The best kind of VFX is the kind that makes the audience wonder if it’s real or not. Have you ever thought about how the visually mesmerizing world of James Cameron’s Avatar was brought to life on screen, or how the larger-than-life battles in the Lord of the Rings movie sage were made? Each of the mentioned cinematic marvels was achieved with the help of visual effects of VFX and their magic & innovation.
Over the years, VFX software and tools have drastically evolved, thereby allowing filmmakers to push forward the barriers of reality and imagination. Let us consider the final movie of the Harry Potter franchise, The Deathly Hallows: Part II, as an example. It featured breathtaking VFX and CGI which were no less than revolutionary, especially when we consider the fact that the film was made and released more than a decade ago.
It leveraged advanced tactics of motion capture, complex green screen setups, as well as high-fidelity rendering applications to give birth to fascinating visuals. However, it is important to note that the film was supported by a mega-budget, which is not always the case.
In contrast, let us take another example into consideration: District 9, a sci-fi film that was released in 2009 and had a limited budget. Despite having little financial support, the film managed to make a massive impact.
The alien film stood out from the rest of its competition thanks to its innovative usage of practical effects mixed with exceptional digital enhancements. Its seamless blending of CGI with the live-action footage, smart usage of motion capture, as well as the way in which it humanized aliens with the help of intricate or simple animations of characters, exhibited the potential of using VFX tools creatively.
The world of VFX is dynamic and ever-evolving, with new and better tools & tactics continuously emerging. In this blog, we will take a closer look at what VFX is and shed light on 10 of the most popular VFX tools that every aspiring VFX artist should know about. Let us dive right into it:
What is VFX?
Visual effects (VFX) is the process by which imagery is created, altered, or enhanced for live-action media. This is media that could not be captured during filming due to costs, danger, impracticality, or improbability.
VFX allows for the integration of live-action footage and visual effects to create cinematic magic. Though used interchangeably VFX, CGI, and Special Effects are different. Special Effects are captured live, without the aid of a computer. CGI is anything that is digitally created. Visual effects (VFX) are created by using a combination of digital imagery and live-action shots.
9 Popular VFX tools to meet all your Visual Effects Software Needs
VFX tools, though plenty, have various unique features that make each one worth knowing. Here are some of the most popular ones that we definitely recommend.
Postudio
In terms of VFX, Postudio offers you quite the suite! But first, you must be wondering what Postudio is. Postudio is an amazing on-demand, completely online platform that offers its community of users the best of the best post-production essential tools and software, including video editing tools such as Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and more!
It’s a collaborative platform that allows you to create with your team, no matter how geographically close or distant. The clincher? All you need is a browser and a decent internet connection and Postudio handles the rest of it for you! Think of it as a creator’s OS or a complete post – production suite that has all the software, hardware, and storage you need to carry out a video project. All online! This makes it the perfect choice for VFX professionals.
Now, to EVERYTHING Postudio can offer you in terms of Improving your VFX work. The Postudio VFX suite includes the following software:
- Blender
- Cinema4D
- Unreal Engine
- After Effects
- And there are more to come
The best part is you can use all of this at a super affordable ‘pay-for-only-what-you-use’ price! It’s convenient and optimal, and it removes all the technical obstacles from your creative production process.
Autodesk Maya
Maya is a 3D software known for creating animation and dynamic effects. This Autodesk VFX tool can help you create expansive worlds, dazzling effects, complex scenes and 3D characters, and realistic environments. Maya stands to be one of the most popular and user-friendly software. It has amazing features and a wide range of tools that allow artists to create 3D models, and animation and is also great for rendering.
Maya is available in more than 30+ countries around the world. Students and teachers can get Maya for free, while businesses are offered the free VFX software for a trial period of a month after which they have to pay for a subscription.
Maya uses the Arnold rendering engine, which makes good use of the CPU and GPU. The software comes with various templates and features to create lifelike creatures and visual effects animation. It has been used by industry professionals in commercial projects like Harry Potter and Kung fu Panda. It is a popular choice among VFX professionals.
Adobe After Effects
Adobe After Effects is a VFX software with some amazing features and professional tools available around the world. Adobe has great resources for all your post-production needs. Whether you’re a pro or a beginner, adobe allows you to add visual effects to as many videos as you like.
In its release of Adobe’s After Effects Version 22.1.1 before January 2022, Adobe added new features. This VFX video editing software included new features such as a universal text engine and a C4D R25 update.
Adobe After Effects is mainly used for video compositing and manipulation. Its software advantages lie in keying, animation, and interactive motion graphics. Superheroes falling from the sky, gunshots, and dust storms are just some of the effects that Adobe offers.
There is also a free demo video and tons of tutorial videos available on various websites including their own. Artists can get in contact with tech support on both desktop and mobile apps. The technical support is available by chat or you can also email customer support about any issues you’re facing.
Cinema 4D
With an intuitive UI and a wide array of tools, Cinema 4D can cater to both a beginner and a pro. It’s one of the best virtual production tools available for 3D artists, and its software integrates well with Adobe After Effects and Illustrator if you’re looking to work on them simultaneously on your creations.
Artists can get creative with their extensive collection of presets for different stages of production. It brags about advanced features like UV mapping, 3D scene manager, etc. However, the software is also quite expensive, the annual plan works out cheaper as compared to the monthly plan. Or the more affordable option is to use it on Postudio as mentioned above.
Blender
Blender is an open-source software with animation tools besides features for rigging, composition tools, etc. Easily one of the best free software for artists and 3D modeling. It is constantly coming out with new updates and primary tools. These updates mean that it’s constantly improving and so provides absolute ease when it comes to usability.
Blender also manages to output high-quality renders. Since Blender is open-source, individual users can customize your plugins. That is if you’re not satisfied with the abundance of plugins already available.
The community is reliable and helpful and the software can be easily integrated into other 3D ones in the market. It’s the best place to be, especially if you’re a game developer or a 3D artist A con would be that it has a steep learning curve, but once you clear that, it’s easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Nuke
Nuke features advanced software and creative tools such as 3D camera tracking and correcting. These prove very useful in VFX production. It has a node-based design instead of a layer type. This design isn’t much of an obstacle once you see how it logically fits.
Nuke is an industry-grade software with huge support from the community. Nuke was exercised in films like Avatar and Black Swan. Pro: It’s niche and powerful and can improve your skills as an artist. A huge con though is the price. The complete studio with additional tools can cost $5779 annually.
Autodesk 3ds Max
3ds is another product Autodesk offers, 3ds Max is software widely used to develop video games. It was used in World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, etc. It was also a key component in the making of X-Men, Avatar, and more.
3ds Max is also very popular in the architectural modeling industry and is often utilized for interior designing. Max is also known for texturing and rendering so you get quick and smooth results. It also allows you to save your work to their cloud.
Houdini
Released in 1996, Houdini by SideFX is still one of the most popular platforms today for VFX. It has various modules for destruction FX, pyro FX, grain, simulating fluids etc. It can be used alongside other VFX software tools like 3DS and Maya. It is a fan-favorite and is very frequently used by Sony Pictures.
One of its unique selling points is that it uses very little memory while rendering. While Houdini FX does have a free version, it only offers basic tools and options. The paid version comes at a lofty price of $6995.
HitFilm Pro
HitFilm Pro by FXhome is a good video effects software for 3D image synthesis. It works well with 8k video features, 2D and 3D motion tracking, and it gives its users access to more than 800 VFX presets.
This software is the industry-leading, and a highly powerful tool for special effects and can be used by novices as well as creative professionals. HitFilm Pro gives you full creative control over color correction and edge detailing, making for very real characters. It comes with several plugins and is available for use at $583.20.
Conclusion
VFX takes us on a path to escape reality or more precisely, make it slightly less monotonous. It is an exceptional skill to have, and all of the aforementioned tools are very powerful for creating and working with visual effects. With the help of VFX, individuals can transform regular raw footage into new realms of fantasy and magic.
Some of the aforementioned tools are readily available on Postudio, a platform that is popular for streamlining professionals’ creative workflow. Explore what Postudio has to offer and how the offerings can aid content creators in elevating their project’s visual storytelling and bring your thoughts and ideas to life here.
