How to improve - tips and techniques for post render processing

Artini

Very nice image, plasma_ring. I did not know, that pixelation could add such details to the image.

 

plasma_ring

Artini said:

Very nice image, plasma_ring. I did not know, that pixelation could add such details to the image.

Thank you! I really dig the style of PC-98 games, many of which had very detailed pixel art and innovative layouts. 

chicago1921

plasma_ring said:

There's a really fun program called PixaTool I picked up about a year ago that creates pixelated images. I usually use the dithering option to give images a retro look and feel, like this:

But the intent behind the program seems to be automating art for 2D games, so it actually does convert to pixelation rather than applying a simulated mosaic effect:

Because of that, there are some things to be aware of when using it:

• The maximum image size it can process is 1280 x 720
• To export at the same size you imported, your pixelate width and height (first option under the General tab) both have to be 1. Setting it to larger values will size it down accordingly and you need to resize it in a pixel art program if you want it bigger.
• It's not super intuitive what all of the options do, so you may have to play with them a bit to get the effect you want. 

Nice effect! I have to try.

Daventaki

This was done with Topaz Studio 2, I looked it up after seeing this post and the results Artini achieved with the gorilla.  Thank you Artini!  I really like many of the options and being able to really customize what you get but I just dont know if I can justify the cost since I already own Paint Shop Pro which I love but I dont have as many options as I used to because many of the older plugins I have do not work anymore.  Anywho I will keep playing and make a decision later because it has a 30 day free trial.

Click for full size.

Artini

Very dramatic result, Daventaki, and I like what you have achieved so far.

 

plasma_ring

Lately I've seen a lot of people asking beeple about his postwork process, and since I use similar filters (although he's far more skilled than I am!) I decided to post a little bit about it here. 

Since this is a learning thread, I should mention that the most useful tutorials and techniques I've picked up have been geared toward concept/production artists doing photobashing and matte painting. They often use a mix of 3D models and photographs, combining them into a cohesive whole. I'm not interested in fooling people into thinking I painted anything from scratch--as anyone who's spoken to me for five minutes knows, I never shut up about using 3D models--but I really love concept art for its own sake, especially since its purpose is to communicate strong ideas. 

The programs I use are Daz, Photoshop CC with the Nik Collection plugin (old free version), and Topaz Studio. I use TS 1&2 depending on which effect I want since there are some filters I like that aren't available in 2, but for this I'll be using 2. 

I'm no lighting expert, but one of the things that held me back from getting consistent results early on was not setting up my renders properly for postwork. As far as I can tell, there's no filter or action that will make an incorrectly-lit render look like a painting, and in fact it's more likely to make it look obviously filtered. One of the weirdest phenomenon I've ever seen is running a render through an oil paint action and having it look more like a photo--as in, it looked like I'd grabbed a stock photo off Google images and applied a filter to it.

Good lighting for a photorealistic render also won't necessarily translate to good lighting for postwork. I've gotten some decent results with sun-sky settings and HDRIs derived from photographs, but I usually have to do a little more post-processing. My best results have been from abstract image-based lighting and physical light combos, like ElianeCK's Dramatic Lights or PixelTizzyFit's Neon Splash Lighting Suite. Because of this, if I'm doing a complex scene rather than a portrait I often render the subject of a piece separate from their environment, matching the light temperature and direction to the scene itself so I can composite the render passes.

Below is an example of the differences lighting and even materials can make in postwork. The top image would work for magazine lighting, but after some processing it still looks a little nondescript and unfinished. It doesn't reflect the choices an artist would make in painting an interesting portrait. In the bottom version I used ColorWerks Extreme Hair Texture Blending shaders to control the highlights on her hair, and a combination of ElianeCK's lighting (also used in the top image) and Marshian's excellent Depth Lighting to create strong shadows and color contrast.

It's kind of like using wine in food--you start out with a flavor you like because the cooking just enhances what's already there. Or so they tell me; I'm scared to cook with wine. :V

Basic process

Using my glam catboy rock star as an example, here's how I usually go about getting a base paintover effect. 

Note: Because this involves creating lots of layers, if you have any part of the picture cut out with a transparent background it's helpful to clip subsequent versions of that layer to the original. Otherwise transparencies will build up over time and create an outline effect that's usually not desirable, especially around hair or other small details.

1) After taking the render into Photoshop and finishing any compositing/clipping cleanup I use Viveza, a feature of the Nik Collection. Structure makes image details sharper and more distinct, and in combination with curves, contrast, and saturation it can do a lot to clean up a render that didn't come out particularly strong. 

2) I use Photoshop's surface blur (radius = 5px, threshold = 9px), followed by Viveza > Structure again. Topaz Studio has an abstraction filter called BuzSim, but I've found that using this technique instead creates good abstraction results without losing any detail. Keep adjusting curves and contrast as needed, and it's always a good idea to create a new layer before experimenting!

3) Once the abstraction effect is where I want it, I open up the Topaz Studio 2 plugin through Photoshop's filter menu and use the AI Clear filter. This greatly sharpens up the details of the image without creating jagged pixelization or banding between colors. 

4) I duplicate that layer and take it back into TS2 to apply an Impression filter. You can play around with the brushstroke rotation, size, and opacity until it looks right. 

Most art filters don't give realistic results at full strength. Using blending modes and lowering the opacity on your impression layer will create a digital art brush stroke texture without removing detail.

5) And that's the base I use for further postwork! From there I add more filters, handpaint details, or whatever else I feel like doing. Adding textures helps a lot with the effect, especially distressed flat paper textures.

 

 

Mollytabby

Thank you @plasma_ring , I love your tutorial! So easy to follow and I have all the programmes you mention so I found it particulary useful. I've not used Vizera so this something I can try out.

plasma_ring

Mollytabby said:

Thank you @plasma_ring , I love your tutorial! So easy to follow and I have all the programmes you mention so I found it particulary useful. I've not used Vizera so this something I can try out.

I'm so happy you found it helpful! :D I'd love to see what results you get from it. 

Mollytabby

plasma_ring said:

Mollytabby said:

Thank you @plasma_ring , I love your tutorial! So easy to follow and I have all the programmes you mention so I found it particulary useful. I've not used Vizera so this something I can try out.

I'm so happy you found it helpful! :D I'd love to see what results you get from it. 

I'll try and find some time this week to do something 

xmasrose

Thank you for sharing your process @plasma_ring. Very interesting.

Mollytabby

I had a play with an image I rendered months ago as a test and then never used. I didn't do any photoshop clean up post work on it and in hindsight I wish I had, because it would have been so much better with the hair sorted out. However I did have a lot of fun following through your process @plasma_ring  Viveza was really interesting and I'll definately be trying it out some more. Once I'd gone through all the stages I got a little carried away with using Topaz 2 and some of Ron's brushes,   It was a great way of experimenting, without the stress of trying to produce a perfect image (just doing graphics for fun ). I can't even remember all the settings I used in Topaz!

 

Artini

plasma_ring said:

Lately I've seen a lot of people asking beeple about his postwork process, and since I use similar filters (although he's far more skilled than I am!) I decided to post a little bit about it here. 

Since this is a learning thread, I should mention that the most useful tutorials and techniques I've picked up have been geared toward concept/production artists doing photobashing and matte painting. They often use a mix of 3D models and photographs, combining them into a cohesive whole. I'm not interested in fooling people into thinking I painted anything from scratch--as anyone who's spoken to me for five minutes knows, I never shut up about using 3D models--but I really love concept art for its own sake, especially since its purpose is to communicate strong ideas. 

The programs I use are Daz, Photoshop CC with the Nik Collection plugin (old free version), and Topaz Studio. I use TS 1&2 depending on which effect I want since there are some filters I like that aren't available in 2, but for this I'll be using 2. 

I'm no lighting expert, but one of the things that held me back from getting consistent results early on was not setting up my renders properly for postwork. As far as I can tell, there's no filter or action that will make an incorrectly-lit render look like a painting, and in fact it's more likely to make it look obviously filtered. One of the weirdest phenomenon I've ever seen is running a render through an oil paint action and having it look more like a photo--as in, it looked like I'd grabbed a stock photo off Google images and applied a filter to it.

Good lighting for a photorealistic render also won't necessarily translate to good lighting for postwork. I've gotten some decent results with sun-sky settings and HDRIs derived from photographs, but I usually have to do a little more post-processing. My best results have been from abstract image-based lighting and physical light combos, like ElianeCK's Dramatic Lights or PixelTizzyFit's Neon Splash Lighting Suite. Because of this, if I'm doing a complex scene rather than a portrait I often render the subject of a piece separate from their environment, matching the light temperature and direction to the scene itself so I can composite the render passes.

Below is an example of the differences lighting and even materials can make in postwork. The top image would work for magazine lighting, but after some processing it still looks a little nondescript and unfinished. It doesn't reflect the choices an artist would make in painting an interesting portrait. In the bottom version I used ColorWerks Extreme Hair Texture Blending shaders to control the highlights on her hair, and a combination of ElianeCK's lighting (also used in the top image) and Marshian's excellent Depth Lighting to create strong shadows and color contrast.

It's kind of like using wine in food--you start out with a flavor you like because the cooking just enhances what's already there. Or so they tell me; I'm scared to cook with wine. :V

Basic process

Using my glam catboy rock star as an example, here's how I usually go about getting a base paintover effect. 

Note: Because this involves creating lots of layers, if you have any part of the picture cut out with a transparent background it's helpful to clip subsequent versions of that layer to the original. Otherwise transparencies will build up over time and create an outline effect that's usually not desirable, especially around hair or other small details.

1) After taking the render into Photoshop and finishing any compositing/clipping cleanup I use Viveza, a feature of the Nik Collection. Structure makes image details sharper and more distinct, and in combination with curves, contrast, and saturation it can do a lot to clean up a render that didn't come out particularly strong. 

2) I use Photoshop's surface blur (radius = 5px, threshold = 9px), followed by Viveza > Structure again. Topaz Studio has an abstraction filter called BuzSim, but I've found that using this technique instead creates good abstraction results without losing any detail. Keep adjusting curves and contrast as needed, and it's always a good idea to create a new layer before experimenting!

3) Once the abstraction effect is where I want it, I open up the Topaz Studio 2 plugin through Photoshop's filter menu and use the AI Clear filter. This greatly sharpens up the details of the image without creating jagged pixelization or banding between colors. 

4) I duplicate that layer and take it back into TS2 to apply an Impression filter. You can play around with the brushstroke rotation, size, and opacity until it looks right. 

Most art filters don't give realistic results at full strength. Using blending modes and lowering the opacity on your impression layer will create a digital art brush stroke texture without removing detail.

5) And that's the base I use for further postwork! From there I add more filters, handpaint details, or whatever else I feel like doing. Adding textures helps a lot with the effect, especially distressed flat paper textures.

 

 

Very interesting. Thanks a lot for posting your workflow.

 

plasma_ring

Mollytabby said:

I had a play with an image I rendered months ago as a test and then never used. I didn't do any photoshop clean up post work on it and in hindsight I wish I had, because it would have been so much better with the hair sorted out. However I did have a lot of fun following through your process @plasma_ring  Viveza was really interesting and I'll definately be trying it out some more. Once I'd gone through all the stages I got a little carried away with using Topaz 2 and some of Ron's brushes,   It was a great way of experimenting, without the stress of trying to produce a perfect image (just doing graphics for fun ). I can't even remember all the settings I used in Topaz!

 

That looks awesome, @Mollytabby--thank you for sharing! I really love the colors you used and how the background frames her. 

xmasrose (aka tulipe) said:

Thank you for sharing your process @plasma_ring. Very interesting.

 

Artini said:

plasma_ring said:

Lately I've seen a lot of people asking beeple about his postwork process, and since I use similar filters (although he's far more skilled than I am!) I decided to post a little bit about it here. 

Since this is a learning thread, I should mention that the most useful tutorials and techniques I've picked up have been geared toward concept/production artists doing photobashing and matte painting. They often use a mix of 3D models and photographs, combining them into a cohesive whole. I'm not interested in fooling people into thinking I painted anything from scratch--as anyone who's spoken to me for five minutes knows, I never shut up about using 3D models--but I really love concept art for its own sake, especially since its purpose is to communicate strong ideas. 

The programs I use are Daz, Photoshop CC with the Nik Collection plugin (old free version), and Topaz Studio. I use TS 1&2 depending on which effect I want since there are some filters I like that aren't available in 2, but for this I'll be using 2. 

I'm no lighting expert, but one of the things that held me back from getting consistent results early on was not setting up my renders properly for postwork. As far as I can tell, there's no filter or action that will make an incorrectly-lit render look like a painting, and in fact it's more likely to make it look obviously filtered. One of the weirdest phenomenon I've ever seen is running a render through an oil paint action and having it look more like a photo--as in, it looked like I'd grabbed a stock photo off Google images and applied a filter to it.

Good lighting for a photorealistic render also won't necessarily translate to good lighting for postwork. I've gotten some decent results with sun-sky settings and HDRIs derived from photographs, but I usually have to do a little more post-processing. My best results have been from abstract image-based lighting and physical light combos, like ElianeCK's Dramatic Lights or PixelTizzyFit's Neon Splash Lighting Suite. Because of this, if I'm doing a complex scene rather than a portrait I often render the subject of a piece separate from their environment, matching the light temperature and direction to the scene itself so I can composite the render passes.

Below is an example of the differences lighting and even materials can make in postwork. The top image would work for magazine lighting, but after some processing it still looks a little nondescript and unfinished. It doesn't reflect the choices an artist would make in painting an interesting portrait. In the bottom version I used ColorWerks Extreme Hair Texture Blending shaders to control the highlights on her hair, and a combination of ElianeCK's lighting (also used in the top image) and Marshian's excellent Depth Lighting to create strong shadows and color contrast.

It's kind of like using wine in food--you start out with a flavor you like because the cooking just enhances what's already there. Or so they tell me; I'm scared to cook with wine. :V

Basic process

Using my glam catboy rock star as an example, here's how I usually go about getting a base paintover effect. 

Note: Because this involves creating lots of layers, if you have any part of the picture cut out with a transparent background it's helpful to clip subsequent versions of that layer to the original. Otherwise transparencies will build up over time and create an outline effect that's usually not desirable, especially around hair or other small details.

1) After taking the render into Photoshop and finishing any compositing/clipping cleanup I use Viveza, a feature of the Nik Collection. Structure makes image details sharper and more distinct, and in combination with curves, contrast, and saturation it can do a lot to clean up a render that didn't come out particularly strong. 

2) I use Photoshop's surface blur (radius = 5px, threshold = 9px), followed by Viveza > Structure again. Topaz Studio has an abstraction filter called BuzSim, but I've found that using this technique instead creates good abstraction results without losing any detail. Keep adjusting curves and contrast as needed, and it's always a good idea to create a new layer before experimenting!

3) Once the abstraction effect is where I want it, I open up the Topaz Studio 2 plugin through Photoshop's filter menu and use the AI Clear filter. This greatly sharpens up the details of the image without creating jagged pixelization or banding between colors. 

4) I duplicate that layer and take it back into TS2 to apply an Impression filter. You can play around with the brushstroke rotation, size, and opacity until it looks right. 

Most art filters don't give realistic results at full strength. Using blending modes and lowering the opacity on your impression layer will create a digital art brush stroke texture without removing detail.

5) And that's the base I use for further postwork! From there I add more filters, handpaint details, or whatever else I feel like doing. Adding textures helps a lot with the effect, especially distressed flat paper textures.

 

 

Very interesting. Thanks a lot for posting your workflow.

 

I'm happy you found it useful, and I'd love to see how it turns out for you if you try it out! 

xmasrose

Playing with Painter (from Humble bundle) and Topaz Impression :

gallery link

Mollytabby

Beautiful work, @xmasrose

 

plasma_ring

xmasrose (aka tulipe) said:

Playing with Painter (from Humble bundle) and Topaz Impression :

gallery link

That's really beautiful! 

Artini

Agree, great work, xmasrose.

 

xmasrose

Thank you very much.

I used autopainting in Painter and then ran it through Topaz Impression. This is the first time I used Painter. I am watching some videos to try to learn what I can do with it. Love Topaz Impression but I use it in a different way everytime so difficult to share settings for now. Still learning... 

philebus

xmasrose (aka tulipe) said:

I used autopainting in Painter and then ran it through Topaz Impression. This is the first time I used Painter. I am watching some videos to try to learn what I can do with it. Love Topaz Impression but I use it in a different way everytime so difficult to share settings for now. Still learning... 

Hi, I also use Painter, and ArtRage to produce faux paintings. Something you might want to try is going in and adding some hand-work. This adds a little human imprecision and literally paints over some of the elements that might still appear procedural, all helping add to the illusion. Filters and autopaint certainly do the heavy lifting but have a go with Painter's blenders afterwards. If you open the Artists Oils and look for the Blender Palette Knife, that will let you shift the colours around like they were paint on the canvas and getting you some easy brush strokes.

I also use Topaz Simplify - I believe its features have now been folded into Topaz Studio but its presents should still be there. I adjust my image for shadows and highlights, then brightness and contrast, and sometimes for colours. Then I copy a flattened image and paste back as a new layer which I ruth through the Topaz Oil Painting preset. With an eraser at 40% I bring back some of the details (particularly on the face). Now I export this into Painter or ArtRage, paint a background if needed and attack with the palette knife.

Mollytabby

philebus said:

xmasrose (aka tulipe) said:

I used autopainting in Painter and then ran it through Topaz Impression. This is the first time I used Painter. I am watching some videos to try to learn what I can do with it. Love Topaz Impression but I use it in a different way everytime so difficult to share settings for now. Still learning... 

Hi, I also use Painter, and ArtRage to produce faux paintings. Something you might want to try is going in and adding some hand-work. This adds a little human imprecision and literally paints over some of the elements that might still appear procedural, all helping add to the illusion. Filters and autopaint certainly do the heavy lifting but have a go with Painter's blenders afterwards. If you open the Artists Oils and look for the Blender Palette Knife, that will let you shift the colours around like they were paint on the canvas and getting you some easy brush strokes.

I also use Topaz Simplify - I believe its features have now been folded into Topaz Studio but its presents should still be there. I adjust my image for shadows and highlights, then brightness and contrast, and sometimes for colours. Then I copy a flattened image and paste back as a new layer which I ruth through the Topaz Oil Painting preset. With an eraser at 40% I bring back some of the details (particularly on the face). Now I export this into Painter or ArtRage, paint a background if needed and attack with the palette knife.

Thank you, @philebus  that's really useful information. I'm sort of jumping between Painter and Topaz Studio. Being very new to each, it's quite a learning curve. But lot's of fun all the same!

xmasrose

@philebus I always appreciate your covers so thank you very much for sharing tips.

What you recommend is just what I learned watching a Painter tut yesterday! Will try but it may take some time for me to get something good!

Simplify is not anymore in Topaz Studio under that name, it seems it was split into different filters. (Didn't purchase the original). I have Topaz Clean.