 3D geometry.
This can be used for a wide variety of texturing requirements.
This is achieved by mapping the texture three times on the X, Y and Z axes of the model and than blending the textures together for a clean texture.
You might be using this great texturing technique more than you think!
In part 4 of the Batch Paint Series, you'll learn how to animate brush strokes over time.
This can be useful for writing text, revealing matte, image clean up and loads more creative tasks.
In other applications, this may be known as Stroke or Write-On.
Previously this functionality was only available in Desktop Paint. With the Flame 2018 products, it's now available as a Batch Paint option.
This video series shows you the conforming workflow in the Flame 2018 Products.
These workflows particularly apply to Flame and Flame Assist.
Part 2 shows a more advanced conforming workflow when no media links to the conformed sequence.
This could be for a variety of technical reasons. But through the use of Match Criteria, the events list as well as continuity checking, you should be able to take on very tricky conforms and link their media.
This video series shows you the conforming workflow in the Flame 2018 Products.
These workflows particularly apply to Flame and Flame Assist.
Part 1 shows the basic conform where everything is straight forward and media automatically links to the conform.
This can happen when all the applications are on the same machine and the file paths are all mapped the same.
It also helps to have the metadata consistent in the production pipeline as well as keeping your media organized.
Step-by-step tutorial on how to license your Flame Family application by setting up a License Server, on Linux.
Step-by-step tutorial on how to license your Flame Family application by setting up a License Server, on macOS.
Step-by-step tutorial on how to license your Flame Family application with a valid Serial Number, on macOS.
Step-by-step tutorial on how to license your Flame Family application with a Single User License, on macOS.
In part 3 of the Batch Paint Series, we’ll run through the workflow of editing paint strokes on the canvas.
Almost every property can be edited as well as animated.
This opens up a whole range of functional and creative opportunities now available in Batch Paint.
In part 2 of the Batch Paint Series, We’ll take a look at the paint stroke duration over time.
This allows you to decide whether a paint stroke affects a single frame or a range of frames in the composite.
Now this may not be new to long time Flame Artists but what is different in Flame 2018 is that you no longer must commit to the duration of a paint stroke before you paint.
Paint stroke durations are now editable.
In part 1 of the Batch Paint Series, we’ll run through the updates and new functionality added to Batch Paint in the Flame 2018.
We’ll cover the new 32-bit support, new additions to the Paint tools as well a variety of small usability enhancements.
In this video, we are going to look at the updates to Desktop Paint in the Flame 2018 products.
There have been some architectural changes as well as a viewport upgrade.
These improvements should definitely help if you like using Desktop Paint.
In a previous version of Flame, we introduced versioning with the segment connection.
This allowed you to create a single segment with content and effects and duplicate this across multiple sequences in the Reels Group.
The duplicated segments are linked together even though they exist in different sequences.
Any changes you make to any of the connected segments could be synced and updated in all the other sequences within the Reels Group.
This a great workflow for keeping specific clips synced together in multiple timelines.
In Flame 2018, this workflow has been further enhanced by having the ability to duplicate multiple copies of a connected segment in a sequence using the videos tracks and this can be synced with the rest of the sequences.
This allows you to keep previous instances of your connected segments as you further develop the content.
You could than flick between the video tracks and segments if you had to choose between them.
In this video, we are going to look at a new naming token when it comes to naming segments in a sequence.
This will allow you to set your own start number, define the number padding as well as the increment increase when it comes to the numbering of each segment.
This will work in all sequences including the sources sequence and shots sequence if you are using the Connected Conform Workflow.
In this video, we are going to discuss reconnecting with media on a grand scale.
In other words, you have multiple media files and whether through archive restoration, platform changes or even media relocation, Flame is unable to connect to the media.
Your clips will display either the Flame icon or a checkerboard.
Using File Path Translation, it is quite effective to redirect Flame to point to the media’s current file location.
This allows you to point to a different directory structure containing the media rather than unlinking and relinking one clip at a time.
In this video, we take a quick tour of the colour sampler tool in the Flame 2018 products.
This tool works in all the players that offer the Multi-view and it allows you to analyze as well as store colours to be used in any tool across the application.
In this video, we will be taking a look at the new Scene Detection workflow in the Flame 2018 products.
This will allow you to bring a single clip, analyze it and add cuts between all the different shots that make up the clip.
A major timesaver tool for this sort of work!
In this video, we are going to go through a new Flame and Shotgun workflow known as Review and Approval.
So, if you are working with someone who is approving the work, you can set a workflow for them to review and approve your work using Shotgun wherever they may be.
This uses an easy out of the box Shotgun plug-in that requires no extra downloads and it’s pre-configured to work with Flame, Flare and Flame Assist.
Learn more about Shotgun: www.shotgunsoftware.com
Sign up for a free trial: www.shotgunsoftware.com/signup
For questions about shotgun: support.shotgunsoftware.com
In part one of this mini-series introducing 32-bit float support in Flame 2018, we looked at media management and how Batch can deal with 32-bit media Using the 32-bit capable nodes.
In part two, we look at how Action handles 32-bit float media as well as setting Action to output 32-bit data passes.
Please check the Flame documentation for the list of 32-bit capable nodes currently available.
With the release of Flame 2018, we have started to introduce 32-bit Float support throughout the Flame products.
The main reason for this is to provide a 32-bit float processing pipeline which includes support for 32-bit data passes.
So this allows you import 32-bit OpenEXRs which can be cached as well as processed at 32-bit through specific nodes.
And finally, as you output and archive, you can also retain the full 32-bit float quality.
This ultimately improves image precision and processing using various high quality media.
Please check the Flame documentation for the list of 32-bit capable nodes currently available.
In part 4 of Maya for Flame Artists, we run through the process of exporting a FBX for Flame.
We look at all the available FBX settings and what you need.
This video concludes with loading the optimized FBX into Flame and comparing it to the original FBX from part 1.
In part 3 of Maya for Flame Artists, we run through a series of techniques and workflows to optimize your 3D scene for Flame.
This includes naming conventions, 3D scene structure, polygon reduction, grouping and combining.
All essentials get a more efficient 3D scene in Flame.
In part 2 of Maya for Flame Artists, you get an introduction to Maya’s interface and basic operations from a Flame Artist’s Perspective.
Direct comparisons are drawn between Maya and Flame to help you understand Maya.
The intension is that you gain enough understanding to be able to optimize a 3D scene for Flame.
In part 1 of Maya for Flame Artists, we start off in Flame and import a FBX 3D Scene.
We discuss the issues with using 3D datasets that have not be prepared for Flame.
This has impacts on the Action Schematic, interactivity and render performances.
In Flame 2017 Extension 1, a new type of clip called the “MULTI-CHANNEL CLIP” has been introduced to enhance working with files embedded with multi-channel media.
This new workflow will help you better prepare and access your CGI-multi-channel media for compositing in the Flame Products.
So you should have a lot more control and flexibly when working with CGI as well as dealing with last minute changes.
In Flame 2016 Extension 1, we introduced the concept of the Connected Conform Workflow allowing you to keep multiple sequences synced together. This used a workflow of connecting the source media with the Sources Sequence and connecting the segment metadata with the Shots Sequence.
The Shots Sequence allows you drive synced sequences for Batch Group VFX, Versioning, VFX Shot Distribution and scalable collaborative workflows. So its a very power tool.
However in a lot of cases, there is just the requirement to have sequences synced together without requiring the functionality of the Shots Sequence.
So in Flame 2017 Extension 1, a new Connected Conform Workflow called Source Segment Connection has been added to link segment metadata across a bunch of sequences without creating a shot sequence.
This allows you to keep the editorial synced as well as perform TimelineFX and vertical compositing. It is also possible to add more versions or an editorial update of a sequence using this workflow.
In part 5, we discuss Substance PBR which can create procedurally generated textures that can work within the Physical Based Shading model.
So if you don’t have a texture and don’t have time to manually create your own, you can use procedurally generated textures to quickly generate a texture that can be used on any 3D objects in the composites.
Allegorithmic Resources:
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Substance Database: https://www.allegorithmic.com/products/substance-database-monthly
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Substance Source: https://source.allegorithmic.com/#/substances/home
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Substance Share: https://share.allegorithmic.com
In Part 4, We look at a great new workflow between Maya and Flame using PBS Ambient Occlusion texture maps to texture indirect lighting onto 3D models in Action.
This allows you to get same render quality for indirect lighting and shading on 3D geometry that you would normally get by outputting 2D render passes using your favorite 3D renderer.
In part 3, we look at a few workflow examples of using PBS Maps.
Firstly, we run through the workflow of applying a PBS map and assign an image source to influence the the PBR Shader parameters for a more customised result.
We also cover localisation using PBS Maps to add parameter control in certain part of the PBR texture.
And finally we look a few of the parameters to see the different results that can be achieved with a single or multiple PBS Maps.
In part 2, we look at the PBR Shader node parameters in much more detail. This will give you an idea how how they work and influence the PBR Texture.
We also show the workflow using PBS Maps which allow you to control the parameters of the PBR Shader using an image source rather than numerical sliders.
In part 9, We are going to cover a variety of scenarios where you would customize your viewports, customize your displays as well as customize your input processing using external assets such as custom LUTs, custom Colour transforms and custom monitor profiles.
So even though the Flame 2017 Extension 1 products offer a wide range of built-in colour transforms, you can still apply your own LUTs, colour transforms and profiles to create a specific look and feel to your production.
In all the preceding videos we went through a lot of the new Active Colour Management and we have covered the majority from Colour Policies, to Colour Managed Imports, compositing in a common colour space And finally colour Managing an export.
Now this is all great to know but we do understand that sometimes there may not be the need to use Colour Management.
So part 8 is just for those of you who want to understand enough about the new colour management tools to turn them off and match the way you used to work in previous versions of Flame.
However, if you are someone who is actively using colour management Than this video is not for you.
In part 7, we run through the workflow of colour managing your final exports.
This is the same process for all colour managed workflows.
So we’ll look at the scenario as well as the tools available to meet your deliverable requirements.
In part 6, we’ll run through how to use ACES in your workflow.
ACES is the new SMPTE standard for colour science developed by the Academy and this should allow you to composite with mathematical accuracy on top of great looking results.
Please bear in mind that the ACEs 1.0 is more suited to working with CGI, log and camera native formats. So if all your media is already output-referred REC709, the Simple Linear Workflow policy may be a better fit which you can see in part 5.
In part 5, we’ll recreate the Simple Linear Colour Managed Workflow.
This workflow mimics other applications that use a Linear workflow by only applying de-gamma and re-gamma operations.
Please be advised that even though this may be considered common practice, it is not technically accurate in terms of the colour science when you are working with camera Raw, Log, or EXR sources which typically have values well above 1.
A more appropriate Linear Workflow would be to use the ACES workflow which is covered in part 6.
In part 4, We’ll go straight into the viewing rules to examine how it drives the viewports behaviour based on a clip’s tagged colour space.
We’ll discuss how the rules function as well look at the workflow of setting up viewing rules for specific media.
In part 3, we’ll look at how the viewport functions as well as the viewing rules which influence the viewports.
So once the media has been tagged or auto-converted to a colour space, the viewports react to the colour space metadata and auto-adjust to display the clips correctly.
This is all based on a set of viewing rules in the colour management preferences.
In part 2, We’ll run through the functionality of colour managing media as its imported into the Flame Products.
This will include Colour Space Tagging, Auto-conversions and the import rules.
Part 1 discusses the overall theme of Active Colour Management and starts to introduce the concepts of Colour Policies, Tagged Colour Spaces, Input Rules and Viewing Rules.
We’ll also run through project creation, the colour policy presets as well as a explanation of the new Colour Management preferences.
In this video, we look at the enhanced support with the Tangent Panels.
This includes updated support for the Tangent Hub 1.3.1 on Linux and MacOS.
The Flame Products also support the Tangent Ripple for portability or scaled down capabilities.
There is also support for the Tangent Element VS which is a software panel emulator that can run on an iPad or an Android Tablet. This can all be achieved over a local wi-fi network.
Installation and custom mapping are covered in this video.
We’ll start looking at Physical Based Rendering in Action.
The point of Physical Based Rendering (PBR) is that it simulates the natural interactions of light rays and real world materials.
This allows for consistent and predictable results with textures even if the lighting conditions are changed in the 3D environment.
PBR is normally combined with image based lighting which allows the textures to pick up the colours from a surrounding environment.
So even if the lighting is day or night, indoors or outdoors - You’re able to create realistic results quickly in Action.
In part 2 of importing 3D Geometry in Flame, we expose the structure of the 3D scene using the new Action schematic grouping functionality and see what’s possible with a soft-linked file.
We’ll also look further into caching and committing this 3D data so that it is properly managed by Flame in the production.
In part 1 of importing 3D Geometry in Flame, we look at the redesigned import workflow. This includes the new read file functionality which allows you to link directly to an external 3D model.
This could be either an FBX or Alembic file and through its general settings you could perform general post import operations like caching, 3D scene refresh and overall 3D geometry behavior in the Action composite.
In this video, we are going to focus on updated grouping functionality in the Action schematic.
This will allow you to better organize your flow graphs when there are a lot of objects and you want to make the flow graph more manageable.
In this video, we are going to cover the changes to the on-screen AXIS object in the Action 3D compositor.
This will give you added gestural control when working in any 3D composite which is a much more visual way to manipulate objects…
without relying too much on the interface controls.
We’ve also adjusted the look and feel to match Autodesk Maya allowing for a more refined experience if you are working between these different applications.
In this video, we will go through some of updates to object selection as well as object display in the viewports in Action.
When combining all these updates together, the general usability should allow you to work more comfortably in the Action 3D environment.
In this video, we'll go through the updated 3D composite navigation controls in the Flame 2017 Extension 1 products.
This will give you a much more fluid experience when working in Action when moving around the 3D environment.
Faster to use and standardised with Autodesk Maya!
In this video, we are going to cover some general improvements to the Action Schematic.
This will affect the way you select nodes, move them around, and copy and paste them.
We’ll also finish off with a new node kissing functionality which will make your life a lot easier when assigning lights and shaders to geometry in the Action 3D scene.
In this video, we are going to look a new mechanism for importing media directly into Batch.
Now you might be thinking that we already have something that does that. However, the old functionality was severely limiting when it came to the Flame database, media management and general usability.
We’ll draw some comparisons for long term Flame Artists but this is a major improvement on what was previously there.
In this video, we are going to look at a new node in the Batch Schematic that will help you keep your flow graphs organized.
This node is known as the “Elbow” node and it replaces the old break link functionality from previous versions of Flame.
In this video, we are going to have a look at a new grouping and organizational tool available in the Batch node compositing environment.
This is known as the “Compass” and it’s available in Batch, BatchFX and the Modular Keyer.
In this short video, you’ll learn about the new clean up functionality in the Batch Schematic.
This will help you tidy your flow graphs in certain scenarios.
In this video, we will look at some new key frame indicators available in Batch.
This will allow you to quickly identify nodes with key frame animation and expressions in the Flame without having to go looking in the animation editor.
In this video, we’ll cover how to offset the start frame in Batch and the implications of this functionality in Flame.
It’s really easy to do but you must now take into account animation keyframes, expressions and appending batch setups with different start frames.
This video will cover some of the smaller but significant enhancements to Batch.
This includes new copy & paste functionality, selection standardization, notes and rendering custom and iterations versions numbers to track renders to their iterated flow graphs.
Bigger features such as the Compass, Elbow node, start frame and more will be covered in the other Batch specific videos.
In this video, we’ll examine some of the enhancements made to the viewports in Flame.
This main covers the Home and new FIT functionality when looking at media.
The viewports should now react more predictably with general interaction.
In this video, you learn how to use the RAM Player functionality in Flame 2017 Extension 1.
The purpose of the RAM player is to give you a massive performance enhancement when your system’s configuration may not be up to the task.
In this video, we look at resizing the thumbnails when using the list view.
This is applicable when working in the Media Panel…
as well as the MediaHub within all the Flame 2017 Extension 1 products.
The concept behind this series is to cover the basic components and workflows when it comes to using 3D particles.
Part 6 shows you how to apply the manipulator to the particle flow graph as well as select the gravity option.
We will cover the gravity direction as well as the difference between position influence and speed influence when applying a manipulator to particles.
Finally a quick show of how to combine a particle manipulator with a particle bouncer for added effect.
In this video you’ll learn how to include lens flares within the CameraFX post processing pipeline inside of Action.
In other words you can decide whether lens flares or light rays are affected by any Matchbox CameraFX you apply within Action.
We’ll examine the benefits of both scenarios.
In this video, we cover the new ability to adjust icons and widgets in the player at the sequence level.
So if you like to use gestural actions to adjust setting in the viewer, you no longer need to do it in a VFX editor.
Making adjustments at the sequence level is a massive timesaver with fewer menus to navigate.
This video introduces track filtering on the Connected Conform Workflow.
This allows you to choose which tracks in a multi-sequence conform will be considered for the sources sequence and shots sequences.
For example with the sources sequence, if you only need the video tracks to be linked at the source media level, than you can filter out any audio tracks when creating the sources sequence. This is quite common if you are only working on video and the audio will be mixed elsewhere.
For the example regarding the shots sequence, if you are using tracks with segments that do not need linking for VFX work, than you can filter them out as you create the shots sequence for a “VFX” sequence that is linked to all the conformed sequences. A great example is if you like to keep an off-line reference in any of the conforms and still build the shots sequence, the off-line can be ignored.
Create exactly what you need in the sources sequence and shots sequence with track filtering.
The concept behind this series is to cover the basic components and workflows when it comes to using 3D particles.
Part 5 introduces the particle bouncer object for deflecting, bouncing and eliminating particles.
We go through the workflow of adding a particle bouncer to the Particle Flow Graph as well as adding a Particle Bouncer as a Virtual Object or Image surface.
Particle Bouncers are not supported as 3D objects including 3D shapes.
We go through the different properties as well as combine multiple particle bouncers in a single particle flow graph for added control.
The concept behind this series is to cover the basic components and workflows when it comes to using 3D particles.
Part 4 covers two particle types that can be used with particle generation. Quads and Squares.
We go through each particle type as well as apply diffuse textures to particles.
Great particle types for using 2D image textures as particle sprites which can be used for motion graphics and atmospherics.
This workflow allows you to replace shots in the sequence even faster without having to align up matching frames in order to replace media and keep the sync.
For example, you matches out a segment in the sequence, performed some VFX work and now you want to replace it back in the sequence.
Smart Replace analyses duration and timecode in order to intelligently replace synced media in the sequence.
This functionality is not available for Swap Shot between clips. This is designed for replacing media in the sequence.
This video shows how to use the new Segment Connect in Flame 2017.
This functionality allows you to have multiple copies of a segment that can be across a sequence or numerous sequences that are all synced together.
For example if you are using the same clip or gap clip across multiple sequences, any changes you make can affect the clip or gap clip over all the sequences.
This is a massive time-saver for loads of use-cases including versioning!
Just so that you know, the Segment Connect is independent from the Connected Conform Workflow. This will work across multiple independent sequences as long as they are in the same Reels Group. This makes it quick and easy to use.
This video picks up from the previous video covering the Matchbox Texture Grid Shaders.
In this video you learn how to create some easy HUD graphics by cusotmizing the GLSL code and XML files of the Matchbox Texture Grid shader. The changes are required in order to accommodate grids and tiles that are a different resolutions as well as increase the number tiles available in a grid image.
The grid and tiles can be any resolution you want and filled with anything from graphic elements to text, titles or logos. Just remember to update the GLSL code and XML to be aware of the changes.
This video expands on the concepts of the Matchbox Texture Grid Shaders.
You may already have seen these with customizing lens flares with real lens elements but Matchbox Texture Grid Shaders are so much more.
Learn to easily customize the texture within a Matchbox Texture Grid shader for so many different uses including branding logos, titles, graphic elements and more.
This allows you to change elements in your flow graph with the click of a button instead of re-importing and manually replacing a texture.
This short video discussing the adjusted functionality when it comes to displaying icons in Action.
Instead of just toggling the wireframe icons on and off like previous versions of the Flame Products, the wireframe icon display is now on a cycle between showing all icons, only the selected icon or turning off icons.
This means less time spent in the Action preferences menu to choose the selected mode.
This also works when using the contextual views in Batch, BatchFX and the Timeline Context Viewer when working in a TimelineFX.
This video covers Lens Flare Customization.
The lens flares are very flexible through the use of procedurally generated textures to create tons of customizations.
But did you know that you can also use real lens textures to give your composites accurate photo-realism when it comes down to the lens used on the shoot. We’ll cover diffuse map texturing as well as the new Matchbox Texture Grid shader to really push the customization of lens flares with real lens element textures.
This video covers the new Lens Flare Preset Workflow making it less disruptive to work with Lens Flare presets in Action. It is also so much easier to make your own custom lens flares and share them within your facility and Flame Community!
This video series covers the Connected Colour Workflow which is specifically designed for Colourists or Flame Artists who are in the middle of a grading session and may need perform VFX work such as a quick retouch, sky replacement, title or any VFX related work. This work may not need to be off loaded to another workstation or VFX artist.
Part 4, we examine another common production scenario during a grading session where by you’ve been given an updated cut of the editorial and you need to update the Lustre timeline as well as carry over all the grade and VFX information.
This video series covers the Connected Colour Workflow which is specifically designed for Colourists or Flame Artists who are in the middle of a grading session and may need perform VFX work such as a quick retouch, sky replacement, title or any VFX related work. This work may not need to be off loaded to another workstation or VFX artist.
Part 3 goes through each of the products to see how they handle the grade and VFX metadata that is generated by the Connected Colour workflow.
In all instances, you will be able to repurpose data as well as create presets that can be applied without having to switch between applications every time.
This video series covers the Connected Colour Workflow which is specifically designed for Colourists or Flame Artists who are in the middle of a grading session and may need perform VFX work such as a quick retouch, sky replacement, title or any VFX related work. This work may not need to be off loaded to another workstation or VFX artist.
Part 2 takes a closer look at the Lustre node in Batch and how it affects the SOFT versus BAKED state of the grade metadata after working in Flame.
This video series covers the Connected Colour Workflow which is specifically designed for Colourists or Flame Artists who are in the middle of a grading session and may need perform VFX work such as a quick retouch, sky replacement, title or any VFX related work. This work may not need to be off loaded to another workstation or VFX artist.
Part 1 introduces the workflow between Lustre and Flame.
This shows how you can take a shot in Lustre and launch into directly into the Flame (Flare or Flame Premium) compositing environment. The grade metadata automatically comes into the Batch as a node. The grade cane applied to the source media as well as the composite in the context of Flame. Finally, you can return back to Lustre with the rendered VFX, Batch Setup and Grade Metadata.
This is a data connection between the applications allowing an artist friendly workflow.
In this video, we are going to take a look at the shadow casting enhancements in the Action 3D compositor.
We’ll discuss the improved shadow quality as well as the invisible shadow receiver and caster functionality.
This will make things much easier to get a perspective accurate shadow matching the background plate in one Action.
Useful for image integration and motion design work.
Part 2 of this set carries on expanding on the new CameraFX post processing pipeline.
We’ll look at how the CameraFX work with all kinds of objects in the 3D scene including 3D geometry.
We’ll also take a good look at the Stingray Matchbox shaders for some amazing post effects that are based on modern gaming technology.
Part 1 of this set introduces a new post processing pipeline in Action called CameraFX.
This pipeline allows you to create all different kind of processing effects including Ambient Occlusion, Depth of Field, Motion Blur, Blooming, Reflections and the list goes on. This can all be done without leaving Action.
We look at the pipeline as well as an example highlighting the workflow with a multi-layered 3D composite with 2D images.
In this video, we cover the redesigned Output menu in Action which now supports Render Layers and Render Passes.
Similar to other Autodesk 3D Applications, you now define a Render Layer and assign multiple render passes to the Render Layer.
Managing Render Passes is much more efficient compared to previous versions of the Flame Products.
The types of Render Passes have also been increased and they are covered in detail in this video.
This video will cover a major new improvement to Action known as the Live Preview Viewer.
This is a pixel-based “What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get” viewer and will give you accurate representations with all Action processing effects including Matchbox, Lightbox and the new post processing CameraFX tools.
So even when working in Action, everything you see is actually the final render. This has major implications for all aspects of Action.
This also allows for icons in the context view and timeline views.
Please note that the old 3D view no longer shows any shader or processing effects, you need to be looking through the Live Preview with the Flame 2017 products.
In this video, we’ll look at the workflow of the new Burn-In Metadata tool in the Flame 2017 Products.
This replaces the old Burn-In Timecode which is no longer available in the application.
With Burn-In Metadata, you have access to loads more information you can burn into an image and it’s also more customizable the the retired Burn-In Timecode.
One final big benefit is that Burn-In Metadata is now available as a TimelineFX, as a node in Batch and BatchFX and as a separate module in the Tools Area of the Desktop.
So its accessible every where when you need it.
In this video, we are going to take a look at the new colour picker available in the 2017 version of the Flame Products.
This functional tool is constantly used on a regular basis for anything colour related and has now received a well deserved redesign.
The old colour picker is now officially retired and has been replaced with a new expanded colour picker that is modern and very flexible.
In this video, we’ll cover a range of improvements from Batch Group behaviors, new preferences and enhancements to Batch Iterations.
These improvements are all based on user-feedback and hopefully they will be extremely helpful in production.
This includes non-expanding Batch Group loading, copy vs move clip between groups, customising the Batch Setup and Iteration path, Iteration improvements and append original name.
Just as a side node, we briefly discuss using Python to customise the Batch Setup and Iteration Paths on a facility wide level.
In this video, you’ll learn about the new customisable Dual Monitor functionality in Batch and other tools. The secondary monitor can now display other views aside from the Media Panel. This is a really great way of maximising a dual screen configuration.
We also look at some new interface customisation in Batch that allows you to hide the Batch controls to get even more screen space for working in the viewer.
Finally, you learn about the new DESK and MEDIA PANEL nodes for fast gestural loading of media without have to manually call up the Media Panel or Reels to access the media.
This video covers a redesigned workflow brought back to the Flame 2017 products.
New load buttons have been added to the Reels allowing you to load material from a free floating Media Panel.
Depending on your working style, this is a quicker alternative to always manually swiping the Media Panel on and off screen when loading media.
This 3-part video series covers the enhancements to the Media Panel in the Flame 2017 products.
In part 3, we finish off the Media Panel Enhancements by examining the improved advanced searching in the Media Panel.
This includes doing a basic name search as well as advanced searching by criteria with specified parameters.
Great searching tools to locate your media very quickly!
This 3-part video series covers the enhancements to the Media Panel in the Flame 2017 products.
In part 2, you learn all about the sorting capabilities in Flame 2017.
This includes clip sorting throughout the workspace as well as tree sorting. Tree sorting allows you to sort all the workspace components such as Desktops, groups, Libraries and folders.
This video finishes with localised sorting allowing you to target sorting to a specific component or set of components in the workspace.
This 3-part video series covers the enhancements to the Media Panel in the Flame 2017 products.
In part 1, you’ll look at the dual panel functionality, creation dates and avoiding duplicate entries.
This video covers some of the updates to the MediaHub in the Flame 2017 product line.
These small but useful enhancements should improve your usability experience with media handling.
This includes saved settings per project, the last valid file path, audio frame rates, and export settings including frame handles and new naming tokens.
The concept behind this series is to cover the basic components and workflows when it comes to using 3D particles.
Part 3 carries on with the particle types covering the different types of 3D Geometry that can be used as particles.
We’ll also cover using custom 3D geometry as particles using the ParticleDraw naming convention.
As before the particle parameter settings react differently to each particle type so keep an eye on this.
The concept behind this series is to cover the basic components and workflows when it comes to using 3D particles.
Part 2 starts going through the particle types starting with Lines and Points.
We also cover the standard generator settings that can influence the particles in a number of ways.
By the way, the settings react differently to each particle type so it’s worth taking a look.
The concept behind this series is to cover the basic components and workflows when it comes to using 3D particles.
Part 1 gives a brief introduction and shows how to set an easy particle workflow.
You also learn about the three types of object that are capable of emitting particles.
This 3-part video series covers the topic of Tracking using Exclusive Constraints.
This is when foreground detail gets in the way of a 3D or Planar Track and foreground objects need to be excluded.
In part 3, we examine how to set up the exclusive constraint with Planar Tracking. We’ll cover the workflow as well as tips and best working practises to get it right.
This 3-part video series covers the topic of Tracking using Exclusive Constraints.
This is when foreground detail gets in the way of a 3D or Planar Track and foreground objects need to be excluded.
In part 2, we redo the 3D track again however we don’t use the matte for this workflow. Instead we look at using a Gmask Shape as an exclusive constraint for the 3D track. Note that the workflows are different depending whether you use a media matte or Gmask shape with a 3D track.
This 3-part video series covers the topic of Tracking using Exclusive Constraints.
This is when foreground detail gets in the way of a 3D or Planar Track and foreground objects need to be excluded.
In part 1, we look at 3D tracking and using a supplied matte as a exclusive constraint. We’ll look at the differences using and not using an exclusive constraint as well as the workflow.
This video recreates a scenario where you are trying to track a surface but due to object movement and camera movement, the objects go off-screen, come back on and go off-screen again.
So maintaining a decent track is a tricky challenge.
This video will show you how to create isolated areas with Action Gmasks to build a reference pattern which will help the planar tracker perform the track.
As with all tracking, there is no perfect method but this will certainly get you 95% of the way there followed by some manual tweaking.
You also have the added benefit of having your tracking data in an Axis node that allows you to direct the tracking information within the Action composite.
This video covers covers 3D Stabilization.
This concept, originally shown by Flame Artist Alan Laterri, using the idea of 3D tracking a shot to determine the 3D depth and than stabilizing the shot by choosing objected based on their distance from the camera.
This uses a variety of tools including 3D tracking, 3D cameras and image projection.
This might not work all the time but it is certainly another workflow to have to taken on challenging stabilization tasks.
This video covers how to set up standardised naming conventions for Batch VFX Iterations as well as Batch Render Node naming.
By default, you have to manually name your Batch Iterations and Render Nodes with your own text or using the Naming Tokens.
But if you like maintaining a naming standard within your facility using one or multiple Flame Products and don’t won’t to manually enter the information every time, you can use the Batch Python Hooks to define the naming conventions for every project created on your system.
This allows you, other artists and even freelancers to concentrate on the creative and not worry about this aspect of production management.
Since you can code Python in so many ways, treat this video as inspirational rather than the definite workflow.
Moderate Python and terminal knowledge is required.
This video covers the common situation of working and organising multiple sequences.
This can all be done using multiple Sequences Reels in the Reel Group of the Flame Desktop.
We’ll cover what a Sequences Reel is, how it differs from a normal reel and how it can affect a production workflow through the Connected Conform.
Additionally, we look at the situation of multiple Sequences Reels in a single Batch Group and more.
Finally we cover the functionality of filtering opening sequences per reel in order to manage very large projects with tons of edits, cutdown, versions, etc.
This video in the Flame Family Primer series shows you how to move work in any direction between the timeline, BatchFX and Batch using the BFX clip.
This is a major time-saver for all jobs as well as giving you total creative flexibility.
This video continues through the story-centric workflows of the Flame Products.
Starting off with a timeline, you look at how to work while considering the context of the edit.
Part 2 looks at keeping all work directly in the timeline with BatchFX.
This video starts going through the story-centric workflows of the Flame Family.
Starting off with a timeline, you look at how to work while considering the context of the edit.
Part 1 looks at a variety of techniques including the well known Match and Replace Media Method.
This video goes through the desktop-centric workflow for shot-based work using the Flame Products.
This is the classic working style for seasoned Flame Artists.
You've been given a shot and you need to do some creative work on it.
You import, create, render and export.
Also learn about saving work with Iterations.
This video introduces you to the philosophy behind the Flame Family.
We'll look into the thoughts behind the design of Flame Products with explanations, user interface design and workflows.
We'll also have a brief intro of the Flame Family Interface.
This quick video shows you a new shortcut that allows you to turn the viewer overlays on or off anywhere in the application.
So the overlays are much more accessible when working in any of the Flame Products
This short video shows you how to draw a proportionate circle or rectangle gmask in either Action or the Gmask Tracer.
This video expands a bit further on the Connected Conform Workflow with the focus on the Source Media Publish.
This allows you to work externally with the source media and whatever changes you make to the sources will update in all the linked sequences in the Flame Products.
For example, you have been working on multiple spots that are linked together in Flame. While you are finishing the spots, the source media is to be graded or have additional VFX work at the same time on a 3rd-party application and than relinked back into the sequences. The Connected Conform Workflow with the Source Media Publish helps you achieve this pipeline very effectively using the Flame products.
This video will go through the Source Media Publish between Flame and BlackMagic Resolve. Please note that this workflow works at the source media level therefore any 3rd party application will work with the Flame Products.
Keep everything linked and synced for an efficient workflow!
This series shows how you can expand the functionality of the Gmask Tracer from Roto tool to Look Development.
Part 2 takes a slightly different approach to using Gmasks for Look Development. Instead of limiting 3D light with Gmasks as cutouts, you can use Gmasks to create localised 3D shapes to project textures and receive light and Lightbox effects. This gives you even more control with how you blend all the selectives together for a great Look Development process.
This is a different way of thinking compared to traditional Look Development workflows.
This series shows how you can expand the functionality of the Gmask Tracer from Roto tool to Look Development.
Part 1 uses the Gmasks as cutouts or “gobos” to control the casting of a 3D light. This allows you to very accurately focus light on various parts of your image. Used with Lightbox, you can apply various grading and effects to these selectives for a great look development experience.
This is a different way of thinking compared to traditional Look Development workflows.
This video shows a great example about what you can do with Python Scripting and Flame Premium.
Downloaded the supplied Python script and build a single VFX shot collaboration between the Flame Products and other 3rd party applications.
Without any Python knowledge you can set up a watch folder to monitor income renders from outside of Flame Premium.
This is a great taster for those of you are are interested in what Python could do for you.
Special thanks to J-F Bouchard for writing this downloadable script.
This video covers the redesigned proxy workflow in Flame Premium 2016 Extension 1
This new proxy workflow is clip-based and allows you to boost interactivity and performances when you need it.
Learn about the proxy quality to view everything scaled to a proxy in real-time without generating media. Great for for Batch setups where processing is intense and the media is not an issue.
You also go through the process of localised Proxy Generation at the clip, Batch setup and Sequence level. This is great for any situation where the media is bottlenecking your system and you need a performance boost.
Work fast and interactively with Proxy Quality and Proxy Media On-Demand!
The Context Views have been upgraded in Flame Premium 2016 EXT 1.
The contextual views have now been increased from 2 views to 10 views!
This will certainly make life a lot easier for most of you constantly using this tool.
In addition to this, the workflows for working with 10 context views have been enhanced to allow you to work as quick and as efficiently as possible with the 10 context views.
Contextual Menus, Interface Button and Keyboard shortcuts are covered!
Watch the entire video so you don’t miss out!
This video goes into detail about working with multiple Gmasks and how to dealing with their blending as well as layer ordering in the Composite.
These tools should be very family to existing Flame Artists.
This video covers the introduction of the Gmask Tracer as well as the initial creation and manipulation of Gmasks.
New tools such as the Edit Box is covered as well as some more well known functions including softness and softness smoothing.
This video introduces the “Connected Conform” Workflow in the Flame Premium 2016 Ext 1 products.
This workflow is used to work with multiple deliverables and keep everything synced together.
You will learn about the new EDL conforming tools as well as establishing a source media link between multiple sequences using the SOURCES SEQUENCE.
This gives you the ability to use one set of source media for multiple deliverables and any source modifications update in all the sequences automatically.
This video introduces the ability to link segment metadata between all the sequences using the SHOT SEQUENCE. Do not confuse this with source media linking from part 1!
This video covers VFX shot naming to monitor VFX shots used in multiple sequences.
We also look at the TimelineFX and how they can be synced across multiple sequences.
In the final part of the Connected Conform Workflow series, you learn how to use BatchFX and Batch and keep all the metadata sync and updated in all the linked sequences.
You will also see the new “Managed Media Publish” for VFX breakdown that will automate previously manual tasks for standalone or collaborate VFX work.
We also cover the workflow of working outside the sequence but still maintaining the media and metadata link back into all the linked sequences.
This video discusses how to set up colour management when it comes to outputting deliverables for various devices.
We’ll also look at transforming a scene-linear colour space back to the original media native colour space (Arri-Log-C) in Batch.
We’ll cover outputting deliverables using GapFX to perform colour management as well as the alternative of setting up colour management in the export window.
This video discusses colour management in the context of compositing.
We’ll look at converting media into a common colour space or “working colour space” and compositing everything together.
We’ll also discuss a basic example of compositing scene-linear CGI with a background plate in Action.
This video looks at the scenarios of apply Colour Management in the context of the Editorial timeline.
You can covert between colour spaces or simply display the correct colours for the media’s native colour space.
You’ll also learn to build a Custom Colour Transform as well as set up Display LUTs to accurately view the colours on your display device.
This video introduces Colour Management in Flame Premium products.
We look at the two main aspects of Colour Management - The Colour Pipeline and Visualising the Colour.
We also cover colour management when it comes to importing media as well as the various options available in the workflow.
This video shows how the Lightbox GLSL shaders in Action react to the normals of 3D objects in the Action 3D Composite.
So the normals position and orientation in 3D space will affect how the cast Lightbox shader reacts to flat surfaces and 3D geometry.
There are also additional settings to control the Lightbox Normals as well as the option to re-programme how the Lightbox shader impacts on the scene as well as the final render.
his video shows off the extended functionality of searching for nodes in a Batch flow-graph.
Find nodes through the Batch node bin or existing node in the schematic view.
Few extra tips provided so don't miss out!
This video introduces the concepts behind Lightbox shaders in Action and how to use them for look development.
This video goes through some of the new enhancements in lighting in the Action 3D compositor.
We cover Selective Lighting, light targeting, Parametric softening, Look At linking and Gmasks for selective light distribution.
This video shows an interesting scenario of taking live-action footage and using Matchbox in Action to extract a normals map.
The normals map can be used to relight the image with simulated depth.
Useful tool for alot of compositing scenarios.
This video introduces the new workflow of offsetting the front from the matte or the matte from the front using Matchbox. This new improved workflow offers many benefits over the old source node workflow.
This video covers the use of multiple Matchbox shaders on a texture in Action. So you can build your own image processing pipeline on a texture as well as “instance” Matchbox shaders across multiple textures.
This video introduces the fundamental implementation of Matchbox in Action. This includes a bit of theory as well as the basic application of Matchbox Shaders in the Action Pipeline.
This video covers the redesign of the Action Media List pipeline.
There is now a Batch Processing Pipeline under the hood of Action and any media-based tasks are greatly accelerated and optimised.
The video covers the new foreground exporting functionality in Flame Premium 2016 including the benefit of no rendering before exporting.
This video covers the redesigned Proxy Workflow in Flame Premium 2016. This includes project creation, Sequence and TimelineFX interaction as well as working with Proxies in Batch.
This video does a brief introduction of collaborative workflows in Flame Premium 2016.
Detailed explanations of the Shared Libraries and user case scenarios are covered.
This video goes through all the functionality of the Library section of the Workspace. This includes media management and organisation.
This video goes into the Media Panel functionality in detail. This includes the Tiles View and Dual Split View to give a better user experience using the Media Panel.
This videos goes through all the workflows of saving, loading and deleting using the new Desktop Workflow.
This video goes through the new Flame Premium 2016 workflow of having multiple Batch Groups in one Desktop.
You can build up one shot in multiple stages or work on multiple VFX shots in one Desktop.
This video looks at the workflow of doing all your VFX work within the sequence using BatchFX. This includes the new additions from the Batch Group workflow as well as iterating a BatchFX.
This video shows you how to use the iterative workflow in the Batch Group to save specific points of your work.
This was formerly known as “snapshots”. A versioning workflow is also covered with iterations.
This video covers the updated rendering workflows in the Batch Group. We also cover the token naming system for naming renders.
This video covers the details of using the Schematic Reels and Shelf Reels in the Batch Group.
This video starts looking at the workflow of shot-based compositing using the new Batch Group.
This video breaks down the Project Workspace and how the Media Panel is used to show the Workspace Structure.
This video goes through the changes in Project Management and User Profiles when starting Flame Premium 2016.
This video introduces the new Desktop Workflow in Flame Premium 2016.
To save all your work, save the desktop!
In this video we examine the user case of slipping source media within a segment that has an animated Timewarp TimelineFX.
If media has been moved from its original location, you will have to relink a sequence to the media.
This video will go through the workflow of relinking to a partially linked sequence using the editable file paths in the Conform Event List.
This video covers a “not so frequently used” feature called Adaptive Degradation.
If understood correctly, it can help improve Action and Batch performances when using heavy computational functions.
PLEASE NOTE - This doesn't affect final rendering.
Part 2 continues with the automated colour suppression, edge blending and finally the various degrain options within the Master Keyer.
Part 1 covers the dual colour pot sampling, on-screen Matte controls as well as patches.
We also discuss the background of the Master Keyer.
Part 2 covers details concerning spline correspondences, grids, iterations, range and grid pixel resolution. We also cover open spline morphing as well as setting a morphing challenge.
Part 1 covers the process of creating splines for each of the input images and combining the splines together in order to be able to morph one image into another. Split creation, Linking, Interpolation and Blending are covered.
This video goes through the workflow of retiming segments edited in the sequence.
We cover the Anchor point functionality as well as keyframe modes when trimming a timewarped segment.
This video goes through the workflows of applying quick retiming to a clip on the reel.
Methods covered include Duration or Speed Changes.
This video series goes through the Flame 3D keyer and its fundamental concepts.
In this video, we look at three 3D keyer refinement techniques. This includes virtual point scaling, patches and RGB viewer 3D element transformations.
This video series goes through the Flame 3D keyer and its fundamental concepts.
In this video, we cover the RGB viewer, Softness, Tolerance and Noise sampling.
This video discusses how the axis location can make a big difference to lining up textures when using Perspective Planar Tracking.
Techniques of gmasks determines whether the axis is in the centre of the frame or the centre of the Gmask.
Part 2 repeats the steps from part 1 except in this video, you learn how to do it all in one Action node.
This is provided you do all the clean up in the same Action node.
Part 1 shows the workflow using multiple Action nodes. Stabilise the texture in one Action, perform the repairs to the image and destabilise the image in another Action node.
This video combines all the info from the previous videos and goes through the centralized collaborative VFX pipeline process using multiple Flame Products.
This video examines the newly published Master Timeline which references the XML Open Clips. We also go through the VFX versioning options in the context of the timeline.
This video goes through the setup, detailed explanations and exporting the sequence publish to create a new Job-Tree or add to an existing one.
Part 1 shows you how to prepare the segments in the sequence to be published out into a VFX job-tree. This covers the new segment renaming tools and well and the (VFX) Shot renaming tool to group media in various VFX shots.
This video continues in the Conform Area but focuses on the improvements to the event list.
There is loads more metadata accessible in the event list but what is really big is that the event list is editable.
Check out these workflows!
In this video, We look at the conforming scenario where the Final Cut Pro offline and Flame online stages of production use the different versions of the media through the production pipeline. Offline ProRes Media transcoded with RedCine-X Pro.
In this video, We look at the conforming scenario where the Final Cut Pro offline and Flame online stages of production use the same version of media throughout the production pipeline.
This workflow is applicable to RAW formats such as RED, ARRIRAW, etc.
In this video, We look at the conforming scenario where the Avid offline and Flame online stages of production use the different versions of the media through the production pipeline. Offline DNxHD Media transcoded with RedCine-X Pro.
In this video, We look at the conforming scenario where the Avid offline and Flame online stages of production use the same version of media throughout the production pipeline.
This workflow is applicable to RAW formats such as RED, ARRIRAW, etc.
In this video, we take a look at the widely discussed topic of painting on mattes or alphas in Batch with paint.
Great for new users as well as long term artists who have used the matte tools in desktop paint.
In this video we tackle a more challenging track and use multiple Gmasks to isolate regions of a planar surface when tracking with a perspective gird.
This multiple Gmask workflow can also be applied to planar tracking with an Axis node.
In this video, we look at the input and output resolutions in the Action Compositor. Learn how Action automatically matches the resolution of any background input. We finish off with Over Scan allowing the output of larger resolutions.
This video goes through the workflow of Planar tracking a Perspective Grid to a shot in order to determine the shot's true perspective as well as efficiently composite elements to match the targeted perspective.
In this video, you'll create a mask and perform a planar track. The planar tracking data will change the mask's shape over time. This helps with creative tasks and automated rotoscoping. This is different to planar tracking with an Axis node.
In this video, you'll have an introduction to Planar tracking as well as learning to perform a planar tracking and apply the tracking data to an Axis node.
This video covers the workflow updates as well as the new interface when tracking in Action. This is an absolute must for all levels of Flame Artist.
In this video, we go through the redesigned recursive BatchFX workflows which allows for multiple levels of node-based compositing on an entire editorial sequence or segments within a sequence. New Player views covered as well.
In this video, we look at Reel Groups which allow for multi-reel organization and contextual working within the Flame Family Desktop.
In this video, we examine how you can use Image Based Light to re-light keyed images to better blend them with their backgrounds.
Normally IBLs are used to relight 3D CGI to help blend live action with CG and that can also be done in Flame Premium.
Sometimes when working in an effects tool, the certain viewers "appear" to loose interactivity until you release the cursor or pen up. This video explains what this is and how to enable interactivity in all the viewers.
In this video, we focus on using projections to perform image clean-up. The same technique could be used to add extra elements into the scene as well as potential set extensions.
This includes 3D tracking, projections and a bit of regraining.
This particular workflow uses a main project as a remote collaborative environment where other creative seats can connect to work on a product as a team.
The video covers the basics concepts as well as a practical example between Flame and Flare.
In the second part of this video, we lock the projections to the surface with a duplicate camera.
We also re-introduce the foreground object into the new environment and use projections and 3D space to align it to the composite.
In this video, we take a 5K still frame and project it onto various surface objects to extrapolate a 3D scene from a flat photo.
We use the projections to help align the surface objects to create perspective and parallax.
In part 1 of Projection in Action, we cover the types of projections available in Action.
I am referring to the Projector node, Projected Texture Mapping and 3D Shape Projection.
This is packed with information about how they work and the differences.
In this video, we learn how to conform a multi-layered EDL sequence with DPX file sequences in Flame Premium 2015.
Workflow plus lots of tips and tricks along the way.
In this video, we take a look at the workflow of using the extended bicubic surface as a means of digital retouching an image.
Enhance the talents face or body with this useful technique.
In this video, we use the perspective surface to assist with stabilization and clean up instead of tracking a new object into a shot.
A very useful technique to cleaning shots where perspective is involved.
In this video, we cover the tracking workflow allows you to track the perspective of a planar surface instead of the traditional 4 corner tracking.
In this video, we look using 3D shapes to create the light wrapping effect around a keyed talent.
Using the 3D shape technology to solve a series of 2D compositing challenges.
This video covers user issues with loading TimelineFX colour correction setups in Action.
Why you don't see them, how to load them and the general workflow.
In this video, we look at a compositing technique that helps you remove objects or create a clean plate for compositing purposes.
Using the 3D shape technology to solve a series of 2D compositing challenges.
This video show you how to manage edge gradients when working with closed splines forming a 3D shape. Create round edges on 3D shapes. Also a bit of fun with Replica nodes.
This video shows you how to create 3D shapes using open mask splines. This includes using edge gradients as part of the workflow and the different options when using edge gradients.
This video covers the workflow to step or offset the timecode of a selection of clips. Very important for versioning and outputting of clips with logical timecodes.
This video goes through the workflow of setting up and importing a SVG file into Action as 3D shapes. A great way to get vector artwork into Flame Premium and convert it into 3D object with extrusions.
This video goes through the control you have when working with the extruded profile of the 3D shape.
Please note that the profile tools are also applicable to 3D Text.
This video covers the different options for combining splines when building a 3D shape. Use these functions to build complex 3D shapes when required.
This video introduces the 3D Shape in Action. Workflows are discussed and the basic fundamentals of the 3D shape are covered.
This video shows you how to always see your main Batch context even if you are editing or working on a source clip used in Batch.
This video does a brief introduction of collaborative workflows in Flame Premium 2015.
Detailed explanations of the Shared Libraries and user case scenarios are covered.
This video goes through all the functionality of the Library section of the Workspace. This includes media management and organisation.
This video goes into the Media Panel functionality in detail. This includes the Tiles View and Dual view to give a better user experience using the Media Panel.
This videos goes through all the workflows of saving, loading and deleting using the new Desktop Workflow.
This videos shows how the Desktop has become an integrate part to working with Flame Premium 2015.
This video breaks down the Project Workspace and how the Media Panel is used to show the Workspace Structure.
This video goes through the changes in Project Management and User Profiles when starting Flame Premium 2015.
This video introduces the new Desktop Workflow in Flame Premium 2015.
To save all your work, save the desktop!
This video shows assemble a bunch of source clips similar to the "Load and Join" behaviour of previous versions.
You'll see how to multi-assemble clips very quicks as well as the various options for horizontal and vertical assembly.
This video shows you how to manage a Matte Container's alpha in Batch when the Matte Container has a COMP Timeline FX.
You'll see the settings to control this as well as what to do to get the most out of Matte Containers.
This video runs through the Bilinear and Perspective Surfaces.
We cover the Bilinear surface workflow including the new workflow replacing the edit offset controls.
We also look at the difference between Bilinear and Perspective Surfaces.
This video goes through some of the extra options now available for Action Surfaces.
This includes expanding and cropping the surface as well as the surface's polygon resolution controls to efficiently use the 3D Compositing environment.
We go through all the available modes to work with this functionality as well as introduce some workflows like localised warping with the Extended Bicubic Surface.
This video goes through the Extended Bicubic Surface feature set as well as introduce workflow concepts to use the Vertices and UV point efficiently.
This video introduces the redesigned 3D surface objects in Action.
We discuss what has changed between versions, what features are now available and the benefits they bring.
This video show you how to use the adjustment offset setting available when tracking with Axis nodes in Action.
This ensures that your layers, surfaces and any other tracked object stays locked in position and lines up with your background!
This video show you how to perform offset tracking with the offset reference function in the stabilizer.
Extremely handy for tracking occluded objects, object going off-screen and impossible tracking targets.
A must for all Artists to know about!
This video gives you a quick run through of the UI updates in the Stabilizer.
Feature adjustments, feature renaming and a small bug fix covered in this video.
This video covers all the different workflows to promote your Timeline FX layer composites into flow graph nodes composites.
Both BFX and Batch creative areas are covered in this video.
This video covers the differences between the old Axis SoftFX and the new Action Timeline FX tools.
This includes the new workflows, capabilities and implications of Action as a Timeline FX.
This video covers all the aspects of the Comp Timeline FX tool.
Learn the workflows to efficiently control your layer-based composites in the Timeline.
This video shows you how to combine multiple segments with alpha in a nested container to create pre-packaged elements for versioning and ongoing campaigns.
This video shows how alpha is now handled in the Sequence.
Examine a variety of workflows with a Matte Container and the Comp Timeline FX.
This video shows the various render options available in the Timeline.
This also covers the new rendering approach to save time and disk space.
This video shows the 3-up player (triptych player) and the workflow available in every Timeline FX for time-sensitive context.
Great for shot comparison, colour matching and motion graphics work.
This video shows you how to see the contextual views when working inside a Timeline FX.
Also learn about the frame ranges now available in the Timeline FX editors.
This video shows the different player options available for playback in the timeline.
Variety of areas covered including disk caching during playback and scrubbing.
This video shows you how to copy Timeline FX from one sequence to another based on Tape name and source timecode.
This works only with Timeline FX and is great for iterations and versioning multiple edits.
This video shows you two methods to create presets with Timeline FX.
Saving presets via the Media Panel and saving presets directly accessible from the Timeline FX presets button.
This video shows you how to use the Timeline FX tools.
Areas covered include adding, modifying, copying and deleting Timeline FX.
This video gives you an introduction to the Timeline FX tools powered by the Reactor 2.0 Batch processing engine in the timeline.
See what's different compared to previous versions and how they can now benefit you.
This video shows you how to prepare clips for export with an embedded alpha channel.
You can choose between straight or premultiplied alpha depending on your settings.
This video shows you how to control the sensitivity of a slider when adjusting a value with the pen and tablet.
This video will shows you how to trim a multi-selection of segments using either gestural or the numeric trim calculator for accurate trimming.
This video shows how to use the new editorial workflow in Autodesk Flame Premium and Smoke Advanced.
Learn to organize your work to make the new workflow feel a bit more familiar and transition from previous editorial workflows to the current offerings
The final video in the workflow series shows you how to move work in any direction between the timeline, BatchFX and Batch using the BFX clip.
This is a major time-saver for all jobs as well as giving you total creative flexibility.
Starting off with a timeline, you look at how to work while considering the context of the edit.
Part 2 looks at keeping all work directly in the timeline with BatchFX
This video starts going through the story-centric workflows of Flame Premium.Starting off with a timeline, you look at how to work while considering the context of the edit.Part 1 looks at a variety of techniques including Match and Swap Shot.
This is the classic working style for seasoned Flame Artists. You’ve been given a shot and you need to do some creative work on it. You import, create, render and export. Also learn about saving work with snapshots.
In this video, you hear all about the thinking behind Flame Premium. This includes the thoughts behind the processes as well as a basic introduction to the software interface and principles.