This is all great information, but I'm one of those non-mathematical persons you refer to above.

I know how to find a "pow" node but not what to do with it after I find it.

Your above sample shows input2 <- 2.2 which I can only interpret as meaning to put the value of 2.2 in the input2 of my Pow node.  However, that node does not accept numerical values.

Any chance of "seeing" the set-up in action?  I understand it better when it's visual.

I followed instructions as I interpreted them and lost my color.

Is this correct?  There is no such thing as a "gamma" node.  You're renaming a math_function node as "gamma" then adding 1 or 2.2.

And if that's the case, is a Gamma "anti-correction" subtracting the same amount?

I assumed yes and followed these steps but the results make the hair loose it's assigned color.

Could you show us the updated set-up with gamma correction?

BB, you mentioned above about gamedever's render, "...The hair is good, but not the amazing perfection of the rest."

I saw how you mentioned in another thread that you were working on a shader for hair.  From the sample you had posted it looked amazing!  My hair always ruins the realism of my images.

Can I buy that from you now as is?  Is it still in the works?  Can we at least see your material room set-up in the hopes that we could possibly get something close to resembling your great results?

Please.

This sounds like a job for Bagginsbill's VSS. 

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2737823&page=1

It's a lot of info in those 66 pages, but somewhere in there some one posted a "manual" with all the basic steps on how to use it.

Quote - Sorry - still didn't look into matmatic. Had to try out my new GND4.

Click for full size - it's worth it.

For god's sake, some one please give that girl a hamburger!

But, awesome render!

BB, a lot of the new M4 displacement maps are gray instead of the usual black.

I kind of remember this being talked about once (Gray Displacement maps) but can not remember the exact details.

Would you please cover how I use they gray maps again?

JD

Quote - I would like to take this opportunity to a link to my latest image in the gallery using VSS.  It gives a little bit more reality to the characters.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1794377

**Awesome image, **hborre!  Lois is the most realistic looking figure I've seen in a while.

And, she looks just like the current TV Lois Lane.

Good Job!******
**

I haven't tried TIFFs, but my PNGs are working just fine.  I've put many of my VSS renders over a background picture

Looks good to me.

I bypassed the Bump map and Specular Map and grabbed the Color map from the eighth column and dragged it back over near the Main node and connected the Diffuse_color to it.

Now my preview looks like this?

What's the dealio?
**

After synchronizing, my preview looks like this.

Wow.

Wow.

Wow.