Product Description

*The classic reference, with over 25,000 copies in print, has been massively expanded and thoroughly updated to include state-of-the-art methods and 400+ all-new full color images!

At ILM, compositing is one of the most important tools we use. If you want to learn more, this excellent 2nd-edition is detailed with hundreds of secrets that will help make your comps seamless. For beginners or experts, Ron walks you through the processes of analysis and workflows - linear thinking which will help you become deft and successfully tackle any shot.
- Dennis Muren ASC, Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Industrial Light & Magic

Ron Brinkman's book is the definitive work on digital compositing and we have depended on this book as a critical part of our in-house training program at Imageworks since the 1999 Edition. We use this book as a daily textbook and reference for our lighters, compositors and anyone working with digital imagery. It is wonderful to see a new edition being released and it will certainly be required reading for all our digital artists here at Imageworks.
- Sande Scoredos, Executive Director of Training & Artist Development, Sony Pictures Imageworks

The Art and Science of Digital Compositing is the only complete overview of the technical and artistic nature of digital compositing. It covers a wide range of topics from basic image creation, representation and manipulation, to a look at the visual cues that are necessary to create a believable composite. Designed as an introduction to the field, as well as an authoritative technical reference, this book provides essential information for novices and professionals alike.

*17 new case-studies provide in-depth looks at the compositing work done on films such as Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Golden Compass, The Incredibles, King Kong, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Sin City, Spider-Man 2, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith.

*The accompanying DVD-ROM features bonus resources, including example footage from hit films and projects that give readers hands-on experience with real industry materials.

*Includes new sections on 3D compositing, High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, Rotoscoping, and much more!

*17 new case-studies provide in-depth looks at the compositing work done on films such as Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Golden Compass, The Incredibles, King Kong, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Sin City, Spider-Man 2, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith.

*The accompanying DVD-ROM features bonus resources, including example footage from hit films and projects that give readers hands-on experience with real industry materials.

*Includes new sections on 3D compositing, High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, Rotoscoping, and much more!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56453 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 704 pages

Review
*17 new case-studies provide in-depth looks at the compositing work done on films such as Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Golden Compass, The Incredibles, King Kong, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Sin City, Spider-Man 2, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith.

*The accompanying DVD-ROM features bonus resources, including example footage from hit films and projects that give readers hands-on experience with real industry materials.

*Includes new sections on 3D compositing, High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, Rotoscoping, and much more!

About the Author
Ron M. Brinkmann has been working in the field of Computer Graphics for over a decade, involved with both hardware and software design, development and use. His primary field of expertise is in visual effects for feature films, and his personal feature-film credits include: Contact, The Ghost and the Darkness, James and the Giant Peach, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Speed, Hideaway, Tall Tale, Last Action Hero, and In the Line of Fire. He has had articles published in a number of magazines, and has lectured on the topics of digital compositing and visual effects in the U.S., Europe, Australia and China.

Customer Reviews

The compositor's bible
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.

The book to have if you want to be a compositor
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.