AI in VFX: where it actually helps in 2026

AI in VFX: Where It Actually Helps in 2026

We rewrote this post because the old one was from 2018, when “machine learning” was a buzz phrase. By October 2026 it’s in daily use. Here is where AI in VFX actually helps, and where the rules are heading.

Tools and prices change fast. Dates are noted, so check the latest before you decide anything.

1. Rotoscoping and mattes

Roto is slow, repeatable work. That’s why AI landed here first.

Foundry’s CopyCat arrived in Nuke 13. You give it a few before-and-after frames, usually two to five. It trains a small network and applies the result across the sequence. Foundry’s SmartRoto plugin propagates splines from keyframes you draw. Foundry claims it’s up to four times faster than manual roto. Adobe’s Roto Brush 3 in After Effects does a similar job with a newer model.

Everything Everywhere All at Once is the best-known example. A very small VFX team used Runway’s green-screen tool. One artist told Variety it cut out better than he could by hand, and in minutes instead of half a day.

2. Cleanup and beauty work

CopyCat is also used for fixes. fxguide lists beauty work, motion-blur removal, upscaling, and cleaning up LED wall problems such as moiré. You fix a few frames by hand and the network does the rest.

3. Face capture and de-aging

Digital Domain’s Masquerade first showed on Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Machine learning handles the marker tracking and fills gaps in the data. Version 2.0 used 150 face markers and automated most of the tracking.

ILM de-aged Robert De Niro in The Irishman (2019). It used a three-camera rig and no markers on the face. The film has about 1,750 VFX shots. On Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, ILM searched old films for matching expressions to use as reference. The supervisor said every shot was bespoke. There was no recipe.

4. Denoising

Intel’s Open Image Denoise won a Scientific and Technical Academy Award in April 2025. It cuts render time by letting artists stop a render earlier. It’s built into renderers such as Arnold and V-Ray.

5. Generative footage

This is the new and contested part. In July 2025, Netflix said a building collapse in El Eternauta (The Eternaut) was made with generative AI. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said it was done about 10 times faster than traditional VFX. He said the cost wouldn’t have worked for that budget.

Autodesk’s Flow Studio, formerly Wonder Studio, tracks an actor and swaps in a CG character. It exports camera data, mocap and masks to Maya, Blender and Unreal.

The rules are changing

  1. Netflix. In late August 2025, it published guidance for production partners. You must disclose intended use. Tools must not train on production data. Gen-AI must not replace union-covered work or talent performances without consent.
  2. The Academy. In April 2025, it said AI tools neither help nor harm a film’s chances. It looks at how much a human was involved. For the 99th Oscars, announced in May 2026, acting nominations are limited to roles demonstrably performed by humans with consent.
  3. Unions. SAG-AFTRA members ratified a 2026 contract in June. It restricts synthetic performers further. Apple Studios VFX workers won their first IATSE contract, reported on 1 October 2026.

What this means for a small studio

  1. Use AI for the tedious steps: roto, cleanup, denoising.
  2. Have an artist check every frame. A model can drift.
  3. Read your client’s contract. Many now have AI clauses.
  4. Say what you used. Disclosure is becoming normal.

If you have a roto or cleanup job and want to talk about how to approach it, see our work or get in touch. Happy to talk it through.

Which task would you hand to AI first? Let us know.

Sources and references

  1. fxguide: “CopyCat and inference: machine learning in Nuke”.
  2. Foundry: SmartRoto product page.
  3. Variety: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and Runway (2023).
  4. befores & afters: “A brief history of Digital Domain’s Masquerade”, and the Indiana Jones de-aging article.
  5. fxguide: “De-aging The Irishman”.
  6. CG Channel: Intel OIDN Sci-Tech award (April 2025); “Wonder Studio becomes Autodesk Flow Studio” (March 2025).
  7. TechCrunch and TechRadar: Netflix and El Eternauta (18 July 2025).
  8. IBC: Netflix generative AI guidance for filmmakers (August 2025).
  9. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: awards rules press release (April 2025). Cartoon Brew: 99th Oscars rules (May 2026).
  10. SAG-AFTRA: 2026 TV/Theatrical contract ratification. Cartoon Brew: Apple Studios VFX workers union (October 2026).