How to get SRGB render out of ACES workflow.

[catpower]

Trying out the ACES workflow. Just have a white model at this point. Have the render looking good using the Frame Buffer compositing tools. But when I save from frame buffer it's not the same. I don't want to use ACES in post, just in 3dsMax to get better highlights. So don't want to change Photoshop or my computer's global color profiles. Just trying to get what I see in the V-ray frame buffer.

Thanks - Chris

[Muhammed_Hamed]

Hello catpower

Photoshop doesn't have proper color management at the moment, you will need to use OpenColorIO plugin to properly view your EXR. The workflow is explained in this video
Another note is that Photoshop is very limited on dealing with 32/16bit linear EXRs, most of the tools and filters will be greyed out. If you have access to Fusion or Nuke or Ae they will do much better, and they have proper color management(you will not need any hacks to work with ACES)

If you have your high dynamic range adjustments in the frame buffer then export an 8-bit image, you will avoid the color management trouble in Photoshop. You can click on display correction and check "save in image" option
Which only works with 8-bit image formats

I think it is worth for artists to dedicate time and adapt to ACES workflow, there are many benefits to that
If you have questions let me know.

Best,
Muhammed

[piotrus3333]

I don't want to use ACES in post, just in 3dsMax to get better highlights

no point in using ACES if this is the case. just play with all the tone mapping options available in VFB.

regarding software - fusion or nuke is hardly an alternative for photoshop here. if you need better hdr support than photoshop go affinity photo or krita.

[Muhammed_Hamed]

I talked about Nuke or Fusion for 32/16 bit adjustments, not as a complete replacement. You can export 8-bit out of Nuke and use Photoshop for retouching and sharpening. This is usually my workflow
Affinity lacks proper color management last time I used it, it is pain to set it up for ACES.

[piotrus3333]

same here: I am talking about editing hdr images (calling it 32/16 bit adjustments could be confusing). both options (affinity and krita) support ocio although in op's case I do not see the need for that (there are issues with ocio in ipad version of affinity, I've never managed to make it work). catpower - just use filmic in VFB and forget about ACES (for now).

nothing against using nuke for editing renders that but I find suggestions to get around those specific photoshop's limitations by using expensive compositing software quite simply ridiculous. just something that always grinds my gears I guess.

[Muhammed_Hamed]

Honestly the Photshop workflow for ACES is very basic, these 2 layers you can drag and drop to any EXR you open
Affinity needs 2 layers as well to be able to save the image correctly, so it doesn't do any better than Photoshop here

And most importantly using ACES is not just about the tone-mapping and highlight compression, it actually makes a significant difference on GI, SSS and anything that deals with bounces of light because of wider-gamut

Some mathematical operations because of the nature of linear algebra and matrices are dependent on the given RGB colourspace primaries, i.e., on the colourspaces basis. The same operations performed in different RGB colourspace will yield different tristimulus values once converted back to CIE XYZ color space. For example multiplication, division and power operations are RGB colourspace primaries dependent while addition and subtraction are not

Discussion and examples here, if someone is interested. Hence why I think it is wise to spend time and adapt to ACES, the next version will have gamut mapping which is going to change many things

I guess it doesn't necessarily have to be Nuke .. Fusion and Ae are accessible and they have proper color management if the Photoshop workaround doesn't cut it

[catpower]

Thanks for all the replies! But I'm still not understanding why I can't burn in the Srgb version upon export. Eventually all your ACES images are converted to Srgb. You either do a conversion later or use a LUT, I'm just trying to do that earlier in the process and burn it in. It does not mean I lose all the benefits of ACES. I don't do heavy color correction, and I work in a team environment and they don't want to learn compositing software or install OCIO plugins in Photoshop. So just trying to get what I see in the Frame Buffer into Photoshop as easy as possible. I tried the "Save in Image" option and saved to an 8-bit file out of the Frame buffer, but it didn't work. I'll install that plugin and try the 2 adjustment layers in Photoshop workflow, but still looking for something simpler. If I see an image in the frame buffer, just seems there should be a super simple way to save that image.

[Muhammed_Hamed]

I tried the "Save in Image" option and saved to an 8-bit file out of the Frame buffer, but it didn't work

I just tried this and it works, see the second screenshot override Gamme = 1






Or you can Ctrl + C in the frame buffer then Ctrl + V in Photoshop, the image should look exactly the same

It does not mean I lose all the benefits of ACES.

This workflow is totally fine

Let me know if this works for you

Best,
Muhammed

[catpower]

Muhammed - The copy/paste and override gamma worked. Thanks for your help!

[Muhammed_Hamed]

Great! I'm glad to hear

[ThomasHorsley]

Thanks Muhammed_Hamed
I was having the same issue and going slightly mad just trying to save a jpeg out of the Vray 5 frame buffer - this gamma overide solved it, thanks.

Hoping that this is on topic enough, following on from the above posts, - have you got a workflow that works well using Affinty Photo to edit 32 bit .exr's ?

I've been following a tutorial by James Ritson on YouTube:

Applying Blender Filmic Looks (Affinity Photo)

And trying to use OCIO and LUT adjustment layers, but as I'm using ACES 1.2 I think the names of the various colour transforms look different.

Just trying to use Affinity for post work as the 32 bit support is great.

Any tips much appreciated!

[Muhammed_Hamed]

Hey ThomasHorsley Please check out my video here, I explain how exactly the tonemapping of ACES works. The same principles should apply to After Effects or Affinity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01KgYgvANmg

I'm not a big Affinity user, if you still need help I can download it and check the workflow. Let me know

Best,
Muhammed

[piotrus3333]

Thanks Muhammed_Hamed
I was having the same issue and going slightly mad just trying to save a jpeg out of the Vray 5 frame buffer - this gamma overide solved it, thanks.

Hoping that this is on topic enough, following on from the above posts, - have you got a workflow that works well using Affinty Photo to edit 32 bit .exr's ?

I've been following a tutorial by James Ritson on YouTube:

Applying Blender Filmic Looks (Affinity Photo)

And trying to use OCIO and LUT adjustment layers, but as I'm using ACES 1.2 I think the names of the various colour transforms look different.

Just trying to use Affinity for post work as the 32 bit support is great.

Any tips much appreciated!

affinity photo:

[damaggio]

Great debate here folks and thank you all for your input...however, I'm still in the same boat, pun intended. I use AcesCg workflow in Maya ( Vray 5 July 8 build, Windows) and have no problem matching the color in Photoshop with the ICIO filter, thanks to Jonas Noell, I just want to skip the Photoshop part and just save a correct 8bit image quickly.
All I need is to save the image from Frame buffer as a jpg or png that matches the same color so it goes straight to ArtStation or social media, no EXRs, no photoshop, no Affinity , just save the image from your monitor and reopen in a picture viewer and it should match.
I use the old Windows photo viewer but it should not matter if the right color is baked into the image .
The "Save in image" check box does not seem to save with the Aces profile, as you see in the left boat image is less saturated and towards green tones, the right image is correct after I took into Photoshop and it matches the Frame Buffer in my monitor image.
Could anyone help out here, my Sunday is going to waste.

[piotrus3333]

damaggio two luts from fnord contain ACES tone mapping. your screenshot shows view transform: un tone mapped.
save rgb primaries conversion ON
save in image ON
view transform TONE MAPPED

this is vray part. I’m not sure about maya part of saving files.