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After participating in the New User Contests for 2 years I decided I was no longer a New User. I had never placed 1st in any of the contests. I came in 2nd once and 3rd twice if I remember correctly. I just felt after 2 years it was time. I learned a great deal by participating and am learning even more as a CV trying to help others with their images. Lighting is the bane of my existence and I think it always will be.
One of the things I really love about these contests is the different perspectives on an image. Barbult (as an example) sees different things than I do in the same image. I learn as much from other's critiques of someone else's image as I would if someone critiqued an image of mine.
Huge improvement with the pose. Are you using Iray? Is this the Luca Cafe set? If it is I believe it has pot lights in the ceiling. Is one close enough to cast some light on your character?
Even if it isn't the wonderful thing about 3D worlds is you can place a pot light close enough to provide some illumination since the current camera angle does not show the ceiling. If this is Iray you could use either a primitive turned into an emmissive light or a spotlight shining downward. Whichever gives you the best results.
You have some interesting shadows on his face. If am finding the background just a little too bright and a bit of a distraction. I like the colour as a compliment to his outfit but perhaps a slightly darker colour or the application of DOF to tone it down a bit?
A soft fill light from the front might help to soften the shadows on his face and bring out some of the details on his uniform.
He has a great expression.
In your 2nd version I like that the change you made brings the focus to the eye that is visible. In the first version the blond hair being so bright did draw the eye away from her face.
I like her expression. She has that sassy, playing to the camera look.
Lighting is not my strong suit to please do not take this suggestion as a must do but perhaps a very soft, barely there fill light coming up from below on the right side of the image would help to soften very slightly those shadows and make that eye really pop.
I feel like I led you astray Barbult. I much prefer her eyebrows in your first image. She looks more angry in this version rather than a little ticked/questioning.
The change in background made a huge difference. My eyes are going straight to her face now. If may have been that slightly brighter, plain background in the first image that was the real problem.
When I struggle with an image I find that walking away and/or working on something else for a few days can help. One of the things I always liked about the New User contest was the fact that participants are allowed 2 images. I could take a break from 1 and work on another. Of course, you can post as many different images as you like in the WIP thread.
Maybe it is your current lighting but something feels off about this image and I cannot quite figure out exactly what it is. Or it could be all the things you have already mentioned.
Yes that's her left arm. Not sure what it will do the pose if I move it but I will play a bit and see what happens.
If nothing else, this is one of the main reasons I participate. Although I don't think I've even come close to winning anything yet lol. I participate to learn, winning would just be a bonus. and I don't always have time every month to participate but even if I don't participate or comment I try and read through because the information is invaluable.
Ice Dragon... do you know how to pin parts of the figure, so you can manipulate limbs, etc without moving the whole figure or affecting the rest of the pose?
I think I have a video saved that involves that process but haven't had a chance to watch it. I know it can be done but I'm not sure where to go to start.
Think I might have my pose and lighting down. Just need to figure out a good scene to place her in... Any thoughts? Any feedback on how you'd make her better?
Thanks evilded, I used only one spot litght for this render, I'm thinking to add emmessive light to it.
Ice Dragon, if you select a core body part like Chest, using the Universal Tool, you will see a little Thumb Tack icon on the Universal Tool. Click the Tumb Tack, you will have options for Pin Translation and Pin Rotation. These will freeze the body part in space and you can maniulate the other body parts directly without that part moving (mostly).
Here's the chest with the Universal Tool you can see the tack.
Why? I only ask because they are all the rage... but underperform, in my opinion, in most cases.
Spotlights are faster and when used properly can provide the same sort of light.
Unless you have one of the specially shaped sets like the box lights or Render Studio.
Version e up.
Added anouther flame prop to cast some light on his hands, as well as shifting the camera around him to get rid of the spotlight right above. Afterwords I rotated him to be facing the new camera position, and adjusted his head and neck so he was looking more at the camera.
Thank you! I will give that a try when I get home and have a chance to settle after work today.
Ok, I think I have it where I like it now. Brightened up the eye and did a lot of postwork on the hair. Forgot which hair I used, but it looks terrible in close-ups... Now to think of a title...
I am still rendering my W.I.P I am doing it in IRay for the very first time for human portrait!!! Will be posting it as soon as it gets done.
So here is the first draft it is only 37% IRay smh in Daz Studio 4.9 tryed to fix it in PSP9 but did not help!!!! Any and all comments welcomed for this!!!
Titled : Oh Canada!!
Thank you for your feedback, @Kismet2012! I adjusted the 3 spotlights I had set up, and added a different backdrop. I now have DOF on and have fiddled with it for quite a while, but I am unable to make the backdrop render out of focus. It appears that the backdrop surrounds the main figure, even as the ground. I googled it but haven't found how to use DOF to make the backdrop out of focus. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but haven't found what exactly that is.
I tried just adding a plane and using the background as the diffuse color image, but then the reddish shapes in the background scaled up considerably, so I switched back to the backdrop.
I managed to work on the poses for my 'Best Friends'. Posing these two was not easy as their heads kept getting in the way. I can't figure out any way to morph them either, because somehow d-formers just don't work on these 3D Universe figures or hairs. I don't how they managed to turn off the ability to apply d-formers, but if anyone knows how I can undo that, I'd appreciate the advice as I think could get their head closer together if I could move Toby's hair. However, there are no morphs of any kind with the hair and trying to create a d-former doesn't even get me the grid and the d-former itself can be moved all over the place, but does absolutely nothing! I've seen a few items like this and I can't say I like the trend of hiding the ability to make modifications to a prop or figure or hair. I tried taking the figures into Hexagon via the bridge and adjusted stuff, but when I brought it back in to DS, the morphs did unusual things and not in a good way.
Tell me what you think. The only things changed were the poses and a slight adjustment to the camera angle because of the pose changes. Everything else is the same for now.
In my poinion I think they look great the way they are, but that is only my opinion!!!
Just a little note:
I just realized there was a small boo boo in the Contest Rules which I've now fixed. The rule had said you got graduated to a Mentor after winning 1st Place Twice which was mis-explained (by me). It should say 1st Place win and a win in any other place (1st, 2nd, or 3rd). I've updated the Contest Rules to be more clear on what I meant, sorry for any confusion.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via PM to discuss anything you would like more information on.
Km they look much more relaxed and natural in this pose. I don't know enough about d formers to even venture a comment so I will defer to wise heads than mine on that point.
If you added the image as a background in the environment tab the DOF will not apply. A plane should work but you may need to play with size and scale to get the image to look the way you want. Another alternative would be to either take the image into a 2D program like GIMP or Photoshop and blur it there or choose a background image that already has a blurred effect.
Picking the right background image can require a lot of trial and error. Sometimes you get lucky and find one easily and sometimes you end up going through quite a few before finding one that works.
The first background was a little too bright but the one you are currently using has a lot of texture and interest but does not take away from your figure. It is actually helping me focus on him. The background is no longer distracting to me.
He definitely looks like he is menacing the camera now.
She certainly has a sassy attitude.
I can see a shadow on the flag/wall but the shadows on the floor are hard to make out...that may be because it didn't finish rendering. This is giving the impression that she is floating and not completely anchored to the floor.
Hello Kismet,
You are right about the eyes. They are just a little off. My original intent was to have her looking at you over the rose - enjoying the smell and keeping an eye on you, the viewer. They are just a bit off. I'm going to have to experiment a bit because this might be a little too "come hither" for a soldier in the middle of the battle.
I'm definitely going to try your suggestion of having her look over the rose - likely the best solution. It's amazing how the slightest adjustment of the eyes can make an image toggle between attractive and horror-movie creepy....
As to her skin, I'm using the new MRL Eden character. (I really liked her eyes - seems to be a theme here...) She comes with the dirt/oil material which I thought would work as a good dirt/sweat look you might experience in that situation. Perhaps I can knock down the sheen a bit.
Thank you for your help. I'll post back when I get a decent render after the adjustments.
You're welcome! Link is in my signature to the Art Studio thread with the backgrounds. Enjoy!
Hello Barbult,
Thank you!
The eyes have it! :) It does seem like the eyes just aren't working. I was trying to have her look at the viewer, but a little off and it really is off-putting. I'll need to check to see if I've got them crossed a bit. The more I look at it now, after you and Kismet have commented, the eyes really are bugging me. I'll have to get a render going before I go to bed so I don't have nightmares... :)
Thank you. I appreciate all the advice on this forum.