Saving renders without loosing color

[sledgehammerhard]

Hi,

 

I can't get my head around a really anoying problem. When I save my renders they turn out completely different when I open them in any other program than they look in the fram buffer in 3ds max. Example:

 

 

this is a screen dump of the same render picture in max framebuffer and then just viewing program in windows. I've been trying to save as different formats but it always comes out the same.

 

Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

 

Best regards

Slegy

Edited November 23, 2012 by sledgehammerhard

[cg_Butler]

Are you by any chance using Gamma 2.2 in your file? I suggest you render using the VRay frame buffer instead of the max one and put your gamma to 2.2 in the colour mapping rollout of vray and see how that renders.

[sledgehammerhard]

shoulda known that! Thanks! Yes, I forgot to change the gamma in the colour mapping to 2.2. I am using the vray fram-buffer, many things to get stright now in the beginning . But that doesn't really help though. Cos when I save and open up in new program it is still like the new program keeps adding more gamma on the new picture. As to refere:

 

 

in difference with the first one:

 

 

It just keeps adding gamma, is it not possible to have the picture in the framebuffer to be the same as it will be when I later open it in another program?

 

Btw. ANdy, ar you the Andy in the Lynda tuts? If thats the case big thanks! They helped me alot and you are a great tutour! U da MAN!

 

Best regards

Sledge!

Edited November 23, 2012 by sledgehammerhard

[cg_Butler]

Hmmm. I think in that case you have gamma set up incorrectly. If your output gamma is on 2.2 put it on 1.0. If it's not that then post back!

 

If you are using the VRay frame buffer have you got sRGB turned on? If so, turn it off. :-)

Edited November 21, 2012 by cg_Butler

[sledgehammerhard]

Thanks, I had my output gama in max wrong. Found this, really helpfull: http://www.davidfleet.com/tutorials/linear-workflow

 

only thing I don't get is when I have the 'Don't affect colors (adaptation only)' box ticked my saving from the frambuffer gets effected but not my EXR file... well guess there has to be some mistery left in the world.

 

Thanks for your help,

Sledge

[cg_Butler]

That's a useful link. I've seen others that are similar but not that one.

 

The reason for the 'Don't affect colors' tick box is so that the VRay frame buffer doesn't show you the gamma added and you just click the sRGB button to show you what it looks like with the gamma added. The sRGB button is only there for display purposes so if you save an image from the frame buffer it will save like it would look without the sRGB button on. Hence the difference between your exr and saving it out of the frame buffer.

 

Does that make sense?

 

PS. I'm not the Andy fron the Lynda videos. I've never even heard of the Lynda site before! I might have a peruse on it.

[RyderSK]

The output also depends on your format, not just gamma :- ). All formats save in gamma 2.2 by default, except for .exr at 1 (which you already found out).

 

Max settings: input 2.2, output 1.

 

Vray color mapping : Either

 

A: gamma 1.0, Don't affect OFF, sRGB on :compute in linear space,samples in linear space, possible noise problem, linear output, saves in 1.0 gamma, so save in .exr or if you prefer other (jpeg,etc...) that specify override gamma at saving.

 

B: gamma 2.2, Don't affect ON, sRGB on, samples based on 2.2, computes in linear, helps with noise, color mapping isn't baked into image, linear output, saves in 1.0 gamma, so save in .exr or, the same as last time. THE BEST current approach, most flexible in post production, color mapping is simple curve added in post

 

C "Baked gamma" : Gamma 2.2, don't affect OFF, sRGB off, computes and outputs in 2.2, preferably save as simple jpeg or png/tiff, fastest approach, least flexible. It's not true linear approach, and you can preferable use exponential color mapping in here

[cg_Butler]

Nicely written Juraj.

 

I wish i had written the same!

[sledgehammerhard]

Big thanks!!

[mauzr]

hello guys! i went trough this issue too, and i found out that in the ''save image'' dialog box you should uncheck the ''use system default gamma'' and instead check the ''override'' one, which has a value next to it so you can increase or decrease the esposure in your image or leave as default 1 so it will save exactly like the image you see in the frame buffer, this helps when you don't want to change any of your gamma settings, i'm using gamma 2.2 as usual!! hope this helps!!