Canvasses - LPE

CAV_18687

Can you combine expressions in the LPE field here?

If you render it with no expressions you get a beauty render, and there are expressions for all the diferent options in the drop down menu.  But does anybody know if you can use the LPE option to create one EXR file that has all or some of those options in one EXR file?

My reason is because when they are created seperately you have to manually create a layer for each one in a photoshop file, because the PROEXR plugin (which is what is already installed in the CC Adobe After Effects, hence the one I'd prefer to stick with) doesn't combine them into one layered file as it does with a single file EXR with all of the components in the one EXR.

This is obviously not too big a deal for one image, but for animation the slowdown in workflow having to create these is, well, completely unbearable if you value your time and actually want to complete a project.  Has anybody found a way to best get these into compositing software without having to manually make a photoshop file with all the EXR's from the folder DAZ creates?

Thank You, all help massively appreciated...

Richard Haseltine

I'm not entirely following but it sounds as if you might do well to look at a different editor - will the free version of Black Magic Fusion do the stacking you need?

cgidesign

Unfortunately no.

DS does always create a single exr file for each canvas / LPE.

CAV_18687

Okay,

(thanks for the heads up on fusion, I do already have access to the whole black magic/da vinci (free versions) and am planning to educate myself)

Current workflow is Daz to Photoshop to After Effects for these tasks, so...

so what I'm talking about is that when you render and yes, you get a folder full of single files, which you have to compile into a single document yourself in say photoshop.  However the ProEXR plugin has the capacity to read these from a single EXR file (you get an example when you download it in the PDF instructions), however when they are in seperate files (ie. like Daz), it doesnt automatically put them into one layered file, but opens them seperately (like  normal photoshop), so you have to make the layered file youself.

This is no problem for one image/artwork, but for animation or multi-frame artworks it slows workflow to an absolute crawl.

So I was looking for answers to this problem, also so the files are then much smaller and can be converted to less massive EXRs too, there are a few file types that fit this bill, one of which ProEXR can export as.  As you can imagine, a single short animation in EXR format could literally max out your storage straight out.

Thank you both for your contributions, Im hoping this thread can gather some steam about how people are using EXRs at least, if an exact answer to my problem isn't feasible...

CAV_18687

Please throw down some workflow ideas with EXRs people, canvases really have to be the best way of rendering/working with Daz (by nature that statement is my opinion, but honestly I'd be surprised if anybody who truly grasped canvases didn't concur here), its so much more forgiving in post and thats nowhere near the best advantage of these files.  That is to say its great to knock it out of the park first render yes, but realistically in a productive workflow, postwork is absolutely essential...      ....so EXRs by nature are by far the most adaptable and non-destructive way forward with an artwork at time of typing this.  I mean for the render connoisseur, its barely postwork if you preview render in the knowledge that you can tweak exacxt lighting post-render, hence choose gamuts that most suit your processing style. Not a man (or woman! ['person' just sounds so less emotive in these spiels of opinion!]) alive knows exacltly how a render will turn out once you hit the button, obviously the most skilled people at this can make an amazing judgement, but still EXRs just open up the scope of this almost infinitely.