I have now done my first render since the update using a scene that was created in 2012 and I have made no other changes.  The skin tone is however, massively different. The whole skin appears to glow and has very little contrast.  The change is most notable around the eyes and to a lesser extent the lips.

I accept that I can probably change this with some playing but does anyone know of a quick fix so that I do not have to update all my scenes since using 2012

You mentioned that nothing has changed between updates, however you have not provided enough information to go by.  What are your render settings?  What type of lights are you using?  Is IDL involved?  Are you using Gamma correction?  What is your min shadow bias on your lights?  Are you picking up active ambient lighting in your material?

Quote - You mentioned that nothing has changed between updates, however you have not provided enough information to go by.  What are your render settings?  What type of lights are you using?  Is IDL involved?  Are you using Gamma correction?  What is your min shadow bias on your lights?  Are you picking up active ambient lighting in your material?

Thank you for your input and I do understand that all of the factors you mention do have an impact and that by adjusting them I can almost certainly get back to where I was.  My point is that all the factors you have listed are the same as they were in 2012 before I installed SR1. According to the release notes the SSS is now more stable and more robust but it appears to have changed the results quite dramatically.  I will continue to work on the problem but I just wondered if someone else had noticed the change and already knew the fix.

that's a huge-mongus difference.  i'm afraid to install the SR1.

Before upgrading I always set up and render a test scene, then apply the upgrade and re-render the test scene. I could find no appreciable difference in the renders after applying SR1, certainly nothing close to the magnitude shown in your example.

How certain are you that nothing changed in the scene? My test was set up so that I am 100% certain that everything remained constant: lights, shaders, camera, render settings, gamma settings etc.

Do you use D3D's Render FireFly script to set up renders, or the Poser Render Settings dialog? If the latter, do you use Auto or Manual? If 'Auto', it could be that the same position on the slider invokes different actual values after the upgrade.

Your images are so very different that I have to conclude that something significant has changed in the scene.

I use the poser render dialog using manual and a default lighting set up.  The scene in question is a base scene which I often used as the basis further scenes. I changed nothing in the scene and did a test render before the installation.  I did not 'resave' the scene and therefore loaded the same file after installing SR1.  I have also noted that, in the render, the hair and the clothing are identical it is only the SSS that has changed.

The character in question I use in a 'time traveller' story line so I have a present, past, future and mystical base figure. These other renders show the same changes but then they use the same default lighting so I would expect this.  Once again nothing in the scene changes accept where the materials use SSS.  The materials use BBs SSS setup with very little in the way of changes.  The only way I can get close to the old render is to drastically the reduce the light intensity of the scene but the resulting skin, while not glowing seems to lack contrast and depth.  Of course this may well be more accurate and I have just got used to seeing it the old way.  It does however leave me with the problem that my character is now going to look very different when compared to earlier renders.  

I could re-install the earlier version of 2012 but then I would lose the improvements in SR1 and I have found quite a few in last few hours.  I guess I will just have to accept that SR1 does not like my set-up, particularly if others are not seeing the same problem.

This being the case I think I will spend my time setting up a different default lighting rig that will work with SR1 and hopefully get close to where I started.  I will however keep the earlier light set up just in case it all reverts in SR2 or SR3. 

ive re-rendered the same scenes before/after SR1 and they came out identical.  flipping between them in PS shows not one pixel difference.

Quote - ive re-rendered the same scenes before/after SR1 and they came out identical.  flipping between them in PS shows not one pixel difference.

Thank you for that, it does seem that something odd has happened with my system and it might be that it just happeaned when during or around my SR1 installation.  The best way is can describe it is that my renders are now reflecting far more light with SSS but as long as I am the only one seeing it, it is not an issue. 

It sounds like, even though you clicked "Keep Preferences," that some render setting changed anyway, or reset to default. For example, I had tweaked Gamma Correction slightly in PP2012, then after SR1 it was reset to 2.2 even though I kept my preferences.

Check out the thread Fun with SSS. According to Robyn, if I'm quoting her correctly, evidently the docs of SR1 indicate a possible change in certain renders, though different than your problem. I'm still checking it out myself. The render of the character Dublin has a blue cast around the mouth (to my eyes) that isnt on the vendors original render. This could be part of the SR1 thing. I think there may be some change, but we'll have to see if anyone else notices it...or if it's real or not.

Mike

IIRC, the blue around the lips is a result of low scaling values on the SSS node. A higher value eliminates the problem.  If SR1 changed anything, it would be the default value.

In addition to what Mikegg said, the docs that came with SR1 also identified an issue with SSS in occluded areas, like teeth and gums and (potentially?) sclera... apparently, one should avoid applying sss to those areas: they called it a known issue.

Whether that translates to a blue cast around the lips, for example, remains to be seen. I saw this issue with PP 2012 before SR1 came out, more noticably with certain figures than with others. I'm going to postulate it has something to do with the geometry and how sss is calculated based on (opposing?) normals. One sees a similar phemonenon when rendering single-sided mesh (like polygon hair) with sss near skin also wearing sss in the shader.

Some explanation is required here.
While there are render changes in SR1, they are NOT of this magnitude.

The blue cast around the mouth is NOT from SR1.

Those blue area's, mostly around the eyes and in the mouth area occur when 2 different SSS surfaces are too close together.
It is in the origional PP2012 and in the SR1.

If, and I say, IF you get them, the trick is to only use SSS on the visible surfaces and not on surfaces laying behind.
Or? Change the "camera" angle 5° to 10°, mostly they are gone.

Sometimes they are visible when SSS is on the skin, and SSS is on the clothing.  
Again turn the camera 5° to 10°, and they are gone.

The blue area's become visible under certain combinations of IDL, SSS calculations, and camera angle, when 2 SSS surfaces are too close together.
 

Example: If the mouth is closed, do NOT use SSS on the inner mouth parts.

Nothing NEW.
Nothing SR1 generated, it has always been there.

They are more sensitive when for example the inner mouth is modeled closer to the outer skin.
Removing SSS from the inner mouth solves the problem.

That is why some figures get them, and others do not.

 I use SSS on the teeth- some face morphs may move the teeth closer to the surface

Quote - They are more sensitive when for example the inner mouth is modeled closer to the outer skin.
Removing SSS from the inner mouth solves the problem.

That is why some figures get them, and others do not.