Gamma settings are a disaster Tweet

[cybernoid]

Firstly I've read the other older threads regarding gamma settings which don't really make anything today as it stands very clear AT ALL. The documentation is AWFUL regarding this too. I know there is supposedly a bug/limitation in 3dsmax gamma handling but I DO NOT CARE as the last time I used a much earlier version of Octane it JUST WORKED and after so many updates to OCTANE such BASIC functionality SHOULD JUST WORK.

Relevant details:
3DSMAX 2015
Octane 3DSMAX 3.06.4 - 4.41
Windows 7 64 Bit
GTX1080Ti

I want to render an image so that when I view it in the OCTANE VIEWPORT and save it to a PNG to give to a client that it looks the SAME as it does in the OCTANE VIEWPORT. And that when the client looks at the PNG in whatever image viewer they use they see it correctly.

After HOURS of screwing around with various settings I maybe have some combination of MAGICAL settings that MIGHT be doing what I want but I am NOT SURE if the result is CORRECT WITH RESPECT TO MY INTENDED RESULT. My settings as it stands are:

1) 3dsmax gamma in it's preferences "Enabled Gamma/LUT Correction" set to ON with Gamma 2.2 and affect everything.
2) Octane 3dsmax gamma hack OFF - seriously WTF is this the tooltip doesn't make it that much clearer?
3) Octane Imager Nonlinear tone mapping ON
4) Octane Imager Gamma set to 1.0 - as to correctly use imager response due to a bug in octane core this must be set to 1.0?
5) Octane Imager Response set to Agfacolor_Futura_100CD
6) Octane post processing off

With those settings if I try and save a PNG various crazy things happen:

A1) If I save a PNG directly from the OCTANE VIEWPORT and set GAMMA to AUTOMATIC (RECOMMENDED) the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW matches the OCTANE VIEWPORT but the actual PNG file is saved out DARKER than the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW and OCTANE VIEWPORT when viewed in WINDOWS PHOTO VIEWER.
A2) If I save a PNG directly from the OCTANE VIEWPORT and set GAMMA to OVERRIDE 1.0 the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW matches the OCTANE VIEWPORT but the actual PNG file is saved out DARKER than the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW and OCTANE VIEWPORT when viewed in WINDOWS PHOTO VIEWER.
A3) If I save a PNG directly from the OCTANE VIEWPORT and set GAMMA to OVERRIDE 2.2 the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW is darker than the OCTANE VIEWPORT and the actual PNG file is saved out DARKER than the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW and OCTANE VIEWPORT when viewed in WINDOWS PHOTO VIEWER.

Now if instead PORT TO MAX FRAMEBUFFER it matches the OCTANE VIEWPORT in the NEW WINDOW that pops up. Then I try and save from that instead:

B1) Set GAMMA to AUTOMATIC (RECOMMENDED) the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW matches the OCTANE VIEWPORT but the actual PNG file is saved out DARKER than the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW and OCTANE VIEWPORT when viewed in WINDOWS PHOTO VIEWER.
B2) Set GAMMA to OVERRIDE 1.0 the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW matches the OCTANE VIEWPORT but the actual PNG file is saved out DARKER than the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW and OCTANE VIEWPORT when viewed in WINDOWS PHOTO VIEWER.
B3) Set GAMMA to OVERRIDE 2.2 the SAVE DIALOG PREVIEW is DARKER than the OCTANE VIEWPORT AND the actual PNG file is saved out IS THE SAME AS the OCTANE VIEWPORT when viewed in WINDOWS PHOTO VIEWER.

So it APPEARS that B3 MAYBE does what I want and lets the client view the sensibly correct gamma???? If so why can I not simply save the EQUIVALENT PNG directly from the OCTANE VIEWPORT? WHY is this all so CONFUSING? Why does the DOCUMENTATION not make SENSE of this MESS?


Might I SUGGEST:

1) You have some useful DROP DOWN setting PRESETS for say "I WANT TO SAVE PNGS OUT FOR CLIENTS TO VIEW DIRECTLY THAT LOOK LIKE WHAT I EXPECT FROM THE VIEWPORT" and "I WANT TO EXPORT HDR EXR FOR PROPER 1.0 GAMMA HDR WORKFLOW COMPOSITING IN OTHER APPLICATIONS"
2) You populate the Octane 3dsmax settings with a lot of USEFUL tool tips in the settings about this
3) You fix the 'Render heigth' typo in the Octane Kernel->RenderView settings

Apologies for the SHOUTING but it seems needlessly complicated and TERRIBLY explained to date and I LOST HOURS today DUE TO THIS.

Happy New Year

[paride4331]

Hi cybernoid,
sample file with linear workflow.
Render saved .EXR 32bit
Regards
Paride

[cybernoid]

Hi Paride,

Thanks for trying to help. I know that it can work via EXR files then tone mapping in photoshop to a PNG for a client, but I was more ranting about the nonsensical lack of an immediate WYSISWG workflow for exporting a PNG out of Octane 3dsmax directly. Which is a real shame as Octane is overall great software.

[paride4331]

Hi Cybernoid,
In my scene, save directly to .png.
Does not it work for you?
Paride

[[email protected]]

+ when you go to Gamma and Lut settings, and enable gamma/lut correction and set it to 2.2, it should affect texture gamma by placing it from 1.0 to 0.454 so that when you put gamma 2.2 in render settings textures show correctly, but here it doesn't do that, so basically that feature is useless

[paride4331]

Hi [email protected],
take a look here:
https://render.otoy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=33214&p=143802&hilit=+gamma#p143144
Regards
Paride