What is Nuke? What is Compositing?
Nuke is a "node-based compositor." Compositing is adding together or modifying images. Nuke allows you to use two (or more) images or series of images together, for example, combining an actress filmed in a studio with a video of a location. You can also add in 3D things from applications like Maya, and you can even make 3D image pans from still pictures. Compositing is usually near the end of the pipeline.
What is a Node?
A node is a piece of code that does a specific operation to something. In Nuke, it usually works on images. Nodes can be linked together to further change different settings. Nuke allows you to move nodes wherever you want - as long as it is connected, you can move it without changing what it does. You can click on nodes and drag the "pipe" around to connect nodes. In Nuke, nodes can be used really quickly in addition to hotkeys to change what you want to look at. They can be disconnected easily as well. Since you can freely move nodes around, you can organize them in different ways to match how you like to work.
What is a Node Property? What is the Properties Bin?
Double left click to open a node in the property bin. The properties bin is very similar to other 3D applications in that it's basically a toolbox window in the app that shows and allows you to edit the settings of that node. Node properties are just the settings of that node - things like the dimensions, the colors, strength or weakness of the effect, and much more.
Reading Images into Nuke and Project Settings
Reading images is usually the first part of working with Nuke. You can left-click and drag from a folder into the node graph. When you do that, Nuke acts as links to the files in your directory, so if you modify the name or location, it won't work. You can also use the hotkey R over the node graph to read them in, or selection the "read" option in the toolbar. Basically, "reading" is the same as opening files in other applications. Nuke allows you to read in image sequences if you numbered your files in a logical way.
Project Settings are basically the settings you'd tweak in any program - in Nuke you can change the fps, resolution, format, and things like that.
What are Merging and Alphas?
There is a simple merge node that allows you to do just that - merge inputs together. The merge node has multiple ways of merging. For some of them, the order of inputs matters, like in "over" it basically sets the A input over the B input.
An Alpha channel is the channel that tells Nuke how much of one input needs to be kept and what can be show the background through. With alphas, white = keep and black = throw out or show through.
What is Rotoscoping? How can I create an Alpha?
Rotoscoping is sort of a way to create a new alpha channel, and you can use a Roto node to do this. The merge node described earlier has a "mask" pipe that allows you to input the Roto node in. The Roto node allows you to draw shapes, like with a bezier curve. You can feather the shape to make a softer edge, and tweak the image to fix anything that might need it.
What is color correction?
Color correction is just that - correcting colors. You can use a Color Correct node, and then tweak the settings from there. You want to color correct the different elements of your composition to make it look like a natural image, so nothing sticks out as fake. Color Correct allows you to tweak saturation, contrast, gamma, gain, and offset for the master, shadows, midtones and highlights. You want the color corrections to be subtle, but effective.
Writing images out of Nuke and Next Steps
You can go to your "write" node or hit the W key. In the properties bin, you can give it a file name and select the filetype. It is important to add the file extension to the end of the file name. You can write out a sequence by choosing the frame range, but you'll need to change the naming so that it understands to make new names for each file. You can write multiple nodes at once, or single them out by choosing "write selected." All in all, writing out is basically the same as rendering and/or exporting.
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