Digital production operator vs compositor

The differences between digital production operators and compositors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a digital production operator and a compositor. Additionally, a compositor has an average salary of $45,101, which is higher than the $36,752 average annual salary of a digital production operator.

The top three skills for a digital production operator include customer orders, digital production and adobe acrobat. The most important skills for a compositor are VFX, visual effects, and animation.

Digital production operator vs compositor overview

	Digital Production Operator	Compositor
Yearly salary	$36,752	$45,101
Hourly rate	$17.67	$21.68
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	94,529	154
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Digital production operator vs compositor salary

Digital production operators and compositors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Digital Production Operator	Compositor
Average salary	$36,752	$45,101
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $60,000	Between $23,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	-	Pittsfield, MA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Dassault Systèmes
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between digital production operator and compositor education

There are a few differences between a digital production operator and a compositor in terms of educational background:

	Digital Production Operator	Compositor
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Animation
Most common college	-	-

Digital production operator vs compositor demographics

Here are the differences between digital production operators' and compositors' demographics:

	Digital Production Operator	Compositor
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6%	Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 5.7% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between digital production operator and compositor duties and responsibilities

Digital production operator example responsibilities.

Experience following procedures and managing GMP documentation.
Maintain maintenance and system operability for manufacturing printers, steamers and washers.
Self-Motivate and ability to multitask.

Compositor example responsibilities.

Work closely with lighting and fx leads to help achieve an efficient workflow.
Work include matte extractions, tracking, color correction, paint fixesand integrating cg elements.
Direct a small VFX team, create consistent, realistic 3D environments/effects; integrate live-action (film) into the CGI.
Apply FX stage makeup efficiently and quickly for several characters using stage blood, liquid latex, and other FX materials.
Install signs, and apply graphics to cars, vans, trucks, semi-trucks, boats, and windows.
Hand cut stencils and hand letter signs.

Digital production operator vs compositor skills

Common digital production operator skills

Customer Orders, 45%
Digital Production, 40%
Adobe Acrobat, 15%

Common compositor skills

VFX, 19%
Visual Effects, 13%
Animation, 11%
CG, 11%
Maya, 7%
Mocha, 6%

Digital Production Operator vs. similar jobs

Digital Production Operator related careers

Digital Production Operator related jobs

What similar roles do

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Digital Production Operator
Digital Production Operator vs Compositor

Updated January 8, 2025

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