I rebuilt the lighting in the LU: Ascension palace scene.
Added 2020-01-12 03:00:24 +0000 UTCSo I'm curious to get you guys take on this. Not on whether or not it's better, I already made up my mind on that :D I'm more interested in whether we're talking about details here that are only visible to me as an artist and elude people who don't know what to look for, or whether it's an obvious difference in quality to you guys.
I've relit the last two shots in the Ascension release. I took out all arbitrary ghost lights, and basically let all lighting come from natural sources. Chandeliers, candles, ie things that are actually in the scene. The same way I lit the Four Year Anniversary Special releases, as well as the recent A Special Lady release, and almost everything in the Legacy comic.
I think the after shots are clearly superior to the before shots. What's your take? Read below the pictures to see why I think the edits are a step up.
As in the Ascension release - Before:
As recently edited - After:
In the Ascension release - Before:
As recently edited - After:
Materials like jewelry behave far more naturally, hair is darker, sweat and glistening is more pronounced and surfaces with reflectivity effects do their job better. The only thing I could change a little bit is alter the lighting temperature coming from the candelabra, since it's a little bit on the yellowish side in the after pics. But look at the candelabra themselves, how they're dark in the before, and the light curves along the polish nicely in the after. Same with the jewelry on Yelena's body: more vibrant, more light-reflecting than light-absorbing. Also, no more ugly light edge on the floor in the after pic above, compared to the before.
I'll be using this new lighting scheme in the next release with Yelena that I also intend to do in this palace. Though it'll be a little bit changed in terms of decoration from the last time you saw it :D
Comments
Yup lighting is so crucial. A lot of 3DX artists focus too much on the posing but for me lighting continues to be a focal point.
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:28:21 +0000 UTCCheers! Check above replies for further takes on the tan/shininess if you're interested :)
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:27:52 +0000 UTCI'm also such a sucker for accessories. They're what convinced me that the new lighting was better, mainly. Stockings too.
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:27:30 +0000 UTCHaha a bit too shiny perhaps?
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:27:07 +0000 UTCCheers!
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:26:57 +0000 UTCThank you :) And I can't wait either :D
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:26:51 +0000 UTCHaha, so skin shader settings are co-dependent on lighting input. If you're working with lighting that doesn't bring out reflectivity well, you increase reflectivity values. Obviously in this case the lighting changed to be a LOT more lenient to reflectivity, but I didn't alter the skin. So yes, they're super slippery and I wouldn't keep them that way. I just didn't alter the skin shaders for these tests.
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:26:23 +0000 UTCWell the tan is a byproduct of the lighting temperature. But you may be right as well. I personally love the difference in the second shot, the way the stockings look before and after.
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:25:17 +0000 UTCThanks!
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:24:27 +0000 UTCSo I won't remaster the previous set, but the next set will be done with this new lighting yes. Everything should look a lot more natural. I really struggled with lighting on the previous one and there comes a point where you get start to fool yourself on it not being as bad as you think, because you have to get it out and whatever's not working for you just... is what it is. Can't keep tinkering. But looking back at it I'm like yeah, clearly improvements could be made. So they've been made :D
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:24:10 +0000 UTCI'm honestly amazed that everybody agrees haha. Sometimes it's hard for me to measure whether something's a clear difference or not, so this really helps :)
TheDude3DX
2020-01-14 03:22:35 +0000 UTCcrazy what a bit of 'lighting' change can do to a scene, it simply makes it more 'sensual' as well...Puppetmaster had a similar example of lighting tweaks on his sets last week as well :)
XXIV
2020-01-12 23:21:05 +0000 UTCYer the unedited pics look less shiny. The edited ones have a little more fake tan quality to them but that helps in wide shots and it does make metals look great. Cracking work.
ZanyFoxLlama
2020-01-12 22:50:10 +0000 UTCit looks just....WOW OM*G When I saw that, I immediately thought of reference...that the original set is like a diamond. But this new after set is the same diamond just shiny and polished. I mean it looks absolutely stunning (as usual) but now I get more of...Royal vibes if you'll believe me. It really looks great. Will there be a whole set done like that? I know it's a LOT of work for each image to look like that but I am curious
Raziel Crowley
2020-01-12 21:11:27 +0000 UTCLove the accessories, they look amazing with the new lighting. All of the accessories, as rainja stated. :D
Grayve
2020-01-12 17:11:01 +0000 UTCI definitely notice the difference, and it’s incredible.
Lara X
2020-01-12 10:46:59 +0000 UTCI love accessories on women.... heels, jewelry, lingerie, cum... this lighting definitely makes them shine in a good way. Great job!
2020-01-12 09:47:46 +0000 UTCI definitely see the improvement. But I am not sure about the extra glistening body. Even The Rock with his baby oil couldn't pull that off
Deyan Mladenov
2020-01-12 08:55:48 +0000 UTCI mean I'm stunned. Your work only continues to look better and better, and I thought it was perfect before! Everything just looks more realistic and has more depth I guess. The background looks a ton better, and the characters look a little more like a part of the scene. Looking at the side by side, its like they're less white washed if that makes any sense. The only thing is that they look extra tanned there, which isn't a bad thing tbh. And, they look like they're lit more by fire than the sun. I'm glad you're moving to this new lighting.
2020-01-12 05:00:59 +0000 UTCMore realistic which is what we are all looking for artistically. Lack of shadows and correct lighting make the whole thing look. . . Well. . . Fake. So great job on continuing to improve. Can't wait to see what the animation had in store for us fans.
2020-01-12 04:38:25 +0000 UTCLooks fantastic
2020-01-12 03:33:43 +0000 UTCI think the words i'm looking for are "Ooh, shiny!"
John Huynh
2020-01-12 03:24:51 +0000 UTC
