threejs-image-pipeline

Image Pipeline

Use this skill only when composing several image-space systems or defining shared buffers. For one effect, load its atomic skill instead.

Load:

• $threejs-screen-space-ambient-occlusion for GTAO, bent normals, denoising, or AO application;
• $threejs-bloom for HDR extraction and bloom;
• $threejs-exposure-color-grading for metering, adaptation, tone mapping, LUTs, and output conversion.

The pipeline must expose its signals and ordering. Do not install a pile of effects and tune the final frame blindly.

Signal order

scene HDR color + depth + normals + albedo where required
  → lighting-related screen effects
  → atmosphere/transparency composition
  → bloom
  → exposure
  → tone mapping
  → grading
  → lens/presentation effects
  → output conversion

Read references/production-image-pipeline.md for four production pass graphs, their buffer/resolution contracts, and the ownership boundaries between whole-scene and effect-local graphs.

Rules

• Tone-map once.
• Keep HDR bloom before tone mapping.
• Meter exposure from a small luminance target, not the final 8-bit screen.
• Separate direct and indirect light before applying bent-normal ambient tint when possible.
• Upsample low-resolution effects with depth/normal-aware weights.
• Build pass toggles and effect-only views before tuning.
• UI rendered in the same target needs an explicit protection strategy.
• Do not load all atomic post skills by default. Route only the effects actually requested.

Routing boundary

Use this skill when multiple image-space systems must share buffers, ordering, or output ownership. For one isolated effect, use its atomic skill without loading this coordinator.