Mar 7 / Christian Bull

The 1% Problem: Could AI Solve VFX's Biggest Learning Bottleneck?

The end of tutorial purgatory?
How AI guidance could replace hours of YouTube, Google, and Reddit searches

Remember when you first opened Blender, or Fusion, or After Effects and felt like you were staring at the cockpit of an alien spacecraft? We’ve all been there—desperately pausing tutorials every 3 seconds, frantically searching for that one tiny button hiding somewhere in a nested submenu.

I’ve been doing VFX for 20-odd years, and honestly I’m still doing that, because software keeps changing

THE 1% DILEMMA

If you’ve watched even a couple of Shoot First videos, you’ll know that I’m not at all interested in teaching what buttons to press, because that’s 1% of what VFX and filmmaking is about. Knowing which buttons to press will never make you great, or even competent. BUT it’s probably the barrier that stops 99% of students from continuing their VFX studies and reaching their full potential, meaning that it’s an incredibly important issue to solve.

THE BEST SOLUTION
If you’re a Shoot First subscriber, reach out. Me and my VFX team are on Discord, and if we’re actively working we can help you out with your problem in real time. If you want to e-mail me, feel free to do that. No brainer!

MAYBE THE SECOND BEST SOLUTION 

An example voice conversation between me and Google AI studio whilst I’m working on this shot is as follows:


Me: Can you see the shot I’m working on?

AI Studio: Yes, I can see the shot. You’re working on. It appears to be a close-up of someone’s hands on a table with a glass object and some papers visible. The lighting is somewhat dim and Moody, would you like me to elaborate on anything specific?

Me: I’d like to make it more cinematic

AI Studio: To make the shot more cinematic. You could try a few things, consider adding a subtle color grade to push the colors towards a warmer or cooler palette, depending on the mood, you are going for. Also, you could add some slight vignettes to draw attention to the center of the frame, and perhaps use a very subtle blur effect to create depth. Do any of these sound like something you want to explore

For years, YouTube and Reddit have been the go to for the “which buttons to press” part of learning VFX. I even recommend it to Shoot First students, because there’s no way that we could keep creating new content for all software updates. Let YouTubers handle that, and we’ll teach the 99% remaining that you need to know to really deliver.

Let’s be honest, it’s always been a frustrating bottleneck in the learning process. A large percentage of Shoot First students tell us that the main reason they chose Shoot First was that they’d gone round in so many circles with YouTube that they were losing their minds.

I’ve been using chatGPT for software related questions, and it can definitely be useful, and often quicker than other options. Even when it’s wrong, it can give you a strong clue as to where the answer is. But since it’s text based, and we’re working with visuals, it’s limited.

That’s why this week, I’ve been experimenting with Google Studio AI. It represents a really interesting development in how we might learn software interfaces. In principle, this technology can:

  • Watch your screen as you work
  • Identify where you are in your process
  • Show you where to click to accomplish specific tasks
  • Adapt to your specific situation in real-time

Because it’s getting data from your screen, it can identify what software you’re working with, what version, and where the options are that you need. And because it’s AI, it can help with concepts too. For example, you could be in Blender and ask it “I’ve heard that I can use HDRI for lighting, but I don’t know what it is, or how to set it up”, and you’re probably going to get a pretty solid answer pretty quickly.

Is it a total game changer? It could be. I’ve enjoyed using it, but the technology is still developing and definitely has limitations:

  • It’s AI, so it’s a total blagger. You need a grasp of the fundamentals to know when it’s trying to fob you off!
  • It’s speaking directly to you, which is fun, but if I’m watching videos I’ll speed them up, or if I’m reading text, I’ll skim it. I found myself getting impatient with its very slow, wordy answers.
  • It will struggle with complex or uncommon workflows, or niche software
  • Its understanding of context might be imperfect
  • Software updates could temporarily break functionality

Head to aistudio.google.com, select ‘Stream Realtime’ then hit “Share your screen”, and get learning!

CONCLUSION

My God, every conclusion that I come to when writing about AI is the same, so I don’t know how to make this bit different!

Altogether now:

  • Like all AI, this isn’t a silver bullet solution for anything
  • Like most AI, this has real potential to be a useful tool, rather than a replacement for anything or anyone

I’ve always been excited about any technology that gets me over the boring and mundane hurdles that are in the way of creating. That’s what I’m interested in AI to help with, and Google Studio could definitely do that, so I recommend you take some time to give it a spin!