camera shaders vs post production filters of photo software?
chrom
Posts: 260
Hi,
are camera shaders (products) comparable to postproduction filters of photo software or do they have a logic / algorithms which benefit of being within DAZ itself (object reorganization, edges derived from objects/props/material zones, ...)?
What are differences / benefits compared to filters of photo software?
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I'm not sure what you mean by "camera shaders". Shaders are applied to materials to provide color and (possibly) texture effects. They are applied to individual items and provide the texture and effects of lighting (e.g. tranlucency, gloss, matte, transmission, etc). There are lighting filters than apply overall shading to the scene. They emulate GOBOs or gels from real world lighting effects. Post processing acts generally globally and provides overall effects on the scene.
To directly answer your question, shaders are not like post process effects. They act on three dimensional objects. Iray is a phyically based render system that simulates real world lighting.
In 3Delight at least lights and cameras are also shaders - hence things like uber Environment the AoA Advanced Lights.
Well, the complexity of set-up is obviously different between writing shader code and applying a sequence of masks, adjustments layers, and effects. Also, with sahders anything like masking has to be either procedural in the shader or requires pre-creation of masks or other control elements which is less interactive. On the other hand, for 3Delight output is 8 bits per channel while shader code has - as far as I know - access to the full dynamic range of the raw render so for radical tonal changes post-production is likely to introduce a degree of posterisation.
Forgot all about that. I haven't even thought about 3DL since Iray was available.
That means that if there is a camera shader it is non-iray and so no GPU will be used for rendering (e.g. for fog cameras, LineRender9000, ...)?
Regarding the camera shader product (e.g. LineRender9000) compared with filters I mean: Does the camera shader product only have picture information like a filter in a photo software or because of being in DAZ space- and object information eg for exact edge knowledge?
LineRender9000 is a 3DL product and won't use your GPU.
Regarding fog products, it depends on how the fog is done: for example https://www.daz3d.com/fog-camera is for iray, but it's not actually a camera shader, it uses a set of textured props put in strategic places between the camera and the scene elements to give a fog effect.
https://www.daz3d.com/fog-for-studio on the other hand is an actual camera shader, for 3DL.
A camera shader will have all of the information available to it.
I personally do post work on all my images and find it far easier then doing a thousand test renders to get what I want.
Yes, therefore I ask to estimate the benefit of camera shader.
With a detailed pic you are most flexible with postwork and have always the original.
But to get comic / toon like results from realistic objects, figures, ... imo an intelligent rendering with knowledge of each element could/should be better. But if a camera shader is only a internal postwork of a pic you would have no such information and benefit.
I don't understand Richard's answer(I understand: It has all information it has.).
Does a camera shader has element information and (can) use it?
Thank you for the hint of the iray version. I am interested in athmocam 2 but this is also interesting.
Atmocam 2 works in the same way as the fog camera (which is an earlier product by the same PA): it uses props to achieve the various effects.
I would also side with postwork. But mainly if you need to keep a big production of pictures like while making a comic book, updating almost daily your social media , etc. Better management for specific effects like for example DOF and such. In any case for me the key is to work with HDRI lights from the start at DAZ so when I modify parameters at postwork step I have a solid ground to start with.
In any case you should develop your own work process pipeline and set what fits better for yourself. Good luck!