The Flame Learning Channel

In this video, you learn about the new A2Beauty shader available in Flame 2019. The main purpose of this pixel shader is to be able to perform a whole range of digital retouching which could be used for beauty work as well as image clean-up. Now you’ll be using the Effects tab to run through and explain the processes. However you can perform the exact same steps in Batch using the Image node, Action or the Matchbox node.

In the previous video, you were introduced to A2Beauty in Flame 2019 and this powerful SelectiveFX is designed for beauty retouching and much more. It can tackle small blemishes, spots and wrinkles but it can also take bigger issues like deep lines and other obvious problems. In this video, you’ll learn how to remove the bags from under a model’s eyes through the deeper use of the A2Beauty toolset. You’ll be using Batch for this example but as seen in the previous video, you can also do the same steps in the Timeline using the Effects Tab and the Image TimelineFX.

In the Flame 2018.2 Update videos, we introduced an enhanced UV tracking and shading functionality that you could use with the Action projectors. This helps with various texture projection tasks as well as motion graphics type work. In the Flame 2018.3, Update the Projector controls underwent a bit of an upgrade in order to accommodate the additional motion vector enhancements as well as support for multiple UV references. So this video will show you how to take the projected texture on a 3D model and track the UVs using the upgraded interface. The rest of the original exercise is still valid in the Flame 2018.2 video covering projectors, UV tracking and shading.

This video covers a small enhancement to the workflow of using the Burn-In Metadata TimelineFX with a gap segment, in order to display the markers and segment markers in the sequence. You are now able to display all markers and segment markers in a single Burn-In Metadata TimelineFX. This makes it easy and efficient to use especially without having to apply a TimelineFX to every segment as well as controlling all your burn-in information in one gap segment containing the Burn-In TimelineFX.

This video shows you how to use 3D render passes that have been rendered in a 3D application, such as Autodesk Maya or Autodesk 3Dsmax, and use them within the Flame's 3D compositor, Action. This includes post Z-depth blurring, motion blur, selective colour adjustments and selective highlight blooming. The benefit to you, is that even though these renders passes are flat 2D images, you can access the render pass data in Action and treat your 2D pixels as if they were still in 3D space. This includes using multi-channel GLSL Matchbox shaders for a variety of post processing effects.

Part 4 is an additional video to the 3D round tripping series and this will cover the workflow on how to create the PBR textures in Maya as opposed to Flame. So unlike the previous videos where the substance PBRs were created and applied in Flame before sending the FBX to Maya, part 4 will show you how to start in Maya 2018.1 and enable the ShaderFX materials and apply the StingrayPBS material to a model. You can set the physical based properties like Roughness and Metallic and these will be applied to the Shader node when the FBX is imported into Flame. You also have the ability to apply EXR images as textures maps that will embedded in the FBX and correctly applied in Flame. Finally, this video continues the trend of maintaining a scene-linear workflow, so ensure you set both Flame and Maya to work in Scene-linear Rec709/sRGB.

This three-part series takes you through a round tripping workflow between Autodesk Flame and Autodesk Maya in a linear colour pipeline using the FBX interchange format. Please be aware that this is not actually 3D application specific. In part 3, you conclude the 3D round tripping workflow by importing the new FBX into Flame and matching all the various settings to the original action composite. You'll redo the IBL which is not supported in the FBX and you'll also reapply the substance PBR textures to any baked materials that you'd like to tweak further in Flame.

This three-part series takes you through a round tripping workflow between Autodesk Flame and Autodesk Maya in a linear colour pipeline using the FBX interchange format. Please be aware that this is not actually 3D application specific. Part 2 continues after exporting the FBX from Flame and you'll import the FBX into Maya. You'll learn how to match the 3D scene to Flame as well as check what was carried over during the import. You'll examine the materials and colour space settings as well as fix a model's UV mapping. You will also refine a few meshes to make them look better. And don't forget clients may also want changes to the 3D geometry. This video will conclude by exporting the 3D scene as a FBX to be round-tripped back to Flame.

This three-part series takes you through a round tripping workflow between Autodesk Flame and Autodesk Maya in a linear colour pipeline using the FBX interchange format. Please be aware that this is not actually 3D application specific. In part 1, you'll import a 3D model into Flame and relight it with image-based lighting. You'll also retexture geometry with Substance physical based textures as well as reverse a 3D camera move. You also identify issues that could potentially make you go back to the 3D application to fixing or tweaking. You'll end off exporting a FBX with the various settings and go through what is supported via the round tripping workflow.

Part 7 continues on from the previous video and explores further Selectives. You’ll refocus viewer attention with selective grading, add a bit of keyed Selective blooming, finalise the overall look development and finally dial back some of the Selective intensity using the PUNCHBACK SelectiveFX.

In part 6, you start to cover the workflow of applying Selectives to a 3D composite. This is very different to previous videos whereby the Selectives were only applied to a single image or object. This video introduces a 3D composite and defines the difference between applying a Selective to image or object versus applying a Selective to an entire 3D composite. You will apply two Selectives to the composite using masks for Selective isolation and go over how to apply SelectiveFX to the inside as well as outside of the Selective.

In part 8 of the Motion Warp Tracking series, you'll look at a stabilisation workflow for a variety of uses. Firstly you learn the workflow to stabilise a handheld camera shot using the motion vectors analysis. This will give a pretty good stabilisation in particular cases. Secondly, you'll learn how to use motion vector stabilisation in a rotoscoping use-case. You would apply the "stabilise and destabilise" workflow to make quick work of the root-scoping task. For other stabilisation techniques, please check out the other videos on the Flame Learning Channel.

In the Flame 2018.3 Update, the interface is no longer locked out when it comes to the sliders in multiple effects. This means that as your media is playing back in the timeline viewer or viewports, you are able to adjust the values and see the updates in real-time as the frames play back. So you could start tweaking an effect or a grade to rough out the look and than refine it further when needed. This works in the Timeline, TimelineFX editor and Batch. Playback will depend on your system's performance and hard specifications. As a tip, you can also animate the values during playback for added effect.

In part 7 of the Motion Warp Tracking Series, you’ll carry on with the example of using motion vectors and Motion Warp Tracking for a creative purpose. There are multiple things you could try and it can all be done through experimentation. You’ll take the results you achieved in part 6 and start combining them in the 3D environment as well as finish off the composite with CameraFX and a Camera Selective.

In part 6 of the Motion Warp Tracking Series, you’ll go through a new example of using motion vectors and Motion Warp Tracking for a creative purpose. There are multiple things you could try and it can all be done through experimentation. You’ll start off by creating Motion Vectors outside of Action using the Batch Motion Analysis node. This will be combined with other nodes in Batch and eventually fed into Action. In Action you’ll learn about applying different motion vectors to different media and get creative with the results.