Visual Effects Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Visual Effects facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What compositing operation places a foreground element over a background using an alpha channel? → Over
2. Which VFX technique uses multiple cameras or photographs from different angles to reconstruct 3D geometry and camera positions? → Photogrammetry
3. What is 'face replacement' (face swap) in VFX production? → Digitally replacing a stunt performer's face with an actor's likeness in post-production
4. What does 'grain matching' refer to in compositing? → Adding film grain to CGI elements to match the noise of the live-action plate
5. What does 'set extension' mean in VFX? → Digitally expanding a physical set beyond its real boundaries using CG or matte paintings
6. What is a 'particle system' used for in VFX production? → Simulating large numbers of small elements like sparks, smoke, rain, or confetti
7. What is 'motion blur' in 3D rendering and why is it important for VFX? → The blurring of fast-moving objects that mimics how a real camera captures motion
8. What is 'subsurface scattering' (SSS) used for in VFX rendering? → Simulating how light penetrates and scatters beneath translucent surfaces like skin
9. Why is it important to shoot an on-set 'HDRI' (High Dynamic Range Image) for VFX shots? → To capture the real lighting environment so CGI elements can be lit to match the plate
10. What is 'photogrammetry' in VFX production? → The technique of creating 3D models from multiple photographs of a real object
11. What is the main purpose of visual effects software? → To visualize the effects you want to add to a movie or video.
12. What does the term 'beauty pass' refer to in a multi-pass VFX render workflow? → The combined full render output that includes all lighting, shading, and effects together
13. What is a 'clean plate' in live-action VFX work? → A frame of the background without any foreground subjects or rigs
14. What is a 'proxy' in a 3D VFX workflow? → A lower-resolution stand-in version of an asset used during animation and previsualization
15. Which rendering technique traces rays from the camera into the scene and simulates how light bounces between surfaces to produce global illumination? → Path tracing
16. What is 'on-set reference photography' used for in VFX production? → Capturing HDRIs, color charts, and geometry reference to match CGI to the real environment
17. What is 'global illumination' in 3D rendering for VFX? → A rendering technique that simulates indirect light bouncing between surfaces
18. the level of light or radiation reflection in a material → reflectivity
19. What is an 'HDRI' and how is it used in VFX? → A high-dynamic-range image used to provide realistic lighting and reflections in 3D scenes
20. In node-based compositing, what is a 'grade' or 'color correct' node used for? → Adjusting brightness, contrast, gamma, and color of an image stream
21. In fluid simulations, what does 'vorticity confinement' do? → Amplifies small-scale swirling details lost during numerical simulation
22. What is 'ambient occlusion' (AO) and what does it simulate? → The soft shadowing in crevices where surfaces block ambient light from each other
23. Which software is widely regarded as an industry-standard dedicated matchmoving application? → PFTrack
24. Which type of tracking involves following a single point across multiple frames? → 2D point tracking
25. What is a 'render farm' in VFX production? → A networked cluster of computers that distribute and process rendering tasks in parallel
26. What is 'rotoscoping' in visual effects? → Manually drawing mattes frame-by-frame to isolate a subject from its background
27. In VFX, what is a 'previz'? → A pre-visualization rough animation used to plan shots
28. What is 'lens distortion' correction and why is it important in VFX? → Removing the warping introduced by real camera lenses before compositing CGI
29. What is a 'render farm' used for in VFX production? → A network of computers that distribute and process rendering jobs in parallel
30. Which technique allows VFX artists to track a 2D element so it moves with the camera in live-action footage? → 2D planar tracking