Our Favorite YouTube Channels for VFX Artists

By: Kseniya Serebrennikova

Get ready to hit the Subscribe button at the speed of light because we've collected 11 top-notch YouTube channels for VFX artists.

Looking for free tutorials online can be incredibly overwhelming – there are lots of videos from hundreds of creators and they only keep coming every single day. What makes the search even harder is that high-quality videos often drown in the stream of clickbait titles with millions of views. We decided to dive into this sea of educational videos for you to find the best channels for aspiring VFX artists.

1. Entagma

This is not the first and definitely not the last time we mention Entagma’s tutorials. Moritz Schwind and Manuel Casasola Merkle have some of the best free video lessons for CG artists. The creators explain how to create beautiful visuals using Blender and Houdini and have dozens of amazing tutorials both for beginners and for advanced users.

They also do overviews of the latest software updates where they discuss the new features and demonstrate how you can use them in your artworks. If you find some nodes, systems, or any of the tools confusing, you will likely find a clear explanation of those on Entagma’s channel as well. The team does concise, easy-to-understand breakdowns of Houdini’s particle solvers, geometry nodes, VEX functions, and other useful features.

2. Ducky 3D

If you think every channel with VFX tutorials revolves around Houdini, check out Nathan Duck’s videos. The artist uses Blender to create hypnotizing visuals that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie. You will find tutorials on how to make simple abstract motion graphics, set up stunning futuristic environments, and create animated texts that are anything but boring or tacky.

Ducky 3D’s artworks are so aesthetically appealing that even if you never liked the whole neon-glow-outer-space-sci-fi-movie style you won’t be able to resist the urge to recreate those gorgeous pieces. Nathan’s tutorials would be a perfect choice for those who want to learn how to create flawless high-end visuals for movie production. They might be a bit difficult to follow if you are a complete beginner so Ducky’s tutorials are great for those who are familiar with Blender.

3. Rebelway

As you probably know, we have quite a few free courses and tutorials for aspiring VFX artists. On our YouTube channel, we post detailed video lessons from our talented instructors where they show how to create insanely cool visual effects using Houdini. Whether you are interested in learning VFX for film production, animation, or video game development, you will find some useful content on our channel.

You can learn to create assets, groom hair, set up realistic explosions, and do more stuff using Houdini. On top of that, we have some insightful videos about compositing in Nuke which is one of the essential applications for VFX artists. So if you are not ready to invest in a full VFX course yet or if you are just looking to experiment with Houdini and Nuke’s tools, our videos would be your best choice.

Because Rebelway is a VFX school in the first place, our instructors know exactly how to explain even the most complicated steps of creating visual effects in a clear, non-overwhelming way which makes the tutorials pretty beginner-friendly.

4. Peter France

Peter France is a talented VFX artist and filmmaker who also makes awesome Blender tutorials. If you’re dreaming of working in the movie industry and creating crisp hyperrealistic visuals, Peter’s channel is what you need.

Blender is one of the very few free digital art tools (which is a huge advantage) but learning how to use it might seem even more challenging than rocket science. Peter France’s tutorials are fast-paced but extremely detailed and easy to follow as the artist explains every step of the process and comments on how the functions and tools he uses work. Needless to say, they are hilarious and highly engaging so the pain of trying to figure Blender out will be long gone.

5. Gabriel Aguiar

Though the majority of VFX tutorials are focused on video production, games rely on visual effects heavily, too, and a skilled VFX artist will always find a job in game development. Gabriel Aguiar is a VFX artist and an indie game developer so if you are looking for thorough, high-quality tutorials on creating visuals for video games, check out his YouTube channel.

It is a whole library of educational content for game designers where you can learn how to make amazing VFX in Unity. You can find tutorials on electric explosions, magic portals, ice walls, fireballs, laser beams, and many other key effects used in game design. The best thing about Gabriel’s tutorials is that the artist always gives a detailed explanation of how to work with Unity’s Graph Shaders so if those sound intimidating to you, you definitely need to check out his videos.

6. Doxia Studio

Luís Almeida has got some of the most mesmerizing VFX tutorials out there. If you want to create vibrant abstract visuals using Houdini, don’t forget to add this YouTube channel to your bookmarks. Doxia Studio’s videos cover all the VFX essentials including water and fire simulation, working with particle solvers, using Vellum to create cloth and soft bodies, and more.

With Luís Almeida’s tutorials, you will learn how to make breathtaking animations in Houdini like a dancing figure made up of dozens of golden spheres or colorful pieces of cloth swirling in the air. What makes the videos especially valuable is that the artist always makes sure to dedicate enough time to explaining the secrets behind high-grade colorwork which is a crucial (and most certainly fairly tough) step in creating VFX.

7. Film Riot

If you ever dreamed of making your own movie, start to finish, this channel would be your ultimate guide to filmmaking. Film Riot was created by the Connolly brothers who work in the movie industry and share their knowledge on how to develop storylines, shoot, edit, add special effects, work with the sound for your film, and a lot more.

This channel is without any doubt an all-around indie filmmaker’s encyclopedia with an emphasis on VFX. Film Riot has plenty of Adobe After Effects tutorials that will teach you how to create some of the most popular, widely-used visual effects including ghosts, holograms, laser beams, and of course picturesque blood splashes. The Connolly brothers also have a ton of tutorials on how to recreate VFX from popular movies and TV shows including The Umbrella Academy, Loki, and Godzilla.

8. CG Geek

Steve Lund is a CG artist who creates astounding animations and VFX using Blender. Steve’s YouTube tutorials are tremendously versatile and you can find videos on how to do 3D motion capture, create realistic CG environments, adjust the lighting, make fire, water, and explosion VFX, and everything in between.

CG Geek is both highly informative and entertaining so if you thought learning Blender would be an exhausting monotonous process, you surely got the wrong impression. Steve Lund has some absolutely brilliant videos like turning Bob Ross’ paintings into 3D scenes, fixing bad CGI from older movies, and recreating famous movie characters in Blender. The artist also makes videos discussing the latest hardware for 3D artists which can be helpful for those who are planning to upgrade or completely rebuild their creative station.

9. Hovl Studio

Here is one more great channel for VFX artists who are looking to work in the video game industry. Vladyslav Horobets is a Ukrainian VFX artist who’s been creating visuals for games in Unity for over 5 years. On Vladyslav’s channel, you will find both long and short tutorials on how to make terrific effects for video games.

Though the videos are in Russian, English subtitles (the ones that make sense, not the auto-generated captions) are available for every tutorial that has a voiceover. With tutorials from Hovl Studio you can learn to create fire swords, energy shields, magic portals as well as realistic water, fire, and ice. What is more, Vladyslav explains how to make those tiny little in-game effects that you often see in PC, mobile, and console games – rewards popping up, player’s screen getting covered in blood splatter, menu buttons gleaming, etc.

10. William Faucher

When it comes to cinematic shots, William Faucher’s tutorials are indisputably next-level. William has been doing digital art magic for the entertainment industry for over 10 years and has worked on Marvel’s Black Panther, HBO’s Watchmen, and Nordisk Film’s TV series Twin. The artist makes superb Unreal Engine tutorials that can help you achieve this polished, expensive look and make your creations look like scenes from big-budget movies.

William Faucher creates tutorials for Epic’s Unreal Online Learning so you can be sure that this artist knows exactly how to use Unreal Engine’s potential to the fullest. On his channel, you can learn how to make dazzling environments, choose the appropriate lighting setup for your scene, and improve your depth of field. You will also find some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of Unreal Engine and deal with its most complicated tools.

11. Junichiro Horikawa

If you already know a bit about Houdini and how it works and your goal is to up your skill, check out Junichiro Horikawa’s tutorials. The artist’s videos are without exaggeration unsurpassed as they cover both the very fundamentals and the more intricate Houdini techniques. Junichiro’s channel is an amazing learning resource for modelers, animators, and VFX artists.

You will find tutorials on how to create solvers for your visual effects, replicate various patterns and materials in 3D, experiment with morphing and deforming, and more. Most importantly, Junichiro Horikawa talks a lot about the sorcery of algorithmic designs and how to create those using Houdini’s VEX.

12. Framestore

It’s always exciting to take a peek at the working process behind your favorite movies and see how the pros do it. Framestore is one of the most well-known production studios in the world and its VFX artists have worked on an impressive number of internationally successful titles including No Time To Die, Disney’s live-action Mulan, The Witcher, Game of Thrones, and dozens of other remarkable movies and TV shows.

On their YouTube channel, Framestore artists share VFX breakdowns showing how their most jaw-dropping scenes were created. You can see, for instance, how the environments for the Illusion Battle from Marvel’s Spider-Man: Far From Home were made, or take a look at how CG characters for Avengers: Endgame were created, or find out how the gloomy look of Blade Runner 2049 was achieved.

Learn to Create Stunning VFX

Have you ever dreamed of creating world-class VFX like a pro? If so check out Introduction to Houdini FX. Our online course will teach you the essentials you need to know to get started with Houdini, the most exciting VFX software in the world. Check out the course page below, and when you’re ready you can sign up to get free lessons delivered to your inbox on the course page.