Alarmingly stupid question. How to achieve this kind of realism ?

Started by Jgone, March 15, 2017, 08:59:48 AM

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Jgone

Hello. before i start writing probably my dumbest question to date. I must let you know that I am not asking for a shortcut to greatness, i am asking for tips to achieve better results.
So we all have seen the showcase gallery in TG site and at least i have been blowing my mind with pretty much every pic there is.
But for the sake of making my point clear, lets take this picture as an example: http://planetside.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/RogueNZ_Spring_Snow_3000-1920x960.jpg
Is there a trick to achieve such realistic/sharp lookin atmosphere ? I'm not exactly sure what it is that makes the render look so great. Obviously it's a combination of multiple things, but am i missing something crucial ?

I attached one of my latest renders. I know it's riddled with bugs , and it's far from perfect. But it shows the clear difference in comparison to the showcase render.
How can i make the atmosphere of the image.. sharper ? realistic ? photoreal ?


Sorry if the question sounds stupid, or if it makes me look lazy. It's not my intention here. I'm here to learn.  :)

                     

luvsmuzik

Welcome to the forum!
That is a great render!
I would look in my atmosphere settings first to see what haze density is. If you want a crisp scene, I would reduce the density of the haze.
We like atmosphere and haze here also!
Make use of TG search function for tips and tricks and many great examples. There is often an explanation of a scene setup in image sharing. Make use of the libraries that hold a wealth of knowledge.

Rumburak

Welcome to the forum!

Your render is pretty good already.
Maybe you should use some displacement on the trunk of your trees. They look very flat. And you could increase translucency on the leaves.

Jgone

Quote from: luvsmuzik on March 15, 2017, 09:55:06 AM
Welcome to the forum!
That is a great render!
I would look in my atmosphere settings first to see what haze density is. If you want a crisp scene, I would reduce the density of the haze.
We like atmosphere and haze here also!
Make use of TG search function for tips and tricks and many great examples. There is often an explanation of a scene setup in image sharing. Make use of the libraries that hold a wealth of knowledge.

Thanks for the tips. I think the haze plays a big part in what i'm looking for. Gotta put my mind to it and doodle around !
Tried searching the forums around for a bit before posting. Will dwell deeper !

Quote from: Rumburak on March 15, 2017, 10:08:07 AM

Welcome to the forum!

Your render is pretty good already.
Maybe you should use some displacement on the trunk of your trees. They look very flat. And you could increase translucency on the leaves.

That could actually work wonders ! Thanks for the suggestion !

Dune

My two cents: When using objects up close, their quality is of utmost importance. For mid to far distance, you can get away with a lot. Same goes for (procedural) terrain. So if your objects are not that good, make a render where foreground is barren and concentrate on good procedural ground structures. Then default atmo settings give a very good result to start with.

otakar

So regarding the atmosphere settings, check the Lighting tab and play with haze glow amount and power. Same for your cloud layers, this can make a dramatic difference. Obviously, sun elevation will make a difference on how a scene is lit, I really like lower values for softer and more dramatic light.  One last thing, in the Render node, Effects tab, you can up the Contrast value and play with gamma correction.

I agree that some people have come up with atmosphere setups that are extremely realistic and clearly elevate their renders to another level. There are many parameters that can be manipulated and of course it depends on the particular scene what works best. I am discovering new things all the time and I have been at it for years...

I like your render here, no need to be shy about it! :) Add some depth to your clouds maybe.

Jgone

Quote from: otakar on March 17, 2017, 12:45:10 PM
So regarding the atmosphere settings, check the Lighting tab and play with haze glow amount and power. Same for your cloud layers, this can make a dramatic difference. Obviously, sun elevation will make a difference on how a scene is lit, I really like lower values for softer and more dramatic light.  One last thing, in the Render node, Effects tab, you can up the Contrast value and play with gamma correction.

I agree that some people have come up with atmosphere setups that are extremely realistic and clearly elevate their renders to another level. There are many parameters that can be manipulated and of course it depends on the particular scene what works best. I am discovering new things all the time and I have been at it for years...

I like your render here, no need to be shy about it! :) Add some depth to your clouds maybe.
Quote from: Dune on March 17, 2017, 10:08:37 AM
My two cents: When using objects up close, their quality is of utmost importance. For mid to far distance, you can get away with a lot. Same goes for (procedural) terrain. So if your objects are not that good, make a render where foreground is barren and concentrate on good procedural ground structures. Then default atmo settings give a very good result to start with.

Thanks for these tips. I was able to achieve somewhat sharper and cleaner looking atmosphere and overall a better render using the tips people have shared in this thread ! Here's where i am now. I am extremely happy with the results !


Dune

I don't want to spoil your feelings, but I think you can get more out of this. It's worth to increase realism, and learn at the same time if you want to work on it some more.
I would soften the clouds, as they are very 'wild'. I would also increase grass coverage in front. There's lots of free grasses available. And some of the front veggies have too much translucency, which makes them 'light up' (or get a flattish appearance) in shadowed areas. Play with those variables and see what turns up.

Jgone

Quote from: Dune on March 19, 2017, 02:47:44 AM
I don't want to spoil your feelings, but I think you can get more out of this. It's worth to increase realism, and learn at the same time if you want to work on it some more.
I would soften the clouds, as they are very 'wild'. I would also increase grass coverage in front. There's lots of free grasses available. And some of the front veggies have too much translucency, which makes them 'light up' (or get a flattish appearance) in shadowed areas. Play with those variables and see what turns up.

100% agree. Was focusing bit much on achieving a sharp image in this one. :)

luvsmuzik

 :)That is what my WOW was for....I personally love those clouds as they show just how crisp things can be. :P

Jgone

Quote from: luvsmuzik on March 19, 2017, 08:03:34 AM
:)That is what my WOW was for....I personally love those clouds as they show just how crisp things can be. :P

It's up to personal taste really. Glad you liked it tho !