Change in EXR open from CS2 to CS3 can this be fixed?

wow. good thing you write code and are not in customer service!

So you ARE saying that After Effects, Nuke, etc are all doing it wrong?

Chris, I can fix that typo, if you wish, but -- it IS good for a laugh, you must admit!

I used to do promotions work for one of the major sports publications. Can't tell you how often I came close to inserting an extra "e" in "Super Bow_l" -- and that @#$% spell checker would have just sat there, clueless!

Neil

Darn spiel cheekier doesn't always catch my typos.

Chris,
>I write the composting code

Had to laugh here. I assume you mean "compositing".

Neil

TIFF can store extra channels, and more standard metadata than EXR.
TIFF can have transparency and unassociated alpha channels.
TIFF will also be premultiplied if you include a channel as transparency, or not if you save the channel as an unassociated alpha channel.
You might want to learn more about the file formats you use.

An option that goes against the design of the file format, breaks interoperability, and still won't do what you think it will do -- is just pointless. It's like asking for a "read it backwards while standing on one foot" option -- silly, and won't really help you accomplish your task.

And just because someone else included a bad option in their application does not mean that other applications should make the same mistake. ("hey kids, let's all jump off a bridge!")

If OpenEXR changes their file format specification, we'll reconsider. But right now the file format as specified means that implementing your request would be both damaging and misleading. (and the fact that you don't understand the damage makes it scary misleading...)

Um, I write the file format code, I write the compositing code, work with the standards groups, work with the visual effects industry, and I use everything that I write. I probably do more compositing before lunch than you will do all year.

Ah, so you did open that EXR in AE then? why is the rgb still there in AE?

So the few people who...

"have already started OpenEXR down the road to ruin by either not understanding the file format (or even the terms involved), or trying to make it do things it is not intended to do"

include the developers of After Effects, Nuke, Fusion, etc...Photoshop is now the anomaly in our workflow.

Targa and tiff files work this way but neither of these will store extra channels like Z depth, Velocity, Object ID etc. This is why we love EXR.

I really don't understand why you won't admit that having the option is better than not having it. Let us wallow in file format blasphemy if we so choose!!

Have you done any compositing work yourself? Have you tried opening the EXR file I posted in After Effects and seen what happens when you choose ignore alpha?

Jonah - Guido and I go back a ways. And Guido's problem turned out to be someone not understanding the difference between Photoshop and Photoshop Extended (different people had different versions, leading to increased confusion). I believe he's got it straightened out now.

OpenEXR is a format where you can't just ignore the A/transparency/opacity channel - because the format defines that channel to be one thing and one thing only, and ties it closely to the color (by making it always premultiplied). If you want flexibility, you may need to use a different file format.

Ignoring the file format spec. leads to workflow problems, interoperability problems, etc. And it seems a few people have already started OpenEXR down the road to ruin by either not understanding the file format (or even the terms involved), or trying to make it do things it is not intended to do. I know it might be expedient -- but nobody is going to be happy if you keep using that screwdriver like a hammer.

WOW. Too many hours a day coding Chris? Not enough sleep? Right about the time that Guido Quaroni from !!!!PIXAR!!!! chimed in, I would start listening buddy!

If I were on the phone to tech support, this is the point in the conversation where I would ask to speak to the manager! :D

Joking, joking.

I have read all of this discussion. I understand the math: color * opacity. But many other apps give you the option to ignore the Alpha thus keeping the RGB.

I've made an EXR in 3ds Max http://www.jonahhawk.com/EXR/Alpha.exr

Ok, to help illustrate our point further, please open it in After Effects. Right click on the EXR footage and choose Interpret Footage. Choose Ignore under Alpha Channel. Viola! the RGB data is intact!

If this doesn't help you understand where we are coming from maybe you could have someone else discuss the issue with us. I can tell you are getting frustrated.

Thanks for clearing that up Chris. You might want to tell your colleagues developing AE that they are doing it wrong as well.

David - please read the existing posts in this topic.