Online Nuke Nuggets Course

The software application Nuke is widely used in the field of film and television production for creating high-quality visual effects. As with any complex software, it requires a substantial amount of training and practice to master. Fortunately, there are many online courses available that offer in-depth Nuke training. These courses provide a comprehensive curriculum covering various aspects of Nuke, including compositing, color correction, 3D rendering, and more. In this article, we will explore some of the best Nuke courses available online, designed to help aspiring VFX artists and professionals enhance their skills and stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends.

Here’s a look at the Best Nuke Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!

Online Nuke Nuggets Course

1. Introduction to Nuke VFX Compositing: The Essentials – NK101 by Alexander Hanneman (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)

The Introduction to Nuke VFX Compositing course, NK101, is designed to provide a comprehensive training experience in visual effects (VFX) compositing using Nuke. The course is facilitated by Alexander Hanneman, and the final project involves compositing a Junior Digital Compositing shot, incorporating all the techniques learned throughout the course. The course content focuses primarily on the 2D aspects of compositing, providing learners with a solid foundation in the fundamental concepts of VFX compositing in Nuke. Participants start with learning the user interface and progress to tasks such as replacing a background, color correcting and blending the foreground and background, motion tracking the background to the foreground, and seamlessly bringing it all together. Additionally, learners get to create an animated hologram effect from scratch, appearing in front of the character.As with any worthwhile skill, there is a learning curve, and participants will need to learn a lot of theory before successfully compositing a shot. However, persistence will pay off with a valuable skill set and a great shot to showcase to potential employers.The course requires registration and download of project files to follow along with the lessons. The Blender Foundation and Xiph have generously provided the free footage of the green screen used in the course.Course content is structured as follows: Introduction to the class and main concepts, Setting up and software basics, Learning your first nodes, Roto & Rotopaint, Compositing Fundamental Concepts, Second Project: 2d Motion Tracking a scene and Cleanplating, Keying and Chroma Keying Greenscreens, Final Project, and a bonus module. Paragraphs have been broken down into three lines to improve readability.

2. Methods of 3D VFX Compositing Nuke Masterclass – NK202 by Alexander Hanneman (Udemy)

The Methods of 3D VFX Compositing Nuke Masterclass – NK202 is an extensive course taught by Alexander Hanneman, an industry professional with years of experience in Hollywood feature films. The course covers 3D workflows inside of Nuke, including projections, 3D camera tracking, cleanplating, and more. Students will learn the basics of the Nuke 3D system up to an intermediate level, starting with the most commonly used nodes and ending on advanced projections.

Before taking the course, students should have a basic understanding of Nuke. However, if they need to learn the absolute basics, they can take Hanneman’s previous course on Udemy, Introduction to Nuke – NK101. Throughout the course, students will learn 3D compositing concepts, the basics of 3D nodes, how to build 3D scenes, cleanplating techniques, planar tracking, and extra techniques and tricks.

The course includes three projects, which involve planar tracking, constructing a 3D model, and sky replacement using various techniques. Hanneman’s professional experience working on numerous large-scale Hollywood feature films, such as Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, gives students the confidence that they are learning from an industry expert.

Students will gain valuable skills that can be applied to various scenarios, including replacing signs, extending an entire environment with a fake one, removing people or objects from moving scenes, and creating a 3D scene that supports particles in Nuke. The course content includes an introduction, three projects, an additional learning section, and project files will need to be downloaded to follow along.

Overall, the course is a valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance their skills in 3D VFX compositing, and Hanneman’s approach to breaking down complicated concepts into visual diagrams is beneficial for students to learn these concepts much faster.

3. Fundamentals of CG VFX Compositing in Nuke – NK303 by Alexander Hanneman (Udemy)

The Fundamentals of CG VFX Compositing in Nuke – NK303 is an extensive course on integrating computer-generated images into the real world using Nuke. The instructor, Alexander Hanneman, is an industry professional with years of Hollywood feature film experience. The course includes CGI render, footage, and all necessary elements to composite a CG shot.

This course is a major bargain and an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to learn to become a compositor. It is difficult to find high-quality courses on the internet at a good price, and a course equivalent to this would cost $1000 or more from a VFX university.

The course covers CG compositing techniques, up to an intermediate level, as well as advanced color grading techniques. By the end of the course, students will have successfully composited a fake render seamlessly into the real world.

Students are required to have a basic understanding of Nuke and its interface, beginner level knowledge of the 3D system, and knowledge about basic nodes and beginner level color correction concepts.

The course covers vital techniques in multi-pass CG compositing, grading CG to match real-world footage, creating light effects and glows, creating fake refractions, projecting color grade mattes, and more. The student will work on a long project to composite a Porsche 911 into a real scene.

This course is suitable for beginners and intermediate users learning Nuke with a foundational understanding of the 2D and 3D system in Nuke, people who have already taken NK101 and NK202, and individuals looking for a deeper education in Compositing for a very good price.

4. VFX Color Grading and Re-Lighting in Nuke – NK404 by Alexander Hanneman (Udemy)

Course NK404, entitled VFX Color Grading and Re-Lighting in Nuke, is an advanced class on Udemy that delves into the artistic and visual concepts of color, balance, highlights and shadow in-depth. The course is taught by Alexander Hanneman, an industry professional who has worked on feature films such as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Avengers: Endgame, X-Men Apocalypse, The Mandalorian, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them. The course is designed to take VFX Compositing to the next level with a duration of 8 hours.

The course is a great opportunity to learn advanced color grading and layering techniques, and its emphasis on the artistic side of balancing light and color is unique. The course includes a project that requires students to re-light a scene from day to night fully, forcing them to combine all the techniques learned throughout the course. Alexander Hanneman’s experience as an industry professional makes him the perfect instructor to teach the proper workflows and give students the necessary tools to excel in their future careers.

In preparation for the course, students are required to have a basic understanding of Nuke’s interface, knowledge about the basic nodes in Nuke, beginner level color correction concepts, beginner level knowledge on the 3d system in Nuke, and beginner/intermediate knowledge of CG compositing. The course covers various topics, including Gradient Re-mapping Techniques in Nuke, Color Balance and Color Scheme, Physics of Light and Glossiness, Highlight stacking Techniques, and advanced color grading techniques.

The course also involves a project that guides students to work on a composite of the shot shown in the preview. The class is split into practical sessions as well as theory and follow along sections to ensure students can apply what they learn when they go over techniques and follow along in different areas. This feature makes the course interactive and hands-on, allowing students to put their knowledge to the test.

5. VFX Compositing with Nuke: The Complete 2D Edition by Vicki Lau (Udemy)

The VFX Compositing with Nuke: The Complete 2D Edition is a comprehensive course on 2D compositing for live-action films in post-production visual effects using Nuke. The course teaches the tips, tricks, and applications of compositing in post-production visual effects, which is one of the final steps to finishing and executing any visual effects shot.

The course is part 1 of a 2-part Nuke series, with real live-action films as test shots for this course. The course follows a step-by-step guide to proper and professional compositing. The course is taught by a real professional in the visual effects and film industry who worked on actual Hollywood blockbusters.

The course includes practical and hands-on live-action shots to work on, insights and know-hows that would save time and money when working on own visual effects shot, and major part of a series of other more advanced visual effects tricks, tips, and methods. The course also includes up-to-date information and lessons on new additions and tools from The Foundry.

The course offers networking and open collaboration opportunities with the instructor and students. The course teaches how compositing is applied in film and television, how to do realistic compositing, how to use Nuke for 2D composting in live-action films, how to apply basic and advanced 2D compositing techniques and tricks, and how to apply effective and smart techniques of doing compositing.

The best part about this course is that it covers all that is needed to know about compositing in only the time that is necessary to get the lessons across. The course content and sections include Compositing Basics, Getting Comfortable with Nuke, 2D Compositing in Nuke, Shortcuts & Tips in Nuke, Compositing Summary, and BONUS.

6. VFX Compositing with Nuke: Complete Course From Scratch by Vinod Bathula (Udemy)

The course titled VFX Compositing with Nuke: Complete Course From Scratch is designed to teach students the concepts of 2D and 3D Compositing in Nuke, Tracking techniques, Render Passes, and how to work on Stereo Conversion. The instructor, Vinod Bathula, aims to equip learners with the necessary skills to become a Nuke Pro Compositor.

The course is structured in an organic way, covering all the concepts related to Nuke Compositing in one place. Detailed explanations are provided for each topic, with a practical view towards each concept. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to compose any kind of compositing in Nuke.

The course content is divided into several sections, including: Introduction to Nuke, Nuke Interface, Basic Compositing, Tracking Part 1, Keying, Color Correction, Rotoscoping and RotoPaint, Wire Removal, Tracking Part 2 – Corner Pin 2D and Planar Tracker, Tracking Part 3 – 3D Tracking, Time Warping, Rig Removal, Render Passes, and Stereoscopic Conversion.

By the end of the course, students will have gained a thorough understanding of Nuke Compositing and will be able to apply their knowledge to create professional-level composites.

7. VFX Compositing Elements Photorealistically in Nuke by Alexander Hanneman (Udemy)

The VFX Compositing Elements Photorealistically in Nuke course is taught by instructor Alexander Hanneman. The course aims to teach students the tricks and techniques to enhance their VFX Compositing skills. The course content covers a variety of topics that can be applied to different types of effects.

Students will learn about studying reference, camera exposure, and understanding the relationship between light and shadow. They will also learn how to make elements interact with the environment.

The course covers topics such as exponential glow, volumetric materials, reflecting and bouncing light, simulating 3d embers, creating heat distortion, and finalizing the composite with color grades and artistic choices. The techniques taught in the course can be applied to other effects such as lasers passing through environments, spaceship or jet engines, explosions, and light beams or spotlights scanning an environment.

The course is divided into three sections, namely Introduction and Environment, The Fire, and Additional Content. Alexander Hanneman has used the same techniques in many feature film studios worldwide, making this course an excellent opportunity for VFX Compositing enthusiasts to learn from an industry expert.

8. NATRON: The FREE robust alternative to NUKE & AFTER EFFECTS by VFX 3D Pro (Udemy)

The NATRON: The FREE robust alternative to NUKE & AFTER EFFECTS course offers an opportunity to learn compositing applications through the use of Natron. Nuke, the industry standard in compositing Visual effects, can be quite expensive. Natron, on the other hand, is a free and open-source alternative that has the same interface, workflow, and similar nodes and functionality. By learning Natron, individuals can also learn Nuke and apply the knowledge gained from Natron to Nuke.

The course offers the chance to make the first compositing in 10 minutes, navigate the interface easily, and see the significant similarity with Nuke. Participants will learn various settings for a faster workflow, tracking and screen or sign replacement, color correction using several nodes, rotoscoping to target an object and change it, using the Rotopaint node to duplicate or make somebody disappear, green screen keying, adding more free plugins to Natron, and rendering.

The course’s content and sections focus on Natron as the free Nuke alternative, which enables the power of node-based compositing, the industry standard. It offers an opportunity to learn two compositing applications in one course and apply the knowledge gained from Natron to Nuke.

9. Camera Projections with Nuke by Anandh Ramesh (Udemy)

The course titled Camera Projections with Nuke is designed to teach intermediate-level students the art of transforming a 2D image into a 3D environment using Nuke. The course is instructed by Anandh Ramesh and aims to impart knowledge on camera projections, complete with camera movements and parallax. The course covers various techniques used by compositors such as rotoscoping, clean plate creation, and other tools to create the desired effect. The course is divided into four sections, namely Introduction, Initial Steps, Building the Base 3D Layout, and Refining the Background and Fine-tuning the Projection. The course is ideal for students who possess basic knowledge of Nuke and are familiar with compositing techniques. The course content is structured to teach students how to use the powerful 3D tools in Nuke to create stunning 3D environments. Upon completion of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of camera projections, and the ability to transform 2D images into immersive 3D environments. The course is a valuable resource for those seeking to enhance their skills in compositing and visual effects.

10. Paint and prep training in Nuke : fundamental – NK101 by Harsh Gupta (Udemy)

The Paint and Prep Training in Nuke: Fundamental – NK101 course is a step-by-step training program designed to teach Nuke Fundamentals and essential skills to become a successful Paint Prep Artist in the VFX industry. The course is instructed by Harsh Gupta and is suitable for those who want to enter the VFX industry or those who are interested in improving their skills.

The course covers the fundamental concepts of the VFX industry in Nuke, and the instructor will guide students through the process of getting started in Nuke. Students will learn how to create an organized file structure, understand the Nuke interface, use particular nodes, and introduction to gizmos. They will also be exposed to various shots, which will help them understand how to deal with different situations.

The course covers a wide range of topics, including theory behind markers, grain workflow, 2D tracking, live paint technique, color correction, quality control, edge extension and edge fixing, dealing with markers with reflection surface, dealing with face markers, preserving details while removing face markers, and much more. The course also teaches students about the B-pipeline workflow, optimizing Nuke scripts, improving performance as an artist, achieving industry standard results, and much more.

The course includes at least 3.8 hours of premium video lessons, downloadable resources, premium support from the instructor to answer any questions, feedback on own video projects, and a 30-day 100% money-back guarantee. Students will receive a verifiable certificate of completion upon finishing the course.

The course is designed to make students feel comfortable working in Nuke, learn hands-on industry-leading techniques to deal with shots, achieve the same result in a shorter time, and receive a free QC tool for self-QC. With the course, students will also receive project files and necessary assets to work along with.