VrayLightSelect and Photoshop

[jujubee]

I was interested in using VrayLightSelect with Photoshop and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions:

1) Which basic render elements (minimum) are needed?
2) Which order (top to bottom)?
3) Which blending modes are needed for those layers?
4) What should be used to control the VrayLightSelect layers in PS (layer exposure)?

I can use the ProEXR plugin to automatically import all of the elements.
Is it even possible or just more difficult without PDPlayer?
What would be even better is if the VRayFB had controls for the VRayLightSelect directly built instead of having to resort to a 3rd party application every time (and having to pay extra money for just this one feature.)

[instinct]

1) Depends on what you want to do. If you just want to control light intensities in post then group your lights and add them to LightSelect elements. Every light should be in there at least once (to resemble RGBA output ONLY once)
2) Doesn't matter for lightselect (see 3)
3) Linear Add (which just adds the layers, hence the order does not matter)
4) amount (that's prolly just the opacity slider then)

For the last that would be quite a huge feature request for postwork in the VFB. I still prefer doing that in other apps that i have to use anyways. That might be different if you don't. But is there anyone directly outputting to client from the VFB ??

Regards,
Thorsten

[jujubee]

Think I got it somewhat together now. Thanks Thorsten.

[greysheep5]

and if i may ask, you added the light elements to the final rgb image or did you add them to the diffuse filter + raw gi + raw lightning + raw reflection and such?

i was also thinking about render elements lately and the first thing i learned so far is that they are a pain for still images! well, at least for me.

especially when you are used to work with the linear mapping and gamma 2.2 don´t affect colors workflow and have the srgb switch pressed in the framebuffer to get the image you want... how are your linear (or not) workflow and your color settings?

best regards,

christoph.

[instinct]

LightSelect Elements are full RGB. So if you have 3 lights, and each has a lightselect element, adding them up yields the final beauty RGB.

Regards,
Thorsten

[greysheep5]

LightSelect Elements are full RGB. So if you have 3 lights, and each has a lightselect element, adding them up yields the final beauty RGB.

Regards,
Thorsten

is see! thanks thorsten for clearing that up. i find the documentation is a bit lacking about all that, isn´t it? but you can get the info out of the chaos group new feature video demos i guess.

not to hijack this thread, but one more question if you don´t mind...

so, how to comp all the raw elements together to get the final beauty rgb? that eludes me somehow until now... i know that you can multiply the diffuse filter with the rawGI and also the diffuse filter with the rawlightning, and linear dodge/add those two pairs things together (or just use the not-raw GI and lightning elements), but what about the reflection pass? you multiply the raw reflection with the reflection filter element and than linear add it to the two pairs of elements, GI and lightning? that does not really add up for me, but that must somehow be a problem with gammas and color mapping on my side i guess? or is something missing in that equation?

cheers,

christoph.

[Morne]

make sure your comping linear exr images. When u open it in photoshop it should be in "32bit mode". For that to work you need photoshop EXTENDED (standard cant layer 32bi images)
for standard photoshop you 1st have to bring the mode down to 16bit to be able to layer correctly, but then it again is pointless cause the math doesnt work correctly when adding(linear dodge) etc so then your beaty pass doesnt add up. So you need Photoshop EXTENDED version

[MoonDoggie]

Since I haven't played around with them too much yet, I assume they don't include GI information for the individual lights? Thanks Thorsten.

[instinct]

Am not 100% up to date on this, but i think full contribution is only available when using BPT.

Regards,
Thorsten

[MoonDoggie]

Cool, appreciated.

[greysheep5]

make sure your comping linear exr images. When u open it in photoshop it should be in "32bit mode". For that to work you need photoshop EXTENDED (standard cant layer 32bi images)
for standard photoshop you 1st have to bring the mode down to 16bit to be able to layer correctly, but then it again is pointless cause the math doesnt work correctly when adding(linear dodge) etc so then your beaty pass doesnt add up. So you need Photoshop EXTENDED version

ok, now i get it, thanks. so no wonder i couldn´t make it work right with 16bit images.

photoshop would be no problem, as we have the extended version, but that´s really strange. thought the only difference was that 3d and measuring stuff in the extended version...

[pixela]

Guys, there is a confusion with VrayLightSelect elements.
Although each pass is seperate for each light, it doesn't take GI separately.
In other words, the GI contribution of the other lights are there too.
So if you have 3 lights and make 3 passes and add the passes, the result is much different than making the render of 3 lights together.

[instinct]

From a quick test it seems to be the other way round. It does not contain GI at all i'd say.

I put in 3 lights. Have 3 corresponding LightSelects and the GI element. If i add all 4 i get my RGB. Hence the LightSelects contain only direct light contribution.

Regards,
Thorsten

[Morne]

I think what pixela is saying is what if you have a 4th and maybe 5th light thats's not part of the lightselect?

[pixela]

Sorry I mis-explained. All I am trying to say that it doeesn't work in the way that was explained in the Chaosgroup video.