Human Matting in Mocha Pro - MAX (Machine Assisted VFX)

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In the last lesson, we looked at how open-source machine learning models in Nuke can assist with basic human matting. Now, we’re taking that same footage into Mocha Pro 2025 to test its new Mask ML feature.

Here’s what it does:

Instead of manually creating a mask, you add Mask ML to a layer, and it generates a machine-assisted matte automatically. No need to track points, no need to animate splines frame by frame, just let the tool do its job.

But let’s be clear: this is not a magic button.

Since this is a matting tool, the alpha you get is mostly a solid shape, devoid of motion blur trails. It’s not replacing fine detail work yet, but it’s changing how we approach the process.

And that’s the point.

These are Gen 1 tools. Right now, they’re assisting. But I can already see a future where we don’t just use generic training data, we train our own models, fine-tuned to our workflow. Where we don’t just pull from local sources, we pull from the cloud, accessing a library of pre-trained AI masks that improve over time.

This is the beginning of VFX shifting away from brute force manual work toward machine-assisted artistry.

And that’s the real impact.

Already, these tools are allowing me to spend more time making creative decisions instead of getting stuck on seamless extraction.

It feels like traveling to another country.

You can drive yourself there.
Or you can take a plane and a cab and get straight to where you need to be.

That’s what these tools are doing, they’re changing how we get there.

This is where MAX continues. Let’s get into it.