New vray framebuffer doesn`t apply adjustments to render elements.

[dreidesign]

Same here, we never had any issues with "precision errors". If we would need something absolutely precise in terms of colors we would use 32bit anyway.
For us a simple option to "bake" all color corrections into every layer/element would be sufficient.

Another questions not directly connected to the color corrections: Is it possible to let the vray framebuffer tab, use the saving location and filename from the max save dialog?

[^Lele^]

Same here, we never had any issues with "precision errors". If we would need something absolutely precise in terms of colors we would use 32bit anyway.
For us a simple option to "bake" all color corrections into every layer/element would be sufficient.

Duly noted, thank you for the feedback!

Another questions not directly connected to the color corrections: Is it possible to let the vray framebuffer tab, use the saving location and filename from the max save dialog?

I don't quite understand. Could you give me a simple example?

[dreidesign]

Thx

Regarding the "offtopic" saving:
I would like to know if it is possible to have the saving location and filename set via the common render output save files and for the vray framebuffer tab save the raw image file at the same location as set in the common tab. So that you dont need to set the saving path a second time. Maybe just like a second check box on that tab like "Save to same location as main output"

[piotrus3333]

if you are photoshoping 8bit output from vray, and (as somebody above mentioned) you liked „highlight burn” tonemapping than just bake it into render via color mapping options. every render element has option to respect that correction or not.
if you are not using “lens effects” from VFB2 - you are sorted.
if you need those than use VRayUnclampedColor element, put it in the layer stack and save separately with glare, tonemaping and whatever else you need. just one additional saving operation.

option B - use ocio config in display corrections of VFB2 to tonemap render elements that you need. also one additional saving operation.

edit: actually with VRayUnclampedColor it saves everything right away.

[M.Max]

I would vote for adding the ability to save the color correction to render elements especially the Filmic tonemap and exposure.
Using color mapping > burn value can cause endless issues with lens effect, light mix, and few other places so I would avoid it.

[piotrus3333]

I would vote for adding the ability to save the color correction to render elements especially the Filmic tonemap and exposure.
Using color mapping > burn value can cause endless issues with lens effect, light mix, and few other places so I would avoid it.

lens effects work, light mixing works through Composite layer group/folder with VRayLightSelect elements not color mapped.
what else?

[M.Max]

lens effects work, light mixing works through Composite layer group/folder with VRayLightSelect elements not color mapped.
what else?

when you lower burn value under color mapping :
1-Lens effects won't work properly ,and using the VRayUnclampedColor element as a base in composite layer could be a workaround but not so optimal imo as you will have to keep the composting result linear all the time when you add more layers to avoid breaking the lens effect again.
2-Light mixer will show dark areas when you turn off lights , and using composite mode wont' give you the option to transfer the lights to your scene which is important .
3-Filmic tone mapping expect the image to be Linear so rendering with low burn value will make it act weird so we will lose this feature and go back to the old curve, lut methods which I don't like.
that's why I avoid it unless I need to save some render time then I'll lower it for the sampler only which is another story ..

[piotrus3333]

sure, there is no button to transfer light adjustments - two values you have to manually copy into the light. probably not a big deal and we do not even know if OP is using LightMix.

what is weird about Filmic tonemapping of VRayUnclampedColor?

[dreidesign]

if you are photoshoping 8bit output from vray, and (as somebody above mentioned) you liked „highlight burn” tonemapping than just bake it into render via color mapping options. every render element has option to respect that correction or not.
if you are not using “lens effects” from VFB2 - you are sorted.
if you need those than use VRayUnclampedColor element, put it in the layer stack and save separately with glare, tonemaping and whatever else you need. just one additional saving operation.

option B - use ocio config in display corrections of VFB2 to tonemap render elements that you need. also one additional saving operation.

edit: actually with VRayUnclampedColor it saves everything right away.

I'm not quite sure how exactly this worklflow would be?

We heavily rely on psd-manager. In vray next we could simply tonemap via the vfb. When we were happy with the result we just kept the vfb settings for that particular scene, hit render or send to our farm via backburner and got a psd file were the vfb tonemapping was applied to every single element in the psd (passes, glare, denoiser, render, etc.).
Now with vray 5 this workflow doesnt apply anymore because, the vfb tonemapping is only applied to the beauty render with effects. This breaks our standard workflow.
Saving single elements by hand via the vfb isnt really an option. Because we are rendering most of the time via backburner.

[piotrus3333]

I'm not quite sure how exactly this worklflow would be?

We heavily rely on psd-manager. In vray next we could simply tonemap via the vfb. When we were happy with the result we just kept the vfb settings for that particular scene, hit render or send to our farm via backburner and got a psd file were the vfb tonemapping was applied to every single element in the psd (passes, glare, denoiser, render, etc.).
Now with vray 5 this workflow doesnt apply anymore because, the vfb tonemapping is only applied to the beauty render with effects. This breaks our standard workflow.
Saving single elements by hand via the vfb isnt really an option. Because we are rendering most of the time via backburner.

render exactly as you used to.
change color mapping - to get tonemapped render elements
add VRayUnclampedColor - for LensEffects to work
add VRayLightSelects if you need to adjust the lights

in my layer stack I needed to lower exposure of VRayUnclampedColor and tonemapping is done through Filmic.
you can use Exposure and Curves if that is your preference.

[dreidesign]

render exactly as you used to.
change color mapping - to get tonemapped render elements
add VRayUnclampedColor - for LensEffects to work
add VRayLightSelects if you need to adjust the lights

in my layer stack I needed to lower exposure of VRayUnclampedColor and tonemapping is done through Filmic.
you can use Exposure and Curves if that is your preference.

Thx for the detailed explanation. I tried this setup on small scene, but it isnt working for me at several points:
- After I set everything up in the vfb with composite and I rerender. The vfb changes the "mode" from composite back to lightmix. As a "hack" I could change the mode during render to composite, this way the appropriate settings from the composite are getting saved to the psd
- When using the unclamped color I get the lens effects working without playing with the threshold, but was would be the "correct" exposure for the unclamped color? With the unclamped color activated I cant reconstruct the "normal" beauty with just filmic or exposure. So in the psd I would end up with a "messed up" render+effects element and denoise element.

[piotrus3333]

Thx for the detailed explanation. I tried this setup on small scene, but it isnt working for me at several points:
- After I set everything up in the vfb with composite and I rerender. The vfb changes the "mode" from composite back to lightmix. As a "hack" I could change the mode during render to composite, this way the appropriate settings from the composite are getting saved to the psd
- When using the unclamped color I get the lens effects working without playing with the threshold, but was would be the "correct" exposure for the unclamped color? With the unclamped color activated I cant reconstruct the "normal" beauty with just filmic or exposure. So in the psd I would end up with a "messed up" render+effects element and denoise element.

I added VRayLightSelect manually. not through LightMix element. maybe this. no clue as I did not encounter the issue.

correct exposure? whatever looks good. you are tonemapping the output anyway so do you need to match raw output tonemapped by VRay with burn value? the difference might be coming from camera exposure so it could be predictable, not sure.
"messed up"? what do you mean? VRay saves the tonemaped, denoised, color corrected "beauty" as filename.effectsResult on my side.

[seandunderdale]

I assume this is obvious, but if we can get a fix so that framebuffer layer corrections are applied to passes, can we get it in Maya too. Most likely doesnt need to be said, but I am just for my own sanity.

I basically render low dynamic range with my tonemapping baked in, some colour and contrast added via the framebuffer. The retoucher works off of that beauty plus a few supplementary lighting passes. They would rarely want to rebuild the beauty in 32bit using passes. However passes are super useful for enhancing, and adding extra shape here and there. Doubling up spec hits etc. Because the passes dont get the framebuffer layers applied, they have a totally different white balance, or contrast, and have no tonemapping at all, so are essentially useless in post. I love how my beauty looks, and I can hand the effects_result passover with some IDs, but everything else is now junk.

[piotrus3333]

Because the passes dont get the framebuffer layers applied, they have a totally different white balance, or contrast, and have no tonemapping at all, so are essentially useless in post.

this actually makes them really useful in post.
but again - just bake in tonemapping and you are almost where you need to be. contrast and white balance can be transfered via lut I guess.

[seandunderdale]

Can you explain how having passes look totally different to the beauty make them useful? By baking in tonemapping via render settings, it means Im using a clamped image in the framebuffer, which I dont want to do. I just want my framebuffer grading applied to passes, aswell as the beauty, that makes sense to me. From my experience, this lack of correction tools affecting the passes, also affects the glare pass. The glare pass does not have any tonemapping or exposure applied to it, so the glare layer looks nothing like the effects_result pass.