Apply postprocessing effects to a scene

Postprocessing effects add qualities to improve the appearance of the final view. Postprocessing effects are a visualization effect applied after the scene has drawn. While you can enable effects in any order from the user interface, the effects will be configured in a predefined order to produce consistent and deterministic results.

The order of operation is applied as follows:

• Color grading postprocessing effect
• Bloom postprocessing effect
• Camera effects
• Visual effects
• Vignette postprocessing
• Grain postprocessing effect
• Color vision deficiency simulation
• Color management

Once activated, the postprocessing effect is applied to the entire scene. You can apply one or more postprocessing effects at a time, and they each contain configurable properties. Postprocessing effects can be combined with visual effects and camera effects to create a unique visual result of the scene.

The table below lists the postprocessing effects you can apply to a scene:

Postprocessing effect	Description	Example
Bloom	Adds a glow to color values brighter than a given threshold to give the illusion of extremely bright light in the scene.
Vignette	Applies darkening around the edges and corners of the scene compared to the center. Creates an effect to draw attention to the subject in the center of the view.
Grain	Adds a film grain or noise to simulate imperfections, physical media like a newspaper, or digital photography.
Color Grading	Modifies and enhances colors in the final image, such as saturation, brightness, and contrast.

Apply a postprocessing effect

Use the following steps to apply a postprocessing effect to a scene:

1. Activate the scene view, if necessary.
2. On the View tab, in the Scene group, click the Postprocessing Effects button to enable postprocessing effects.

   The Bloom effect is the default. The Postprocessing Effects button can be used to switch the effects on or off.

3. Click the Postprocessing Effects drop-down arrow to open the gallery of postprocessing effect choices.

   Once an effect is selected, it is applied immediately.

4. Optionally, click the drop-down gallery again and click Postprocessing Effect Settings to customize the active postprocessing effects by updating properties or changing which effects are active.

The images below compare a scene with no postprocessing effects applied to one with increased contrast and saturation using color grading, as well as vignette and bloom postprocessing effects.

Save or share scenes with postprocessing effects

Postprocessing effects are saved with the scene document for all open views and are reapplied when you open the project. Postprocessing effects are also included when using Capture To Clipboard from a scene or layout containing a 3D map frame, exporting the scene to an image file, exporting a layout containing a 3D map frame, or exporting an animation to a video file. However, an applied postprocessing effect is not included when sharing to a web scene. A sharing warning is raised to indicate that the effect will not be visualized on the web.

Note:

To include postprocessing effects in a video file, use animation to create keyframes capturing the state of the view, apply postprocessing effects, and export the animation. Postprocessing effect settings are not captured in the keyframe properties and do not change during the export of an animation.