Get started in Nuke with training and feedback from professional compositing artists. You'll learn rotoscoping techniques and how to integrate live-action green screen footage with digital assets, creating a VFX shot from scratch.
Why study compositing with us:
There’s never been a better time to learn Nuke: Most films, TV series, commercials, and cinematics require a higher number of compositors per project compared to any other creative or technical department.
Industry Certificate
3 months
20 hrs weekly
Beginner
December 2nd, 2024
January 6th, 2025
February 3rd, 2025
Weekly live online classes
Video lectures
Mentor feedback
Access to vibrant community
Learn Nuke compositing essentials and get the hang of using professional workflows and tools. Master Nuke’s user interface and start experimenting with complex rotoscoping techniques (a fundamental aspect of VFX compositing). Next, you’ll jump into green screen keying and find out how to integrate different elements into live-action footage. Put your new knowledge into practice by building several VFX shot's from scratch for your portfolio.
*This short course is equivalent to the first term of the Digital Compositing Foundations course. If you continue your learning journey, you'll be eligible to join the Foundations course from Term 2 onwards.
This short course forms term one of the Foundations course, so on completion, you'll be a quarter of the way through! Continue you're learning journey towards an exciting career in the industry by enrolling into the Foundations Career Track.
All Nuke compositing classes are taught by industry mentors with years of experience working on films and video games.
Sean's worked at Walt Disney Animation, Technicolor VFX, and Sony on 100+ films and TV projects. Credits: Star Trek: Picard, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Avengers: Infinity War.
Dept. Head of Nuke Compositing
Known for Thor: Ragnarok
Gen is an Oscar-nominated VFX Supervisor & Compositor who has worked at ILM, Mill Film, and Animal Logic. Credits: Love and Monsters, Doctor Strange, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Mad Max: Fury Road.
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for Love and Monsters
Brittany has 50+ film & TV credits to her name including three Star Wars films, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Black Panther, Mad Max: Fury Road, Blade Runner 2049.
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for Loki
With a background in compositing, design, motion graphics, animation and 3D, Jai's work can be seen in Ant-Man and Wasp, Thor: Ragnarok, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Based in London, Josh has worked at MPC, ILM, and Double Negative on films like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Ready Player One, The Jungle Book, The Martian, and Spectre.
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Jason is a Compositing Supervisor and Senior Compositor for TV. Credits: The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Bones, Criminal Minds, Empire, Ozark, Prison Break, and The Tick.
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for The Tick
Since scoring his first compositing role on Iron Man 2 for Double Negative, Joel's been nominated for two VES awards and worked as an Additional VFX Supervisor for The Mandalorian.
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for The Mandalorian
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for The Flash
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for Carnival Row
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for Marvel v Capcom: Infinite
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for The Umbrella Academy
Mentor of Nuke Compositing
Known for Obi-Wan Kenobi
Age Minimum
The general minimum age to be able to enroll in our industry certificate courses is 16. We require parent or guardian consent during the enrollment process for applicants under 18.
Students under 16 will require a further assessment before they can officially enrol. This may include an interview with a course advisor and the creation of a study plan to ensure they have considered how they will manage a college-level workload.
English Proficiency
We expect our students to have a good understanding of written and spoken English. There’s no specific ’level'; however, you must be able to understand video tutorials in English (no subtitles) and speak with your mentor in English during your live Q&A session.
Computer Literacy
To be successful in this program, you will need basic computer skills and a computer that meets the minimum specifications (see next question). Some previous knowledge of 3D software would also be beneficial.
Software:
You will be required to download Nuke, which offers a free student license. You will also get access to a library of free VFX assets from ProductionCrate to use in your shots throughout the course.
Instructions for how to obtain an educational license for this software will be provided upon enrollment.
Hardware:
You will need a dedicated graphics card and a computer that meets the minimum requirements for Nuke.
This short compositing course will get started on your journey, but in a competitive industry, continuing your studies with the more comprehensive Digital Compositing Foundations will better prepare you for a job in the industry and help increase your employment opportunities.
The course covers more complex techniques and includes an entire term dedicated to career development and portfolio preparation to get you industry-ready.
Some of the junior VFX compositing jobs you could pursue after completing the full study pathway include:
Discover more VFX jobs, tips, and salary expectations on our careers page:
My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner!
My mentor helped me accelerate my learning with our weekly meetings. Once I completed the course, I was left with great portfolio pieces for my showreel and given free ongoing help by a Career Development Manager, who helped me polish my resume and LinkedIn profile to help kickstart my career.
Picking CG Spectrum has been the best decision I have ever made.
My 1-on-1 compositing mentor was fantastic and I could not have asked for anything more so in tune with the VFX Industry. I have learned so much.
Along with learning Nuke, I learnt a lot about the industry.
I studied VFX Nuke Compositing in CG Spectrum. I really enjoyed it and got very good experience in Nuke. The syllabus and materials are excellent and give a strong foundation in Nuke. They have very professional instructors whose work is prominent in big blockbuster movies.
The flexibility and online approach really worked for me.
Having a mentor that works in the industry facilitated both guidance and support in the weekly submissions. Their critiques guided my skill set and put me in front of the competition by helping me learn to troubleshoot from my mistakes.
Your mentors are there to help you succeed!
I've been studying for almost a year now and have had people reaching out to me for jobs, which I never thought I'd have! Your mentors will know the people you need to know to in order to help you get your foot in the door.
CGS was the most organized, polished-looking program to learn compositing.
In VFX, all of these skills change so much, so often, that getting taught by someone who is actively a pro in the field makes a whole lot of sense.
Study options for all skill levels, from short introductory courses to specialized industry tracks and accredited degrees and diplomas.