What software does Sony Pictures use for its animations? Here’s what you need to know!
OpenColorIO is now open source
Sony Pictures Imageworks has released its proprietary color management tool, OpenColorIO, to the open source community, the same software used to create the Oscar-winning animated movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
OpenColorIO, which has been used for other films such as Hotel Transylvania 3, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Alice and Wonderland, is the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF)’s second software project. ASWF is an industry wide-open source associated by the Linux Foundation.
OpenColorIO is a complete color management software that’s geared towards motion picture production, particularly for the application of computer animation and visual effects. Sony has given access to OpenColorIO under a modified BSD license. The software is compatible with the Academy Color Encoding Specification (ACES). OpenColorIO is a LUT-format agnostic that integrates seamlessly with popular formats.
Why the software was released
According to Sony Pictures Imageworks vice president and head of software development Michael Ford, the software was released for free as a contribution to the open source community that relies on it. Ford added, “The Academy Software Foundation is a natural fit. The developers and companies that use it every day will guide the project roadmap, starting with the features and release cadence for a new 2.0 version.”
By contributing OpenColorIO to the ASWF, Sony hopes that the community could use the tool to its fullest potential and expand the tool’s features beyond what’s it’s currently capable of.
ASW was founded in an effort to encourage the advancement and use of open source software in Hollywood. Some of its founding members are animation pioneers Walt Disney Studios, DreamWorks, Autodesk, Epic Games, Cisco, Google Cloud, Intel, and Foundry. Last fall, Sony Pictures Entertainment/Sony Pictures Imageworks, Warner Bros., the Blender Foundation and the Visual Effects Society (VES) joined ASW.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards. It was the first non-Disney and non-Pixar animated film to win the Oscar since 2011’s Rango. Into the Spider-Verse also won Best Animated Feature Film at the 76th Golden Globe Awards and the 24th Critics’ Choice Awards.
Over to you!
There you have it! Now you know what software Sony uses for its animations and how to access OpenColorIO.
Any questions? Let us know in the comments below!
