February, 2016 New User 3D Art Contest “Lighting” (WIP Thread)

h_habash

Saphirewild said:

h_habash said:

Here is my 2nd entry "I guess".

I havent figure the title yet, It's Iray render, one spot light, Iray Leather Shader for the backdrop and the chair.

I'm still in doupt about the color of the backdrop, I think it's too bright....

Maybe if you used a sandy background it would be more suited to her bathing in the sun on a beach?? it also may help if you turned dow the intencity down a bit on the lighting your using???

Thanks Saphirewild, I'll try this soon.

I was thinking of another change as the purpose of this scene is that the lady is posing in a studio, I have another prop called "Photo Studio" I'll check if this prop will do the purpose, I was also thinking of changing her bathing suit to another cloth.

Saphirewild

h_habash said:

Saphirewild said:

h_habash said:

Here is my 2nd entry "I guess".

I havent figure the title yet, It's Iray render, one spot light, Iray Leather Shader for the backdrop and the chair.

I'm still in doupt about the color of the backdrop, I think it's too bright....

Maybe if you used a sandy background it would be more suited to her bathing in the sun on a beach?? it also may help if you turned dow the intencity down a bit on the lighting your using???

Thanks Saphirewild, I'll try this soon.

I was thinking of another change as the purpose of this scene is that the lady is posing in a studio, I have another prop called "Photo Studio" I'll check if this prop will do the purpose, I was also thinking of changing her bathing suit to another cloth.

well ok I think if you are going with her being in a photo studio then yes go for the "Photo Studio Prop"

and well I really like the bathing suit it suits the prop she is sitting on

dracorn

Siotrad said:

dracorn said:

Siotrad and evilded777:

Thanks guys!

I find that I prefer the fine control with Hexagon over the D-Formers. 

Looks like from the Hexagon forum that the coat and buttons are one object, so I won't be able to rotate them separately - which makes it strange that the buttons wouldn't follow the coat when I morphed it.  I am currently asking for a way to copy the button to make a new object - thanks for the suggestion, Siotrad, I was thinking along those lines myself.  I can hide the original buttons via the Surfaces tab. 

Making new buttons and learning how to texture them was a bit more work than I anticipated, but considering that I have a mind to make custom objects in the future, it is a skill I want to learn anyway. 

You "just" have to select his faces ... if it's à button you take the two of the middle and ctrl +

If you want play with the surface tab to hide it ... you can load an onther coat, hide all the caot except the button ;) ... a very boring thing :)

Hm.  I can select the button surface, but when I try to select the button wtih the Universal Tool, it selects the whole coat (or G2M).  Not sure if I can copy the button within Daz Studio. 

Rafmer

Another one! I'm quite happy with this one so far. The only light comes from a fireplace.

 

h_habash

dracorn said:

Siotrad said:

dracorn said:

Siotrad and evilded777:

Thanks guys!

I find that I prefer the fine control with Hexagon over the D-Formers. 

Looks like from the Hexagon forum that the coat and buttons are one object, so I won't be able to rotate them separately - which makes it strange that the buttons wouldn't follow the coat when I morphed it.  I am currently asking for a way to copy the button to make a new object - thanks for the suggestion, Siotrad, I was thinking along those lines myself.  I can hide the original buttons via the Surfaces tab. 

Making new buttons and learning how to texture them was a bit more work than I anticipated, but considering that I have a mind to make custom objects in the future, it is a skill I want to learn anyway. 

You "just" have to select his faces ... if it's à button you take the two of the middle and ctrl +

If you want play with the surface tab to hide it ... you can load an onther coat, hide all the caot except the button ;) ... a very boring thing :)

Hm.  I can select the button surface, but when I try to select the button wtih the Universal Tool, it selects the whole coat (or G2M).  Not sure if I can copy the button within Daz Studio. 

If this button doesn't have a separate nod, Try selecting the Coat in Scene Tab by selecting G2M, and then in Surface Tab change the Opacity to Zero ( 0 ).

If the button is a separate nod parented to the coat, then it's easy to unparent the button and move it around separately.

I'd have put screenshot if I'm not rendering my scene now

jameswmumford

I new at this, about a month now. i have two i what to put in, what do you think of them?

 

Siotrad

dracorn said:

Siotrad said:

dracorn said:

Siotrad and evilded777:

Thanks guys!

I find that I prefer the fine control with Hexagon over the D-Formers. 

Looks like from the Hexagon forum that the coat and buttons are one object, so I won't be able to rotate them separately - which makes it strange that the buttons wouldn't follow the coat when I morphed it.  I am currently asking for a way to copy the button to make a new object - thanks for the suggestion, Siotrad, I was thinking along those lines myself.  I can hide the original buttons via the Surfaces tab. 

Making new buttons and learning how to texture them was a bit more work than I anticipated, but considering that I have a mind to make custom objects in the future, it is a skill I want to learn anyway. 

You "just" have to select his faces ... if it's à button you take the two of the middle and ctrl +

If you want play with the surface tab to hide it ... you can load an onther coat, hide all the caot except the button ;) ... a very boring thing :)

Hm.  I can select the button surface, but when I try to select the button wtih the Universal Tool, it selects the whole coat (or G2M).  Not sure if I can copy the button within Daz Studio. 

You did it in daz or in Hexagon ???

 

Because i said you to do that in hexagon ...

If you have the same issue ... you will have to add a new material domain for the selected boutton surfaces ...

SGTGhost777

dracorn said:

SGTGhost777 said:

Wasteland Garage

The biker in the garage is a little disheartend by the news he has just received.

I have just over one year of experience with digital art and I would appreciate any feedback that is offered.

You need additional light on the disheartened biker to make him stand out.  I had to look for him to find him.  Perhaps a little white light directly on him to bring him foward while the green background recedes.  Also, you can darken the green of the garage, or maybe consider making the inside of the garage true lighting with green accents to draw the eye to it.  Move the robot to the right, because he and the biker seem like one object. 

The orange tint to everything is very interesting, making it seem a little alien.  However, I think it is a little to over-saturated, and appears garish.  Make it more subtle, because it is hiding the detail in the scene and taking away the depth. 

You might want to consider zooming in towards your characters.  Yes, I know you have a great background, but we the viewers are so far away it's hard to see the emotion.  I had the same problem with my chess players.  I wanted to show them in a lifeboat crammed with stuff in the middle of the ocean while they played chess.  But I lost the story because I was too far away.  I had to come in close and then the personality, the action and the story could be revealed. 

Think about this idea:  you could completely change the point of view to the inside of the garage looking out.  That way you are up close and personal to the biker and see that action, and next you see his companions and finally the middle of nowhere landscape.  Right now it's the other way around.

 

Thanks for the input dracorn.

SGTGhost777

Kismet2012 said:

SGTGhost777 said:

Wasteland Garage

The biker in the garage is a little disheartend by the news he has just received.

I have just over one year of experience with digital art and I would appreciate any feedback that is offered.

I like the contrast of the green light in the garage with the orange environment light but I am finding the environment light a little too overwhelming.  It seems to be washing out the details of the bikers and their rides. 

 

What program and render engine are you using?

Kismet2012 I am using DAZ 4.9 and rendering in Iray.

Freelight

jameswmumford said:

I new at this, about a month now. i have two i what to put in, what do you think of them?

 

Your doing well if you've only been at it a month :0) As a little trick to brighten the eyes you could maybe try two tiny spotlights which light up the eyes only, make them small and place just in front of her eyes. You could make the light objects attach to her head just as you would a hat or anything, that way they'll move where she does. It might just bring out a little sparkle in them. Hope this helps at all, good stuff keep it up :0)

SGTGhost777

Here's a new angle on my wasteland garage scene.  

SGTGhost777

Here is an additional render that I am considering for the contest instead of my previous on.  

Saphirewild

SGTGhost777 said:

Here is an additional render that I am considering for the contest instead of my previous on.  

I would say use both of them Ghost!! But that is just my opinion :D

dracorn

Rafmer said:

Hi! I wasn't quite satisfied with my prior render; it looked too much of a portrait. So, I am trying a slightly different approach.

 

I like this.  I like her foe, he has a great pose with attitude. 

Suggestions for pose adjustments on the woman:  Bring her left heel back a little, so that it is in line with her shoulder - this shows that the weight is on that foot.  Also, for a martial sword stance, the toes face the same direction, so twist her right foot a little.

Either bring up the lighting a little or add a light on the villain - it is dark and he is wearing black, so it is hard to see him, so the brightness of the lightsabers is distracting and draws my eye with too much contrast. 

It's hard to tell because the light is low, but I can't tell if her eyes are looking at him. 

dracorn

h_habash said:

Here is my 2nd entry "I guess".

I havent figure the title yet, It's Iray render, one spot light, Iray Leather Shader for the backdrop and the chair.

I'm still in doupt about the color of the backdrop, I think it's too bright....

May I suggest you make her left hand pose more casual?  Make the finger bends more subtle and it will look more natural.  Also, tilt her right foot down so that the ball of her foot is resting on the ground. 

The light is a bit oversaturated in the whole picture, not just the background.  Try toning down the lighting a bit - like using a polarizing filter on a camera to avoid over exposure.  This should darken your background a little as well.  If your background is still too dark, you can try darkening it via the surfaces tab. 

If you have a beach umbrella, that may add some interest in the shadows it will cast, if the girl is partly in its shade.  If you have any other nick nacks that will fit in a beach scene, experiment with adding them. 

 

dracorn

Rafmer said:

Another one! I'm quite happy with this one so far. The only light comes from a fireplace.

 

I just noticed the girl is bald! 

Nice golden color, very nice pose and expression.  I like the depth of field you have used.

May I suggest an accent light coming from the left, to create a yellowish rim along the left side of the woman's body and the man's shoulder.  This will add dimension. 

If you have Fit Control or other smoother, use it to smooth out that seran wrap effect of her bodice fabric wrapping under her breasts. 

dracorn

Siotrad said:

dracorn said:

Siotrad said:

dracorn said:

Siotrad and evilded777:

Thanks guys!

I find that I prefer the fine control with Hexagon over the D-Formers. 

Looks like from the Hexagon forum that the coat and buttons are one object, so I won't be able to rotate them separately - which makes it strange that the buttons wouldn't follow the coat when I morphed it.  I am currently asking for a way to copy the button to make a new object - thanks for the suggestion, Siotrad, I was thinking along those lines myself.  I can hide the original buttons via the Surfaces tab. 

Making new buttons and learning how to texture them was a bit more work than I anticipated, but considering that I have a mind to make custom objects in the future, it is a skill I want to learn anyway. 

You "just" have to select his faces ... if it's à button you take the two of the middle and ctrl +

If you want play with the surface tab to hide it ... you can load an onther coat, hide all the caot except the button ;) ... a very boring thing :)

Hm.  I can select the button surface, but when I try to select the button wtih the Universal Tool, it selects the whole coat (or G2M).  Not sure if I can copy the button within Daz Studio. 

You did it in daz or in Hexagon ???

 

Because i said you to do that in hexagon ...

If you have the same issue ... you will have to add a new material domain for the selected boutton surfaces ...

I'm working in Hexagon.  I have figured it out and it is working... slowly.  Hexagon crashed and had me pulling my hair out, but I think I've got it working the way I want now. 

dracorn

SGTGhost777 said:

Here's a new angle on my wasteland garage scene.  

Oh, I like this much better.  I can see what's going on... and how much does he have to pay to fix his bike?

May I suggest reducing the lighting a little inside the garage so that the light reflecting from the computer panel shines up into the tech's face.  It will also make the lights on the bike stand out the way the lights are on his friend's bikes outside. 

Shinji Ikari 9th

Saphirewild said:

SGTGhost777 said:

Here is an additional render that I am considering for the contest instead of my previous on.  

I would say use both of them Ghost!! But that is just my opinion :D

I agree with Saphire, Ghost. They both look great.

dracorn

Saphirewild said:

SGTGhost777 said:

Here is an additional render that I am considering for the contest instead of my previous on.  

I would say use both of them Ghost!! But that is just my opinion :D

I agree with Saphirewild - use both of them.  I really like this one.  The lighting is very dramatic and I like the way the instrument is lighting up her face.

SGTGhost777

Here is a revision to one of them.  I appreciate all the feedback; I'm still new at this so I need all I can get.  Oh, and I have thick skin; so be honest.  

rufuslong

SGTGhost777 said:

Here is a revision to one of them.  I appreciate all the feedback; I'm still new at this so I need all I can get.  Oh, and I have thick skin; so be honest.  

I like this version, the stronger backlight brings the viewers focus to the character.

Finally finished this one and quite happy with it.

ewcarman

ewcarman said:

Like most of us, lighting is still something I struggle with. I've been working on this image and I thought I'd share a couple of things I've been doing to help address the lighting. This is an indoor image and I'm using Iray. 

....

 

After staring at this for a while, I decided that the lighting on the actor was not sufficient to make her stand out in the image and she seemed to be just t0o much in the dark. So I repositioned the original key light, increasing the lumens after a lot of trial and error, and added another key light (same pink coloring) and used the two of them to better highlight the actor.

I let this run for 3 hours so it is a bit less grainy - still needs to cook longer though.

Better lit? I think so. I am not sure about the shadow under her chin. It matches with the realistic lights (ceiling light shining down) and the second key light removes some of the intensity of it. I'm just not sure if it works well enough. 

And how do we know when we've got it right? What constitutes a well lit scene? Wish I knew....

Good luck all. There's some really great stuff (as far as I can tell at least  ) this month. Glad I'm not a judge.

Kismet2012

Funny you should say that ewcarman.  I was just thinking it is going to be hard jugding this month's contest.  Everyone is doing a great job.

 

Saphirewild

Here is my latest renders for Lighting I used 2 spotlights on the right and left side 2 distant lights 1 for above and 1 for under with specular 1 UE2 on the first one and the second one has just UE2 so not sure which one I want to use now I can not make up my mind.

Kismet2012

Saphirewild said:

Here is my latest render for Lighting I used 2 spotlights on the right and left side 2 distant lights 1 for above and 1 for under with specular 1 UE2.

Nice start Saphirewild but something a little strange is going on with the toes on her right foot.

Saphirewild

Kismet2012 said:

Saphirewild said:

Here is my latest render for Lighting I used 2 spotlights on the right and left side 2 distant lights 1 for above and 1 for under with specular 1 UE2.

Nice start Saphirewild but something a little strange is going on with the toes on her right foot.

 

Wow I didn't notice that untill you pointed it out Kismet thanks I will fix that as well when i decide which one to use!!

SGTGhost777

rufuslong said:

SGTGhost777 said:

Here is a revision to one of them.  I appreciate all the feedback; I'm still new at this so I need all I can get.  Oh, and I have thick skin; so be honest.  

I like this version, the stronger backlight brings the viewers focus to the character.

Finally finished this one and quite happy with it.

Thanks rufuslong, I think your render is awesome!

SGTGhost777

Here's another revision to my other scene, with help from dracorn.

dracorn

SGTGhost777 said:

Here is a revision to one of them.  I appreciate all the feedback; I'm still new at this so I need all I can get.  Oh, and I have thick skin; so be honest.  

Seriously, Ghost.  This is an excellent render.  I looked hard and couldn't find anything that needed fixing.  Even her eyes are looking where they should be.  Great job.  Serously, great job.