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Getting Started with The Foundry Nuke

    the fooundry Nuke studio logo

    Nuke is a node based compositing software; it’s as an alternative for Adobe After Effects. The major difference between both software is that Nuke is node based while After Effects is  (layer based). Nuke is used by major studios worldwide (e.g. Walt Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures Animation, etc.) and it was used in major movies like; Avatar, King Kong, Jumper, I Robot, Resident Evil: Extinction, Tron: Legacy, Alice in Wonderland and The Hobbit. Nuke is currently developed by The Foundry UK.

    Learning Nuke is very helpful for video editors, YouTube content creators and those who are working in the VFX field, Nuke is specially very helpful for those who work alone and want to create complete projects from a to z.

    The aim of this post is to present and compare between free online sources that beginners can rely on to learn Nuke, the sources stated here are full-structured courses that beginners can follow along.

    If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn Nuke) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

    Getting Started with Nuke from Online Scratch

    The Foundry Website

    The Foundry Website is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning Nuke through video tutorials, you don’t have to register to have access to the training. It’s worth noting that The Foundry is the company currently developing Nuke.

    Structure: The training is divided into 6 main sections, each section is divided into subsections, and each of those subsections is divided into lessons that covers the various techniques and tools available in Nuke.

    Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the video lesson you’re interested in and a new window will popup and the video lesson will start in it.

    1 - The Foundry Website Nuke Training

    Now the pros and cons:

    Pros

    1. Free.
    2. The training covers many tools available in Nuke.
    3. The training covers Nuke as well as Nuke studio.
    4. The training is well -structured for beginners.

    Cons

    1. The training isn’t well-organized for beginners and might be confusing for some.

    Verdict: This is the best free online outlet where beginners can start learning Nuke through video tutorials.

    CARDANFX YouTube Channel

    CARDANFX YouTube Channel is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning Nuke through video tutorials.

    Structure: The training is divided into 8 video lessons, each video lesson introduces beginners to a set of tools in Nuke.

    Interface: The standard YouTube interface.

     2 - CARDANFX YouTube Channel Nuke Training

    Now the pros and cons:

    Pros

    1. Free.
    2. The training covers the basics beginners should be familiarized with in order to start using Nuke.
    3. The training is well structured and organized for beginners.

    Cons

    1. The training doesn’t cover as many topics as the first outlet.

    Verdict: This is an excellent free online outlet where beginners can start learning Nuke through video tutorials.

    3D Tutorials

    3D Tutorials is third free online outlet where beginners can start learning Nuke through video tutorials, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

    Structure: There’s no real structure in this outlet it’s just a huge collection of 282 video lesson that covers the various aspects and tools available in Nuke, some of the videos are just interviews with major Nuke users.

    Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the video lessons you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where the video lesson resides.

    3 - 3D Tutorials Nuke Training

    Now the pros and cons:

    Pros

    1. Free.
    2. A huge collection of video lessons.

    Cons

    1. Lack of structure and organization.

    Verdict: Though this outlet has a huge collection of video lesson it’s not suitable for complete beginners to start from due to the lack of structure and organization.

    Nuke Station

    Nuke Station is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Nuke through video tutorials, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

    Structure: As the previous outlet, there’s no real structure in this outlet it’s just a huge collection of 106 video lessons that cover the various techniques and tools available in Nuke, the video lessons are from various sources over the internet.

    Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the video lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where the video lesson resides.

    4 - Nuke Station Nuke Training

    Now the pros and cons:

    Pros

    1. Free.
    2. A large collection of video lessons.

    Cons

    1. Lack of structure and organization.

    Verdict: As the above outlet though it’s a huge collection of video lesson it’s not suitable for complete beginners to start from.

    Bottom Line

    The recipe for learning Nuke:

    1. The Foundry Website is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Nuke through video tutorials.

    Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in learning Nuke.