The Art That Is Digital Compositing

The art or process by which multiple images are assembled with the help of digital processes in order to make one final image particularly for screen display, print and motion pictures is known as digital compositing. Many times we see several surreal images or effects on television such as an actor moving against a background that cannot be real or performing contortions of the body that are otherwise impossible to do – in most cases, these are real actors performing in settings that are far from being real. And the technique that is used in accomplishing this is known as blue-screening.

Using the technique of blue-screening, the actors performs all their scenes and stunts against a very solid background which is colored light green or blue (which is obviously the reason behind its name), instead of a movie set that is regular and during these scenes, they are aided with visual cues that help them to keep their actions as well as locations straight.

Digital compositing is a technique (many people prefer to call it a form of art) that takes a certain level of skill to accomplish. The bright blue or green background needs to be strategically placed behind the actor so as to create a clear field around him, and thus creates outlines that are clean and these outlines are used to capture all the bodily motions of the actor. These shots are then taken to the editing room where the blue or green background is edited out by the use of a transparency filter. The transparency filter works in such a way that anything in the shades of blue or green in that shot are made invisible and so, the editor is only left with a shot of the actor.

The skill in digital compositing requires being able to place the actor strategically in a frame such that it seems that he or she was actually shot using that particular frame. It may sound very easy but it is one of the most difficult jobs when it comes to film making and several Hollywood production houses look to hire experienced professionals who know their way around the field of digital compositing and are able to pull of very difficult shots with relative ease.

Nowadays, this technique has carved out a niche for itself and has become an absolute necessity in most of the movies that are being made.