Am I being stupid for trying to learn both compositing and 3D?

A question for the more experienced people.

Am I being stupid?

I’ve been studying VFX with real focus for about a year now. During this time, I’ve been committed to learning compositing and 3D (modeling, texturing, rigging, and animation).

I honestly don’t know which one to choose. Is it stupid to want to learn all of this?

I can handle some simple comp shots on my own, like roto, cleanup, tracking, and keying. I can also model a simple environment prop, do the UVs, and create a basic texture with a simple shader.

So I consider myself a junior.

Am I being stupid?

Is it really possible to learn all of these things, or should I focus on just one and forget about the others?

https://redd.it/1qryhu9
@vfxbackup

We got tired of Frame.io's pricing and clunky alternatives. So we built our own review platform.

# Let me guess: You're either paying $$$+/month for Frame-io, or you've tried the "cheaper alternatives" that promise the same features but fall apart when you actually need them for client reviews.

We're a 20+ year old production company, and we felt the same pain. After a year of dogfooding our own solution with real clients and real projects, we knew exactly what was broken with existing platforms – and what actually matters in production workflows.

So we rebuilt everything from scratch.

**FrameReview does what Frame-io does (and more), but:**

* Actually affordable pricing
* Handles video, images, audio, AND 3D models in one place
* Time-synced comments that work intuitively
* Version control that doesn't require a PhD to understand
* Built by people who actually use these tools daily, not just developers who think they know what we need

We're not trying to reinvent the wheel – we're just building the platform we wish existed. No VC bullshit, no feature bloat, just a solid tool that works the way production professionals actually work.

Check it out at [framereview.com](http://framereview.com/)

Happy to answer questions about features, pricing, or the tech stack if anyone's curious.

https://redd.it/1qs1xax
@vfxbackup

Insta 360 X5 vs GoPro Max 2 for HDRI

Hi!

I saw that the GP Max 2 can make HDRI with a software update and I am curious if anyone have worked with it or had the opportunity to compare them to ones made with an insta 360 .

What caught my attention is that the Max 2 seems to make HDRI from pictures taken in JPEG and not in raw as the 360.

As I am planning to buy a 360 cam for the specific purpose of making quick HDRI what is your recommendation? (I know the Ricoh is better than those two but it’s out of my budget)

Thanks!

https://redd.it/1qszbym
@vfxbackup

Alternatives to vimeo for demoreel hosting?

I've been using vimeo for a while to host my demoreel - useful since it's allowing me to keep a permanent link when updating it.



However, recently it won't let me log into my account without age verification, which I'd rather avoid to do. The platform has also gotten progressively worse with upload limits etc over the past years, so I'd like to move on.


What platforms are you using? Gdrive? Youtube? Any good alternatives?




https://redd.it/1qt0kts
@vfxbackup

I'm beyond depressed.

I'm absolutely lost.

I have no idea what to pursue. I'm stuck in a fuckass country that doesn't even pay shit no matter how big the outsourced "Hollywood project" is. And where the work isn't worth the showreel because it's some Dumbass work.

I really wanna go out of the country, study, work, etc but I'm terrified because I know the industry I really like is is fucking dying and/or is broken at the moment. I don't know what to pursue anymore. I literally do not enjoy anything other than post production and VFX. Game Dev is sad, VFX is sad, editing is getting sad. I'm really stumped and overwhelmed. I don't wanna keep being dependent on my family or their money all my life.

https://redd.it/1qvk7dc
@vfxbackup

VFX/Environment Replacement Help/Guidance

I'm a videographer trying to dive into greenscreening myself and other people into digital 3d environments. Mostly for fun, but also eventually as a nice backpocket tool if ever needed. I've dived into blender a handful of times before (did the donut tut like 6 times over 6 years), but never got too far and I'm pretty rusty still. A lot of tuts I've watched currently and in the past seem to skip over a bunch of important info imo, but maybe that's just cause it would bog down the total tut time.

For now to get started, I'm trying to use free models from all the typical sites to create simple rooms, but I'd love to try and replicate some sort of dive bar type vibe at some point.

Where's a good place to start with this? Any recommendations for youtube or other sources to check out? Obviously I know its a learning curve, but I feel like even getting started feels like I have so many questions as I try and build something simple with pre-made assets.

https://preview.redd.it/nlc0cg4skkhg1.png?width=2838&format=png&auto=webp&s=8242eda281a93fc121a317691b0457a7ee631ed5



https://redd.it/1qw5zcm
@vfxbackup

Is V-Ray still a sane choice for VFX work in 2026?

I have been seeing a lot of juniors asking what renderer to invest their time in, and honestly the answers feel all over the place. Some studios swear by V-Ray for specific pipelines, others act like it’s legacy tech compared to newer real-time or USD-heavy workflows.

For people actually shipping shots right now: where does V-Ray still make sense in VFX, and where does it actively slow you down? Curious to see what’s real production reality vs our take

https://redd.it/1qwfrfj
@vfxbackup

How did they pull that light effect off?

https://preview.redd.it/wnugkkmr4nhg1.png?width=1366&format=png&auto=webp&s=1f49c7440017a544a2fd1656d782e1bcb0421471


I’ve been watching the national news here in the Philippines and I’m interested in trying out a specific light effect I saw. I don't know what it’s called, but I’m eager to learn how they pull it off. Could you tell me what this effect is called and where I can find tutorials for it? I'm using Premiere pro and After effects.

https://redd.it/1qwgalw
@vfxbackup

Sinners Twins vs The Social Network Twins

I’ve been reading breakdowns and interviews about the movie and people seem to genuinely seem blown away by the effect. But it got me thinking, isn’t it basically the same idea as the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network?

https://redd.it/1qvuwoa
@vfxbackup

Master Chief After hearing Fuel Price in Mumbai Local Train

https://redd.it/1qvju6t
@vfxbackup

IA to enhance renders not to generate. Help

Do you have a consistent workflow for using AI to enhance your renders, making them more realistic, giving them style, etc.? I’m looking for something that maybe can be applied after compositing to push the render to the next level while still remaining manageable.

Do you use something like this?

https://redd.it/1qwh5be
@vfxbackup

Getting work in vfx

Hi, this is the first time I have posted on Reddit so please bear with me.

So my partner has been trying to get a job in vfx since he finished his masters in August 2024. He did the masters after not having luck getting a job post BA due to Covid. The masters degree promised him placements and connections with industry (this did not happen). He ranked first in his course for his masters receiving a high distinction.

He got a job in motion graphics after being put in contact with the hiring manager at a company in may 2025. He was doing really well here and they were promising him a permanent contract and a pay rise. However, at the start of November they had a sudden budget cut and they had to let him go.

He was well regarded at his old company and his manager gave him an excellent reference.

Since then he has been trying to get a job in either Vfx or motion graphics however hasn’t had much luck with most companies not even giving him feeding.

He is really talented and this has been his dream industry since he was at school therefore I would love to see him succeed. He has several different show reels depending on the type of job and hands in a CV and cover letter.

I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to get into the industry and what he could do to stand out.

Thanks in advance

https://redd.it/1qvygb3
@vfxbackup

Pikimov 5 - I created this free After Effects and CapCut alternative

https://preview.redd.it/mg6unsenwohg1.png?width=2940&format=png&auto=webp&s=e145a1c32f1dc5d18bb1f00b76d26a01d5c3b7b3

This is a follow up from my popular 2024 post about Pikimov

https://www.reddit.com/r/vfx/comments/1dqf4kd/i\_created\_a\_free\_after\_effects\_alternative/?rdt=54629

Since the original post received a lot of love, it's once again a pleasure to share another update with the vfx community: Pikimov 5.

This release adds many new features:

A new NLE 'classic editor' (same as in Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Capcut...)
A graph editor to manually edit easing curves
A new vector line item
New FXs: motion blur, extrude, vintage colors
New blend modes: brighten, darken
Add personal notes to projects, like a 'post-it' (don't know why very few app allow taking notes, personally I find it vey usefull)
Text stroke
Support for Arabic text
Export as a .webm video with transparency
Added support for importing .webm video with transparency

Pikimov is a 2D/3D web alternative to After Effects I created, inspired by Photopea.
With the addition of the new NLE classic editor, it can now claim to be an alternative to simple video editors like CapCut.

It’s free, without signup, works directly in Chrome, no app to install, and it's not using your projects to train AI models, and not bloated with AI stuff.

All the editing is processed locally, no files are uploaded to a cloud server.

https://preview.redd.it/6qxdyiirwohg1.png?width=2940&format=png&auto=webp&s=3662ae8f8f306a65827ebc8d9019191df0d52409

https://preview.redd.it/gml5s67uwohg1.png?width=2940&format=png&auto=webp&s=223289c202816fd1325396c4e828eaed85f03682

https://preview.redd.it/r4xy3wgwwohg1.png?width=2940&format=png&auto=webp&s=f7194dbe925b8fd5d8b6e12dd49d639a652e75c3


To support the development of the app, consider subscribing to the Patreon page.

To start using Pikimov, simply visit: https://pikimov.com

At a time like this, when leading creative software companies are getting so much bad press from their customers, I hope Pikimov comes as good news to you.

https://redd.it/1qwnh0c
@vfxbackup

Trailer for my Unreal animated short film

https://redd.it/1qwubul
@vfxbackup

Amazon plans to use AI to speed up TV and film production
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/amazon-plans-use-ai-speed-up-tv-film-production-2026-02-04/

https://redd.it/1qwu1t4
@vfxbackup

Do Entry Level Opportunities Still Exist? Am I Too Old To Start?

Hey, everybody. I been having a bit of an existential crisis. I want to get started with VFX jobs but I'm completely unsure about whether or not it would work out for me.

I took a while to flesh out my skills after leaving school and I ran into some life events that took me out of trying to get into the industry since late 2023. I'm finally getting back into enjoying the work again but is it realistically too late for me? I never successfully landed a job since leaving school in 2015 likely from spreading myself a little too thin in an attempt to build skills as a compositor, modeler, and animator. I even tried networking at SIGGRAPH animation events in bars up until COVID hit then pretty much fell out of the loop on that front. I'm also turning 35 this year if that makes things worse.


I guess my question is if it's too late for someone in their mid 30s to get into VFX or even games starting from nothing right now. Is it too late to dedicate a few months to a year to tailor a reel and get a studio or even freelance jobs? I tried searching for an answer but didn't get exactly what I was looking for. I'm very out of the know and trying to get a feel of what 2026 is looking like for the industry. It would suck to have to hard pivot careers.


https://redd.it/1qwhmt3
@vfxbackup

Creating a ghost VFX HELP!!

Hey!

I am a student studying Film and I am tasked with creating a ghost for an upcoming short. Using some test shoot footage, I’ve experimented with rotoscoping, opacity, tint, and many more effects, but everything I do looks very fake and well, quite bad.

Does anyone have any help or tips to creating an actually convincing ghost effect?

Thanks so much in advance!

Ashton

https://redd.it/1qx0evp
@vfxbackup

Making Weta’s Animatomy from scratch. Testing a tetrahedron flesh mask to target shape simulation on face scans I obtained to hone in on the correct parameters for the quasi simulation step of Animatomy.
https://redd.it/1qx90io
@vfxbackup

Why does the VFX industry pay less compared to IT and Finance, despite requiring high-level skills?

I’ve been observing something interesting about the VFX industry.

Compared to many “normal” jobs, VFX actually pays decently. But when you compare it to industries like IT, software, or finance, the gap becomes very noticeable.

This confuses me because VFX work is far from easy. It requires:

Strong technical knowledge
Creativity
Expensive software skills
Long working hours
Constant upskilling

Yet, many professionals in tech and finance seem to out-earn VFX artists, sometimes with better work-life balance too.

So I’m genuinely curious:

👉 Why does this pay gap exist?
👉 Is it because VFX is treated more like a service industry?
👉 Oversupply of artists?
👉 Outsourcing pressure and tight studio margins?
👉 Or simply how the global market is structured?

For people already working in VFX:

Do salaries improve significantly at senior levels?
Does the pay eventually become competitive?
Would you still recommend this career to someone starting today purely from a financial perspective?

Not trying to criticize the industry — just trying to understand the economic reality behind it.

Would love to hear honest insights from experienced artists and industry professionals.

https://redd.it/1qxa9fs
@vfxbackup

Best Europe based recruiters to follow on linked in for job postings?



https://redd.it/1qxeli1
@vfxbackup

Is AI becoming standard in VFX?

Hi everyone! Long story short, I’ve been in talks with a small studio about a script, but I’m very concerned about AI use in production/VFX/CGI.

I pressed them on how they will use AI, and they essentially said they are pro-human art, but that technology is changing in the film industry. they said films are made differently today than 5 years ago and that AI is the future in entertainment. They wouldn't say exactly how AI is used.

Is this accurate? Is it really becoming standard to use generative AI imagery/assets in film these days? How is AI really used in the industry?

https://redd.it/1qxi5kt
@vfxbackup