The case for and against. What Nuke does well, and when it costs too much.
For. What works in its favour.
- Industry-standard for VFX.
- Very powerful node-based compositing.
- Affordable Indie edition under a revenue cap.
- Scriptable, extensible pipeline.
- You work in a demanding node-based pipeline.
- You need a studio-recognized standard.
Pays off from
1 h 03saved a month
Nuke costs $42/month. If your hour is worth $40, those 1 h 03 cover it.
Against. What to plan for.
- Pro editions are expensive.
- Free version is watermarked and limited.
- Steep learning curve.
- Occasional use doesn't justify the cost.
- You want a free tool for commercial work.
Too expensive if
- You use it less than once a month
- davinci-resolve (free) already covers the essentials for occasional use