Nuke Course

Lesson 1 • Reading and Writing Media in Nuke

Teaches Read and Write node configuration for common formats and colour spaces. Directly enables students to load footage and export results.

Lesson 2 • Project Settings and Colour Management

Configures frame rate, resolution, and OCIO colour pipeline at the project level. Prevents downstream errors caused by mismatched project parameters.

Lesson 3 • Node-Based Compositing Philosophy

Explains the directed acyclic graph model versus layer-based compositing. Grounds students in the logic that drives every Nuke workflow.

Lesson 1 • Organising and Annotating Node Graphs

Covers Backdrop nodes, Dot nodes, and naming conventions for readable graphs. Builds professional habits that scale to complex multi-shot pipelines.

Lesson 2 • Merge Node Operations and Blend Modes

Covers over, under, plus, screen, and multiply merge operations with practical use cases. Forms the core toolkit for combining any two image streams.

Lesson 3 • Basic Colour Correction Nodes

Introduces Grade, ColourCorrect, and Saturation nodes for primary adjustments. Provides the colour vocabulary needed before tackling advanced grading chapters.

Lesson 4 • Understanding Alpha Channels and Premultiplication

Explains straight versus premultiplied alpha and correct handling in the pipeline. Prevents fringing and incorrect blending artefacts in all composites.

Lesson 1 • Despill and Colour Matching Keyed Elements

Applies HueCorrect and colour correction to remove screen colour contamination. Ensures keyed subjects integrate convincingly into replacement backgrounds.

Lesson 2 • Green Screen Keying with Keylight and IBK

Applies Keylight and IBKColour nodes to pull initial keys from chroma footage. Establishes the primary matte workflow used in most VFX productions.

Lesson 3 • Matte Refinement and Edge Treatment

Uses Erode, Blur, and HueCorrect nodes to clean core mattes and restore edge detail. Directly improves composite believability at subject boundaries.

Lesson 1 • Integrating Roto Mattes into Composites

Connects Roto outputs to Merge and Grade nodes for targeted corrections. Demonstrates how shape mattes drive selective compositing operations.

Lesson 2 • RotoPaint for Paint and Clone Work

Uses RotoPaint brushes, clone, and reveal tools for frame-by-frame paint fixes. Extends matte work into wire removal and object cleanup tasks.

Lesson 3 • Animating Roto Shapes Over Time

Covers keyframe animation, shape tangent editing, and the Dope Sheet for roto shapes. Enables accurate matte tracking across moving subjects.

Lesson 1 • 2D Point Tracking with the Tracker Node

Configures the Tracker node for single and multi-point 2D tracking. Provides the foundational motion data used by transforms and stabilisation.

Lesson 2 • Planar Tracking with PlanarTracker

Uses the PlanarTracker node to track flat surfaces for screen replacements and sign inserts. Extends tracking capability to complex perspective-changing planes.

Lesson 3 • Stabilisation and Smooth Camera Motion

Applies Tracker stabilise mode and SmoothCam to reduce unwanted camera movement. Prepares footage for clean compositing without motion artefacts.

Lesson 1 • Integrating CG Renders into Live Plates

Composites multi-pass CG renders using Z-depth, normals, and light passes. Achieves photorealistic integration of rendered elements with live-action footage.

Lesson 2 • Depth of Field and Lens Effects in 3D

Applies ZDefocus and lens distortion nodes driven by 3D camera data. Matches CG depth of field to the live plate for perceptual realism.

Lesson 3 • Nuke 3D Workspace Fundamentals

Introduces Scene, Camera, and ScanlineRender nodes for building a 3D composite environment. Establishes the spatial framework required for all 3D compositing tasks.

Lesson 4 • Importing and Placing 3D Geometry

Loads OBJ and Alembic geometry, applies materials, and positions objects in 3D space. Enables CG asset placement for projection and shadow-catcher workflows.

Lesson 1 • Skin Tone and Selective Colour Correction

Isolates skin tones and specific hue ranges using keyer-driven masks for targeted correction. Protects critical image areas while grading surrounding elements independently.

Lesson 2 • Advanced Grading with HueCorrect and Curves

Applies HueCorrect, ColourLookup, and Curves nodes for targeted hue and tonal manipulation. Enables precise creative and corrective grading beyond primary controls.

Lesson 3 • HDR and Wide Gamut Workflows

Configures Nuke for HDR deliverables using scene-linear and wide-gamut colour spaces. Prepares students for modern streaming and theatrical output requirements.

Lesson 1 • Python Scripting for Nuke Automation

Uses Nuke's Python API to automate node creation, property setting, and batch operations. Dramatically reduces manual work on repetitive pipeline tasks.

Lesson 2 • Gizmos, Groups, and Custom Toolsets

Encapsulates node networks into Groups and Gizmos for reuse and sharing across a team. Reduces repetitive setup and enforces consistency across multiple artists.

Lesson 3 • Script Performance and Memory Optimisation

Applies caching strategies, proxy workflows, and node pruning to improve script performance. Ensures large scripts remain responsive during interactive compositing sessions.

Lesson 4 • Render Farm Submission and Management

Configures Write nodes and submission scripts for distributed render farm execution. Enables scalable rendering of complex scripts beyond a single workstation.