Also called: Compositor, Digital Compositor
Blends live-action footage with digital effects so the final shot looks seamless.
They remove green screens, add CG explosions, match lighting and grain, and fix tiny edges frame by frame in Nuke. A single shot might take a week. They work under deadlines near film release dates.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in VFX, animation, or film.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Visual Effects, Film, Animation.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). VFX work often moves internationally.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI rotoscoping, keying and cleanup are automating much of the junior work; final integration and art judgment remain.
Classes: Video production CTE, Digital photography, AP Computer Science Principles.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1014.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.