The Art and Science of Digital Compositing: Techniques for Visual Effects, Animation and Motion Graphics (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics)

Clear and concise about what it does and what it doesn't, put simply if you're only going to buy one book on compositing then this is the one to get - even if you have the first edition consider getting this; the layout has been greatly enhanced with the colour coded sections which make it easier to read and more noticeable the colour images which are used to great effect are now easier to understand. Staying away from being a program's manual it instead focuses on the techniques and principles which are always explained simply whilst giving hints and prods as to, artistically, make what you doing a better piece - this book is widely known as the compositors bible, and upon reading it you to will wonder what you did without it.

I bought this book whilst considering making a career change into the VFX field. I still haven't made that jump, but I found the book a really interesting read. It covered lots of useful topics, and gave me an interesting grounding in the subject. I don't doubt that were I involved in the field, it would be a daily reference manual!

I bought this book for my son who is doing tv and film production at college. He couldn't put it down and read it from cover to cover. Said it was one of the best presents he'd had!

All good everything as it was said. + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Great book, helped me immensely with my exams. Thanks!

I can't recommend this enough - the definitive overview of the subject, from the most basic principles of how we and the camera see the world to in-depth compositing examples from major movies, it's got something for everyone. Even if you already know pretty much all of it, Brinkman's lucid and perfectly laid out overview is packed with fascinating detail, so it's ideal for both practising compositors and anyone who wants to get a broad understanding of the field. As one of the guys who originally developed Shake (but note that the book is not in any way application specific), he really knows what he's talking about from the inside and he's drawn on a wealth of experience from colleagues at the very top of their game. He writes simply and well about even the most complicated stuff. It's a book every compositor will want to have and keep handy - the excellent structure means it's a great work of reference. My only reservation is that for me I could have done with more detailed discussion of the "techniques" of the title, as apart from the specific movie examples at the end of the book (which are written up by the teams that executed those individual projects rather than Brinkman himself and are of varying usefulness), it's much more a work of theory and principles than it is of specifics. This new edition is pretty much right up to date but the author is the first to admit that it's an incredibly rapidly evolving discipline. All in all, well worth the investment.

This is an brilliant book which is pretty future proof. It has great content on techniques used, and lots of case studies including scenes from Star Wars, Titanic,and lots more

This book really is the compositors Bible. Everything is in here. It won't give you a tutorial a copy. But it will give you real understanding to the methods and terminology. It's a huge high quality book. This isn't a pick up and read, but it's a book to reference from and read sections that you need help with. If you want to be a compositor, you need this.

I started my career in visual effects around the same time the first edition was published and have referenced it constantly through out the 9+ years. I bought the 2nd edition for two reasons, my copy of the first edition was falling apart and nostalgia. I was not expecting much new information and was mostly just looking for an intact copy of the first edition with a few new tidbits here and there. I could not have been more wrong. The second edition has so much NEW information in it was like reading a time capsule of the technological advances of the last ten years. There is not a topic or subject used in compositing that is not covered here. Only two books have sat on my desk my entire career, the first edition and the cinematographers manual. I have read many books available on visual effects, but none compare, honestly. The main reason for that is complete software independence, not partial, complete. There is no other book that teaches you the raw knowledge you need to be an artist. Anyone can teach you how to push certain buttons of a specific app, this is the only book that clearly teaches you when to push them and why. Artists in today's marketplace need a deep core knowledge of what the software packages are doing so that they can easily switch to other packages. This is especially true in feature film compositing where the industry is at a point of impasse and there is no clear winner of the package wars, fingers crossed for NUKE ;). There is no standard tool anymore so the best way to stay employable is to know what this book teaches, the math, the science, the art. This book is chock full of examples, color photos and production examples. Whether you've been at this for a while or are new to the art, own this book. Own it for years and years and years. Yes, it's more expensive then any other book on the subject but it is worth so much more then the others that it will pay for itself very quickly. If you already have the other books, sell them, get this.

Ein absolutes Muss, wenn man richtig in die Materie eintauchen möchte bzw. muss.

de primeras contentisimo! lo adquirí de segunda mano por 11 euros, una autentica ganga y para mi sorpresa incluye el CD. El libro esta totalmente nuevo. Además es un tochazo, no esperaba tanto. Solo he leido el indice y ya estoy contentisimo por la cantidad de informacion y conocimiento que me va a dar! editaré una vez leido

.... pour toute personne se consacrant à travailler dans l'industrie du VFX. A garder sur sa table de chevet et à relire régulièrement. Dommage qu'il n'y est pas de traduction française.

Ive only read one chapter so far and am very impressed. The information is up to date, clear and concise, as well as really practical. I felt like it brought me up to speed on the current practices in VFX.