Canvases, EXR files, and Gimp or Photoshop

wsgentry

Daz does a great job rendering canvases.  The resulting EXR files are wonderful, but working with them and trying to get a desired result is frustrating for me.   I've watched every YouTube video dealing with Canvases but man, I'm lost.   I have the GIMP loader crash when loading the second EXR file saying I should exit GIMP and start over, in Photoshop, I can use destructive changes, but when I convert the EXR's to 8-bit color and went to use Adjustment masks then save my work and reload, the adjustment masks are gone.  I have the Exr-IO plugin for Photoshop.   I'm sure it's not as hard as I'm making it, but it is frustrating.  Like, when you're using an adjustment mask for exposure, how do you get the Depth Layer (converted to a layer from the EXR) affect only the beauty layer?  :)  Fun stuff.   I don't even know if this is the right forum to ask this question but since the files started in DAZ, I thought I'd ask. :)

Scott

 

Leonides02

Hi Scott,

What are you trying to do exactly? When I load my EXR's into PS everything usually goes wonderfully. Of course, I need to lower the exposure first before I can even see the image, but that takes only a second. Then what I typically do is save a couple EXR's at different exposures and open them in an HDR program. In my case, that's Aurora from Skylum. 

After I get the desire look in Aurora (or close), I export as a PNG and open back up in PS for final adjustments. 

wsgentry

Thanks, Leonides02,

I'm trying to do things I see in the tutorials, most notably SickleYields.  Primarily, so I can get better DOF, adjust lighting level, etc.   I'm not so much after HDR images, rather post work. 

I get the Canvases into Photoshop, but I have problems with applying the mask for depth (as shown in SickleYields video on YouTube).  I'm thinking I don't have the skill level in Photoshop, but I figure I have to start somewhere.

Scott

shaneseymourstudio

This was the video that I learned from for using the Depth pass. It is from different rendering software but the post work in photoshop is same.

wsgentry

I'm going to try that and report back.  Thank you!

Scott

Oso3D

I LOVE the depth pass. So useful for post work.

For example, let's say you want smoke billowing up from a crack in the ground in the background. You could create a layer, paint in billowing smoke. Then add a mask on it, paste in the depth mask.

Now you can adjust the curve of the mask so that it corresponds to a specific distance (which should be obvious from the effect on the screen; it disappears around foreground, stays over background).

I used this effect for the attached image (also did postwork)

wsgentry

It works somewhat.  One thing that's not covered is the disparity of color bit-depth.  In the example, the bit depth of the original image with no blur is 8-bits.  The depth exr is 32-bits.   When using the Beauty EXR as the image, after performing all steps--except the Lens blur (it is grayed at 32-bits), it's way dark.   So, I'm going to bring in the original render and do the rest of the steps so I will have an 8-bit BMP and a 32-bit depth exr.

Oso3D,

I'm getting there. 

Edit:  It works with an 8-bit original and a 32-bit depth layer.  Thank you! 

Now to figure out how to get it to work with masks and non-destructive editing.