July 2015 New User Contest - Portrait Rendering [WIP Thread]

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  • LyamLyam Posts: 137

    Did this with my friend.  She has cooler stuff than I do.  What do you think?

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  • Shinji Ikari 9thShinji Ikari 9th Posts: 1,180
    edited July 2015

     

    Lyam said:

    Did this with my friend.  She has cooler stuff than I do.  What do you think?

    Very pretty.  Looks like you're off to a good start.

    Post edited by Shinji Ikari 9th on
  • cherpenbeckcherpenbeck Posts: 1,411

    I decided to try what I miss in DAZ: real people. Wich means, women who don't look like supermodels. This is my first  "real" person, still no more than a fast small render.

    Actually it's Victoria6.

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  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    edited July 2015

    "Strike a pose; there's nothing to it..."

    Victoria thought a night shoot sounded like a good idea...what could go wrong?

     

    Hi all!  I've been around a while, but very inactive.  I've had some time this summer to stick with projects and work through problems, when I would normally give up in frustration.  I think entering contests is a great way for me to keep motivated.  I submitted one on another forum; this is my 2nd attempt ever.

    Suggestions for improvements welcome.

    Thanks!

    "D"

    EDIT to add details: This is an Iray render.  The concept was to have the girl lit properly by 3 point lighting, with the "visitors" just outside the target spot, and not so perfectly lit.  So, there are 3 lights in the scene. 

    I don't think I balanced the key light and the fill light very well.  I also don't like the effects of the back light.  It's more on the visitors than on Victoria's hair, like it should be.  Maybe I need an additional light for the hair?  I was trying to be economical, and have the back light work as a hair light.

    I used a 5x5 plane mesh for the hair light and 1 m radius mesh spheres for the other 2 lights.  Probably should have stuck with a sphere for the hair light.  It would have properly lit up Victoria's hair, and the visitors would have been just outside of it, and in shadows.

    Composition-wise, perhaps the visitors should be further back in the shadows, and obscured more.  That might make for more interesting lighting effects.

    I had to do a fair bit of postwork on the girl in PS, because I don't have a handle on Iray skin yet.  There was a lot of gloss, and way too many hot spots that I had to take out and blend in.  I would rather get it correct straight out of the render.  Suggestions?

    The theme of the contest is "Portraits: Expressions and Lighting".  I worked on Victoria's expression, and that was a first.  I have rarely done more than use whatever expression comes with the pose I use.  I also worked on facial expressions for the fiend and troll.  The alien got what came with the pose.

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    Post edited by dHandle on
  • BelaalBelaal Posts: 18
    edited July 2015

    Decided to try one of these now that I feel like I been able to grasp some basic concepts.

    This is a model I have been practicing a lot of morphing with and, as luck would have it, I have finally moved up to her face. Perfect time to get some practice in, and some feedback on the shaping of her face.

    Below are the Before/After Postwork.

    The shaping and morphing are nowhere near complete. However, I would love some feedback on certain aspects of the face which I should probably focus on.

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    maria face 1.jpg
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    Post edited by Belaal on
  • LyamLyam Posts: 137

    Cherpenbeck

    I really like your idea of using "real" people-like models.  I think the trick would be making the faces  and body still interesting without it being overtly glamourous.  That would be hard to do.   So the only thing I could suggest for your pic, is for a more natural pose and less a pose for the camera, moving it more to real life. 

     

    decided to try what I miss in DAZ: real people. Wich means, women who don't look like supermodels. This is my first  "real" person, still no more than a fast small render.

    Actually it's Victoria6.

  • LyamLyam Posts: 137
    dHandle said:

    Dhandle

    Great blend of the comical and the macabre.  From my amateur viewpoint, I would suggest a little color in your lights.  Right now there is a lot of white in your foreground and a lot of shadow in the background.  Blending some color in like a bit of crisp blue could add to the atmosphere. 

    dHandle said:

    "Strike a pose; there's nothing to it..."

    Victoria thought a night shoot sounded like a good idea...what could go wrong?

     

    Hi all!  I've been around a while, but very inactive.  I've had some time this summer to stick with projects and work through problems, when I would normally give up in frustration.  I think entering contests is a great way for me to keep motivated.  I submitted one on another forum; this is my 2nd attempt ever.

    Suggestions for improvements welcome.

    Thanks!

    "D"

    EDIT to add details: This is an Iray render.  The concept was to have the girl lit properly by 3 point lighting, with the "visitors" just outside the target spot, and not so perfectly lit.  So, there are 3 lights in the scene. 

    I don't think I balanced the key light and the fill light very well.  I also don't like the effects of the back light.  It's more on the visitors than on Victoria's hair, like it should be.  Maybe I need an additional light for the hair?  I was trying to be economical, and have the back light work as a hair light.

    I used a 5x5 plane mesh for the hair light and 1 m radius mesh spheres for the other 2 lights.  Probably should have stuck with a sphere for the hair light.  It would have properly lit up Victoria's hair, and the visitors would have been just outside of it, and in shadows.

    Composition-wise, perhaps the visitors should be further back in the shadows, and obscured more.  That might make for more interesting lighting effects.

    I had to do a fair bit of postwork on the girl in PS, because I don't have a handle on Iray skin yet.  There was a lot of gloss, and way too many hot spots that I had to take out and blend in.  I would rather get it correct straight out of the render.  Suggestions?

    The theme of the contest is "Portraits: Expressions and Lighting".  I worked on Victoria's expression, and that was a first.  I have rarely done more than use whatever expression comes with the pose I use.  I also worked on facial expressions for the fiend and troll.  The alien got what came with the pose.

  • LyamLyam Posts: 137
    edited July 2015
    Belaal said:
    Double post.  Sorry, This forum quote setup is wierd. 
    Post edited by Lyam on
  • ToyenToyen Posts: 1,878

    Belaal, love the dramatic lighting! But check your skin materials. Theres something strange going on with the face material. I can clearly see the seams and they should not be visible like that.

  • BelaalBelaal Posts: 18
    Toyen said:

    Belaal, love the dramatic lighting! But check your skin materials. Theres something strange going on with the face material. I can clearly see the seams and they should not be visible like that.

    Thanks for pointing it out. I completely forgot to fix that in PS. I am using two different textures for the body and the face. Although, I might end up completely going with a different face texture altogether. still trying to figure out if I like the shape of the face first. 

  • ToyenToyen Posts: 1,878

    I´d stick to one skin texture, probably the one on the face to use for the entire body.

    Its a portrait and the rest of the body is not very visible anyway : )

  • IceCrMnIceCrMn Posts: 2,126

    I've been working on my elf some more :) , this will be my WIP and eventually my second entry.

    I kept the elf, and changed the HDRI and background.

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  • cherpenbeckcherpenbeck Posts: 1,411
    Thanks, Lyam. I tried to give her a more natural pose, as well as something a teenager like her would probabely do during her holidays. Still not looking good, as far as the lighting goes, and I think, her face needs to show some emotion.
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  • cherpenbeckcherpenbeck Posts: 1,411

    Okay, now she's showing she has some fun. Next will be a better sky and some experiments with the lighting.

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  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    edited July 2015
    Lyam said:
    dHandle said:

    Dhandle

    Great blend of the comical and the macabre.  From my amateur viewpoint, I would suggest a little color in your lights.  Right now there is a lot of white in your foreground and a lot of shadow in the background.  Blending some color in like a bit of crisp blue could add to the atmosphere. 

    Thanks Lyam!  I've been working on changes and re-rendering.  I hadn't thought about changing the color of the lights.  I will think about that and maybe give it a try when I get some of these other issues resolved.

    I adjusted the position of the lights, moved the creatures back a bit, and blurred them out.  I also adjusted camera settings.   What do you think?  Better like this, or the way it was originally?

    I still need some advice on how to get those hot spots out of the skin.  I lowered the glossiness and specularity of the face.  That helped some, but not enough.  I thought I lowered it on the torso as well, but it doesn't look any different.

    No post work this time...

     

     

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    Post edited by dHandle on
  • Daz Studio and PS

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  • Daz Studio and PS IRAY Render

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  • LyamLyam Posts: 137

    Okay, now she's showing she has some fun. Next will be a better sky and some experiments with the lighting.

     

    Nice Cherpenbeck.  I like the highlights and shadows in your lighting too. 

  • LyamLyam Posts: 137
    dHandle said:
    Lyam said:
    dHandle said:

    Dhandle

    Great blend of the comical and the macabre.  From my amateur viewpoint, I would suggest a little color in your lights.  Right now there is a lot of white in your foreground and a lot of shadow in the background.  Blending some color in like a bit of crisp blue could add to the atmosphere. 

    Thanks Lyam!  I've been working on changes and re-rendering.  I hadn't thought about changing the color of the lights.  I will think about that and maybe give it a try when I get some of these other issues resolved.

    I adjusted the position of the lights, moved the creatures back a bit, and blurred them out.  I also adjusted camera settings.   What do you think?  Better like this, or the way it was originally?

    I still need some advice on how to get those hot spots out of the skin.  I lowered the glossiness and specularity of the face.  That helped some, but not enough.  I thought I lowered it on the torso as well, but it doesn't look any different.

    No post work this time...

     

     

    Dhandle. 

    The blur and distance of the monsters do bring the focus to your subject more and for a portrait contest, you're correct.   Yet I do prefer the more close up version cause it's just more comical.  And her expression is great.  I wish I could help you with the skin glossiness, but I don't know enough about daz.  Hopefully someone else can point you to the solution. 

  • IceCrMnIceCrMn Posts: 2,126
    edited July 2015
    dHandle said:
    Lyam said:
    dHandle said:

    Dhandle

    Great blend of the comical and the macabre.  From my amateur viewpoint, I would suggest a little color in your lights.  Right now there is a lot of white in your foreground and a lot of shadow in the background.  Blending some color in like a bit of crisp blue could add to the atmosphere. 

    Thanks Lyam!  I've been working on changes and re-rendering.  I hadn't thought about changing the color of the lights.  I will think about that and maybe give it a try when I get some of these other issues resolved.

    I adjusted the position of the lights, moved the creatures back a bit, and blurred them out.  I also adjusted camera settings.   What do you think?  Better like this, or the way it was originally?

    I still need some advice on how to get those hot spots out of the skin.  I lowered the glossiness and specularity of the face.  That helped some, but not enough.  I thought I lowered it on the torso as well, but it doesn't look any different.

    No post work this time...

     

     

    if you are using the "PBR Specular/Glossiness" base mixer,,,try setting the "Top Coat Glossiness" to 0.00 and adjust up from there to get your desired amount of "wet" to the skin

    if you are using the "PBR Metalicity/Roughness" base mixer...try setting your Top Coat Roughness to a value higher than 0.50,if you don't have a Top Coat roughness you can have a look at page 7 of this thread to see some screen shots I posted about it ( found here http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/58589/july-2015-new-user-contest-portrait-rendering-wip-thread/p7 )

    hope this helps :)

     

    EDIT:edit to clarify setting names

    Post edited by IceCrMn on
  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001

    A couple of things about eyes, cameras and point at objects.

    1.  For eyes to truly look 'right' you need to use a cornea bulge morph.  Especially with Iray.  A complex curve will 'look' different with the same refraction value than simple curve...and a cornea is not quite a 'simple' curve following the curve of the eyeball (the default).  So you need to 'bulge' it out.  Depending on the figure used/morph packs you have, there may or may not be one included.  Also the ring may be the Iris or it could be the pupil poking through...again, depending on the figure/morph packs there may be correction morphs for that.

    2.  Another simple way to do a 'point at object'...use a null.  Create > New Null.  That way you don't need to worry about it ever showing up in your shot.

  • cherpenbeckcherpenbeck Posts: 1,411
    edited July 2015

    Work in progress ...

    This background fits the lighting much better. As the cattails and the dragonfly indicate that she's standing near a water surface, which reflects light, I put a light emitting plane underneath, so the shadows are softer, more broken.

    Somehow I can't get the picture to show up big ...

    Edit: Attached another file, as I said, I'm experimenting with lighting. But the close-up has the wrong light color and blown highlights.

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    dragonfly-encounter4.jpg
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    Post edited by cherpenbeck on
  • BelaalBelaal Posts: 18
    edited July 2015

    New remake of my protrait. Still want to play with the hair a bit and possibly the expression on the face. It does not really seem to match with what I am trying to do. If anyone can pinpoint a problem area that would be great. Also, any tips on hair would be greatly appreciated. I always shy away from hair in my renders but I can't really get away with that this time.

    *Also uploaded the raw render. Just in case you need to see it without PW*

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    maria face 5a raw.jpg
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    Post edited by Belaal on
  • Cris PalominoCris Palomino Posts: 11,219
    Belaal said:

    New remake of my protrait. Still want to play with the hair a bit and possibly the expression on the face. It does not really seem to match with what I am trying to do. If anyone can pinpoint a problem area that would be great. Also, any tips on hair would be greatly appreciated. I always shy away from hair in my renders but I can't really get away with that this time.

    *Also uploaded the raw render. Just in case you need to see it without PW*

    Be careful when giving something strong directional light that it follows through on all things.  Your tears are being lit from more than one direction.  However, are they tears or blood?  It looks like you may be going for mascara in the tears.  Remember that the mascara is pigment and it will kinda float in the tears and leave residue on the skin.  In general, it will be shiny in the droplet parts, thin and less shiny on the skin.  And don't forget your light direction.

  • BelaalBelaal Posts: 18

    Definately have a lot of things I need to re-work again. Thanks for the tips and points to focus on. I am letting the scene render some more, hopefully I will be able to get to 2k samples and use some better techniques.

  • XangthXangth Posts: 127

    Hello all. Here is the second wip I am playing with. Comment and suggestions are always welcome.

    Bryce render

    Title: Coloinal Peasant 

     

     

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  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604

    Well my first comment is going to be  "Nice to see someone trying a portrait render in Bryce" 

  • IceCrMnIceCrMn Posts: 2,126

    I think I've finally got my second entry ready.I was going for and old oil painting type feel with this one.This is my portrait of what an elven private school mistress would look like.The render came out a bit dark, so I opened it in GIMP and used something called "EZ Fixer" on it.That seems to have done a good job of making it a little brighter.I included both renders to show the difference.

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    Elf Portrit WIP torso and head.jpg
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  • SamutSamut Posts: 50
    edited July 2015

    Here's my WIP, made with DAZ 4.8 & Reality 4.

    Off hand the problems I see are:

    • The eyes have no reflection: I had tried changing the material to glass as I had read somewhere but the color always became brown (i.e. the glass was opaque).
    • The skin is very bumpy.
    • There's an odd discoloration/lighting discrepancy in her lips.

    The model is G2F, dialed to more realistic proportions (bigger head, shorter legs etc).

    Any comments/suggestions welcome. Thank you.

    2015-07DAZ Contest_2 .gif
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    Post edited by Samut on
  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    Samut said:

    Here's my WIP, made with DAZ 4.8 & Reality 4.

    Off hand the problems I see are:

    • The eyes have no reflection: I had tried changing the material to glass as I had read somewhere but the color always became brown (i.e. the glass was opaque).
    • The skin is very bumpy.
    • There's an odd discoloration/lighting discrepancy in her lips.

    The model is G2F, dialed to more realistic proportions (bigger head, shorter legs etc).

    Any comments/suggestions welcome. Thank you.

    Well...it hasn't 'cooked' long enough.

    The 'bumpiness' of the skin is either the bump/displacement offsets did not get translated correctly or a lighting issue.   I can't really tell, with 'unfinished' state of the render.

    The eye reflections, if the material is any glossy Luxrender material, should appear on their own.  Not being there is either because of not enough time to resolve  or the lighting issue.  Same with the lips.

    The lighting issue seems to be a very strong/harsh light coming right at the model...almost as if the camera headlamp is on...what is the light setup for this render? 

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