Compositing software

[mtanasiewicz]

Hello,

I'm working for years with Photoshop to composite my renders, and right now I'm getting annoyed about its limitations when working in 32bit color space. Is there any other(better) software for compositing? What are You guys working with? I heard a lot about after effects, but I need a professional advice. Maybe there is something even better than AE.

Best regards,

[CiroC]

By no means I am expert on the subject, but you could have a look at Fusion 8 from Black Magic

[maru]

By no means I am expert on the subject, but you could have a look at Fusion 8 from Black Magic

Same here. ;)

[mtanasiewicz]

How does it compare to After Effects?

[CiroC]

You can see more information here : https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/gb/products/fusion

For a start you work with nodes instead of layers, which I personally find more intuitive. You also have the benefit of import 3D models and render them.

As I said, I am not an expert on the subject, but I have been using on and off Fusion for a couple of years. Now that is free is on my To Learn Better list.

[vkiuru]

I tried to Google more information and browse Youtube for examples but couldn´t find anything that would be an 100% answer.. does Fusion fully support 32BIT EXR, and how are 3rd party plugins that woud allow glare/glow, accurate DOF kind of effects?

[CiroC]

Under the Fusion 8 Features it says:

Seamlessly blend floating point, 64 bit and 32 bit images without concern.

I just opened a 32Bit image on Fusion 8 beta.

Download the Beta version or Fusion 7 and try. It is free.

[Ludvik Koutny]

How does it compare to After Effects?

Compared to AE fusion 8 basic version is free even for commercial use. And free version is very very powerful. It all comes down to if you like layer based or node based compositing more. In general, Fusion can do a lot more than AE, but you need to wrap your head around nodes (which are lot more powerful in the end). On the other hand, if you do many very simple and quick compositions, then AE may be better fit.

[mtanasiewicz]

Rawalanche thank You. I think node workflow might suit me as I learned 3dmax slate material editor from the beginning, so the subject is familiar to me :). But I'm used to photoshop layer system. I'll give it a try especially it is free :)

[maru]

Not sure, but I think Blender is another app that has some node-based compositing capabilities.

[CiroC]

DaVinci Resolve 11 from Blackmagic also allows you to do some composition, although this software is more towards colour correction and other adjustments. Again there is a free version even for commercial work, if I am not wrong.