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Why don't I need highlight compression? If I want to further compress my highlights?

gifmotion wrote:Why don't I need highlight compression? If I want to further compress my highlights?

I’m sure someone out there can give a far more technical answer.

But when using ACES (or any other OCIO) the OCIO is handling the gamma/highlight compression to standardise the image, so you not having control over this is intentional across the industry so all ACES profiles are the same. If you don’t like the look of ACES, that’s an ACES thing and you can/should use a different OCIO or go back to the stander imager which then unlocks gamma/highlight compression etc.

As mentioned the devs want to implement more CC/PP tools, but these will sit ontop of the OCIO just like in any other compositing/grading app.

As far as OCIO’s go, I like using either blender filmic or AGX as I prefer the outputs, and provides ’more’ contrast control. Or you can find a lut that gives a mimic effect to ACES and still use that in conjunction with the base imager, not ideal but the option is there. Either way, bunch of options to play with

thanulee wrote:

gifmotion wrote: Why would they go and disable this.
Aoktar - Please re-enable this feature as Aces has a great look but is very limiting with the use of highlight and gamma abilities

Hey bud, with aces u dont need highlight compression. But I agree yes, we need more color correction controls and core devs are aware of that and its coming over the next versions afaik. Cheers

It's not a thing which is related to plugin. Octane core doesn't work with that. But devs may be working on to add a support for it!

Hey Aoktar,

The thing is, previous version of the plugin (2021) allowed this control?

So something has changed in 2022 to restrict it.

I'm also finding it difficult to get out my aces rec709 live viewer render the same in the picture viewer. In 2021 I was able to control aces tone mapping that would further allow highlight control and gamma. And then what I saw I could render in as png from Picture viewer.

This is an ideal workflow as a lot of the time I don't want to either deal with Exrs, AOVs or converting color space in After Effects.

I understand Arron Westwood comment about why you don't have control of highlights/gamma. But for many artists. We want to use the beautiful look that we see from Aces and then have the choice to still further art direct.

I know its not 'Accurately' the right way of working. But for artists like myself. Its about speed and efficiency and have the liveviewer being the final image a lot of the time.

Does that all makes sense and can you answer why 2021 offered this but 2022 isn't?

Thanks,
Dean

Just uploading a quick video of me using aces when in 2021 and how it worked.

Thanks
Dean

2021 plugin also offered HDR 16-bit buffer type for rendering.

gifmotion wrote:Why don't I need highlight compression? If I want to further compress my highlights?

Cause aces handles that for you (tonemapping) in better way than any other existing color profile.
You cannot burn things in ACES no matter how high you go in exposure unless u burn the whole image.

And as I mentioned to you in slack, 2021 doesnt have gamma control in ACES, nor highlight compression. You probably have configured something wrong and you are not using ACES colorspace if these controls are working on your end.

gifmotion wrote:Just uploading a quick video of me using aces when in 2021 and how it worked.

Thanks
Dean

Video doesn't work. As I remember any OCIO profiles never supported gamma and highlight corrections. Probably your ACES profile was not enabled properly. Also if you need further highlight compensation even using ACES you must have wrong lighting setup.

You must use Cinema 4D 2023 to enable OCIO color in Project preferences and Image Viewer.

Here is a dropbox link. I'm pretty sure its installed correctly have have used it for the past year. But maybe your right. Take a look at the video and let me know your thoughts.

You can ignore the last 30 seconds as I was looking for where to stop recording

https://www.dropbox.com/s/iuuu6di8ydoro ... 5.mp4?dl=0

Thanks,
Dean

It looks exactly the same in Pictue Viewer even using force tonemap with highlights and gamma corrections applied to ACES. Don't use ACES via Ocio and in Camera Imager at once while force tonemap is on - it will double ACES effect.
rendered out ( gamma, highlight, exposure ON :