Nuke and VFX training
Hi, I'm Aaron Estrada, a VFX supervisor and Sr. VFX artist with over 25 years experience. Here are some mini posters from projects I've worked on, as well as a link to my IMDB page and Linked-In page.
LearnVFX combines video training and professional mentoring to fulfill my vision of creating a community where students of VFX and animation can hone their skills to a professional level.
With the relaunch of LearnVFX I'm shifting the focus to more of a freemium model where most of my videos will be available on YouTube for free. Serious students can join me on Patreon where they can get access to the downloadable project files, bonus content and direct mentorship from me. My non-premium text based content will be mirrored here so anyone interested can read it for free.
Over the next few months I will be trickling out free content on my YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/@LearnVFXcom built from the very same videos I use in my course at UNM and my previously PAID only online courses. Don't forget to subscribe (including turning on the bell icon) to be notified as I add more free videos. If you think the videos are valuable, please give them a "like" also, which may help with the algorithm. Over time I will be releasing new videos that cover the newer features in Nuke as well as more advanced concepts. You will have to watch the intro videos before you'll be able to understand the advanced videos though!
Why should you follow me as your VFX guru and mentor? Several of my alumni and mentees have gone on to get jobs at major studios, including ILM, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Digital Domain, Netflix and Tippet Studios.
Check out what former students have to say about the quality of training and mentorship they received from me here: Praise
Beyond the challenges of learning the technical and artistic aspects of VFX are the more subtle considerations that sometimes block students from attaining a high level of achievement. It's a given that you must gain knowledge in the tools and technologies required to get the job done. But there is more required to really excel. In my experience, there are two major impediments that students encounter when honing their skills with the aim of becoming a professional. The first is access to mentorship. A good mentor will help you calibrate your “eye” and coach you on the hard skills and soft skills you will need to enter the workforce. Basically, I will help you understand where the bar is in terms of the level of work you need to deliver to get a job in this business, and what hard skills you need to focus on to get there. It can be tricky figuring out that stuff on your own. What differentiates training with me from most other on-line training options is the high level of direct mentorship students receive. I want you to succeed. When I review your work, I hold you to the same standard that I hold professionals to. It can be a bit daunting as a student but it's one of the few ways to effectively help calibrate your eye. (Trust me. You will survive. My goal is to coach you, not crush your soul!) I will also coach you in how to receive and respond to reviews, which is a critical soft skill in this business. I hope to help save you the confusion and false starts I suffered myself when training to work in this business.
The second impediment students often encounter is a lack of opportunity to practice at anything approximating a professional level. Ask anyone who has graduated school and started their career and they will tell you they learned vastly more in their first year on the job than all their years in school. While I don't expect students to perform like a professional right out of the gate, I still provide challenging high-level assets to practice with. The only way to get the repetitions necessary to work professionally is to practice working at a professional level. I hold students to a high standard when providing feedback and tell them what they need to focus on in both the shots and in their skill sets. In most cases, there will be tutorials associated with these assets, but sometimes the assets will simply be provided as raw plates and a mission brief students may use as they please to improve their demo reels. The goal for these missions is to emulate real life professional assignments. And don't worry. If you get stuck, there will be support. On the patreon page you can get peer feedback and support. At the higher patron support levels, you will be able to get feedback from me directly.
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