Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=728300

I could really use some critiques to help me make this picture better. I'll be happy with any advice, though the advice I am most looking for is how to make the lighting better and still maintain a daylight scene. The picture is not anti-aliased (as it is only a test render, and I didn't want to wait another 6 hours of render time). I apologize for the size to those of you with smaller monitors (it is 1200 x 1050). I meant to upload a smaller version as well, but I did not realize that rendo had gone to restricting uploads to one per day (been a while since I've been able to post...combination of pc problems and work). Anyways, any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks, Tony

First, great idea. Second, suggestions: The Japanese culture is very reserved. Unless you are trying to portray an unusual couple, try to make the body language more subdued. A great deal of affection can be demonstrated by placing the couple very close, but not touching, just gazing into one another's eyes. For the background, subdue the colors of the water and sky, then reduce the bump maps. Add contrast by reducing Vue's ambient lighting. You may try adding a very small amount of haze into the atmosphere, but not too much or the whole image will wash out. Finally, you need to fix your perspective. It seems you wish to make the waterfall appear to be a good distance away, yet the viewer immediately compares the trees on the waterfall's cliff to the one by the couple, and the entire perspective is thrown off because the closer tree is so small. Either make the closest tree very large so it looms over the couple and frames the picture, or shrink the trees on the waterfall's cliff. You have a great start. Hope some of this helps bring your original idea to life.

Thank you, and you sort of hit the nail right on the head with what I was going for. I wasn't necessarily trying to portray an unusual couple, but rather a couple who believed they were not being seen. My wife's family is Japanese, and you are right, they are very reserved....when they are in public. However, if you've ever seen any of the erotic japanese prints from the 18th and 19th century, you know that they are not quite so reserved when in private. I meant to catch the couple unawares, sharing a tender moment before the man goes off to battle. I think you are right about the cherry tree in the foreground. I agonized over the size of that, so as not to hide too much of the waterfall, but perhaps it would be better to play around with it some more. As for reducing the ambient light, I'm not sure how to do that without making the whole scene appear too dark. What setting(s) should I be adjusting. Thanks again for your advice!

What was the original atmosphere setting you used when setting up the scene? If I can, I'll try to replicate the general layout using primitives & a manikan, then will post it with the settings so you can see if it's what you want, but I'd like to start with the same sky so I know you can match the same settings.

It was Los Angeles. I did alter the angle of the sun though.

Message edited on: 07/29/2004 22:06

Thanks. The original atmosphere is actually okay. Maybe if we subdue the landscape colors, the background won't overwhelm the foreground quite so much.

This first image was thrown together to show how the tree can frame the picture and help with perspective, and also show the water setting that would look more realistic (foamy water).

I don't know anything about the geology of Japan, so can not help with colors. However, the extreme horizontal striations in your mountains looks "wrong", even to my western eyes that are used to the "painted desert" type landscape.

So, I used the "SHINGLE" setting for the background landmass and changed the striation direction from horizontal to vertical. The image above shows the steps to get there.

If you wish to keep the land color, you can change the striation effect in the same manner... just follow the trail of clicks to the bump map area. Play around with the various bumps. One is bound to be more pleasing.

Hope this helps!!!

Message edited on: 07/30/2004 06:07