Advanced AI Workflows for VFX Artists

Advanced AI Workflowsfor Hybrid VFX Pipelines

Learn advanced AI tools that bolster Nuke-based post-production pipelines.

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Duration

7 hours

Release Date

Preorder • May 12, 2026

Software Used

ComfyUI, Nuke, Resolve, Beeble, Claude

The Skills You'll Gain

✓

Write custom ComfyUI nodes and automate pass prep using LLMs

✓

Develop a Nuke-based relighting workflow with AI-extracted lighting passes from live footage

✓

Replace or refine faces consistently across a full sequence

✓

Build matte paintings and environment extensions with ComfyUI and Nuke

Your 19-Module Roadmap

Every module builds toward a toolkit ready for your next shot.

Course Introduction

Hardware and cloud compute setup

Overview of key AI tools and services used in the course

Project Setup

Shot and sequence based workflow setup

Project level nodes and reusable subgraphs

Output strategy and file formats (EXR)

Matte Creation

AI assisted matte creation and roto workflows

Supplemental matte tools for when higher quality is required

Utility Passes

Depth pass generation

Normals pass generation

Material and lighting related utility passes using Beeble

Utility Passes

Depth pass generation

Normals pass generation

Material and lighting related utility passes using Beeble

Cleanplating

AI driven cleanplate workflows

Shot segmentation, garbage mattes, and outputting

Bringing the clip into Nuke and combining all passes into one EXR

Cleanplating

AI driven cleanplate workflows

Shot segmentation, garbage mattes, and outputting

Bringing the clip into Nuke and combining all passes into one EXR

Pipeline Tooling

Using LLMs to create a Python pipeline tool for building custom ComfyUI nodes

Automating pass assembly into layered EXRs ready for Nuke

Pipeline Tooling

Using LLMs to create a Python pipeline tool for building custom ComfyUI nodes

Automating pass assembly into layered EXRs ready for Nuke

3D Camera Tracking

3D camera tracking a cleanplate in NukeX

Sky Replacement

Restyling drone footage into different times of day and settings using ComfyUI

Generating environmental variations various tools in ComfyUI

Matte Paintings & Set Extensions

Generate architecture and environment assets for background elements

Use ComfyUI to generate and track matte paintings across the shot

Refine and integrate the matte painting in Nuke

Face Replacement

AI-assisted face replacement in ComfyUI

Soft roto, integration, and output refinement in Nuke

Regenerating the actor matte with a replaced head

Shot Assembly in Nuke

Import and organize all passes into a single Nuke script

Final resolution management and project setup

Begin assembling the full comp

Fire Integration

Composite fire elements in Nuke with interactive lighting

Relighting

Use Beeble to generate lighting passes from footage and relight characters and environments in Nuke

Installing and using the Beeble node in Nuke

Environmental FX Integration

Place smoke, ash, and ember cards in 3D space in Nuke

Depth-based layering and compositing techniques

Final Comp & Polish

Shot cleanup and script organization

Final balance and detail work

Frame Extensions

Create a new establishing shot using the final matte painting and ComfyUI

Take the final comp frame through img2video generators

Lens Flares

Adding a flare in Nuke using a BorisFX flare pack

Practical integration tips for compositing flares

Upscaling & Footage Prep

Upscaling footage with Topaz Labs or ComfyUI

Exporting a color grade LUT for students

Wrap Up

Downloadable Resources Included

Ready-to-use project files

4K practice footage plates

Learn From a VFX Veteran

Senior Compositor & Creative Technologist

Doug Hogan

20+ Years in VFX

400+ Projects Delivered

600+ Students Taught

Doug Hogan has spent 20 years as a compositor and creative technologist at some of the industry's most advanced studios. He currently works as Senior Creative Technologist at Groove Jones and consults with the ComfyUI team directly on studio-grade pipeline features — work recognized by sponsorships from Dell and The Foundry.

His compositing credits include Space Jam: A New Legacy, G-Force, Scoob!, and Free Birds.

In this course, you'll learn the workflows Doug uses, builds, and teaches every day.

Why Now?

Advanced AI Workflows for Hybrid VFX Pipelines

In Advanced AI Workflows for VFX Artists, you'll learn how emerging AI tools in softwares like ComfyUI, Runway, Beeble, and Nuke can fit into a modern post-production pipeline. You'll walk away understanding how to think about AI, integrate it within a hybrid pipeline, and how to adapt as individual tools continue to evolve.

The course reframes familiar compositing tasks by building a complete shot from start to finish.

The goal of this course is not to teach you how to make an "AI movie." But it will help you understand when and how to turn to emerging tools to help, not replace, the craft.

Relight shots using depth, normals, and lighting passes from multiple LLM-assisted tools

Handle cleanplates, matte paintings, and face replacements with a hybrid workflow

Track shots in 3D and integrate elements in Nuke's 3D space

Build custom nodes and automate pass assembly

Make technical decisions about when and how to use AI to support the shot

Prerequisites

Built for intermediate to advanced Nuke compositors.

Built for intermediate to advanced Nuke compositors with some experience in ComfyUI. If you've completed Intro to ComfyUI for VFX, you're ready. Python experience in Nuke is helpful, but you'll build what you need as you go.

One-time investment

One Course. Everything Inside.

This is the cost of two days of a typical VFX artist's salary.
Invest in a skill that saves you hundreds of hours in cleanup, roto, and matte work.