Please review my softlight postwork

Ruris

I'm going through the tutorial found here, https://thinkdrawart.com/how-to-add-glow-to-daz-studio-images-using-photoshop. I would love to hear some comments if the implementation is ok-ish or could use stronger adjustment, or other method to achieve the same effect as well.

 

Thank you very much.

Ruris

Added a larger file for final output.

Hylas

I don't know much about this particular way of doing postwork myself, but the result certainly looks great!

I'd go with warmer light, but that's probably subjective.

Linwelly

I really like the soft light effect you got there, its a nice effect and well done. There is some thing bothering me though. by the factt that the lady is pretty much the only "thing" sharp almot gives it the feeling that she's been added in postwork, so what could hale you there are some other items around her that are inside the shapr area and the best was is to have soethign that is there several times some inside the sharp some fading into the blurry part. I like to call those items DOF stabilizers as they help the brain to make a relation to where the focus is

Ruris

Hi linwelly,

Great observation. Yes, due to me being impatient, I did a very quick render and threw the 'base render' through a denoiser, which also happens to smoothen things up a bit including the bar top. I did this in order to perform the tutorial as quickly as possible.

Your tips are good though, there should be more object that is in focus even if I used a very thin DOF plane. I'm trying the soft glow method with other more difficult situation to see if it works, will share the result.

Ruris

Hi,

Created a second piece, this time the objective is to simulate the glow on a character. It's still difficult to create a strong, but not overly hazy look. Perhaps that will require going indepth and painting the layer mask.

Improvement for future piece, the DOF should at least cover until the concrete barrier instead of just focusing on the character. 

Appreciate your review and ideas.

Hylas

This one I find confusing. If the blue light is coming from behind her, then I don't understand why her butt and right leg are glowing like that, they are both facing away from the source. Of course there could be more light sources off panel, but my brain doesn't read it that way.

Here's a reference, see how only the parts facing the source give off a glow.

I'm also not clear on whether the small blue elements on her costume are supposed to give off a hazy glow by themselves. Her right knuckles seem to be giving off a glow but not her left knuckles.

Her hair looks great, but it looks like she dyed it partly purple.