Hi guys
I still seem to be struggling with getting properly clean alphas for Sky Replacements. See attached.
This render is rendered on black. Saved as 32-bit exr, then opened in photoshop, converted to 16-bit, alpha applied, then a colour layer behind to show halos.
As you can see there's a slight halo (a dark one), if I use 'remove black matte' the halo turns white, if I use 'defringe' it looks much better but this screws up any transparent/refractive objects where the black background was visible beyond.
Can anyone help with the correct process to avoid this when saving to 32-bit exr's. Is there a 'correct' order of operations when opening the .exr in photoshop and converting to 16-bit, replacing backgrounds to avoid this? Am I missing something
The issue always magnifies if you do any heavy post work using additional masks etc.
It's worth noting I'm using ProExr for opening files, I've tried both 'Alpha Appears on Separate Layer' and 'Alpha Makes Layer Transperent' in the ProEXR dialogue. Each option gives a slightly different result, 'Alpha Makes Layer Transperent' gives a slightly better result, but both give halos. All appears fine while still in 32-bit, but when you convert to 16-bit the halos become more obvious. Today I'll be testing Photoshop's native loader and EXR I/O.
Maybe a better question would be "What's the correct method for saving 32-bit exrs and ensuring a pixel.perfect alpha in Photoshop"