Finalize my rendering adding atmosphere and "mood"

[Argate]

Hi to all.
I have finished my last job. Actually I have no particular issue in modelling and texturing, but what I need, now, is learn to finalize my model in photoshop, adding mood, a little story beyond... I don't search a ultra realistic appeal, but a fresh illustration like.

Did you have any advice about? Where can I study (books, online tutorial or whatelse) for adding life to my work?
Here a detail of her face:

The job is inspired to Hellraiser. Is a cadaver, a dead, demoniac body




Sorry for my poor english.
Thanks

[mimer]

I think the first thing that springs to mind is pushing the values in the face, right now everything is a dull grey, her eyes and lips almost disappear into the rest of her face. I don't know if the full body pose is anything you're using past showing us the full design, so won't comment on that. Wedge heels on what appears to be a warrior looks a bit odd too.

Also, nostrils. I don't know exactly why, but most 3d renders at this level seem to have weird lighting and issues in general around the nose and nostrils.

[Stoat]

It's like they make nostrils and the inside of the mouth self-illuminate, mimer.

Anyhow, Argate...you can dodge and burn, or adjust the color values with a color burn or multiply layer...things like that. If you decide to touch this with a paintbrush, though, be prepared to put a LOT of time into it to make that work. A 3D render is like a photo in this respect -- once you start painting on top of it, it takes an almighty hard effort to pull it off.

[mimer]

yeah, looks like little LEDs inside the skull.

I think the best thing is to actually work on the actual skin of the 3d model as much as you can. My avatar is a render a friend made for me ages ago for a textbased online game (yes, nerdy) and I painted all of the makeup onto the skin for the render instead of us adding it after. Its a bit tricky drawing and colouring a flat surface for a 3d render, avoid using shading etc but just applying colour essentially and lining it up with how it "folds" around the model, especially around the eyes, but it think the end result can be better, plus, once youve got a face which is good in render, less post work for every render.

[Argate]

Hi and thanks to all for your comments.

If I want obtain a more realistic look, I can composite the render pass I obtained in photoshop. what you see now is the "raw" render beauty. But I don't want a more realistic piece, as I said I want create a mood for the character, a background and make it more painted stile instead of crystalline 3d render output.

The render was done in zbrush, I prefer zbrush not because it has a power render engine, but because it can doing the work very fast, without UV map, but painting directly in 3d. I can say I like the face appeal right now (look a bit ethereal), the internal illumination is not a light inside the head but a strong SSS for the skin material. I'm sure I can improve the final appeal of my image. I will try to put more interest into face and eyes, like suggested by Mimer, but very undecided about background... The image is actual very flat IMO, whitout interest.

In any case, for photo manipulaitng (never thought before in this term like said by Stoat), what book or tutorial can study?

[Stoat]

I'm not sure about books and tutorials -- there were none when I started! I'll bet there's a wealth of material for free on the web, though.

Just for fun (because I'm supposed to be doing something else and I'm procrastinating), I spent about five minutes playing with this. A little dodge, a little burn, a little saturate, a little blur and a little background texture.

[Elwell]

The first thing to do is start out with a better/more interesting render. The lighting setup you're using is really flat and boring, and the direction isn't doing anything to bring out the form or the character. If you want to use a render as an illustration, then you have to start thinking about concept and storytelling from an earlier stage. All the Photoshop wizardry in the world isn't going effect the underlying fundamentals of the piece.

[Giacomo]

The first thing to do is start out with a better/more interesting render.

What he said. Just to stick my own oar in, Zbrush is great for what it does but is completely inadequate for producing final renderings. You need to export the model to Maya/Max/Lightwave/C4D or some other program that offers actual control over rigging and lighting, and take it from there.

Also, the figure's arms seem incredibly tiny and short. I do like the general design and texturing of her costume, though.

[Argate]

Thanks to all for your comments.

Stoat @ Thanks a lot, this is what I mean I will doing a bit of test in this way. I lack experience in this exercise and some task very simple is for me a great enigma

Elwell @ Thanks for your advice. Zbrush has not a great rendering engine but I think is good for illustration where don't need photorealism. When work with 3d can cage my idea during the work, or using again my idea, actually I need to present the concept about this character, and want add a bit of depth for my image. As I wrote, the image is a raw beauty pass, without Ambient Occlusion, Shadow, Specual or other pass. Agree about the boring rendering, the zbrush viewport screen shot without rendering look better (is not a zbrush issue, but a lack of my experience with this engine)

Giacomo @ Thanks for your advice and comment. I understood what you mean, but the process you suggesting me is very slow. Rendering in Softimage or Modo (the software I know) is a more complex and slow process compared to zbrush, if I want render in zbrush I must create uvmap (can be a very tedious and long process) , transfer all my polypaint into UV map, correct it in photoshop (creating specular, bump etc.), create a displacement map (can create some error especially with mental ray fine tuning), setting my scene and etc. For posing don't need rigging, Subtool master in Zbrush doing a great job without the need of creating a rigging. A work done in zbrush can take 2 or three days (depending by complexity, as usual). the some work done in a traditional 3d software can take a week or more.
About the tiny arm, I can only say this is a issue of perspective. Tomorrow will post a image without perspective and another screenshot of zbrush viewport without rendering (but suffer about antialiasing).

[Giacomo]

Subtool master in Zbrush doing a great job without the need of creating a rigging.

The images you posted would tend to suggest otherwise. That pose is incredibly stiff and awkward.

Thanks for your advice and comment. I understood what you mean, but the process you suggesting me is very slow....a work done in zbrush can take 2 or three days (depending by complexity, as usual). the some work done in a traditional 3d software can take a week or more

Hey, don't let me tell you what to do...if you want to continue producing clumsy-looking, poorly lit work (admittedly, with a lot of detail), then by all means stick to your present workflow.

[Argate]

Here the picture of the model without perspective applied. IMHO the pose is not wrong (not perfect, but not so wrong).



And this is an head image grab from zbrush viewport without rendering applied:

[jamsession]

this is one hell of a character with a nice outfit. but the anatomy issue with the arms still persists in that the arms appear small / short in contrast with the rest of her body. the hands would touch her hips in a relaxed posture while normally, they should be reaching her thighs (lookies). i'd suggest a re-modelling of the arms for anatomic accuracy.

[Argate]

Thanks for your comment and advice Jamsession. Ok, I will make more round and long the arms, is not a so complex task. Now I experimenting with rendering and light, with a focus on her head.

[Argate]

I find the time for another test, here I used different light, my goal was to lit better the face and also a less boring lights. Also the arms are a bit more long and "fat". This is raw beauty pass, after found a nice lit solution I will pass to composite the render with render pass.



The eyes are under work