Compositing
Where photography meets digital artistry. This category is for images that seamlessly blend multiple photographic elements, 3D renders, or VFX to create fantastical scenes. All photographic elements must be captured or made by you, with real people as subjects.
Category Rules
- 2D and 3D compositing techniques are permitted.
- The submitted image must combine two or more elements which are photographed in-camera or rendered in 3D.
- Subjects used as background elements may be created in 3D or composited.
- If third-party stock assets are used, you must hold a licence that allows commercial use, either paid or free such as CC0, and this must be disclosed upon submission.
- Backgrounds generated with AI tools are not permitted.
Jury
KAZUMA
Visual architect bridging 2D aesthetics and reality through "protagonist-driven" imagery, pursuing "narrative completeness," where every individual shot functions as a standalone cinematic story.
Jury of Categories
Anka
Passion and a camera can bring the characters we love across the dimensional barrier into the real world.
Jury of Categories
Dustin Valkema
Veteran cosplay photographer, CGI artist, and mentor known for cinematic imagery, advanced compositing, and educating creatives on lighting and visual storytelling.
Jury of Categories
Ryan Ansen
Oregon based photographer and VFX Artist. His focus is on bold, cinematic lighting, dynamic posing, and integrated 3D elements for impactful character-driven imagery.
Jury of Categories
A.Z.Production
Berlin-based cosplay photographer who combines genre photography with classical art influences, producing vibrant, painterly imagery inspired by romanticism, enhanced with carefully composited CGI.
Jury of Categories
That Should be Printed, Atmospheric Arts, Compositing, Color Unleashed
Sponsored by
Composite Nation
Composite Nation is a creative powerhouse built by and for digital artists. Founded in 2018 by Mexican compositing expert Mario Olvera, they create next-generation Adobe Photoshop plugins that turn complex editing into a seamless experience. Their tools empower photographers and CGI artists to push their creative limits, featuring standout plugins like Oniric for stunning photorealistic glows and BreakGen for instant layer animations. Beyond delivering game-changing software, Composite Nation is a vibrant community and educational hub dedicated to helping you master your craft.
Prizes
The winner of this category gets all of these.
Oniric licence
This glow plugin is absolute magic! It calculates light falloff exactly how it happens in the real world, and the anamorphic flares you can stack on top are simply gorgeous. The blooms from even the tiniest light sources look incredibly realistic and cinematic. The best part is that it is completely non-destructive. You can jump back into a project weeks later and tweak your glows to perfection without ever ruining your original pixels!
BreakGen licence
We all know presenting your art is half the battle, and this tool is a massive lifesaver! You just point it at your layered file, click generate, and walk away. When you come back, it has automatically created a slick, layer-by-layer animation of your entire process. People finally get to see the actual hours of dedication you put into a piece. Those breakdown videos always perform amazingly online, and this does all the heavy lifting for you. A must have.