THE (NON)DEFINITIVE VFX LIGHTING WORKFLOW

by InLightVFX
3 youtube.com/InLightVFX
ORIGINAL CONVERT ACES MATCH HDRI COLOR CORRECT 1 For images where you want to preserve the
ASSETS TO ACES ASSETS AND FOOTAGE FOOTAGE AND HDRI colors in the final material - Diffuse, Color,
Albedo - use the ACES IDT named “Utility -
sRGB - Texture”. For images that are being
used for their data - Roughness, Metalness,
Footage Footage Footage Footage Bump, Normal, Displacement, etc. - use the
ACES IDT named “role_data”.
R 0.28 R 0.28 2 You can use the online conversion calculator at
ACES IDT G 0.28 NO CHANGE G 0.28 COLOR
CORRECTION the website acescolorspace.com/rgb
B 0.28 B 0.28
3D Program Compositing
3 Only make minor color correction adjustments.
Only use operations like Exposure and Gain
Color Space: Gamut: Panasonic V-Gamut Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg
Gamma: Non-Linear, Panasonic V-Log Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred

(which change the image by multiplying it by

certain values). Operations like Gamma will
NOT MATCHING MATCHING destroy the linear luminance of our elements.
MULTIPLY HDRI
No color correction was applied in this case.
HDRI
360 Photos HDRI HDRI HDRI (Matched) HDRI (Matched)

R 0.44 x 0.64 = R 0.28

COLOR
HDRI MERGE ACES IDT G 0.44 x 0.64 = G 0.28 CORRECTION
B 0.51 x 0.55 = B 0.28
Color Space: Gamut: sRGB Color Space: Gamut: sRGB Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg
CONVERT
Gamma: Non-Linear, Display-Referred Gamma: Non-Linear, Display-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred
COLOR FOR DISPLAY
GRADE DEVICE CELEBRATE!

CG Renders Final Composite Final Composite Graded Final Shot

Materials - Images Materials - Images
DIFFUSE / COLOR / ALBEDO DIFFUSE / COLOR / ALBEDO

1
RENDER RENDER COLOR GRADING ACES ODT
ACES IDT

Working Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg / ACES 2065-1 Working Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg / ACES 2065-1
3D Asset BUMP / NORMAL / DISPLACEMENT BUMP / NORMAL / DISPLACEMENT
Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred

Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg Color Space: Gamut: sRGB, Rec.709, (lots of options)
Color Space: Gamut: sRGB Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred Gamma: Non-Linear, Display-Referred
(Varies) Gamma: Non-Linear, Display-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred

Materials - RGB Values Materials - RGB Values

2
CALCULATE
CONVERSION

Color Space: Gamut: sRGB Color Space: Gamut: ACEScg

Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred Gamma: Linear, Scene-Referred