Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Great compositing starts long before the first node is placed. This FMX presentation from Giorgio Pitino, Group Head of 2D at Outpost VFX, digs into the critical thinking behind tackling shots on major projects like The Lost Bus and Nautilus — and why your eye matters as much as your toolset.
This presentation covers how to run effective briefing calls, how to extract subtle cues from a plate, and how to use that information to drive technical decisions instead of just reacting to it. From there, Giorgio breaks down Nuke script architecture and CG/DMP integration strategies that keep scripts light and renders fast, before looking at where AI and ML tools fit into the modern compositor's toolkit.
Chapters:
00:00 — Introduction to efficient Nuke compositing
01:09 — Pre-production planning and show briefing
03:06 — Principles of clean and scalable Nuke scripts
04:03 — Structuring node graphs: Top-to-bottom and B-pipe
06:44 — Maintaining script clarity and node defaults
08:38 — Detecting upward arrows and managing script performance
10:53 — Keying fundamentals and plate analysis in Wicked
14:35 — CG integration and pruning unused AOVs
18:45 — Optimizing DMP layers with auto-crop tools
22:41 — Bounding box warning preferences and overscan
23:48 — Machine learning in Cattery: RIFE retiming
28:48 — Interactive segmentation with Segment Anything
32:25 — Refining edge mattes with BitMat
35:51 — Training neural networks efficiently with CopyCat
🔗 Helpful Links:
➡ Download the free trial https://www.foundry.com/products/nuke...
➡ Find out more about Nuke 17.1 https://campaigns.foundry.com/product...
➡ See the full list of new features and updates https://learn.foundry.com/nuke/17.1v1...
Follow Foundry:
instagram.com/foundryteam
linkedin.com/company/foundryteam
Go behind the scenes with the artists, studios, and tech shaping the future of VFX and animation: foundry.com/insights
About Us:
Foundry creates award-winning creative software so global studios can turn incredible ideas into reality.
Subscribe to our channel and get the latest news, tutorials, webinars and updates from the Foundry team.
Great compositing starts long before the first node is placed. This FMX presentation from Giorgio Pitino, Group Head of 2D at Outpost VFX, digs into the critical thinking behind tackling shots on major projects like The Lost Bus and Nautilus — and why your eye matters as much as your toolset.
This presentation covers how to run effective briefing calls, how to extract subtle cues from a plate, and how to use that information to drive technical decisions instead of just reacting to it. From there, Giorgio breaks down Nuke script architecture and CG/DMP integration strategies that keep scripts light and renders fast, before looking at where AI and ML tools fit into the modern compositor's toolkit.
Chapters:
00:00 — Introduction to efficient Nuke compositing
01:09 — Pre-production planning and show briefing
03:06 — Principles of clean and scalable Nuke scripts
04:03 — Structuring node graphs: Top-to-bottom and B-pipe
06:44 — Maintaining script clarity and node defaults
08:38 — Detecting upward arrows and managing script performance
10:53 — Keying fundamentals and plate analysis in Wicked
14:35 — CG integration and pruning unused AOVs
18:45 — Optimizing DMP layers with auto-crop tools
22:41 — Bounding box warning preferences and overscan
23:48 — Machine learning in Cattery: RIFE retiming
28:48 — Interactive segmentation with Segment Anything
32:25 — Refining edge mattes with BitMat
35:51 — Training neural networks efficiently with CopyCat
🔗 Helpful Links:
➡ Download the free trial https://www.foundry.com/products/nuke...
➡ Find out more about Nuke 17.1 https://campaigns.foundry.com/product...
➡ See the full list of new features and updates https://learn.foundry.com/nuke/17.1v1...
Follow Foundry:
instagram.com/foundryteam
linkedin.com/company/foundryteam
Go behind the scenes with the artists, studios, and tech shaping the future of VFX and animation: foundry.com/insights
About Us:
Foundry creates award-winning creative software so global studios can turn incredible ideas into reality.
Subscribe to our channel and get the latest news, tutorials, webinars and updates from the Foundry team.
