Hi there!  A few things to note:

1. Unless noted otherwise, many renders you see are postworked.  Postworking is any enhancement or additional artwork done in a separate software program after rendering.  Spending some time studying Photoshop and other postworking software to hone your skills is a good idea.  Look for tutorials on postworking.  To be frank, the 3D community is both very supportive and sharing...but also somewhat proprietary/secretive.  Some people are very liberal in sharing their "seven herbs and spices."  So, you'll really have to dig to find the "recipes" for good postworking (and rendering, for that matter).

2. Getting good renders in Poser has a lot to do with your understanding of photography and art.  (I'm not claiming to have mastered this.)  This means that you have to work on...

• Composition
• Color
• Lighting
• Camera / Focus
• Storyline
  (And, render quality)

Lighting is vital to any good render.  I'd suggest buying the "Digital Lighting and Rendering" book (available at Amazon).

So, studying up on the core concepts (apart from Poser) is vital. 

3)  Then, you have to master the software.  Study the Poser manual and try out the tutorials.  Then, dig around on RuntimeDNA and here to find some good tutorials on lighting and rendering and other topics that interest you.  You might also want to check out Dr. Geep's site.  He has a zillion Poser tutorials.  Personally, I really zero in on anything written by Bagginsbill or Vince Bagna about lighting and rendering, but there are tons of other amazing experts around. You just have to be patient and watch the forums here, at DAZ and at Runtime DNA.

Also...higher render settings doesn't always yield the best (or time-efficient results).  For example, it's easy to go overboard on pixel samples and not get what you need.  Or, sometimes you need to smooth polygons for best results...and other times not.  Sometimes you want complex lighting...other times just one light will do.  Sometimes you want lights with shadows...sometimes not.  Playing around with Poser and doing test renders by tweaking camera and lighting settings, etc. will help you find a look that you like.

If you want to jump-start the process, I'd suggest investing in a few tools.  I really found RenderStudio (Runtime DNA) helpful in the beginning for lighting (although Poser 8's indirect lighting is really nice for outdoor scenes).  Also at Runtime DNA is Semidieu's Advanced Render Settings tool.  That was well worth the money.  You should also go to Bagginsbill's site and get his VSS tool which provides advanced shaders and lighting.  For gorgeous V4 textures, you should invest in the Elite textures over at DAZ.  They are extremely well done. (I should say that good textures and shaders on items can make or break a render, so you should learn how to tweak shaders especially so you can even improve the products you get).

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head.  I know this is pretty random and high-level (and perhaps parts are debatable) but I hope this helps get you going.

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