Blackout look. A WIP but I like it. Looking for your thoughts.

Sci Fi FunkSci Fi Funk Posts: 1,198
edited August 2013 in Carrara Discussion

Hi,

I've collected some "blackout" photo images here. I.e. Dark cities.
http://pinterest.com/scififunk/night-lighing-reference-images-for-3d/

As epsiode 8 of my animated movie starts in a blackout London (power is on in the new city in the distance), I thought this image (still has a few things to fix esp the way the light is too blue then orange in the foreground), was pretty close to my fav in the collection - this one
http://pinterest.com/pin/307511480777371303/

So here is the WIP. What do you think? What would you change/improve? p.s. you need to see it in full size to make the most of the light. It will go onto youtube in this size (1920x1080).

Blackout_with_2nds_v3.jpg
1920 x 1080 - 134K
Post edited by Sci Fi Funk on

Comments

  • bighbigh Posts: 8,147
    edited December 1969

    Hi,

    I've collected some "blackout" photo images here. I.e. Dark cities.
    http://pinterest.com/scififunk/night-lighing-reference-images-for-3d/

    As epsiode 8 of my animated movie starts in a blackout London (power is on in the new city in the distance), I thought this image (still has a few things to fix esp the way the light is too blue then orange in the foreground), was pretty close to my fav in the collection - this one
    http://pinterest.com/pin/307511480777371303/

    So here is the WIP. What do you think? What would you change/improve? p.s. you need to see it in full size to make the most of the light. It will go onto youtube in this size (1920x1080).

    would depend on the moon light - could be pretty bright

  • keshkesh Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    2 things that i would add:

    Depth of field, not very strong but enough to add some slightly out of focus zones, and

    Some very subtle volumetric fog, almost invisible, but again, enough to add some soft fuzzy atmosphere.

    Right now your image is quite good, but it screams "digital" due to its visual perfection... so you need something to make it less perfect ;) (either in render or in post production).

  • Sci Fi FunkSci Fi Funk Posts: 1,198
    edited December 1969

    kesh said:
    2 things that i would add:

    Depth of field, not very strong but enough to add some slightly out of focus zones, and

    Some very subtle volumetric fog, almost invisible, but again, enough to add some soft fuzzy atmosphere.

    Right now your image is quite good, but it screams "digital" due to its visual perfection... so you need something to make it less perfect ;) (either in render or in post production).

    Thanks Kesh. Yes I need to mess it up a little.

    I'll try those things and see how I get on and post back. Thanks.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,578
    edited August 2013

    What a freaking scary thought, eh? Looking forward to seeing it all play out.

    Edit:
    Oh... and I think it looks great! I like the suggestion given. Hints of blur are so much faster in post, too - renders can take forever when animating - and then you find out that AE (well, I use Dogwaffle) can jam it in in a jiffy!

    Post edited by Dartanbeck on
  • Sci Fi FunkSci Fi Funk Posts: 1,198
    edited December 1969

    What a freaking scary thought, eh? Looking forward to seeing it all play out.

    What city blackouts? Yes terrible. I lived through power cuts in the 70s, but people were more civil back then, and they didn't last long each time. This is one permanent black out, forcing residents to live in the new city (behind the walls).

  • Sci Fi FunkSci Fi Funk Posts: 1,198
    edited August 2013

    I've spent all day tweaking this. (I present my 14th revision since the morning!)

    I've decided to try to keep the blackout look, but fake upping the gamma (by adding lights). I've also applied some fixes so hopefully it looks more or less like the light is mainly emanating from the city.

    I plan to render with a DOF pass. This pic has no DOF.

    gDoc14.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 847K
    Post edited by Sci Fi Funk on
  • Sci Fi FunkSci Fi Funk Posts: 1,198
    edited December 1969

    This is the Carrara render with no post added. It is a single scene file (no backdrops or backgrounds)

    Now with Flying Taxi. (Nb this motion blurs in the final output), also some lights on in the big city plus a few little fixes.

    DOF pass rendered but not shown here (again for final output).

    ACT_1_Final_lighting_inc_taxi_v3_90perc.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 1M
  • keshkesh Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    great job! Looking forward to the final ;)

  • Sci Fi FunkSci Fi Funk Posts: 1,198
    edited August 2013

    kesh said:
    great job! Looking forward to the final ;)

    Thanks man. I'm rendering now at 5 mins a frame on a single machine (volumetric lighting - used in the city walls - doesn't work with network rendering).

    It could be a long wait!!

    In the meantime after further consideration, I decided that the headlights would not be (fake) volumetric in summer (the scene is set at midnight mid June), so they've come out and we render the scene again.

    ACT_1_Lighting_Taxi_Headlight_fix.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 1M
    Post edited by Sci Fi Funk on
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,578
    edited December 1969

    What a freaking scary thought, eh? Looking forward to seeing it all play out.

    This is one permanent black out, forcing residents to live in the new city (behind the walls).
    Yes... THAT!!!
    No power in a massively populated (now overly so) city! Yikes!

  • Sci Fi FunkSci Fi Funk Posts: 1,198
    edited December 1969


    No power in a massively populated (now overly so) city! Yikes!

    Just to clarify Dartan, there is no power in the abandoned city. The populated one is behind the walls (and has power). It was a way of forcing citizens to move to the 200 storey "people farms".

  • bighbigh Posts: 8,147
    edited December 1969

    5 min. a frame not to bad - like the new render

  • Sci Fi FunkSci Fi Funk Posts: 1,198
    edited December 1969

    bigh said:
    5 min. a frame not to bad - like the new render

    Thanks Bigh. Yeah I guess 5 min a frame for 1920x1080 isn't so bad.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,578
    edited December 1969


    No power in a massively populated (now overly so) city! Yikes!

    Just to clarify Dartan, there is no power in the abandoned city. The populated one is behind the walls (and has power). It was a way of forcing citizens to move to the 200 storey "people farms".
    Like I said, Scary!

  • Sci Fi FunkSci Fi Funk Posts: 1,198
    edited December 1969

    Like I said, Scary!

    Indeed. All intentional :-)

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