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Wanderer's Oasis

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  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,169
    edited May 2018

    @Wanderer - Congratulations.  You are doing great work, and I'm glad it is getting recognized.  Well deserved.  Love the character study and the lightig comparisons.  And thanks to @seegsons and others who have been offering such great advice on lighting,etc. 

    I'm circling back to catch up on some threads and see you have a lot of great informaton here.  I haven't had a chance to to look through the new users thread yet, but I'll do that after I get a chance to catch up on a couple more topics.  Hope you keep participating, even if as an NAE.  

    Post edited by Diomede on
  • Luftsturmregiment40Luftsturmregiment40 Posts: 328
    Wanderer said:

    Okay, just playing with the IWLTBAP LUTs app to test application of LUTs to jpgs, I made an adaptation to my Lighting challenge winning entry. I'll post the two side-by-side for comparison.

    Original:

     

    With one simple filter applied (F_9590_STD)

    The change is subtle but impressive. And that's just one of the filters applied at low quality in preview. Really good stuff here. Thank you @seegsons. Very valuable resource.

    makes all the difference smiley

     

    and the Terminator shot looks really great now

    yesterday I didn't have much time to do it but you doing well on your own now

    congrats

    keep up the good work

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018

    This is a simple test render I ran in a free program called SimLab using a free model I picked up at Turbosquid, converted from Blender format to OBJ in Blender. The background, HDR for lighting, and all the materials applied to the model were provided with the free version of SimLab. No after processing. Just the test render:

     

    And with one sample LUT applied with the free previewer here:

    SimlabTest.jpg
    1892 x 1037 - 521K
    SimLabTest-C_8080_STD-100.jpg
    960 x 540 - 212K
    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018

    Here's one I did as tribute to my favorite TV show in the 70's. I know the models aren't quite right, but you work with what you have available to you. Viper fighter free from Turbosquid. I made the planet myself. The background is a NASA photo from the Hubble--zoom shot of Andromeda galaxy in high resolution.

    Here's the original without post: 

     

    And here's the one with LUT preview applied online for free:

     

    BSGTribute.jpg
    3204 x 1980 - 2M
    BSGTribute-C_9170_STD-100.jpg
    960 x 540 - 868K
    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957

    Just so I can find it whenever I want it--@sura_tc made a really wonderful tutorial thread on making spaceships from a cube, and doing materials/circular designs for space stations, just to help me see it. I'm really thankful for that so I'm featuring a link here to them.

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191
    Wanderer said:

    General question to whomever might answer--and I'll put another feeler or two out there to see if I can get a fix on this. Sometimes when I'm rendering, if the light glances across the skull of a figure just right, I can clearly see the ridges of the mesh. I've search and search on Google. Answers generally weren't that helpful. So, how does one fix this while keeping the lighting just where one wants it? In other words, what fix is there for this besides moving or changing the lighting? I don't have a very good example picture I want to share right now, but can anyone give me an idea on fixing this? Do I need to increase the mesh resolution or something?

    I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to this. I always move the lights! :)

    Love your dragon. That's a great concept. 

     

    Wanderer said:

    @Mollytabby mentioned that the freebie challenge is really hard, and it is. It is far harder than anything I've attempted so far because you are restricted to 5 paid items and must use at least 5 freebies. Usually incorporating freebies isn't that difficult unless you are going for a specific vision that may not match up with what's out there. The really hard part, as I believe she was implying, is doing without all the little things you get used to just using. I caught myself a couple of times, thankfully, but I managed to make an entry for this month that I'm actually happy with (well, mostly). If you haven't checked out the Freebie challenge already, you really should. This month's topic/theme is dragons--of which there are precisely two in my image. I call it

    The Referee's Error

    "Well, what do you know, Grymfurax, Slayer of Worlds--You did get a natural 20 on that roll. Silly me. It was good of you to ur... er... nudge me to take a second look. So, now that you have surprised the entire band of intrepid adv-insolent intruders, what are you going to do next?"

    The humor of this piece relies on some tropes familiar to players of RPG's: the natural 20, perhaps best explained here, the phrase "intrepid band of adventurers," first use of which--so far as I know, appears here in 1889 (often, but not always prefaced with "When last we left our... "), and the type of player who always has to be right, even when the die roll says otherwise. To all of you, I dedicate this work. Please note: In case it isn't obvious, the die roll in the image cannot possibly be a natural 20.

    OMG! I really love this one. Fantastic job. :)

    The church renders were interesting. I'm going to have to back through when I have more time to read through all of that. Lighting is still something I struggle with at times. I love the lighting you managed to do there.

  • Luftsturmregiment40Luftsturmregiment40 Posts: 328
    Wanderer said:

    Here's one I did as tribute to my favorite TV show in the 70's. I know the models aren't quite right, but you work with what you have available to you. Viper fighter free from Turbosquid. I made the planet myself. The background is a NASA photo from the Hubble--zoom shot of Andromeda galaxy in high resolution.

    Here's the original without post: 

     

    And here's the one with LUT preview applied online for free:

     

    OMG

    Battlestar Galactica

    awesome

    I PM you later today

     

  • themidgetthemidget Posts: 287

    Wow, nice renders with that tool!

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Great space render!  Isn't it crazy what just a slight adjustment will do?

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,163

    The LUT version of your space image is stunning @Wanderer! I love the subtle colour changes smiley

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018
    Knittingmommy said:
    Wanderer said:

    General question to whomever might answer--and I'll put another feeler or two out there to see if I can get a fix on this. Sometimes when I'm rendering, if the light glances across the skull of a figure just right, I can clearly see the ridges of the mesh. I've search and search on Google. Answers generally weren't that helpful. So, how does one fix this while keeping the lighting just where one wants it? In other words, what fix is there for this besides moving or changing the lighting? I don't have a very good example picture I want to share right now, but can anyone give me an idea on fixing this? Do I need to increase the mesh resolution or something?

    I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to this. I always move the lights! :)

    Love your dragon. That's a great concept. 

     

    Wanderer said:

    @Mollytabby mentioned that the freebie challenge is really hard, and it is. It is far harder than anything I've attempted so far because you are restricted to 5 paid items and must use at least 5 freebies. Usually incorporating freebies isn't that difficult unless you are going for a specific vision that may not match up with what's out there. The really hard part, as I believe she was implying, is doing without all the little things you get used to just using. I caught myself a couple of times, thankfully, but I managed to make an entry for this month that I'm actually happy with (well, mostly). If you haven't checked out the Freebie challenge already, you really should. This month's topic/theme is dragons--of which there are precisely two in my image. I call it

    The Referee's Error

    "Well, what do you know, Grymfurax, Slayer of Worlds--You did get a natural 20 on that roll. Silly me. It was good of you to ur... er... nudge me to take a second look. So, now that you have surprised the entire band of intrepid adv-insolent intruders, what are you going to do next?"

    The humor of this piece relies on some tropes familiar to players of RPG's: the natural 20, perhaps best explained here, the phrase "intrepid band of adventurers," first use of which--so far as I know, appears here in 1889 (often, but not always prefaced with "When last we left our... "), and the type of player who always has to be right, even when the die roll says otherwise. To all of you, I dedicate this work. Please note: In case it isn't obvious, the die roll in the image cannot possibly be a natural 20.

    OMG! I really love this one. Fantastic job. :)

    The church renders were interesting. I'm going to have to back through when I have more time to read through all of that. Lighting is still something I struggle with at times. I love the lighting you managed to do there.

    Thank you so much for the kind words @Knittingmommy. I haven't had a chance to really get on the fix for the problem with the curve of the skull in certain lighting. I've got a couple of experienced people giving me suggestions--one of which is to reinstall the figure. The other is to open a support ticket. I haven't had the time to do either, but when I find out, I'll post back with results.

    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018
    seegsons said:
    Wanderer said:

    Here's one I did as tribute to my favorite TV show in the 70's. I know the models aren't quite right, but you work with what you have available to you. Viper fighter free from Turbosquid. I made the planet myself. The background is a NASA photo from the Hubble--zoom shot of Andromeda galaxy in high resolution.

    Here's the original without post: 

     

    And here's the one with LUT preview applied online for free:

     

    OMG

    Battlestar Galactica

    awesome

    I PM you later today

     

    Thank you for the suggestions @seegsons. I didn't spend as much time on that as I should've, but I chose that particular LUT to help compensate for the lighting errors I made in composition. You've made a believer out of me. I'll probably be purchasing that pack of LUT's as soon as I can fit them into the budget. There are many options, and some work better for this or that image. I'll revisit this image later on and try to do it better.

    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018
    themidget said:

    Wow, nice renders with that tool!

    I know, right? I'm convinced. I'll be buying that pack of LUT's. Price is reasonable and the results are obvious. And thank you @themidget.

    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018
    IceDragonArt said:

    Great space render!  Isn't it crazy what just a slight adjustment will do?

    @IceDragonArt - It's crazy what those LUT's can do. I'm convinced. I goofed around and didn't spend enough time and effort on the original, but I wanted to see how much I could improve it just by tossing a LUT at it. The results are amazing. If you're pressed for time on some project, I can imagine it could be a real lifesaver. I wouldn't goof around like that on a real job or anything, but just as a test run it's impressive. Thank you for the kind words.

    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    Mollytabby said:

    The LUT version of your space image is stunning @Wanderer! I love the subtle colour changes smiley

    @Mollytabby - Thank you! My answer to @IceDragonArt kind of explains what I was up to with this. I didn't put the effort into the image like I should've, but I really wanted to see if I could just do a LUT and compensate for my lighting errors. I think the LUT version did alright. The repsonses tell me that it wasn't just that I liked the result, too, which is really nice.

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018

    Okay, back to Ollie 8 - I'm a bit disappointed at the moment because even applying HD morphs didn't fix it. Quality for a new figure like this should be high--maybe it just slipped through in the quality stage, which is understandable. Mistakes happen, as anyone may attest. Still:

    Ollie after 18 minutes render time in my free dragon scene.

    Ollie with HD morphs after 18 minutes render time.

    As you can see, the issue is still present. I'm going to open a support ticket to check and see if they can solve this--I'm interested in transitioning from hobbyist to professional at some point, and this could be an issue down the road. If it seems I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, I disagree politely. The issue is even more obvious in the completed render here:

    StillThere.jpg
    622 x 740 - 265K
    StillThereHD.jpg
    756 x 742 - 303K
    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    Diomede said:

    @Wanderer - Congratulations.  You are doing great work, and I'm glad it is getting recognized.  Well deserved.  Love the character study and the lightig comparisons.  And thanks to @seegsons and others who have been offering such great advice on lighting,etc. 

    I'm circling back to catch up on some threads and see you have a lot of great informaton here.  I haven't had a chance to to look through the new users thread yet, but I'll do that after I get a chance to catch up on a couple more topics.  Hope you keep participating, even if as an NAE.  

    @Diomede - I don't know how I missed your post earlier, but thank you for the kind words. You've been a real help as well. 

  • themidgetthemidget Posts: 287
    Wanderer said:

    I'm interested in transitioning from hobbyist to professional at some point

    Good luck with that.  You do some amazing stuff so I think you'll be successful.

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    themidget said:
    Wanderer said:

    I'm interested in transitioning from hobbyist to professional at some point

    Good luck with that.  You do some amazing stuff so I think you'll be successful.

    Thank you! That's really kind of you to say. I appreciate it. 

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957

    I just want to share the following link real fast. If you use Photoshop and have been paying attention to the LUTs used in some of my image improvements, I found this really, really helpful tutorial that teaches a lot of the basics of color grading in a way that makes sense and is easy to follow. I want this guy to get lots of views because I think what he's doing is really head and shoulders above a sea of mediocre tutorials on this or that single effect. It might seem to delve into things that you don't really want or need here and there, but the end result is, if you're paying attention, you'll be able to create your own LUT files by the end of the video. You may need to go and seriously have a look at what others have done, get deeper into color grading techniques or understanding of color theory in art, but with this one tutorial, you can make a simple LUT and apply these techniques to improving use of color in all of your works. Photoshop Training Channel: Cinematic Color Grading. Check it out. Sure, LUTs are amazing and fast. You know what's even more amazing? Learning how to make your own for free and understanding how they did what they did so that, if you should desire it, you could modify any of the LUTs you install on your system to achieve the look you're after. I will still be using pre-made LUTs, but this video is so helpful, I'm hoping to also make a few of my own.

  • NoswenNoswen Posts: 358

    Been absent for a little, but you're still putting out some great renders yes

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957

    Thanks for the lovely comment, @Noswen! I appreciate it.

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018

    I know this video has been out for a while and posted here and there, but I really want to have it here where I can find it easily, and maybe others will benefit as well if they haven't seen it before. It relates a few nice Photoshop tricks and specifically easy addition of logo to a hero suit. Do a control-click, otherwise it'll take you to Youtube where you might get sucked into the stranger spaces of the web. Happens a lot more than I'd like to admit.

     

    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018

    Playing around with the B-man. Nothing very serious. Just playing around.

     

     

    Oh, and here's the original without any filters or LUTs applied:

    B-man.jpg
    3204 x 1980 - 2M
    B-man2.jpg
    3204 x 1980 - 2M
    OriginalBmanNoFilters.jpg
    3204 x 1980 - 2M
    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • themidgetthemidget Posts: 287

    I like the first one - dark and mysterious.

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957

    Thanks. I was just trying to get a more illustrated look from the filter effects.

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957

    @giselle3000 has created a very useful resource for the dforce clothing presets package in the store. I'm linking it here.

    Has anyone considered doing a similar resource for the hair presets?

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957
    edited May 2018

    I'm posting this here in the hope that someone else has a suggestion about how to deal with the issue along the curve of the skull--aside from changing the lighting. The vision I had for this would look a lot different if I did that, so I'm very much interested in fixing this. I thought it was an issue with Ollie 8 originally, but when I removed his morph and tried another render I got this result:

    Is this just the way things are with Genesis figures, or is there something wrong with either G8M or the skin it uses?

     

    15MinRenderNoOllie.jpg
    724 x 819 - 345K
    Post edited by Wanderer on
  • AJ2112AJ2112 Posts: 1,416

    Hi friend, lot's of wonderful renders, very artistic, I like your concept ideas.  Keep having fun.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Can you circle the part that's causing issues?  I could have sworn that you had a post with it marked.  I don't have Ollie 8 but I can try with a different character to see if it does the same thing?

    And your batman renders are fun, and I appreciate the link to the videos.  Information is power lol.

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