Discover how AI is transforming the art of environment creation. In this intermediate course, Emmy-winning VFX artist Michael Eng shows you how to bring AI directly into your production workflow—from concept to final composited shot. You’ll blend artistry and AI to expand your creative toolkit while speeding up your worldbuilding process.
What You’ll Unlock
VOD Details
Live Course Details
Bonus : A 1-Month Free Standard Plan at Arcana Labs is included, giving you full access to practice tools throughout the course and beyond.
01 Introduction & Evolution of 3D VFX
Begin with a clear overview of the masterclass pipeline and what the final shot will look like. Michael then traces the evolution of matte painting—from early glass plates to today’s AI-assisted workflows—giving you historical context for how technology has shaped cinematic worldbuilding.
02 Preparing Assets & 3D Layout in Blender
Set up your source footage, organize camera tracks, and prep your project for a smooth workflow. Learn to import the camera, block geometry, and establish scale inside Blender, building a strong 3D foundation for AI generation and compositing.
03 Generating AI Environments
Discover how to export depth data and camera information using Arcana AI, then create depth-aware imagery. Michael walks you through prompt iteration for light and composition, followed by identifying and fixing common realism or perspective issues before refinement.
04 Refinement & Enhancement with Arcana Tools
Go deeper into artistic control using Google Nano Banana, Kling, and Magnific. You’ll learn live refinement workflows—adjusting composition, materials, and continuity—and then enhance your shots with atmosphere, scale, and photoreal detail to achieve cinematic quality.
05 Compositing, Final Look & Wrap-Up
Bring your elements together inside Nuke, DaVinci Resolve, or After Effects, organizing layers for seamless integration. Michael covers color matching, grain, and light blending for a unified look, before closing with a recap on creative ethics, authorship, and how to continue shaping your own AI-enhanced filmmaking path.
Michael Eng is an Emmy-winning VFX artist and environment specialist whose work appears in Shōgun, Star Trek: Picard, and Ant-Man: Quantumania. With over a decade of experience in digital environments and matte painting, he now focuses on fusing AI with traditional filmmaking workflows. Michael is passionate about helping artists harness emerging tools without losing artistic intent, empowering them to build cinematic worlds faster, smarter, and with greater creative freedom.
$299.99 USD
$199.99 USD
Pay once. Get instant access to the full course.
$499.99 USD
$249.99 USD
Join weekly live sessions with feedback and expert mentorship.
Choose a starting date
$299.99 USD
$199.99 USD
Pay once. Get instant access to the full course.
$499.99 USD
$249.99 USD
Join weekly live sessions with feedback and expert mentorship.
Choose a starting date
$299.99 USD
$199.99 USD
Pay once. Get instant access to the full course.
$499.99 USD
$249.99 USD
Join weekly live sessions with feedback and expert mentorship.
Choose a starting date
$299.99 USD
$199.99 USD
Pay once. Get instant access to the full course.
$499.99 USD
$249.99 USD
Join weekly live sessions with feedback and expert mentorship.
Choose a starting date