Please, if you are a mod maker, don't follow this guide!!!
Neuro, I know you're probably gonna be mad, but I can't just stand by and let you misinform people like this! It may not be your intention; this is why it needs to be corrected!
Your OCIO thing might be ingenious but it's totally wrong. You're setting the input as linear ACES2065-1 (AP0); a much, much, much, much bigger color space than the sRGB space your screenshot and LUT are actually captured with, then applying a tone mapper (in this case AgX) to process the pre–tone mapped data in your screenshot and LUT you are trying to edit. This proliferates false color and applies false intensity from both the gamut mapping and tone mapping.
Also, your applyAfterLUT thing in tone mapping settings applies for HDR only; it's something HDR requires to work the way it does currently. The LUT is applied before the tone mapper, taking in the LogC3-encoded input and outputting linear sRGB HDR data. Then, the ACES tone mapper maps that linear HDR data into the output display curve (e.g., PQ [HDR10+], HLG [DV iirc], and scRGB). When you set that, the HDR LUT is applied inaccurately. The tone mapping settings for SDR is under mode and not hdrMode, and by default, they are set to Linear, which applies no tone mapper because the tone mapping is already handled by the internal LUT using ACES.
I can give you more details; but I can't just stand by and let people be misled, intentional or not.
ACES is a color gamut, a(let's say) memory that covers the entire color spectrum perceived by humans. Then a color space is applied to it to get the desired look, including Filmic/Agx. Another aspect of ACES is to have a space that is technically neutral. A color space that is very close to an ARRI "camera".
To all modders, do not listen to his words, he is severely confused.
The words color space and color gamut are interchangeable. You are correct about AP0 covering the entire human vision spectrum (and a bit more). I don't get what you mean by ACES being a color space close to an ARRI camera; ACES has absolutely no relation to ARRI at all other than being often used with ARRI sources as these are very prominent in high-budget productions which often require interchangeability between camera systems and locations, and ACES suits it perfectly.
The color space doesn't do anything to suit the look. ACES can also be used as a output transform through applying an ODT on OCES data, same as AgX.
The game uses an implementation in HLSL of the CTL reference code to handle tone mapping with some parametrization.
What you are recommending is to take a tool that is designed to take this HUGE ACES color gamut and compress it down into the BT.709 primaries PLUS fit HDR color values in a range of 0 to 1 (1 representing a 80–100cd/m^2 output [depending on sRGB or BT.709 + calibration]) and apply it on pre-compressed data.
It's like if you go into a DAW and have a very high-quality and very high-range audio source. To allow it to sound good, you need to compress it and master it to fit conventional speakers. AP0 is like that very high-range source, that compression algorithm is AgX or the ACES ODTs.
What you do is akin to taking an already fully-mastered song and apply the exact same compression and master on that pre-mastered song. And while technically it becomes even more vibrant and satisfying; it also gets rid of any type of accuracy your original mastering had, not to mention the annihilation of heaps of detail.
nullfractal im waiting patiently for your tutorial. because theres little to no tutorials on how to do this. So in all fairness Neurolepticer has the best tutorial. because what do we have to compare it to?
The reason no tutorials exist is that it's more or less not really a good idea. I have played with the game's LUTs for dozens of hours at this point and have yet to release a LUT because it's really, really hard to make one that doesn't kill information. You can modify the LUTs, and create a slightly different image quality in game, but if the goal is to increase the overall level of detail, information, etc in the game you are going to have a hard time. The game's default LUT is already hand-tuned to bring out as much detail as possible in the game's nearly infinite quantity of lighting situations. And making a couple of small changes and previewing it in game for 5 minutes isn't enough, you basically have to replay the whole game with the new LUT applied to examine how it will affect the overall image from start to finish of the game.
Some changes might look good in some situations, but crush out important detail in others. Since the LUT handles mapping from full value range to SDR range for regular displays, you will probably have too dark / too bright unless you are extremely careful. So without having access to live-edit the LUT, it's really a tough ask to improve on a LUT which was likely decided BEFORE the rest of the work was done on these visual assets, meaning nearly everything about what makes the game look appealing is designed for this one singular LUT.
Anyone working to put out a tutorial to make these changes might have hit a similar wall to me to realize, s#*!, there's not a lot I can do which won't have negative effects on the game and get stopped in their tracks a bit there.
I do have a LUT which corrects some of the green tint to a more blue-green tint (to feel more blade-runner theatrical cut) but it's extremely subtle because any significant edits to the default LUT have looked objectively slightly worse in many situations.
What if no one cares? They just want the tutorial. I have a reshade lut or two up on Nexus. And i can adjust things in real time with that. But is it perfect? no. I think you can never be perfect. But you might find a balance with what people accept as visually acceptable. Maybe its just purely artistic interpretation. in that case details are not that important.
8 comments
How do I even start????
Please, if you are a mod maker, don't follow this guide!!!
Neuro, I know you're probably gonna be mad, but I can't just stand by and let you misinform people like this! It may not be your intention; this is why it needs to be corrected!
Your OCIO thing might be ingenious but it's totally wrong. You're setting the input as linear ACES2065-1 (AP0); a much, much, much, much bigger color space than the sRGB space your screenshot and LUT are actually captured with, then applying a tone mapper (in this case AgX) to process the pre–tone mapped data in your screenshot and LUT you are trying to edit. This proliferates false color and applies false intensity from both the gamut mapping and tone mapping.
Also, your applyAfterLUT thing in tone mapping settings applies for HDR only; it's something HDR requires to work the way it does currently. The LUT is applied before the tone mapper, taking in the LogC3-encoded input and outputting linear sRGB HDR data. Then, the ACES tone mapper maps that linear HDR data into the output display curve (e.g., PQ [HDR10+], HLG [DV iirc], and scRGB). When you set that, the HDR LUT is applied inaccurately. The tone mapping settings for SDR is under mode and not hdrMode, and by default, they are set to Linear, which applies no tone mapper because the tone mapping is already handled by the internal LUT using ACES.
I can give you more details; but I can't just stand by and let people be misled, intentional or not.
To all modders, do not listen to his words, he is severely confused.
The words color space and color gamut are interchangeable. You are correct about AP0 covering the entire human vision spectrum (and a bit more). I don't get what you mean by ACES being a color space close to an ARRI camera; ACES has absolutely no relation to ARRI at all other than being often used with ARRI sources as these are very prominent in high-budget productions which often require interchangeability between camera systems and locations, and ACES suits it perfectly.
The color space doesn't do anything to suit the look. ACES can also be used as a output transform through applying an ODT on OCES data, same as AgX.
The game uses an implementation in HLSL of the CTL reference code to handle tone mapping with some parametrization.
What you are recommending is to take a tool that is designed to take this HUGE ACES color gamut and compress it down into the BT.709 primaries PLUS fit HDR color values in a range of 0 to 1 (1 representing a 80–100cd/m^2 output [depending on sRGB or BT.709 + calibration]) and apply it on pre-compressed data.
It's like if you go into a DAW and have a very high-quality and very high-range audio source. To allow it to sound good, you need to compress it and master it to fit conventional speakers. AP0 is like that very high-range source, that compression algorithm is AgX or the ACES ODTs.
What you do is akin to taking an already fully-mastered song and apply the exact same compression and master on that pre-mastered song. And while technically it becomes even more vibrant and satisfying; it also gets rid of any type of accuracy your original mastering had, not to mention the annihilation of heaps of detail.
because theres little to no tutorials on how to do this. So in all fairness Neurolepticer has the best tutorial. because what do we have to compare it to?
Some changes might look good in some situations, but crush out important detail in others. Since the LUT handles mapping from full value range to SDR range for regular displays, you will probably have too dark / too bright unless you are extremely careful. So without having access to live-edit the LUT, it's really a tough ask to improve on a LUT which was likely decided BEFORE the rest of the work was done on these visual assets, meaning nearly everything about what makes the game look appealing is designed for this one singular LUT.
Anyone working to put out a tutorial to make these changes might have hit a similar wall to me to realize, s#*!, there's not a lot I can do which won't have negative effects on the game and get stopped in their tracks a bit there.
I do have a LUT which corrects some of the green tint to a more blue-green tint (to feel more blade-runner theatrical cut) but it's extremely subtle because any significant edits to the default LUT have looked objectively slightly worse in many situations.
But is it perfect? no. I think you can never be perfect. But you might find a balance with what people accept as visually acceptable. Maybe its just purely artistic interpretation. in that case details are not that important.
Intel needed for BC5/7 formats and Nvidia to process DXT 1/3/5
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/tool/intel-texture-works-plugin.html ( I think also opens dds)
and
https://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-exporter ( opens dds )
(Need developer account for The Nvidia. It allows drag drop: If you need this I'll give it to you.)