- The plug-in allows users to import Maxwell renders in MXI format directly into Photoshop, including extra buffers that the user enabled when the render was launched.
- The MXI file is imported into a Photoshop 32Bits document to preserve the maximum color information available.
- It creates a layered structure with all the individual buffers and separate emitters (if the Multilight feature was enabled when the render was launched).
- The intensity of each emitter can be changed with an Exposure adjustment in that layer.
- The plug-in is based on the Photoshop CS4 SDK, so it works with that version. It should also work in Photoshop CS3. CS2 and previous versions are not supported.
- A Maxwell Render Action is provided so users can easily tweak light intensity and color of emitters. This Action is similar to the Multilight function in Maxwell Studio.
- To use the Action, simply select the emitter layer you would like to tweak and execute the Maxwell Action. It will automatically create an Intensity and Color adjustment layer to allow you to adjust the emitter contribution.
- The “Maxwell Layer Adjustment” action has been tested in Photoshop CS3 and CS4.
Important Note: There is a limitation in the Photoshop CS3 and CS4 Standard versions (not present in the Extended version), which means that the Adjustment Layers cannot be created in 32Bits mode.
Because this action works in 32Bits and uses Adjustment Layers to allow non-destructive adjustments, it won't work on the Standard versions of Photoshop CS3 and CS4.
If you are using the Standard version of Photoshop CS3 or CS4, you can work around this limitation by converting your render to 16Bits (without merging) to be able to use the Action, as Photoshop is able to create Adjustment Layers in 16Bits.
In 16Bits you will get a better result by setting your light layers to "Screen" blending mode, instead of "Linear Dodge (Add)"
Obviously, converting a 32Bits render to 16Bits will produce a reduction of the tonal range of the render.
