Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=603449

BTW...even though this is only my second pic using Vue, please be brutal. I'm kind of dense, so blunt and brutal criticism is the way I learn best. Thanks again! Tony (G:`,

I'll give it a try but I'm not very good at this sort of thing. First off, I prefer a picture I can see all at once, so posting something you can expect to fit on the average screen makes it easy to look at without scrolling around. (and I run my screen higher than 1024) Otherwise, and I think this is all about aesthetics (sp?), there seems to be a lack of shadows. It seems to me that there are trees all about and yet I can hardly see any shadows. If this is a general opinioin of others, they can offer best ways to light it. For my opinion, it seems you are relying too heavily on ambient light. (as I said, I'm not good at this). Anyway, aesthetically speaking, I would like to see the focus on the couple and have them in focus and things in the background a little blurred and perhaps a bit darker. It's one of those really good scenes where someone who knows their way around Vue can get "our" characters lit romantically while keeping the other things subdued a bit. But, you have, in my opinion, done a superb job of adding detail, "framing" the center of attention, and building a nice scene! From a technical point of view (pardon the pun), should some trees be green and others be in fall colors? It seems obvious the main tree is deciduous (sp?) as well as others that are orange and yellow. Perhaps the scene is meant to be more "impressionistic" (kind of). I just think it needs something a bit more from Vue before you go to postwork. But, in summary, it has a lot of promise! You've spent a lot of time adding foilage and it makes it look fleshed out well. I just hope others "stop by" to add some better ideas.

I think it's a nice scene. Some suggestions... Mapping on Poser objects (like the bridge) often looks very blurry to me. Maybe play a bit with the mapping in Vue, with different textures, perhaps that would eliminate the blurriness. Bark textures on trees to the left look unreal. I would change the textures. More grasses/weeds/vegetation on the terrain that starts at left and goes towards the back. I think the composition is really good in this, you've made a great start!

I agree with Chuck. Keep the image smaller. I hate to scroll right and left and never see the full image, so I normally run away without looking to it, as many others when an image is so big. The left ree needs a better placement (position), it looks weird. The image tells a story, so it is nice already by this fact. It just needs some little improvements. :-)

The plant coverage on the banks is lovely and subtle. I like the way the mossy bridge is placed and the tree growing through the steps is wonderful. Maybe I'm an incurable romantic but that couple's pose made me go and hug my wife. Well it is St Valentine's day :-).

What's the intended focus of the composition?

I suspect that it's the couple but my eyes keep wandering up the picture into the distance as the line of the river is so strong. That big clump of bright orange leaves to the left is very dominant too.

How about a tighter shot of the couple from either a slightly higher or much lower viewpoint?

The scene is very beautiful and romantic. But I agree on the ambient light. There should be less to strengthen the colors and depth. Also, a little blur in the background would improve the effect of distant. Most textures are really nice, but the one on the middle rock in the background looks somewhat strange to me. Overall, definitely very promising. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished version :-)

Dang it! I had just finished typing out a reply thanking you all and asking some follow-up questions, hit "Post Reply", and presto, the dang thing vanished! )G:, Maybe what I'll do is just leave a general thanks here, and then IM the specific follow-up questions out later. I'm sorry I can't retype out my original reply (I know I must sem awfully rude..sorry )G:,), but I promised my in-laws that I would go over and help them remodel their basement today. My wife's Grandmother is not doing too well, and they are trying to make a little apartment down there for her to stay in so she doesn't have to live alone. I promise to provide a more adequate thanks later. Sincerely, Tony