January 2016 New User 3D Art contest “Composition” (WIP Thread)

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  • HitManWAHitManWA Posts: 152
    edited January 2016
    HitManWA said:

    Latest, changed the saber out for one I made in Zbrush and changed the head to fix the eyes. Used manual adjustments and point at selection but nothing looked right.

     

    Huge mprovement with the legs and the eyes.  I also agree that she needs just a bit of an expression, fear, excitement, determination

    Thanks, sometimes I get lost in the details and forget the obvious things. Tweaked the Saber, added an expression and worked on the eyes/reflection some more trying to get a little more "life" in them. Thanks all for the "eyes". Sometimes I can't see the trees for the forrest. :) For the few who asked in PM, I use G2 with V4 skins rendered in Iray with custom settings. This does have PS postwork. This is, I think, the first time I used sun and sky to render. Played around with a few of the settings.

    Leaping Jedi 7-1.png
    564 x 913 - 659K
    Post edited by HitManWA on
  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    Teofa said:
     

     

     

    Sonja, I like where you've gone with the latest version.  The only (very small) issue I have is that the transition from the ground to the background seems rather sharp.

    HitmanWA, I love your render.  You've really captured a sense of action.  You may want to take a look at her left arm - Something (I think it's her thumb) looks like it's a little growth out of her shoulder.

    Thank you, you are right it is a bit sharp.  Will see what I can do about that.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    HitManWA said:
    HitManWA said:

    Latest, changed the saber out for one I made in Zbrush and changed the head to fix the eyes. Used manual adjustments and point at selection but nothing looked right.

     

    Huge mprovement with the legs and the eyes.  I also agree that she needs just a bit of an expression, fear, excitement, determination

    Thanks, sometimes I get lost in the details and forget the obvious things. Tweaked the Saber, added an expression and worked on the eyes/reflection some more trying to get a little more "life" in them. Thanks all for the "eyes". Sometimes I can't see the trees for the forrest. :) For the few who asked in PM, I use G2 with V4 skins rendered in Iray with custom settings. This does have PS postwork. This is, I think, the first time I used sun and sky to render. Played around with a few of the settings.

    Now she looks much more alive.  And I too am greatful for all of the eyes. 

  • HitManWAHitManWA Posts: 152
    edited January 2016
    HitManWA said:
    HitManWA said:

    Latest, changed the saber out for one I made in Zbrush and changed the head to fix the eyes. Used manual adjustments and point at selection but nothing looked right.

     

    Huge mprovement with the legs and the eyes.  I also agree that she needs just a bit of an expression, fear, excitement, determination

    Thanks, sometimes I get lost in the details and forget the obvious things. Tweaked the Saber, added an expression and worked on the eyes/reflection some more trying to get a little more "life" in them. Thanks all for the "eyes". Sometimes I can't see the trees for the forrest. :) For the few who asked in PM, I use G2 with V4 skins rendered in Iray with custom settings. This does have PS postwork. This is, I think, the first time I used sun and sky to render. Played around with a few of the settings.

     

    Now she looks much more alive.  And I too am greatful for all of the eyes. 

    Thank you, yours is looking great. Thanks for the comments.

    Post edited by HitManWA on
  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,668
    edited January 2016
    HitManWA said:

    Latest, changed the saber out for one I made in Zbrush and changed the head to fix the eyes. Used manual adjustments and point at selection but nothing looked right.

    Huge mprovement with the legs and the eyes.  I also agree that she needs just a bit of an expression, fear, excitement, determination

    She sure does need some expression I agree totally

    Edited: I just saw the new one Hitman and wow she is sure alive now!!!!!

    Post edited by Saphirewild on
  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    HitManWA said:
    HitManWA said:
    HitManWA said:

    Latest, changed the saber out for one I made in Zbrush and changed the head to fix the eyes. Used manual adjustments and point at selection but nothing looked right.

     

    Huge mprovement with the legs and the eyes.  I also agree that she needs just a bit of an expression, fear, excitement, determination

    Thanks, sometimes I get lost in the details and forget the obvious things. Tweaked the Saber, added an expression and worked on the eyes/reflection some more trying to get a little more "life" in them. Thanks all for the "eyes". Sometimes I can't see the trees for the forrest. :) For the few who asked in PM, I use G2 with V4 skins rendered in Iray with custom settings. This does have PS postwork. This is, I think, the first time I used sun and sky to render. Played around with a few of the settings.

     

    Now she looks much more alive.  And I too am greatful for all of the eyes. 

    Thank you, yours is looking great. Thanks for the comments.

    Thank you!

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    edited January 2016

    Last Stop to Nowhere.     Okay this is my second one I think for the contest.  Suggestions on anything else I should change?  and I am having a hard time deciding between the two.  One is more at dusk which to me gives it a more lonely feeling but her face is a bit harder to see.  The other one is late afternoon.  I wil be doing a bit of postwork, adding some dirt to her feet and to the bottom edges of her suitcase etc.  I tried to it with a geo shell but it would not just go on her foot.  LIE didn't work either but I think that might be because its IRAY?

     

    Last Stop to Nowhere Dusk.png
    772 x 684 - 698K
    Last Stop tp Nowhere Late Afternoon.png
    772 x 684 - 749K
    Post edited by IceDragonArt on
  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,668

    Last Stop to Nowhere.     Okay this is my second one I think for the contest.  Suggestions on anything else I should change?  and I am having a hard time deciding between the two.  One is more at dusk which to me gives it a more lonely feeling but her face is a bit harder to see.  The other one is late afternoon.  I wil be doing a bit of postwork, adding some dirt to her feet and to the bottom edges of her suitcase etc.  I tried to it with a geo shell but it would not just go on her foot.  LIE didn't work either but I think that might be because its IRAY?

     

    I am leaning towards the darker one it seems to have more caractor and mystery to it, I mean both look amazing but The darker one definately has more mystery

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Last Stop to Nowhere.     Okay this is my second one I think for the contest.  Suggestions on anything else I should change?  and I am having a hard time deciding between the two.  One is more at dusk which to me gives it a more lonely feeling but her face is a bit harder to see.  The other one is late afternoon.  I wil be doing a bit of postwork, adding some dirt to her feet and to the bottom edges of her suitcase etc.  I tried to it with a geo shell but it would not just go on her foot.  LIE didn't work either but I think that might be because its IRAY?

     

    I am leaning towards the darker one it seems to have more caractor and mystery to it, I mean both look amazing but The darker one definately has more mystery

    I'm leaning that way too but I've looked at it for so long I can't decide lol.  I want it to feel desolate and like maybe time is running out to catch that last ride out of nowhere.

  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823

    I like the darker version as well, Sonja.  The hard shadows in the more lighted version kind of run onto the backdrop.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    Teofa said:

    I like the darker version as well, Sonja.  The hard shadows in the more lighted version kind of run onto the backdrop.

    Ya, thats the Mars World dome or something like that.  I can't see it before I render so its been interesting trying to rotate the dome to change the time of day without actually seeing what its doing. 15 test renders later.....  The darker one to me definitely FEELS more like I want this to feel.  I am off to bed so will check back tomorrow.  Then will probably do post work on both renders over the weekend.

  • Teofa said:

    I like the darker version as well, Sonja.  The hard shadows in the more lighted version kind of run onto the backdrop.

    Ya, thats the Mars World dome or something like that.  I can't see it before I render so its been interesting trying to rotate the dome to change the time of day without actually seeing what its doing. 15 test renders later.....  The darker one to me definitely FEELS more like I want this to feel.  I am off to bed so will check back tomorrow.  Then will probably do post work on both renders over the weekend.

    Sonja, when rotating the dome in Iray, switch to Nvidia mode (round circle where I told you to drop down for the bounding box view). That gives you a live render window and you can see what the background looks like as you rotate.  It updates quicker than doing a render every time you want to see what the background looks like.

  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    edited January 2016

    Reposting this in case others are as dumb as I am.  I've been frustrated for a long while by my .jpg quality.  Finally, today, I noticed the file size after post work was dropping dramatically.  I did some investigating, and.. duh.. there was a default "jpg optimizer" under export settings that was compressing my .jpgs by 30%.  Augh!!!!!   Like jpgs need less quality?  Corel PaintShop Pro x5 is what I have.

    Huge difference.  Now I'm going to have to redo most of my gallery.  I want to kick myself.

    Post edited by Teofa on
  • I have decided to scrap my orginal idea just couldnt get everything to look proper so i threw something else together i titled it "The Chase"

     

    Daniel

     

    The chase.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 886K
  • Greetings, I've been lurking for awhile and finally decided to dive in and share an image.  I titled it "First Snow".

    So far I see I need to bring down the shop lights, and make the robot less reflective.  Definately looking forward to some suggestions on making it better.  

    Bob

     

    First Snow.jpg
    1042 x 643 - 194K
  • FishtalesFishtales Posts: 6,115

    Greetings, I've been lurking for awhile and finally decided to dive in and share an image.  I titled it "First Snow".

    So far I see I need to bring down the shop lights, and make the robot less reflective.  Definately looking forward to some suggestions on making it better.  

    Bob

     

    Going by the blown out whites it is the camera settings in Tone Mapping you need to adjust. Then think about adjusting the Dome Lighting and shop lighting to get the balance right. It may be that just dialing down the Dome Lighting intensity would work as a starting point.

     

  • Here is my possible entry for the contest.  Looking for any feedback.  I have not done any postwork.  It was rendered with Iray in 4.9.  I will give credit to all who provided things I used in my official contest entry.

    The Fleeing Rebel

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    Teofa said:

    I like the darker version as well, Sonja.  The hard shadows in the more lighted version kind of run onto the backdrop.

    Ya, thats the Mars World dome or something like that.  I can't see it before I render so its been interesting trying to rotate the dome to change the time of day without actually seeing what its doing. 15 test renders later.....  The darker one to me definitely FEELS more like I want this to feel.  I am off to bed so will check back tomorrow.  Then will probably do post work on both renders over the weekend.

    Sonja, when rotating the dome in Iray, switch to Nvidia mode (round circle where I told you to drop down for the bounding box view). That gives you a live render window and you can see what the background looks like as you rotate.  It updates quicker than doing a render every time you want to see what the background looks like.

    Ah thank you that will be most helpful!

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    Teofa said:

    Reposting this in case others are as dumb as I am.  I've been frustrated for a long while by my .jpg quality.  Finally, today, I noticed the file size after post work was dropping dramatically.  I did some investigating, and.. duh.. there was a default "jpg optimizer" under export settings that was compressing my .jpgs by 30%.  Augh!!!!!   Like jpgs need less quality?  Corel PaintShop Pro x5 is what I have.

    Huge difference.  Now I'm going to have to redo most of my gallery.  I want to kick myself.

    I did not know this I am going to have to see what Photoshop does.  Although I tend to import via .png in layers if I am doing postwork.  Good to know thank you!

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    I have decided to scrap my orginal idea just couldnt get everything to look proper so i threw something else together i titled it "The Chase"

     

    Daniel

     

    Really like this one!

  • dracorn said:

    Archangel of the Sacred Heart

    This is rendered using Iray, which I am new to, please feel free to offer suggestions and comments.  Thanks!

     

    It seems to me that the wings are positioned a little low - it looks like they are coming out of her waist.

    I agree, already working on that in current re 

    dracorn said:
     
    dracorn said:
     
    HitManWA said:
    Teofa said:

    Archangel of the Sacred Heart

    This is rendered using Iray, which I am new to, please feel free to offer suggestions and comments.  Thanks!

    Everyone knows I am not a stickler for strict composition rules, but I'm not seeing much compositional elements here. It's pretty.  The hot spot of light coming off the planet isn't really drawing the eye towards anything but itself, and the hot star above her head is distracting.

    I guess for a composition contest I would prefer something like Hitman's last Jedi render. 

    Only my opinion and I'm not formally trained.

    Teofa, please don't apologize for lack of formal training as "formal training" has a way of contaminating an otherwise creative mind.  Thank you for taking the time to comment.  I agree with your comments concerning "The hot spot of light coming off the planet," and "the hot star above her head is distracting."  I'll work on both issues.

    Ati, yes it is a planet, but it is still in its primordial/early development.  I am attempting to move away from what is expected in order to engage the imagination.  Thanks for your feedback.

    Fishtales, thank you also for your suggestions, I like the idea.  I'll see you all later, once I've done some revisions, revisions with an eye towards a better composition. smiley

     

    I by far am not any sort of expert on this stuff but I think your image is very good in terms of the render. I think you have a good opportunity for some color contrasts and inferred lines with the wings. Maybe offset the angel to the right and use the wing edges for inferred lines leading to the face. Mabe offset the planet to the left and and the lighting on the angel to the left. Just a thought. the arm and sword could possibly be repositioned for another inferred line.

    Thanks for your feedback, I have made some changes in response to all the thoughtful suggestions and am posting soon for further comment.  smiley

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    edited January 2016

    Greetings, I've been lurking for awhile and finally decided to dive in and share an image.  I titled it "First Snow".

    So far I see I need to bring down the shop lights, and make the robot less reflective.  Definately looking forward to some suggestions on making it better.  

    Bob

     

    I like the point of view on this.  the large spot of cobblestone in the upper left corner is bugging me just a bit as my eye keeps getting drawn to it.  I know its probably part of the scene but if there is a way to minimize it or cover it in a bit more snow you might give that a try.

    Post edited by IceDragonArt on
  • giovannipaologiovannipaolo Posts: 249
    edited January 2016

    Archangel of the Sacred Heart

    I have included an overlay of the "rule of thirds" so you can see what guided my positioning.  Also understand that in art I don't necesssarily like "rules."  They can be used though as guidelines to move us in the direction of the "best way of seeing."  Looking forward to your thoughts and suggestions.  Thanks!  wink

     

    P.S.  This is a low res render, final will be 4800x4800 pixels

    Post edited by giovannipaolo on
  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823

    Greetings, I've been lurking for awhile and finally decided to dive in and share an image.  I titled it "First Snow".

    So far I see I need to bring down the shop lights, and make the robot less reflective.  Definately looking forward to some suggestions on making it better.  

    Bob

     

    Hi.  First, I love this concept, (although personally, far from being happy seeing more snow atm).  As much as I hate the concept of composing to grid, I've never suggested abandoning the "rule" of thirds rough guidelines.  Your Character's face is kinda centered between two of the thirds "sweet spots.  I think perhaps she needs to move up a little, or down a little.

    I roughed out two examples.  These are by no means anything but very rough illustrations and only broad suggestions.  I look forward to seeing where you go with your image.  I'm sure you will get other inputs, this is just one opinion.

    example1.jpg
    876 x 700 - 325K
    example2.jpg
    876 x 700 - 335K
  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    edited January 2016

    Here is my possible entry for the contest.  Looking for any feedback.  I have not done any postwork.  It was rendered with Iray in 4.9.  I will give credit to all who provided things I used in my official contest entry.

    The Fleeing Rebel

    On this I see an example of not letting the rule of thirds "rule" all the time.

    She is framed by background light, the blaster bolts, the troopers (and their reflections) and the hallway, and with the additional lighting on her face, it's hard to have a wandering focus. It works.  If it were mine, I wouldn't change the composition much at all.  I would, perhaps, bring her down from the top border a small amount.  Framed as she is, this is a portrait image, and the null space adds depth to the image.  In my opinion.

    I would be tempted to try fiddling with DOF a little, or slight camera axis rotations.

    Would this be better composed to "rule of thirds?"  I don't know. I like it as is.  If you are dead set on rule of thirds, apply it to the "framed" image within the image.. and not to the borders.  It's close enough to not matter.

    I would also try adding more hair movement (if possible) and additional light to bring her face out more and highlight her hair.

    (one would think Miranda has enough to worry about that she wouldn't be annoying the Empire as well) :)

    I really like this composition.

     

    Post edited by Teofa on
  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Here is my possible entry for the contest.  Looking for any feedback.  I have not done any postwork.  It was rendered with Iray in 4.9.  I will give credit to all who provided things I used in my official contest entry.

    The Fleeing Rebel

    Good expression on her face.  One thing I noticed is the the guards firing at her, at least the one by the open door don't seem to be terribly concerned, there isn't any urgency in their stance that suggests that they are chasing her or really trying to stop her.  They should be leaning toward her or stepping toward her if they are serious about stopping her.

  • Hey, all. I know it's a bit late, but here's a rough of the image I'm planning on entering this month. Any tips? Thanks! ~* Phoenix DeFalco *~
    resized_JPEG_1453050925403_-1754799547.jpg
    1040 x 912 - 84K
  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    dracorn said:

    Archangel of the Sacred Heart

    This is rendered using Iray, which I am new to, please feel free to offer suggestions and comments.  Thanks!

     

    It seems to me that the wings are positioned a little low - it looks like they are coming out of her waist.

    I agree, already working on that in current re 

    dracorn said:
     
    dracorn said:
     
    HitManWA said:
    Teofa said:

    Archangel of the Sacred Heart

    This is rendered using Iray, which I am new to, please feel free to offer suggestions and comments.  Thanks!

    Everyone knows I am not a stickler for strict composition rules, but I'm not seeing much compositional elements here. It's pretty.  The hot spot of light coming off the planet isn't really drawing the eye towards anything but itself, and the hot star above her head is distracting.

    I guess for a composition contest I would prefer something like Hitman's last Jedi render. 

    Only my opinion and I'm not formally trained.

    Teofa, please don't apologize for lack of formal training as "formal training" has a way of contaminating an otherwise creative mind.  Thank you for taking the time to comment.  I agree with your comments concerning "The hot spot of light coming off the planet," and "the hot star above her head is distracting."  I'll work on both issues.

    Ati, yes it is a planet, but it is still in its primordial/early development.  I am attempting to move away from what is expected in order to engage the imagination.  Thanks for your feedback.

    Fishtales, thank you also for your suggestions, I like the idea.  I'll see you all later, once I've done some revisions, revisions with an eye towards a better composition. smiley

     

    I by far am not any sort of expert on this stuff but I think your image is very good in terms of the render. I think you have a good opportunity for some color contrasts and inferred lines with the wings. Maybe offset the angel to the right and use the wing edges for inferred lines leading to the face. Mabe offset the planet to the left and and the lighting on the angel to the left. Just a thought. the arm and sword could possibly be repositioned for another inferred line.

    Thanks for your feedback, I have made some changes in response to all the thoughtful suggestions and am posting soon for further comment.  smiley

    Have you considered doing a vignette effect to suggest that "She" is also a source of light?

  • TeofaTeofa Posts: 823
    Hey, all. I know it's a bit late, but here's a rough of the image I'm planning on entering this month. Any tips? Thanks! ~* Phoenix DeFalco *~

    OOO nice scratchy gun camera effect.

  • GallowsGallows Posts: 95
    Teofa said:

    I liked the general concept of my little quickie example so I went ahead and made a render.

    This shot is really hot, but needs explosions and smoke.  Bang....Bang!

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