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Post Work: Where do I start?

LosingSignalLosingSignal Posts: 409
in New Users

So, I'm feeling like trying to graduate from just rendering to doing post work after the fact.  Trouble is, I have no idea where to start.  I can search for tutorials in Google and Youtube no problem, but I'm wondering what sort of effect I should start with.  Displacement maps?  Gradients?  Blur effects?  I'm using gimp for photo manipulation and I guess I'm mostly looking to up the photo-realism of the images, or add in effects that I don't have models for, ala Ron's various brushes.  It's a daunting field, and I'm wondering where I should start, and/or where others started.

Comments

  • prixatprixat Posts: 1,590

    It's really on an image by image basis.

    Post a sample image and you'll get some opinions on what it needs.

    Start with the basics: colour correction, levels adjustment and cropping.

  • Cris PalominoCris Palomino Posts: 11,694

    Also, unless you're planning to just paint over as opposed to postwork, learn how to make the best renders possible. The WP Guru has some good ones.

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMhv8E4GMw6erC-9iiYtNFg

     

  • The Blurst of TimesThe Blurst of Times Posts: 2,410
    edited July 2018

    If you don't have PhotoShop, download something like GIMP or Krita (as a general statement, for everyone who doesn't use PS/GIMP/etc). You can do it in MS Paint (Paint3D is even better), but GIMP can do so much more.

    Doing something like color correction or fixing the light levels is much faster as post work rather than trying to nail down the 100% perfect render.

    If you want to do things like Soft Focus or Fake Raindrops or Watercolor effects, then start looking for tutorials online.

    Post-Work isn't any one thing. Look at other digital images, figure out what you like, and learn how to do those things.

    Post edited by The Blurst of Times on
  • IllidanstormIllidanstorm Posts: 655
    Shibashake has some on his blog https://thinkdrawart.com/think-draw-art-blog Other than that I haven't really found any good tutorials either and have requested that a while ago. Another thing that can might help are photoshop tutorials on lynda.com. There are also the nik collections which are quite helpful. The current version of it costs money, but there is an older version for free.
  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 18,320
    edited July 2018

    Yes, Shiba Shake does very typical postwork on renders that is very good, but I agree with Chris Palomino, I'd spend the time trying to do everything as close as you can to what you want in the final image in DAZ Studio.

    I would buy the Altern8 product, Painter's Lights, and BOSS Professional Studio Light products when they go on sale although you might light to learn how to do the lighting yourself. The Altern8 product you can avoid buying via the ShibaShake tutorials and learning about tone mapping as any beginning photography & photoshop tutorial should teach those technicals which basically is using color tones to add color tones to hide flaws or to subtract color tones to expose obscurred details.

    Post edited by nonesuch00 on
  • LosingSignalLosingSignal Posts: 409
    Thanks everyone! I prefer the idea of getting everything as close as possible in the render itself, rather than have to tweak things in GIMP after the fact.

    @nonesuch00 Funny, I had just picked up BOSS Lights with the Build your own Flash Sale. Lucky me, I still have another use of it to pick up Painters Lights.

    I took a look at shibashake and the tutorials on iray skin settings are really helping bring out the detail I was looking for. There are some other things I was looking to do, like ripple effects in water, that I'm going to have to keep looking for tutorials for.

    Once again, thanks everyone!

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