---
title: "Visual Effects (VFX)"
url: https://postproduction.studio/en/glossary/visual-effects-vfx
language: en
description: "Visual effects (VFX) is the discipline of creating, manipulating or enhancing imagery outside the context of live-action photography — typically in post..."
updated: 2026-10-25
---

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# Visual Effects (VFX)

Visual effects (VFX) is the discipline of creating, manipulating or enhancing imagery outside the context of live-action photography — typically in post-production but increasingly extending into virtual production stages and on-set work. The VFX field encompasses many specialties: compositing (combining elements into final frames), CGI/3D animation (modeling, texturing, rigging, animating digital characters and environments), matte painting (digital paintings used as backgrounds), digital effects (explosions, water, smoke, particles), set extension (extending physical sets with digital builds), and increasingly virtual production (real-time LED wall environments). A typical modern feature film contains 500-2000 VFX shots, even when the film is not perceived as 'effects-heavy' — these include invisible work like wire removals, sky replacements, period set cleanups, and digital double sequences. The pipeline involves multiple vendors and tools: ARRI/RED cameras capture plates, Nuke and Flame composite, Maya/Houdini/Blender model and animate, Substance Painter textures, Arnold/Redshift/Mantra/Karma render, and tracking is done in PFTrack, SynthEyes or 3DEqualizer. The VFX supervisor on a feature coordinates between director, production designer, cinematographer and external VFX houses (ILM, MPC, Framestore, DNEG, Weta, Pixomondo). The cost of feature VFX ranges from a few hundred thousand dollars for an indie to over $200 million for tentpole blockbusters. Reference: VES (Visual Effects Society) Handbook of Visual Effects.

VFXVFX SupervisorVFX ArtistCompositorVFX

## Related terms

[CGI (Computer Generated Imagery)](https://postproduction.studio/en/glossary/cgi-computer-generated-imagery)[Compositing](https://postproduction.studio/en/glossary/compositing)[Set Extension](https://postproduction.studio/en/glossary/set-extension)

Standard VFX shot lifecycle from plate ingestion to final composite. Each stage may iterate dozens of times before approval.