Many professional VFX artists rely on pre-shot stock footage (explosions, sparks, dust, energy effects) rather than building every element from scratch, since it saves significant time while still looking realistic. This lesson covers how to source good quality stock VFX elements, and — more importantly — how to properly blend them into your shot using blending modes (like Screen or Add for bright effects on dark backgrounds), color correction to match your scene, and masking to control where the effect appears.