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Can't wait to see how this comes out! You can turn almost anything emissive in Iray just pick and choose wisely so he is the main focus. There are also some gobo and effects lighting available in the shop that might give you the effects that you are looking for. https://www.daz3d.com/downloader/customer/files#prod_22434 ; That's just an idea of what's available if you can't get what you want manually.
I'd have to say that is a fantastic way to start! One way to avoid the lit boob that everyone is mentioning is to simply zoom your camera in closer to crop it out. (I'd zoom, i.e. increase focal length, rather than move the camera closer. You don't want a wide angle view which distorts her features and makes her nose look big.) I'm always a fan of the close crop anyway, so I may be biased here, but you wouldn't have to change your very effective lighting setup. Her asymmetry is fascinating. You are doing great, so don't be the least bit timid about joining in the contest.
Thanks. I was trying to add more people but my computer won't let me. :-(
I did manage to add the Big Top Tent & Ferris Wheel and light them up though it looks out without more people. Ah, well, maybe it's closing time. LOL, I remember our excitement closing time at the restaurants and stores I worked at as a teenager.
I'll try that out and see if it makes a difference. Thanks!
Thanks for your suggestions, the dark backgroung was kind of deliberate as I didn't like the top shape of the hairdo and tried to hide it a bit. I will work on her expression and pose to something more elaborate.
I have altered the pose on my male figure to show off his tattoo and adjusted the lighting a little.
Here is my next attempt. Almost a new complete image; I tried to add the various suggestions I received. Thanks for your help.
You managed to get one fixing her hair. It could be Martha Davis, for the few of you that might of heard of her. I really like it.
That's nice. You did a good job on that black hair. Black hair can be hard to render. Is her expression showing that she was caught off guard? That is kind of what I got from it. I think you could take the expression a little farther. It still looks a little bland, to me. I think you've done a nice job on the lighting, too.
Nice tattoo. Oddly, I can see his face better in the icon then on the big picture. I'm not sure if that's a property of my monitor or what or if you adding a another lightsource, like a point light acting as lamp to light his face from the side would then make too much light.
I am struggling myself between have the picture I'm trying to render too dark or too light.
Dark skin can be tough to light and to render. Good for you for working on that challenge! The image needs longer render time to clear up the noise to evaluate it fully.
This month's portrait competition is emphasizing lighting and expression, so I will comment on those aspects. The lighting is looking pretty harsh and flat right now. I think you can still work on the lighting some more, to highlight his features. What type of lighting are you using? There are some links in the first post in this thread to give you some new lighting ideas to try.
His expression is a little bland right now, leaving me wondering where he is looking and what he is feeling. Do you have a story in mind that you can tell through his expression? Maybe try a few different expression dials or presets and see if one of them seems right to you.
I need an opinion here. I made two renders, one close up, and one full scene to include the cauldron and various props with a little post work to add the green magic and a little more luminescence to the candles. The close up was rendered with Victoria 6's HD, and the full scale does not have it. I didn't add the green magic to the close up, because without the cauldron, it would have been strange to give her a green glowing elbow. Both files are close to 2 MB so you can zoom in if you open the thumbnails.
These are both rendered in 3Delight. I'm pretty proud of the glass. I used AoA's metalized glass shaders to achieve the realistic look that the Iray version of Perfect Potions had.
Which should I use for this contest?
Portrait:
Full Scene:
Wow! Really great work. I would use the close up -- the wider shot certainly offers more for the "story," but there is almost too much to look at.
Thanks, tubbyfalls1, I was thinking the same thing, but wanted to see what other people thought. I'll keep the wide shot as my gallery pic.
For a portrait, definitely the closeup.
I agree I love the both but for the contest I would go for the closeup. They are both really really well done!
I like the closeup better too.
The tatoo definitely ads some visual interest to this. I would crop a little bit off the left (my left) to bring him a just a bit closer as well.
This is a great pose. I think her expression is just a tiny bit too neutral, maybe just a small secret smile or a tiny bit more concentration or a small frown. Nothing major just a really minor tweak depending on what you are going for.
Darth Tyranus
Unless anyone has a better sugestion then what I have listed...
I wouldn't want to run into him in a dark...ANYWHERE!
He reminds me of the Vision the way his face looks but from the Light Sabre and the name i think this is Star Wars. Anyway, It is very good done. If it is possible with the textures maybe add some shininess to the face and the clothing reflecting back the light sabre light.
Me neither!
Here's version k, though personaly I'm partial to j
I'd go with j. I think that is the one you first labeled Darth Tyranus, right? Don't forget to post your final image in the entries thread for judging. Are you going to squeeze in a second portrait before the end of the month?
I like j better too.
Definitely J for me.
J for me too...
Gonna go against the grain and say use the big one.
Why? Exactly because it tells more story. She is still the focus, my eyes are immediately drawn to here before I see the rest of it.
I like that one better and I think it still functions as a portrait, even if it is a little busy. My two cents.
Well the zoomed out one is definitely the better picture and still a portrait after reconsidering. Without the context of what's on the table the zoomed in portrait looks sort of boring, despite it's non-typical looks.
I know it's getting close to contest deadline but I would laugh if you had that lady biting into that apple while demurely looking away from the camera.