Optical effects is a sub-category of special effects for film in which film images are manipulated through optical processes using film, light, shadow, lenses and/or chemical processes. Examples are film titles, fades, dissolves, wipes, blow ups, bluescreen, composites, and double exposures. The effects are usually done in post-production with an optical printer, although some, such us fades and double exposures, can be done as in-camera effects but with much less precision. Lasers were used in the 2005 Classical Spectacular concert Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to create effects that cannot be achieved by normal means, such as depicting travel to other star systems. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... A lens. ... The bluescreen setup The final image Bluescreen (also known as Chroma Key) is a term for the filmmaking technique of shooting foreground action against an evenly-lit monochomatic background for the purpose of removing the background from the scene and replacing it with a different image or scene. ... Post production is the general term for the last stage of film production in which photographed scenes (also called footage) are put together into a complete film. ... An optical printer with two projector heads, used in producing movie special effects. ... An in-camera effect is any special effect in a video or movie that is created solely by using techniques in and on the camera and/or its parts. ...

The term optical effects has largely been replaced by visual effects as most of the effects are now done digitally on computer with editing software or computer generated imagery instead of directly on the film. Visual effects (vfx) is the term given to a sub-category of special effects in which images or film frames are created or manipulated for film and video. ... A digital system is one that uses numbers, especially binary numbers, for input, processing, transmission, storage, or display, rather than a continuous spectrum of values (an analog system) or non-numeric symbols such as letters or icons. ... A computer is a machine capable of undergoing complex calculations. ... Film editing is the connecting of one or more shots together in a sequence. ... A screenshot of computer software in action. ... The seawater creature in The Abyss marked CGIs acceptance in the visual effects industry. ...

Notable uses of optical effects

• The Ten Commandments (1956)
• Star Trek (TV-Series 1966-1969)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
• Star Wars (1978)