Correction, 2026-10-01: an earlier version said Ray3 exports EXR at smaller resolutions than its video output and that nothing else on the market generates HDR EXR the way it does. We could not confirm either on Luma's pages, so both claims are gone. It also invited you to "batch and grade" on the 8frame canvas: 8frame has no batch tool and no grading tool.
Luma Ray3 is Luma AI's reasoning video generation model, which Luma describes as the first model to produce video in true 10-, 12- and 16-bit high dynamic range (HDR) in the ACES2065-1 EXR format.
That second half of the sentence is the whole story. Most AI video tools hand you a compressed, display-ready video file, and whatever you get is what you grade around. Ray3 was built for a different reader: a colorist or VFX artist who needs generated footage to behave more like camera files inside a color-managed finishing pipeline. Luma announced it on September 18, 2025, available the same day in its Dream Machine platform and in Adobe Firefly. Ray3 is not on 8frame. If you work in film, advertising post, or a color-managed pipeline, it is still worth understanding as an external tool.
How Luma Ray3 works
Two things separate Ray3 from a standard text-to-video model: reasoning and HDR output.
The reasoning layer is Luma's framing for a model that can, in its words, "reason in visuals and concepts, evaluate its own outputs, and refine its results on the fly." Luma also says you can direct it with visual annotations, such as lines drawn on a still. In practice the pitch is that Ray3 checks its draft against your intent instead of sampling once and stopping. Whether that helps on your shot is something to judge from the takes.
The HDR output is the reason color people care. Luma says Ray3 generates video directly as HDR in the ACES2065-1 EXR format, at up to 16-bit precision. A high-bit-depth EXR keeps far more highlight and shadow information for grading and VFX round trips than a compressed delivery file does. Luma's launch post says Ray3 renders 1080p natively, with a neural upscaler to 4K. Luma's current model page lists Ray3.2, with 16-bit EXR frames in ACES2065-1 (AP0), 1080p output in every mode, and API access.
When you use Luma Ray3
Reach for Ray3 when the generated clip has to survive a professional grade.
The clearest case is any project already running an ACES or log workflow: a spot, a title sequence, a short film, a game cinematic. If your editor and colorist expect footage they can push in the grade the way they push a real camera file, a 16-bit EXR gives them that headroom. A compressed 8-bit clip has much less room when you try to recover a blown highlight or lift a shadow. How well a particular Ray3 shot holds up under your grade is something to test on your own footage.
The second case is VFX-heavy work where generated elements composite alongside plates. EXR is the standard interchange format for compositing. A model that outputs it natively drops into a Nuke or After Effects pipeline without a lossy conversion step in between.
Where Ray3 is not the right call: fast social content where nobody grades anything, and cost-sensitive UGC batches. The HDR pipeline is overkill for a 9:16 clip headed straight to a feed, and you would pay for precision you never use. Knowing which side of that line your project sits on saves you both time and money.
Examples
HDR spot insert, color-managed pipeline. You need a five-second atmospheric shot to cut into a graded commercial: rain on a car window at night, neon reflections, moody. You generate it in Ray3, export the ACES2065-1 EXR, and hand it to the colorist. Because the file carries more highlight and shadow information, they can grade it toward the surrounding camera footage instead of fighting a baked-in look. Whether it then reads as one more source file is for the colorist to judge.
VFX element for compositing. You want a generated smoke or fire element to layer over a live plate. Ray3 can output the element as EXR, so it goes into the compositor without an 8-bit conversion flattening the highlights first. That interchange format is the practical reason a VFX-heavy team would pick Ray3 over a display-space model for this specific job.
Because Ray3 lives on Dream Machine and Adobe Firefly rather than on 8frame, treat these as pipeline notes, not credit math.
FAQ
Is Luma Ray3 available on 8frame? No. 8frame does not host any Luma model. Ray3 is available through Luma (Dream Machine and the API) and launched inside Adobe Firefly.
What resolution does Ray3 output? Luma says Ray3 renders 1080p natively and offers a neural upscaler to 4K; its Ray3.2 page lists 1080p output in every mode and 16-bit EXR frames.
Do the video models on 8frame output EXR? No. 8frame does not re-encode video; you download the provider's file, which for every model we have measured is an H.264 MP4.
Related concepts
What Is Aspect Ratio? covers the framing decisions that come before any grade. Ray3's HDR output is a finishing advantage, but you still choose the canvas shape first, and for most delivery that is vertical-first, not cinematic 16:9.
Best AI Video Generator 2026 compares the video models 8frame does host, such as Veo 3.1, Kling v3 and Seedance. If your project does not need a color-managed EXR pipeline, that is where you decide which hosted model to route the job to.
Sources
- Luma AI, Ray3 announcement (launch date, HDR in ACES2065-1 EXR at 10, 12 and 16 bit, reasoning, native 1080p with 4K upscaler, Dream Machine and Adobe Firefly availability): https://lumalabs.ai/news/ray3, checked 2026-10-01
- Luma AI, Ray model page (Ray3.2: 16-bit EXR frames in ACES2065-1 (AP0), 1080p outputs across every mode, API): https://lumalabs.ai/ray, checked 2026-10-01
- 8frame tool registry (no Luma model hosted) and media pipeline (video downloads are the provider's H.264 MP4, not re-encoded), read 2026-10-01
Ray3 is a tool for HDR finishing work outside 8frame. For generating and comparing clips from several hosted models on one board, see how the hosted models stack up.
Try it without signing up: the 8frame canvas opens on a real board. The canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.