Converting CXR to EXR to use Cryptomatte discards Tonemapping

[HalukOzkul]

Hi, saving the render as CXR and renaming to EXR to use cryptomatte in After Effects works properly, no issues there.

The problem is, saving as CXR does not rasterize the tonemapping in order to give more flexibility inside Corona Image Editor, so renaming the files to EXR discards the tonemapping and saves an overexposed raw mess :)

I can use batch conversion with the script inside 3ds Max from CXR to EXR and apply my tonemapping config, but this adds an extra step and takes much longer than just renaming. It's not user friendly at all when converting, say 1500 frames of animation.

[maru]

Tone mapping is included in CXR files as metadata so it is not "baked" when renaming CXR to EXR. I am afraid that the proper solution here would be to make Cryptomatte a "regular" render elements, and we have to wait for that. We have it reported internally.

[HalukOzkul]

Thank you for the quick reply Marcin. Looks like this might take a while.

Would you be able to share the command for ImageEditorCmd to automate this process? I'm not at all familiar with it.

If that'd be faster than the 3dsMax script route, this way I can background the process at least.

[maru]

Would you be able to share the command for ImageEditorCmd to automate this process? I'm not at all familiar with it.

I am sorry, but I'm not sure if I understand that. What exactly do you mean by "this process"?

If you mean just batch converting from CXR to EXR, then you can find the batch script here:
https://support.chaos.com/hc/en-us/articles/4528237016721-What-is-the-Corona-Image-Editor#h_01FDT56CPJ15M39C6W4Z2B5VM7
After unpacking, you will see sample files inside. It converts all CXR files which are placed in the same directory as the batch script itself. If you need to change some options (like output file format) you need to edit the .bat file. You can use your own Postprocess.conf file saved from Corona VFB or CIE.
By default, it outputs all render elements, but you can limit this by editing the batch file.