My Hallowed Valentine (Freebie Challenge February 2025)

KindredArts · February 1

Freebie Challenge February 2025 - My Hallowed Valentine

Denizens, it is me, your court-appointed temporary competition master. My cohort of glamorous co-hosts have fled the competition space and left me in temporary charge to keep this monthly tradition alive. As I return to host once more, you can expect lax rules, poor leadership, lacklustre prizes, poor response times and the grim stench of penny-pinching bureaucracy.

Now that your expectations have been suitably lowered, Here's the competition for this month...

My Hallowed Valentine

In a bleak twist to this month of romance and whimsy, I would like to add a dash of October gloom. Your task this month will be to cover two themes, Love and horror. I want dark, gothic romances. Scenes of love and despair on the haunted moors. Ghostly apparitions of buxom maidens. Images that would Tim Burton would be happy to keep in his sock draw.

Love and Horror. Put those two ingredients into daz, and show me your findings. Work your fingers to the bone denizens, there is $30 at stake here.

Rules:

I only have one rule denizens.... Be honest with yourself.

...Actually there's more rules. Here:

You have to use a minimum of 3 freebies.
The render must be made in the daz ecosystem (including bryce, carrara etc).
Standard Daz TOS rules apply on submissions, nothing heinous.
Post images in the entries thread (I will almost certainly link it somewhere, probably).
AI – It's ok to use AI in your materials, or as bits of filler, but this is a render competition so don't be lazy. If 90% of your submission is AI, i will be both shocked and appalled.
Maximum of 4 entries on the official entries thread. You can post non-official renders on the main thread all you like though.

Prizes!

The prizes are, as they have always been, poor and not inflation-adjusted:

First Place: $15 store credit from KindredArts
Second Place: $10 store credit from KindredArts
Third Place: $5 store credit from KindredArts

This Freebie Challenge will end December February 28th, 2025 @ 23:59 Daz time.

ENTRIES THREAD

Leana · February 1

I think you meant February 28th, not December

Richard Haseltine · February 1

Leana said:

I think you meant February 28th, not December

Just living in-the-vertical-direction-of expectation, I guess "As I return as host once more, you can expect lax rules, poor leadership"

Faeryl Womyn · February 1

Love the introduction of expectations lol

KindredArts · February 1

Leana said:

I think you meant February 28th, not December

If you guys are accusing me of copy and pasting things from my last competition, i'm very insulted.

mding · February 2

Anybody who wants to support this contest with a banner please insert in Signature Settings (Source button activated):

<p><a href="https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/719306/my-hallowed-valentine-freebie-challenge-february-2025"><img alt=""; src="https://www.daz3d.com/forums/uploads/FileUpload/fe/a836707068712e9fb30a9cd7b45c82.png"; /></a></p>

Thankyou!

Faeryl Womyn · February 2

I made no such accusation your exulted highness and love the new banner, thank you mding

mding · February 2

Thank you, @Faeryl Womyn!

This month gives us a lot of freedom - obviously we can work with unlimited bought textures, light or pose sets etc., as long as we use at least three freebies! I really hope people don't miss out on this opportunity!

KindredArts · February 2

mding said:

Thank you, @Faeryl Womyn!

This month gives us a lot of freedom - obviously we can work with unlimited bought textures, light or pose sets etc., as long as we use at least three freebies! I really hope people don't miss out on this opportunity!

Now that Saph has handed over the reigns - Welly, Hylas and the rest of the freebie team have been talking about simplifying the rules. I know i have the rep of a lazy substitute teacher that let's you all smoke in class, but the elves behind the curtains are working hard to streamline the comp and make it more flashy and welcoming to suspicious outsiders. I don't want to make my poor co-hosts look like fusty curmudgeons. I'm the only curmudgeon around these parts.

pericolo · February 3

@KindredArts Indeed we need to thank you for the chance to win these prizes every month and to make us laugh also, not everyone can do it! Less rules is a great idea and this contest is the kind I like more, I love gothic stuff!

KindredArts · February 3

Just so everyone knows, it's my birthday this month. So if any of the winners want's to give me back their gift cards so i can trade them for Nvidia stock ... i wouldn't be mad about it.

mding · February 3

the rep of a lazy substitute teacher that let's you all smoke in class

@KindredArts: Could you tell us how you achieved that painterly blurred look in the foreground of the render you just postet: especially the open book on the table and the speaker: Was it with postwork or render settings? It looks truly amazing, especially at the side of the vase with the plants!!

KindredArts · February 3

mding said:

the rep of a lazy substitute teacher that let's you all smoke in class

@KindredArts: Could you tell us how you achieved that painterly blurred look in the foreground of the render you just postet: especially the open book on the table and the speaker: Was it with postwork or render settings? It looks truly amazing, especially at the side of the vase with the plants!!

I think you mean depth of field. It's a settings on the camera. Here's a good video by jay on DOF -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB2DSfbif2A

KindredArts · February 3

mding said:

the rep of a lazy substitute teacher that let's you all smoke in class

@KindredArts: Could you tell us how you achieved that painterly blurred look in the foreground of the render you just postet: especially the open book on the table and the speaker: Was it with postwork or render settings? It looks truly amazing, especially at the side of the vase with the plants!!

Oh i did use some bloom as well. Basically i take the photo into krita (this will work in anything). I copied the layer, set it to "screen", and then used a gaussian blur on that layer. You will get a blown out, dream-like look. Now just pull down the layer opacity a bit, and you have a nice, hazy bloom. I think you can do bloom in daz too, but it's a bit tricky.

mding · February 3

KindredArts said:

mding said:

the rep of a lazy substitute teacher that let's you all smoke in class

@KindredArts: Could you tell us how you achieved that painterly blurred look in the foreground of the render you just postet: especially the open book on the table and the speaker: Was it with postwork or render settings? It looks truly amazing, especially at the side of the vase with the plants!!

I think you mean depth of field. It's a settings on the camera. Here's a good video by jay on DOF -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB2DSfbif2A

Many thanks @KindredArts!! I know DOF, but I never achieved such an amazing painterly look. Now that I know it is possible, it opens totally news options to me - thanks again!

mding · February 3

KindredArts said:

Oh i did use some bloom as well. Basically i take the photo into krita (this will work in anything). I copied the layer, set it to "screen", and then used a gaussian blur on that layer. You will get a blown out, dream-like look. Now just pull down the layer opacity a bit, and you have a nice, hazy bloom. I think you can do bloom in daz too, but it's a bit tricky.

Again, many thanks @KindredArts! That is very generous of you to tell us!!

I will try to learn this!

Hylas · February 3

KindredArts said:

Just so everyone knows, it's my birthday this month. So if any of the winners want's to give me back their gift cards so i can trade them for Nvidia stock ... i wouldn't be mad about it.

Happy birthday!

Are you sure you want to invest in NVIDIA stock now?

KindredArts · February 3

Hylas said:

KindredArts said:

Just so everyone knows, it's my birthday this month. So if any of the winners want's to give me back their gift cards so i can trade them for Nvidia stock ... i wouldn't be mad about it.

Happy birthday!

Are you sure you want to invest in NVIDIA stock now?

Possibly bitcoin. It doesn't matter what it is, it always drops 20% when i buy it anyway.

barbult · February 3

Let us know what you buy and when, so we can buy after at the lower price.

emanuela1 · February 3

Happy birthday Kindred Arts and thank you for all the real great support you have always given to this fun forum.
Less rules is good, maybe it will increase the number of participants.
For the graphics card I'm not sure if it's the right time, but let us know your experience. (I would like to change card, but I don't know if it's better to wait for a possible price drop, also I don't know how compatible the new expensive cards are with the DAZ environment and iray).

KindredArts · February 4

barbult said:

Let us know what you buy and when, so we can buy after at the lower price.

I like to keep my money-losing secrets close to my chest.

SapphireBlue · February 6

@KindredArts LOVE those two renders! Perfect capture of that guy's state of mind/heart, perfect balance of emotion, sad yet creepy.

Oh I love less and lax rules - they suit my suitably lazy self. And gothic romance! I definitely need to do something for this challenge. Thanks for challenge and the fun write-up!

Happened to only notice the challenge today thanks to a post elsewhere with someone carrying the banner in their signature. Thanks mding.

Stezza · February 7

Hylas · February 7

https://www.daz3d.com/skinchangers-female

perfect timing for this to show up in the freebies!

Faeryl Womyn · February 8

Stezza said:

Where are the other 2 freebies you used and the links to them?

Stezza · February 8

Faeryl Womyn said:

Stezza said:

Where are the other 2 freebies you used and the links to them?

do you want them?

mding · February 9

Many thanks @SapphireBlue, I am very glad to see it is being used!

Thanks for the headsup @Hylas!

Faeryl Womyn · February 9

Stezza said:

Faeryl Womyn said:

Stezza said:

Where are the other 2 freebies you used and the links to them?

do you want them?

To the best of my knowledge it's one of the rules, however yes I do want to know what freebies you used, in case I want any of them.

aprilshowers2065 · February 9

Happy Birthday @KindredArts! Thank you so much for all of the support you give for these challenges

Stezza · February 10

Faeryl Womyn said:

Stezza said:

Faeryl Womyn said:

Stezza said:

Where are the other 2 freebies you used and the links to them?

do you want them?

To the best of my knowledge it's one of the rules, however yes I do want to know what freebies you used, in case I want any of them.

I read it as only if you enter the image on the official thread ..

I modelled all of the items in that render in Carrara, they won't work in DS or Poser.
I usually post my models from time to time in the Carrara Wacky Modelling Thread.

KindredArts · February 10

Faeryl Womyn said:

Stezza said:

Faeryl Womyn said:

Stezza said:

Where are the other 2 freebies you used and the links to them?

do you want them?

To the best of my knowledge it's one of the rules, however yes I do want to know what freebies you used, in case I want any of them.

You guys can post as much as you in here, the comp rules don't apply. In the entries thread though, we have a zest for hunting filthy rule-breakers.

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