10 Tips for Using the Chromatic Ball in VFX Projects

The chromatic (mirror) ball is essential for capturing accurate lighting and reflections in VFX. Here are 10 professional tips to help you use it effectively on set.

How It Works

The chromatic ball reflects the environment, giving VFX artists crucial data for matching CGI elements to real-world lighting and reflections.

Top Tips

  1. Positioning: Place the ball under the same lighting as your subject and near the CGI placement area.
  2. Reference Footage: Record at the beginning and end of each scene to ensure consistency.
  3. Consistent Angles: Use the same camera height and angle for each shot for easier comparison.
  4. Combine with Gray Ball: Gray balls help balance exposure and color, complementing reflection data.
  5. Marking Position: Mark the location of your ball to maintain consistency between takes.
  6. Lighting Analysis: Examine reflections to evaluate light source direction, intensity, and color temperature.
  7. Reflection Analysis: Capture accurate environmental reflections for seamless CG integration.
  8. Use HDRI: Use the ball with HDRI captures to recreate real lighting in 3D software.
  9. VFX Team Coordination: Communicate how the data was captured so the post team can use it properly.
  10. Post-Production Adjustments: Use the reference to fine-tune CGI lighting and reflections.

Bonus: Pair this technique with a color checker and 18% gray ball for a complete on-set VFX reference kit.

 Learn more about HDRI tools at RefBallStudio.com

Back to blog