VFX Set Extension Test (Patreon)

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of blending real-world footage with VFX and 3D elements to create immersive fantasy worlds. Shooting something real and then extending it with digital elements adds a level of realism that’s hard to achieve with fully CGI environments, especially for landscapes and nature shots, where the details really matter.

For this test, I wanted to try a hybrid approach: filming the midground and foreground elements on location, while creating the background and additional assets in Blender. I recently upgraded to an iPhone 15 Pro, and its camera capabilities (including Apple Log) gave me the perfect excuse to dive into this experiment.

The footage was shot from a pedestrian overpass, overlooking a field near the city. There’s a highway just out of frame to the left and behind the camera—pretty mundane stuff. But by adding mountains, a forest, and other fantastical elements, I aimed to transform the scene into something otherworldly.

This is still a work in progress. The smoke elements animate too quickly, and the camera tracking has some jitter, especially noticeable in the foreground. Visually, I think it looks good, but I may have gone overboard with the digital additions—it feels like I lost some of the natural realism that comes from shooting real-world elements.

Still, as a first attempt, I’m happy with how it turned out. It’s been a great learning experience, and I’m excited to refine my skills further.

Let me know what you think!