Master the Art of Object Removal in Nuke

A Certified NUKE Trainer and a Senior Artist

Andrew Savinskiy

With over 10 years of VFX experience, I’ve worked on some of the biggest films, including Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War and Mufasa: The Lion King. I’ve also had the privilege of working for some of the largest VFX studios in the world, including Framestore and MPC. Since 2016, I’ve focused on teaching, helping students not just learn NUKE, but master the practical skills needed for professional VFX work.

I keep my groups small—no more than 10 students—to provide personalized attention. My courses emphasize hands-on learning with live sessions and detailed feedback during dailies. You’ll learn to think like a VFX artist, solving complex compositing challenges independently.

I understand the struggles of learning compositing alone, which is why I focus on making the process clearer and more effective for my students. Whether you're new to NUKE or sharpening your skills, my courses will equip you with the tools and mindset to succeed in any VFX studio.

Andrew Savinskiy. Certified NUKE Trainer

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Comprehensive Mastery of Cleanup Techniques

You’ll develop a deep understanding of the cleanup process, learning to analyze shots, identify problem areas, and apply a structured, step-by-step approach to remove unwanted objects seamlessly. From wires and markers to complex elements, you'll gain hands-on experience with production-level challenges, ensuring you can approach any cleanup task with confidence and precision.

Proficiency in the Universal Cleanup Algorithm

This course focuses on teaching the industry-standard Universal Cleanup Algorithm, giving you the tools and knowledge to execute professional-grade object removal. You’ll learn to optimize your workflow for efficiency while maintaining the highest quality standards expected in top-tier VFX studios.

Portfolio-Worthy Projects for Real-World Application

Over the course of eight weeks, you’ll work on eight meticulously designed shots that replicate real-world scenarios. These projects will prepare you to handle commercial VFX tasks and provide you with a polished, professional showreel that showcases your expertise to potential employers or clients.

Confidence to Succeed in the VFX Industry

By the end of the course, you’ll not only have mastered cleanup techniques but also developed the problem-solving skills and workflow optimization strategies needed to excel in a professional environment. Whether you're starting your VFX career or looking to elevate your compositing skills, this course will equip you with everything you need to succeed.

Weekly Structure

The course is built around a structured weekly schedule.

Each week starts with a lecture on Saturday, where theoretical concepts are introduced, practical assignments are discussed, and questions from students are answered. The length of the session depends on student engagement, typically ranging from 1 to 3 hours, with the class ending only when all questions are resolved.

On Tuesdays, we hold a daily session where I review student scripts and provide detailed feedback. This session also varies in length depending on the complexity of the work, and can last from 1 to 3 hours.

On Fridays, we meet for a final review of the week’s work, where I again evaluate scripts and answer any remaining questions.

Live Feedback and Chat Support

To ensure students are well-supported, we have a Discord group where you can ask questions anytime.

Live feedback sessions are held via Zoom, where I review your scripts in detail, providing hands-on guidance and correction.

Sessions are recorded and made available for download after class.

Practical Approach

This course is designed to reflect real studio work.

Each week, you'll be tasked with completing a specific shot, with all necessary materials and detailed instructions provided.

After completing your work, you'll submit your script for review, where I’ll evaluate the thought process, logic, and technical execution of your node tree.

Deadlines and Discipline

Each shot of ther week must be completed on time.

Each week, you’ll have 8 shots. Timely submission of work is essential, simulating real-world studio conditions.

This course is intense and requires commitment—I'm here to help those who are serious about learning and progressing.

Week 1

Static Camera – Removing Two Characters

We start the course with an introduction to the universal cleanup algorithm. This week’s task involves a simple yet essential challenge—removing two characters from a static shot. You'll get familiar with the core principles of cleanup while working with stationary footage, ensuring a strong foundation for more complex tasks ahead.

Week 2

Planar Moving Camera – Rig Removal

This week, we step up the difficulty by working with a dynamically moving camera. Your task is to remove a wire from the shot, requiring the use of planar or 2D tracking. You’ll also learn how to deal with camera artifacts and restore missing details, a crucial skill for seamless cleanup work.

Week 3

Reconstructing Surfaces – Removing a Pole

This week, we move beyond simple removals and focus on reconstructing multiple surfaces within a shot. You’ll work with planar tracking or full camera tracking to accurately replace missing details. Special attention will be given to handling stretched textures and ensuring seamless integration of the recreated surfaces.

Week 4

Wire Removal – Preserving a Transparent Edge

Here, you’ll learn how to handle cleanup when the removed object intersects foreground elements with semi-transparent edges. The challenge is to remove a wire while maintaining fine details such as motion blur or translucency. You’ll develop techniques for edge restoration to ensure the final shot looks natural and untouched.

Week 5

Removing a Character’s Head – Complex Surface Recreation

This week introduces a high-level cleanup task: removing a character’s head while reconstructing surrounding areas. You’ll need to rebuild multiple surfaces, including buildings and clothing, and even create missing fabric details from scratch. The focus is on preserving fine textures while seamlessly integrating new elements.

Week 6

Wire Removal Against a Sky Background

This week’s shot presents a unique challenge: removing a wire that crosses various background elements, including sky and clothing. You’ll work on seamlessly replacing sky gradients, reconstructing fabric movement, and ensuring proper interaction between objects. Mastering this will help you tackle cleanup in complex, ever-changing environments.

Week 7

Removing Head and Legs – Floating Dress Effect

This exercise pushes creative cleanup even further by removing a character’s head and legs while making a dress appear as if it's floating on its own. You’ll need to reconstruct the missing parts of the girl’s face and ensure her shadow remains consistent on the ground. The challenge lies in making the removal invisible while maintaining the natural motion of the fabric.

Week 8

Final Challenge – Removing a Bridge and Parking Lot

For the final project, you’ll apply everything you've learned throughout the course. The goal is to erase a bridge and an entire parking lot while seamlessly reconstructing the terrain and surrounding areas. You’ll need to generate a natural-looking slope, restore intricate details, and ensure no visible traces of the original structures remain, delivering a completely transformed shot.

Teaching and Personal Engagement

Teaching isn’t just a side job — it’s my primary profession, and I’m deeply invested in helping students succeed. This course is interactive and hands-on, with every cleanup process explained in detail. I’ll guide you through the problem-solving journey, ensuring you don’t just learn how to clean up a single shot but gain the ability to handle any cleanup task with confidence.

Industry Expertise, Tailored for You

With years of experience and a deep understanding of VFX workflows, I’ve designed this course to reflect the demands of real-world projects. The materials and assignments mirror tasks you’d encounter in top studios, focusing on essential skills rather than filler content. My feedback is shaped by what VFX supervisors expect, helping you meet the highest professional standards.

Building Problem-Solving Skills

This course is designed to make you think like a VFX artist. Rather than handing out pre-made solutions, I provide the resources and guidance you need to approach each shot independently. Afterward, you’ll see my solution and breakdown, allowing you to compare approaches and refine your skills.

Small Groups, Personalized Attention

With a group of only 10 students, you’ll receive focused feedback and have plenty of opportunities to ask questions. You’ll also benefit from observing how your peers approach the same challenges, giving you diverse perspectives on problem-solving in cleanup tasks.

Link to this page location: #anchorEnroll