Working with the EXR format

Harmony supports the reading and writing of the EXR format. This allows for seamless integration of EXR files with different compositing workflows and with different applications.

An EXR file is a multi-channel raster file format that is capable of containing multiple channels, layer information and metadata. Rather than importing or exporting a render per layer, this format can provide multiple rendered layers and provide extra information in a single file. Because of this, the EXR file format is ideal for compositors.

The EXR file format also provides different levels of compression. Depending on the working environment, a lower or higher level of compression may be preferred. A lower level of compression will result in larger files on disk that can be read and written quickly. A higher level of compression will result in smaller files but will take more time to read and write.