New to VFX and this whole world

Hi there my name is Michael and I just recently decided to dip my toes into VFX. This is all so new and I really want to put effort into learning. I found the beginners guide on ActionVFX for people with little to no money(thank you so much for that btw). I started by downloading DaVinci Resolve 17 from the guide and digging into a beginners crash course on the software to get a feel for it. As a noob did I make a good choice in the software or should I look at something perhaps more simple? And any other tips and tricks would be very appreciated. I will have so many more questions I’m sure but for now more research!

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VFX in general is always going to have a learning curve with any software. Resolve is a powerful program and certainly a great place to start.

However, I’d suggest you also grab a copy of Hitfilm Express (also free). This will give you two programs to play with, and, from there you can decide which program better fits your needs and workflow organization. The workflow for Hitfilm is quite similar to Premiere and (especially) After Effects, so if Hitfilm “feels good” to you, but you decide you want to try the Adobe products, Hitfilm gives you a bit of a head start there.

Other free options include Lightworks, Shotcut and Blender. While Blender is known mostly as a 3D modeling/animation software it does have video editing and composting features.

But I’m an FXhome brand Ambassador, so forgive me when I suggest giving Hitfilm a look one more time. :wink:

Welcome to the ActionVFX forum! Don’t forget to join the DaVinci forum (and other forums for whatever other software you might try), look for relevant Facebook and Reddit groups, and remember you can find tutorials for everything on YouTube!

My best advice is to think of two VFX shots you want to create then do both of them in multiple apps. Just a quick something to play around and see what’s intuitive to your way of thinking. After that you can work on longer projects, but just dip a toe into a couple of pools first before you plunge into the deep end and start swimming laps.

-Mike

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Welcome to the forum and VFX @BeeHiveFX! I also agree with what has already been said about trying out HitFilm Express. Here is a link to their site where you can check it out Download HitFilm Express - Free Video Editing Software - FXhome

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When I first started getting into editing and VFX, I also tried DaVinci Resolve initially but started stumbling on their “node” approach to editing so looked around and found Hitfilm Express and was sold on it.
I now use Hitfilm Pro as its worth every dime and as mentioned above its very similar format to premiere pro and after effects.