Visual Effects Composites Learning Path

What You’ll Learn

Visual effects composites put real people into scenes that could never be photographed, and make them believable. The Visual Effects Composites Learning Path collects seven of PHLEARN’s classic projects from 2014 to 2016, in the order they were released. Each one is a complete image from the shoot to the final color: subjects cut out with the Pen tool, perspective, light and color matched across many photos, and effects like fire, splashes and levitation built by hand.

• 1. Composite from a green screen Last Athlete: a sky and background built from scratch, the athlete cut out, light sources colored and wings added.
• 2. Build a liquid portrait Liquid Portrait: an arm composited in, a neck extended, skin and eyes retouched, and liquid splashes built around the subject.
• 3. Create a fire portrait Light My Fire: LAB color, textures, dodge and burn, color toning and Liquify for a stylized visual effects portrait.
• 4. Make someone float Rebirth: a person suspended in the air, cut out with the Pen tool, the stand removed, the ceiling patched and the hair blended back in.
• 5. Build a realistic scene The Outlaws: background photos stitched together, several subjects cut out, shadows, highlights and color matched, and fire added.
• 6. Change the size of a person A Giant Ego: a person scaled to giant size in a new place, with perspective, color, edge halos and hair all matched.
• 7. Composite a whole shoot The Flood: raw files culled in Lightroom, several photos combined in Photoshop, colors matched, skin retouched and the image sharpened.

Who This Path Is For

Photographers who shoot for composites, compositors who want believable rather than fantastical results, and anyone who learned with the AI tools and wants the hand techniques underneath them.

You should know layers and masks. The Flood at the end is the gentlest project and a good first composite if you are newer.

What You Need

• Photoshop Any recent version. The techniques are manual and work the same today.
• Lightroom Classic Used in The Flood for culling and raw processing.
• Sample files Included for every project, including the original shoots.
• A tablet Helpful for the hair and painted effects.

For believable composites with today’s tools, see the Everyday Compositing Learning Path.

How Long It Takes

Seven projects and 44 lessons, about 17 hours of video. Last Athlete is the longest at over three and a half hours; Light My Fire and Rebirth are under an hour and a half. At one project a week, plan on about two months.

Each project stands alone. If you are new to compositing, start with The Flood at step seven and work back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a PHLEARN PRO membership?

Yes. This is a PRO Learning Path, so all seven projects and their sample files are included with a membership.

Are these tutorials out of date?

The interface has changed, but the method has not. Cutting out, perspective, matching light and color, and painting effects work exactly the same today, with or without AI.

Why are they in this order?

They are in the order they were made, from 2014 to 2016, so the path reads as a tour of the projects. Each one stands alone.

Where should a beginner start?

With The Flood, the last step. It is the gentlest project and takes one composite from the raw files to the finished image.

Visual Effects Composites or Fantasy Composites?

Visual Effects Composites puts real people into impossible but believable scenes. Fantasy Composites builds imaginary creatures and worlds.

Where to Go Next

• Fantasy Composites Learning Path The classic fantasy composites.
• Everyday Compositing Learning Path Believable composites with the current tools.
• Cutouts & Backgrounds Learning Path The cutout skills these projects depend on.
• Compositing Projects Learning Path More projects, building to landscapes from stock.