Up until about a year ago the skins of characters I purchased were crisp and realistic. Example

Many of the characters I've bought lately have MATs that look hazy/grainy and washed out.  Example

What's up? Is there any way to edit the MATs to make them crisp like those from earlier characters?

I'm using the Mac version of Poser 7.

Thanks for your suggestions.

I don't know what to say. To my eyes, it is the top image, the one you say is the old texture, that looks washed out. The bottom image looks crisper, and this seems partialy due to it having more detail and greater apparent resolution, and partially due to higher contrast, which I assume is down to the texture, not the render. The bottom image is more realistic IMHO.

The top image looks like it was rendered with the default Poser lights, too.  That can't help matters.  It also has a slight "glow in the dark" look to it.

IMO, neither of them look particularly great but on balance the bottom one is better.

Anyhow, it's most likely a shader problem or your render settings.  Look for BagginsBill and his VSS system.  That should see you right.  OTOH, if you prefer the top image you may not like how VSS looks.

In order for people to help you should post your render settings, a screen cap of the Material Room settings for each image you posted and - most importantly - your Poser version.  Oh, and whatever lights you're using. 

You might post the shaders for the two textures. My own opinion is with the group... the bottom one looks better to me as well. Also, have you checked the gamma of your monitor. You may not be seeing what we see.

Some things come to mind.

Long version:
Older figures/textures had specular build in the textures.
A NO-NO-  in the newer Poser versions.

THE big jump in renders/lights was from Poser7 to Poser8/PP2010  with the introduction of IDL.

The second big jump is to Poser9/PP2012 with the introduction of SSS.

Newer figures and newer textures have no specular build in any more and are tested (and best rendered with)  IDL.

Some more things.
If possible render with IDL and Gamma corection (for ther pro versions).

Always KNOW.

Lights are ONLY for ONE Poser verion, and ONE Poser version only.
Any next Poser version does something different. Lights, shadows, Shaders and nodes improve with each version.

Textures and shaders HAVE to be adapted to the Poser verion you are using them in.

So?  When you buy textures and or light sets? Always check for what Poser version they are build!!!! And adapt them to the Poser version you have.

Short version:

1. Older textures have specular build in, newer textures do not.
2. Lights vary and change over Poser versions.
3. Rendering with IDL is allmost mandatory in newer Poser versions with newer textures.
4. SSS is a nice step forward in reality. But older Poser textures can screw this up.
   Gamma corection is almost required for "reality" renders.

Tips:

1. Do not buy textures with specular build in.
2. Do not buy light sets: Build your own for the Poser version you have. Less is more.
3. Use BB's sphere with ONE single infinite light at 50% and render with Gamma corection and IDL ON.

Happy Posering
Tony

In the example I deleted all other nodes and left the Blinn.

In Alternate_Specular at True White
Blinn Settings, at true White
Eccentricity =0.5
Specular Roll Offf = 0.5
Reflextivity = 1.0 =>  With the texture connected to the Reflectivity.

Start from here and adapt to your lights if needed.
Click to enlarge.

This setting gives a lot of flexibility, as (if required) you can also control the specular color with the Blin color if needed.
The connection to the texture in Reflectivity is (among others) to reduce the Blinn on the BROWS; Experiment and have fun.

Tony

Check your filter settings her mole above the eye brow be blended out in the 2012 render so yeah it looks diff'r'nt

Don't show features that the OP does not have.  OP has specifically stated that he/she is using Poser 7.  Making comparisons with other versions is pointless, and rendering with current versions may not result the same. 

Texture Filtering should be set to none initially for sharper textures in renders.

I think the examples were not rendered in the original post. If that is the case, the new skins may have more complicated shaders which influence how it looks in preview. But maybe I am wrong

I agree with wim - maybe the new shaders are designed for scattering, IDL or other stuff not found in P7.  or maybe OP switched to the wrong kind of post filter or tex-filter.

It seem that the OP is not longer with us. As this is an very important subject cannot some  knowledgeable do some renders, comparing  old figures (that most of us have such as for instance The_Girl_Next_Door_4_Athletic) with the newest and the best. With screen shots of settings. And when we are at it why not also compare against those with high-res photographic material made with Deep Paint or Bodypaint (mec4D and JSGraphics). Then we have this matter solved once and for all.

Thank you very much for all your input.  

I didn't disappear, just went back to sleep then got up and went to work.

As my post shows, I'm a lighting neophyte.    It make total sense that later characters designed for improved light rendering are not rendered as intended on earlier versions of Poser.  I'll try what of the suggestions I can in P7 and look forward to reading further discussion.  

My apologies for not posting my settings an example of the material settings of the MATs.

There's some serious nostril glow in both images, also.  If they are rendered and not previews, you really need to sort out the shadows to get rid of the glow.  Or, if it's not that, your shaders have something going on with the Ambient channel, which is wrong.  BB can tell you exactly what it was about but the short version is, older shaders used a workaround using Ambient.  BB's improved methods don't need it and therefore don't give self illuminating skin.

However, if you're using Depth Mapped shadows, don't.  They are garbage.  There's no good reason to use them, not even the often quoted speed aspect, because you have to have a ridiculously large shadow map to get them looking half decent, and that takes time to calculate.  If you stick with the default - or even the default maximum - Shadow Map size, they are still garbage.  In fact, you can up the Shadow Map to 4096 and they still don't fall accurately.  So switch to Ray Traced shadows.  Your renders will love you for it.

Depht Mapped shadows are vastly improved in Poser9/PP2012 SR2. :-)

Somehow I got the feeling that this was not researched properly. When the new Selena is released, by a professional skin expert we will have something to test against.  Kind of like a new international meter standard.

Quote - Depht Mapped shadows are vastly improved in Poser9/PP2012 SR2. :-)

I'd like to see a side by side comparison.  Seriously; I'm genuinely interested. 

Quote - Somehow I got the feeling that this was not researched properly. When the new Selena is released, by a professional skin expert we will have something to test against.  Kind of like a new international meter standard.

Good idea.  And your previous post.   

Here are the settings for each of the characters above:

Older Character

The newer one 

Clearly, there's a lot more going on with the newer MAT.  When I disconnect all but the Image_Maps, then crank up the Diffuse_Value to 1.2, in P7 I get most of the effect I'm looking for.  I recognize experts may cringe at this ham-fisted approach, but this may be one of those "eye of the beholder" situations, not to mention dropping the process back to a level I understand.  

I do appreciate the assistance you all have given me.  Perhaps when I have time to learn  the subtlties of lighting in Poser, I'll be able to make use of it.

Thanks again,

Dave

Render time was 16 seconds on my computer. (1200x900px in Poser Pro 2012)

I think it is more a matter of the render engine. You are used to what P7 puts out and are tayloring your newer products to the older standards. If that's what you like, go for it. I couldn't STAND Gamma Correction until they got it sorted out and SIMPLIFIED in P9.

Sidebar, if you can see your way clear to upgrade, then you will see the advantages of the newer shader trees. They produce some awesome results.

I would research and get Bagginsbill's VSSProp which contains skin shaders ideal for all situations.  It will swap out all the old garbage in both characters and replace it a substantially better shader arrangement.  It was developed during the P7 version and has been slowly upgraded over the different iterations ever since.  But the old V4 shader composition has become completely wrong because it took advantage of deficiencies loaded in earlier Poser versions.  Using it, as is, now, looks out of place.