Render passes (depth, normal, shadow, object masks)
Use depth, normal, shadow, and object-mask passes to adjust 3D renders during 2D paintover.
What it is
Render passes are extra images exported with a beauty render. They provide separate information about camera distance, surface direction, cast shadows, and object or material identity.
A depth pass maps camera distance to grayscale for adjusting fog, atmospheric perspective, depth-of-field blur, or saturation. A normal pass uses RGB color to encode surface direction for relighting and form-aware color adjustments.
Shadow passes isolate cast shadows for opacity, edge, and color adjustments. Object or material ID passes assign flat colors to objects or materials, allowing targeted selections for paintover, grading, or saturation changes.
Why it matters
Render passes let you adjust lighting, atmosphere, depth, shadows, and isolated objects during 2D paintover. Weak control can lead to repeated repainting, new renders, or selections made by hand.
You can check it when
- ✓Use depth and normal passes from one 3D render to create distinct lighting and atmosphere variations without re-rendering.
- ✓Export and use shadow and object or material ID passes to adjust shadows and isolate characters, props, or materials for targeted 2D changes.