How It's Made in VFX: A 3D Artist’s Industry Notebook

Aspect Ratio  Aspect ratio is simply the shape of your video – how wide it is compared to its height. Think of it like different picture frames: 16:9  > Standard widescreen (YouTube, most TVs) 9:16  > Vertical videos (Instagram Reels, TikTok, Shorts) 1:1  > Square format (classic Instagram posts) 2.39:1  > Anamorphic (film/ cinema look, allows for a wider field of view, used in movies for that epic feel) If you’d like to dive deeper into picture frames and aspect ratios, you can read more here:  Aspect ratio (image) – Wikipedia Safe Margins (Title Safe & Action Safe) Back in the TV days, screens used to cut off the edges. To be safe, the Safe Margin was created: Title Safe  > The inner box. Keep all text here so nothing gets chopped off Action Safe  > The larger box. Keep important action inside so the audience sees it all Rule of Thirds Divide the frame into a 3x3 grid. Placing your subject ...

Each animation uses ease-in/ease-out and loops at different frame rates, providing a visual comparison. Keep in mind that not all monitors can display above 30 or 60 FPS, it depends on the hardware. The good news is that as technology advances, monitors become more affordable while better options also enter the market to meet consumer demand. FPS stands for F rames P er S econd. In motion graphics, we write it after a number (e.g., 24 fps) to show how many frames appear each second, similar to PPI (Pixels Per Inch) or DPI (Dots Per Inch) in a still image. Generally, higher frame rates look smoother, but they also require more storage space. 8 FPS 1 second = 8 frames 15 FPS 1 second = 15 frames 24 FPS 1 second = 24 frames 30 FPS 1 second = 30 frames 60 FPS 1 second = 60 ...

When it comes to movies and TV, you often hear the terms special effects (SFX) and visual effects (VFX) . They are not the same, and knowing the difference makes a big difference in understanding how the magic happens on screen.   Image credit: "Cómo se ven las películas modernas sin los efectos especiales" by Periodismo.com, used for educational purposes.  Special effects are real-life effects created on set and captured directly by the camera . Think explosions, fire, rain, smoke, or even mechanical creatures. They are tangible and happen in the moment, which gives a sense of realism that can be hard to replicate digitally (today it is not the case anymore since the technology and education has changes since 1980s). Visual effects happen after filming , in post-production. These are digital manipulations and enhancements added by a CG or VFX team . VFX can remove objects, create environments, add creatures, or make something impossible in real life come to life on screen...