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Subject: Re: [AE] Best open EXR tools?
From: Brendan Bolles <brendan@fnordware.com>
In-Reply-To: <list-4733146@media-motion.tv>
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2012 10:47:02 -0700
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References: <list-4733146@media-motion.tv>
To: "After Effects Mail List" <AE-List@media-motion.tv>

On Jun 2, 2012, at 5:12 PM, Chris Zwar wrote:

> I haven't upgraded to CS6 yet but it sounds like you still need to use =
the ProEXR plugins.  I was hoping for better integration of EXRs in =
After Effects with CS6, unfortunately that doesn't seem to have =
happened, but I will keep my fingers crossed for the next version... the =
pain with using a plugin to access EXR channels is that it changes the =
rendering order from what is 'normal' and so masks can be effected, and =
I don't think frame blending works at all.


I think the only way to have better integration would be for AE to =
support more than the 4 RGBA channels flowing through the comp, which =
would require a lot of re-working of the program.  But it could be =
really great if it would let you get a depth channel from AE's 3D =
renderer, for example.

As you see with the ProEXR Comp Creator (which is free), the way to deal =
with the rendering order is to use pre-comps, and treat them as your =
sources.  I know to some people pre-comps seem like a hack, but after =
using AE extensively at The Orphanage I learned to see extensive =
pre-comping as the best way to do most things.  It was not uncommon to =
have a comp with only one layer in it, doing just one thing like a =
resize or a blur, and you see that in the Comp Creator.  Really, this is =
a way to apply node-based compositing methodology in AE, just without =
the fancy UI.


Brendan