Richard Fraser Cliff Challenge WIP

Started by cyphyr, January 12, 2018, 04:12:15 PM

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bobbystahr

#60
Quote from: cyphyr on February 27, 2018, 07:43:24 PM
The exposure is at 3 already but upping the exposure any more will blow out the sky too much. Once I get it good enough I'll render it all out as layers and do a balanced comp from that.
Actually that reminds me ... I know using render layers is allowed how about using two renders (ie one with GI and one with AO) and blend them together for increased "tonal depth"? Would that be allowed? I suspect not ...


Cool, it's a lovely effect you got going...was it a looooong render? Y know as it's all done internally it might well be O K.

days later I checked the rules and as long as the layers are created within TG then assembly in PhSh is allowed it seems like.
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

luvsmuzik

Allow or not, bet it would be spiffy! Great progress!

Dune

Why do two renders with GI and AO separately. You can add an AO light.

cyphyr

Quote from: Dune on February 28, 2018, 01:52:18 AM
Why do two renders with GI and AO separately. You can add an AO light.

Because I found it astonishingly hard to control in the renderer. I've not tried it for an age but it was a trick I was fond of using early on. I think I would layer them in Photoshop with the AO at 50% screen (but I can't really remember).
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Ryzen 9 5950X OC@4Ghz, 64Gb (TG4 benchmark 4:13)

Dune



cyphyr

#66
Slowly progressing.

I need to start optimising, renders are taking way too long now, this was five and a half hours at 0.5 and 3AA and I want the final to be High res and high settings ...
A lot still to do.
I'm not happy about the cliff wall on the left, multiple issues:
The low ledge to the left of the tree needs to be softened, it just looks wrong.
The cliff face is to uniform in it's strata and roughness. And their are some strange broken overlapping polys that need to go.
Not sure about the foreground pool. Needs something there, maybe just a bush ...
Quite happy about the sky, I'll probably run a few over night tests to see if it can be improved with different cloud settings.
Forest/jungle needs subtle more variety, maybe some clearings closer to the foreground.
Lastly I'm not too sure about the camera vp. Position is good but the horizon line at 50% is kinda uninspiring. I'll try a few options with it at the 33% mark.
Cheers for looking and crits always helpful

:)
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https://www.facebook.com/RichardFraserVFX/
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Ryzen 9 5950X OC@4Ghz, 64Gb (TG4 benchmark 4:13)

mhaze


luvsmuzik

Love it overall, especially the lighting. Don't be too critical...it's a great render! :)

cyphyr

#69
Ok so I did a simple comparison and Grey scaled the output to ovoid distraction.
First one is the same as above, the second is the "rule of thirds" new pov.
I think it sits better but I may have to move the islands as I have lost one in the new pov.

EDIT: added New_Cliff_12compTest.jpg
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Ryzen 9 5950X OC@4Ghz, 64Gb (TG4 benchmark 4:13)

AndyWelder

Why not tilt the camera the other way so the horizon is at 2/3?  You'd lose some sky but that is not the main focus of the render, is it? And I think that if you move the camera a bit backwards and upwards you also wouldn't lose too much of the left cliff...
And it's a great moody render you have here, almost forgot to say.
"Ik rotzooi maar wat aan" Karel Appel

cyphyr

I am trying a render as you suggest but I did want some very close foreground detail to add some DOF to which a higher vp won't give me. It would accentuate the height though and I might be able to add something else as foreground detail. Put the camera in the branches of a tree maybe.
www.richardfraservfx.com
https://www.facebook.com/RichardFraserVFX/
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Ryzen 9 5950X OC@4Ghz, 64Gb (TG4 benchmark 4:13)

Hetzen

I prefer the first one Richard. I think its better framed. I don't think you need to do a thirds on this. Your eye is drawn along the river in the first. I'm looking at the sky in the second.

Dune

I like the first one too, but the third has something too; it's kind of 'enclosed', which feels good. I do think you should try moving the cam slightly left, so you get a better reflection of the side of the cliff (so the right side of the reflection is sky, left is rock), if you get my point.
Also, I actually prefer the B&W, as the others are very uniformly warm. Too much, IMHO. If you can tone the shadowy parts more towards grey, cool tones, I think it's more balanced maybe.

DannyG

Agree with Hetzen and Dune, 1st has more going on with nice subtle details to catch the eye
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