View Mode
Switches between Colors, Edges, Beauty and Matte views.
Use Colors for identification and Matte for evaluating the final selection.
← Fusion node reference
Keying & MatteIntermediate
Cryptomatte
EXR object and material mattes
Extracts object or material mattes from EXR renders that contain Cryptomatte metadata and ID layers.
Cryptomatte
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
Cryptomatte lets compositors select rendered objects or materials by ID instead of manually roto-scoping them.
Overview
What Cryptomatte does
Cryptomatte is designed for CG/VFX pipelines where the renderer writes object/material IDs and metadata into an EXR. Fusion can use those IDs to build clean mattes even around antialiasing, motion blur and depth-of-field edges.
The Viewer modes help inspect the source: Colors visualizes ID regions, Beauty shows the normal render, Matte shows the current selection and Edges helps diagnose boundaries.
Cryptomatte only works when the source EXR actually contains valid Cryptomatte layers and metadata. If the data was not rendered or was stripped during transcoding, the node cannot reconstruct it.
Mental model
Think of Cryptomatte as a hidden object-selection map embedded in the EXR: clicking an object selects its ID and turns that selection into a production matte.
Common uses
Isolate a single CG object
Select one or more materials
Grade rendered objects independently
Create masks without manual roto
Extract motion-blurred CG mattes
Build reusable VFX selections from EXR passes
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Image
EXR image containing beauty plus Cryptomatte layers/metadata.
Cryptomatte
Fusion node
Image/Matte
Selected Cryptomatte result, optionally written to alpha.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Colors
Displays Cryptomatte IDs as diagnostic colors for picking and inspection.
Edges
Controls how the operation treats image or region edges.
Beauty
Shows the unmodified beauty image while you work with the Cryptomatte selection.
Matte
Displays or edits the matte produced by the current Cryptomatte selection.
Output to Alpha
Writes the selected Cryptomatte result into alpha.
Convenient when the next node expects a normal alpha/matte.
Select Matte / Pick
Samples a Cryptomatte ID from the Viewer and adds it to the current matte selection.
Mode — Add
Adds the picked Cryptomatte ID to the current matte.
Mode — Remove
Removes the picked Cryptomatte ID from the current matte.
Selected Matte List
Shows the IDs currently included in the matte.
Keep the list understandable in complex scenes so later edits do not become guesswork.
Clear All
Clears every entry from the Selected Matte List.
Clear Selected Layer
Removes only the currently selected matte entry from the list.
Expression
Provides a text representation of the selected Cryptomatte IDs.
Useful for technical pipelines, reuse and precise selection management.
Matte Layers — Selected
Shows Matte Layers — Selected in the Viewer for setup or diagnostics.
Matte Layers — View
Chooses which available Cryptomatte layer is shown for inspection and picking.
Matte Layers — All
Shows Matte Layers — All in the Viewer for setup or diagnostics.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Load the original EXR that contains Cryptomatte data.
- 2
Switch to Colors or Beauty view and verify the layers are recognized.
- 3
Use Pick to select the desired object/material.
- 4
Add or remove IDs as needed.
- 5
Switch to Matte view and inspect antialiasing/motion-blur edges.
- 6
Output to alpha or feed the matte to the required correction/effect.
Typical node chain
EXR with Cryptomatte→
Cryptomatte→
Effect / ColorCorrector / Merge
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Object grade
Select a CG object and apply a separate ColorCorrector.
EXRCryptomatteColorCorrectorMerge
Multi-object matte
Several related IDs are combined into one matte.
EXRCryptomatte (Add IDs)Glow / Grade
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Expecting Cryptomatte to work on a normal video or EXR without Cryptomatte metadata.
Using a transcoded file that stripped technical layers.
Hardening a naturally antialiased/motion-blurred matte unnecessarily.
Production notes
Practical tips
Keep original multilayer EXR files for comp work.
Name objects/materials clearly in 3D before rendering so Cryptomatte selections are understandable.
Use the matte directly when possible; avoid converting it through lossy intermediate formats.
Related nodes