Version 2.4 adds batch processing and 16-bit output. Here is what that means in practice, and where the limits are.
What Cryptomatte gives you, and what the extractor does with it
Cryptomatte came out of Psyop. The project's repository describes it as a way to build ID mattes automatically, with support for motion blur, transparency and depth of field. It works from naming information the renderer already has, such as object names, namespaces and material names. The format is meant to be an open standard. Many renderers write it, and several compositing tools can decode it.
The manifest is the part that is easy to misread. The Cryptomatte API documentation says the manifest is an optional field mapping a mask's name to its hash value. The same documentation says it should never be relied on for decoding, because it's not guaranteed to be encoded and is unreliable across different DCCs. So the manifest gives you readable names, and the pixel data is decoded separately. CryptomatteExtractor uses the manifest to name its output layers. You get your chair as "chair", not as a hexadecimal hash.
One practical consequence: if a render's manifest is missing or unreliable, expect weaker naming even when the mattes themselves can still be decoded. This follows from the API documentation. Digital Production doesn't test it.
How the output documents are laid out
Digital Production's description of the developer's walkthrough gives this structure:
- MASKS group: one folder per Cryptomatte pass, holding named object or material layers.
- Elements group: the beauty pass and other render elements, kept separate.
- Mask delivery: either editable layer masks or pixel layers.
- PNG mode: an 8-bit RGBA file per mask, instead of a layered document.
The MASKS group is set to 0% opacity in Photoshop. In Affinity it's 1%, so the layers stay selectable.
The Photoshop selection workflow:
- Activate the Move tool.
- Ctrl-click the image to locate the mask layer for the object you clicked.
- Ctrl-click that layer's thumbnail to load it as a selection.
- Apply your adjustment to the selection.
This replaces digging through EXR channel names by hand. Digital Production says the developer's demonstration covers EXR preparation, document building and Photoshop selections. It is not a benchmark of the new batch mode.
Batch queue behavior
Version 2.4's headline feature is the queue. As reported:
- It accepts EXR and Corona CXR files from different folders.
- You choose which passes to extract per file.
- Each render produces its document next to its source file.
- A failed item doesn't stop the rest of the queue.
The failure behavior matters most on an overnight run. One broken render won't block the others. No throughput figures have been published, so don't expect a measured speed-up. The batch mode saves clicking, and nobody has shown that it saves processing time.
Corona CXR is a different path
CXR files are handled differently from EXRs. Per Digital Production, masks come from the file's embedded Cryptomatte data. Render elements go through Corona Image Editor, with tone mapping, LightMix and denoising applied.
So those elements are already processed. Don't treat them as untouched scene-linear data in later reconstruction work. Digital Production doesn't say which Corona versions are required or document the pipeline in detail, so treat this as a description of this tool's CXR route, not of every CXR file.
PSB switchover and the 16-bit option
The extractor writes a PSB instead of a PSD when a document goes past 30,000 pixels in width or height, or past 2 GB. That matches Adobe's limits. A Library of Congress format description puts the PSD ceiling at 30,000 pixels per side and two gigabytes. The same description says PSB supports up to 300,000 pixels in any dimension.
PSB isn't a universal fix. Adobe's help text, quoted in a community thread, says that with documents larger than 30,000 pixels in width or height, some plug-in filters are unavailable. Other applications may also not open PSB at all. If a file goes to a client, a colleague or a second app, test it there before you rely on it.
The 16-bit option needs the same careful reading. Adobe does let Photoshop save HDR, 32-bits-per-channel images as PSB files. But Digital Production says the seller doesn't specify HDR preservation or colour-transform guarantees. A 16-bit document therefore isn't a lossless 32-bit floating-point round trip. Keep the original EXR for scene-linear work and archive it with the delivery. Use the layered file for retouching and client review.
Platform, price and licence
All of this is as reported by Digital Production. The Gumroad seller pages couldn't be checked independently, so confirm current terms at checkout.
| Item | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Version | CryptomatteExtractor 2.4 |
| Platform | Windows 10/11, portable executable |
| Delivery apps | Photoshop 2021+; Affinity Photo 2 / Affinity 3 |
| Price | US$20 minimum, one payment |
| Licence | Unlimited extractions on the licensed machine; activation tied to hardware ID |
| Trial | 10 extractions, no time limit |
| Upgrade | Version 1 owners get version 2 free |
| Subscription | None listed |
The hardware-ID binding is worth checking before you buy. Digital Production doesn't describe how transfers or reactivation work, for example after a workstation upgrade. Ask the developer if that matters to you.
Who this suits
This is for archviz and product-render artists who already render with Cryptomatte passes and finish in Photoshop or Affinity. For them, 2.4 removes some tedium, and the trial is generous enough to test your own files. If your pipeline lives in Nuke or Fusion with native Cryptomatte decoding, this tool adds little. It's also not a rescue for renders that lack the data.
Before you commit to it, run the free trial on a real multi-pass render. Check that the layer names match your scene and that the output opens correctly in the app your client uses.