3DE Image Toolkit

Image Toolkit is a 3DEqualizer helper that lets you preview and export filtered image sequences directly from a camera in your current 3DE project.

It is designed for practical shot work: pick a camera, adjust filters visually, compare original vs filtered result, then export and relink the footage path back in 3DE.

Main Features

• Camera picker to choose which sequence to process.
• Real-time preview workflow with debounced updates for smooth interaction.
• Before/after comparison mode (hold original view).
• Zoom and pan controls in the preview viewer.
• Filter stack with simple controls:
  • Denoise
  • Sharpen
  • High-pass detail
  • Contrast and brightness
• Exposure control for preview display.
• Background frame loading and preview processing to keep UI responsive.
• Sequence export with progress feedback.
• Automatic update of 3DE camera sequence path after export.

How It Works (High Level)

1. Open the tool from 3DE.
2. Pick a camera from the current project.
3. Move through frames and tune filters until the look is right.
4. Export the filtered sequence to an output folder.
5. The tool updates the camera footage pattern in 3DE to point to the new files.

Installation Guide

Option A: Recommended (Automated)

1. Open PowerShell in this repository root.
2. Install dependencies into local libs:

.\install_uv_and_libs.bat

• The installer now prompts for the Python version (default: 3.11).
• The installer recreates .venv using the selected Python version before installing packages.

3DEqualizer release	Bundled / runtime Python version	Source
Release 6 (R6) — 2020	Python 2.7 (2.7.x — micro version not specified in release notes).	(3dequalizer.com)
Release 7 (R7.0 / R7.1) — 2021 / 2022	Python 3.7 (3DE4 R7 ships with its own Python 3.7 runtime; scripts were ported to Py3).	(3dequalizer.com)
Release 8 (R8.0) — 2024	Python 3.9.18 (R8.0 beta notes mention 3.9.18 specifically).	(3dequalizer.com)
Release 8.1 (R8.1) — 2025 (latest)	Python 3.11 (runtime updated to Python 3.11 in R8.1 notes; exact patch unspecified).	(3dequalizer.com)

• Dependencies are installed into versioned folders under libs, for example:
  • libs\py311
  • libs\py37
• You can also pass arguments directly:

.\install_uv_and_libs.bat 3.7 "C:\path\to\python.exe"

3. Install 3DE plugin scripts:

.\install_3de_proxy_patch.ps1

Caution

You may face some issues due to ExcutionPolicy, please check Microsoft official documentation. Also ensure running it as administrator for write permission in 3de installation directory.

4. When asked, enter your 3DE plugin scripts folder.
5. Restart 3DEqualizer (if already open).
6. Run the script named Image Toolkit from 3DE script menus.

Option B: Manual

1. Ensure libs is populated with required packages.
2. Copy imgToolkit.py and ImgToolkitProxyInit.py into your 3DE plugin scripts folder.
3. Edit IMG_TOOLKIT_ROOT in ImgToolkitProxyInit.py to the absolute path of this repository.
4. Restart 3DE and launch Image Toolkit.

Notes

• The tool expects dependencies to be available in libs\pyXX (for the active Python version).
• If your plugin path is under Program Files, run PowerShell as Administrator during install.
• If needed, you can override the toolkit path with the environment variable IMG_TOOLKIT_ROOT.
• On Python 3.7, if openimageio is unavailable, the installer automatically tries an OpenEXR fallback.

Typical Usage Tips

• Start with subtle filter values, then increase gradually.
• Use the original/filtered compare button often while tuning.
• Export to a dedicated output folder per shot to keep versions clean.

Troubleshooting

• Tool does not appear in 3DE:
  • Confirm imgToolkit.py exists in the configured 3DE plugin folder.
  • Restart 3DE after installation.
• Launch error about missing files:
  • Verify IMG_TOOLKIT_ROOT points to this repository.
• Denoise unavailable:
  • Re-run dependency installer to ensure OpenCV is present in libs.
• EXR load/save issues:
  • Re-run dependency installer for your target Python version.
  • For Python 3.7, EXR support may come from OpenEXR fallback when OpenImageIO wheels are not available.