WIP Thread for New User Contest - August 2013

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Comments

  • SassanikSassanik Posts: 340
    edited December 1969

    Okies adjusted the lighting and the poses. What do you think? I am not loving his pose, but I do like the girls.

    Amy

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  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited August 2013

    I'm liking it much better, you have ALMOST a double focal set here and that almost works, that is when one place pulls your eyes first and then your eyes auto go to the next. I see this set up with a rule of thirds so the primary (first focus) falls on the area of the figures and the second is the Dragon shadow. I would set it so the lower right point fell about shoulder high between the figures and the upper left point fell in the area of the Dragons eye if it could be seen. As to the Male pose just a bit more tension as in, "what was that? I'm ready to spring into action", would really sell this set up.

    Post edited by Jaderail on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    In terms of the poses:

    I like hers, with one exception: either she's off-balance or the sword is really, really light. I don't think she'd be able to hold a real sword out like that and maintain such a casual-looking stance. Either her other arm or her legs should be shifted to offset the weight of the sword, I think. Or else you could bring the sword closer to her body.

    For the man, what is he thinking? And what precisely is he doing (I don't mean what is he doing in the cave, I mean what is he doing that instant)? Perhaps he heard or smelled something that has him on guard? That's what his stance suggests to me. Try acting it out...when I do it, I might raise my head and tilt it to the side a bit. Also maybe bring the shoulders (collar bones) back a little.

  • ExperimenterExperimenter Posts: 162
    edited December 1969

    Ok. Here is my pic for this month contest.
    The insperations for this picture is "Get to France" from Mike Oldfield.
    The sound and the singing brings me the Images of romance medival William the Conquerer landing at the coast of south England. (With a backpipearmy for the marchs).

    The scene does not have anything to do with William only the inspiration aspect.
    I tried to use a male figure to create the it but it does not work. I used my favorite female character. She have a happy face because she reaches a long promissed aim.

    The backround is only a picture.

    What is your opinion for my contest pic?

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  • keshkesh Posts: 0
    edited August 2013

    Experimenter: hi there, nice concept and setup! Oh the good old Mike Oldfield! ^^

    Also in general on the thread, i'm pleasantly surprised to see many people referred to old classics... but enough of my rambling.

    About your render: difficult to find a wrong thing to correct, there is nothing blatantly off, but in my opinion something is still keeping it from being a 'wow' one.

    I'm going to list a number of things that might be improved, but only as possible ones, not mandatory

    1 the picture format: while the background really sits well in a square format (instant CD cover ^^) the composition with the main character could benefit from a different one. I'd be tempted to try a panoramic one, since the scene dynamics would be well part of an ideal movie scene. In this case I'd move the main character more to the right and keep the castle on the back in a left space, showing more of the lake behind the subject.
    2 some DoF would probably give more depth to the image, a subtle one, not making the castle too blurred.
    3 the subject light is possibly a bit too harsh and coming from an odd low angle. Raytraced shadows with a smooth value of 30-40 would do better, since the ideal lighting of the scene comes from sky and a lot of bounce from the lake, so shadows would be really soft and smoothed, with a dominant light coming from above (from the lighting of the breastplate it looks like the main lightsouce comes from ground heigth).
    4 the character's clothing are imo the weakest point of the scene: in particular the armor looks like a cheap theater prop. Maybe tweaking with its materials setting could make it look more real (strengthen the bump/displacement to make the engravings stand out more, boost specular value and glossiness)

    That's all i can say at the moment, again saying that i've been forcing critics sor an image that is already quite a good one at the current state.

    Post edited by kesh on
  • ExperimenterExperimenter Posts: 162
    edited December 1969

    Hear is the updated Version of my Picture. The only Point I can not fix is the DoF. I can not render through a camera. My Computer is to old/slow to fix it. For example I have Problems to create a Scene with two full dressed People.

    What is your opinion now?

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  • keshkesh Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Very nice, Experimenter!

    ...but allow me to ask you: if you are not rendering through a camera, how are you doing it?

  • ExperimenterExperimenter Posts: 162
    edited December 1969

    I render the active view port and in the rendersetings I frame it.

  • OstadanOstadan Posts: 1,123
    edited August 2013

    (sorry empty this. I think the image violates guidelines on more consideration)

    Post edited by Ostadan on
  • TobiasGTobiasG Posts: 447
    edited December 1969

    Hear is the updated Version of my Picture. The only Point I can not fix is the DoF. I can not render through a camera. My Computer is to old/slow to fix it. For example I have Problems to create a Scene with two full dressed People.

    Have you tried to render to a file, instead of to a new window? This seems to cut down on resources.

  • scorpioscorpio Posts: 8,382
    edited August 2013

    @Experimenter you could always render the background separately and layer them in Gimp or photoshop, that way you can also blur the background to create DOF and have a lot more control. If you are reliant on a low spec comp learning to render in layers is very useful.
    As your background is a picture, you can just render the girl and compile the images in a image editing program, it also helps with placement although that is fine in your second image. Use a bit of blur on the background image to help create the DOF, you can also add a layer of white at a very low opacity to create a fog effect.
    This is an image I did a couple of months back with a similar composition it is rendered in two or three layers.

    Hope it is ok to post the image here.

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    Post edited by scorpio on
  • ExperimenterExperimenter Posts: 162
    edited December 1969

    I think fog is improper in this combination. It should look like a fine day. The sun is shining (lights), the sea is quiet and the sky has only a light veil of clouds.
    I do not know why but I am pleased with the backround. The Castle is, compared to the woman, blurred.
    I hope you are not displeased with my answers.

    What do you think about my comments

    By the way;
    The hint with layerrender is very good. I used layers for Tattoos on bodyparts but I did not thought about the use for a full Picture.

  • scorpioscorpio Posts: 8,382
    edited December 1969

    No I'm not displeased with your answer at all; the castle and background does have the look of a soft warm spring day.

    Layering is very useful with a low par com, when I was still using a 32bit machine I did an image with I think 16 gen 4 figures in it all by using separate renders and layers, I still use layers even now with a better computer.

    I do like the look of the slightly breeze blown hair in you first image, it helps add that little touch to the image.

  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Experimenter, I found a YouTube link to that song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QXxozXsDZY

    Let me know if that isn't the version you were thinking of, or if you have another more appropriate link.

    In terms of the image, I like the overall composition and the woman's expression. The lighting I think is fine--some room for improvement, but no glaring issues. I agree with scorpio64dragon about her hair--I liked how it looked in the first image. I'm not sure about her grip on the weapon or staff...looks a little awkward. The sea looks very calm, like a lake. Maybe that was your intent, but if you want a more realistic, wavy ocean you could take a look at the materials settings for the water plane...was the background done in Bryce?

  • ExperimenterExperimenter Posts: 162
    edited December 1969

    Thank you for your answers.

    The musictrack from the link was the original version, but I have another version where the pipes at the and are replaced by backpipes and a marching drum sequence was insetted. I do not know who made it or where I get it.

    The hair was a mistake. It had a unnatural line in the front. I set all at Zero and forgot to at the wind again.

    The staff she hold is a rope of a boot. I made the following Image with more distance.

    The sea/lake should look so quite. It is influenced by the return of King Arthur to bring great peace to his land. The sea is quite because Arthur's peace; You may think why a woman instaed of a man. Her is the reasib: The woman is a figure from a Story from me about King Arthur in modern. I am not a storyteller but it helps me to make Pictures maybe for a later Comic or so. In this Picture she get a Vision that Arthur is returing from Avalon. She is Arthur in modern and so she sees herself as the returning Arthur.

    The hole backround is a free picture. I can not use bryce. ´

    For the future; how can in Change the ground material? (the tip with the quite lake)

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  • White RabbitWhite Rabbit Posts: 231
    edited August 2013

    Hi there everyone! :-)

    First off, I just want to say that I am extremely impressed with all your work! I particularly liked the theme for this months New User's Contest, so I thought I would get involved. I love SciFi and robots in particular. I feel that Forbidden Planet was way ahead of its time, and Robby the Robot is a SciFi icon.

    There are many famous quotations that I was thinking of using from the film, but I chose this one for now:


    Altaira: Where have you been? I've beamed and beamed.

    Robby: Sorry, miss. I was giving myself an oil-job.


    The movie was based on the play, The Tempest by Will Shakespeare just in case you were interested. This is still a WIP, and I hope to get another version uploaded before the deadline.

    Any feedback would be very much appreciated, and I will be continuing on with this into the future.


    Thanks guys!
    :-)

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    Post edited by White Rabbit on
  • White RabbitWhite Rabbit Posts: 231
    edited December 1969

    Hi all,

    Last night I was experimenting a little. Here is the result. I posted this because I kinda like the "feel" it gives.

    Thanks again,
    :-)
    Mark

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  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    Last call for entries...if anyone has not done so yet, please post your final entry to the Contest Entries Thread.

  • White RabbitWhite Rabbit Posts: 231
    edited September 2013

    :-) Very little sleep I have had the last few days, but I tend to get obsessed with something I am passionate about. I did another render with a yellow dress for Altaira as a test. This seems to give an older, feel for the image?

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    Post edited by White Rabbit on
  • Scott LivingstonScott Livingston Posts: 4,340
    edited December 1969

    CONTEST CLOSED

    Good luck, everyone

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