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Scene lighted with 3-point lighting gets darker after adding hdri image

ps2000ps2000 Posts: 278
in New Users

Hello,

I have a maybe stupid question. I lighted a scene with a 3-point lighting system and later added a hdri image to better light out the scenery. But I noticed that the figure in the render became darker. Shouldn't it become brighter because I add an additional light source? Maybe it's a fallacy on my part. 

Attached are two renders which point out my issue. The first is a scene only lighted with a three-point lighting system. The second has an hdri-image (RuinsB) added.

3pointlgt.png
1920 x 1080 - 899K
3pointlgt+hdri.png
1920 x 1080 - 912K

Comments

  • FishtalesFishtales Posts: 6,119
    edited September 2019

    The HDRI is overwhelming your lights. Try dropping the Environment Map Intensity until the lights balance out. Either that or you have the Environment set to Dome Only rather than Dome and Scene.

    Post edited by Fishtales on
  • ps2000ps2000 Posts: 278

    I have set it on dome and scene. I will try to drop the map intensity. Could increasing the lumen of the lights alse be an option?

    Thanks.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,833

    So you added the HDRI by selecting it from the Editor tab of Render Settings, not by applying a preset?

  • ps2000ps2000 Posts: 278

    I added it with scene builder under presets. 

    I also tried reduceing the environment intensity like fishtales suggested but the render then gets darker and not brighter.

    This image was rendered with 0.7 intensity:

    hdrii3pointlight0.7.png
    1920 x 1080 - 911K
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,833

    If you added via a preset it may well have changed the tone Mapping settings too, which control the brightness. Of coruse adding the HDRI to a scene set for local lights may produce blown out lighting unless you turn the intensity down.

  • ps2000ps2000 Posts: 278

    I checked the tone mapping settings, they are the same. I don't really understand how the darker hdri-lighting blows out my brighter 3-point-lighting setup. I would understand it if the hdri image were brighter than my manually set up lights and I would get an overall brighter lighted figure maybe even an overexposed figure. But it's the opposite in my case. 

  • JonnyRayJonnyRay Posts: 1,744

    You don't say so, but I assume you're rendering in Iray?

    The first thing I noticed was in your original image there is only a shadow from the main light to the left of the camera. Normally with a 3-light setup, I'd expect to see at least a faint shadow from the Fill and Key lights as well. How do you have your lights configured?

    Second, I notice that the strong shadow from your first image is gone completely. That suggests to me that the render isn't using your original lights at all. I would check to make sure of the following...

    1. Environment is set to Dome and Scene (I know you said it was, but if it were me, I'd recheck anyway since loading the HDRI could have changed it)
    2. Make sure the lights are still there (seems weird, but I've seen strange issues where I thought I was loading render settings, but I was loading a scene which deleted stuff I already had setup)
    3. Check the parameters on the lights to make sure they are set to Photometric mode. (If Studio thought you were going to try a 3Delight render to start, it may have turned that off; and Iray won't recognize not photometric lights)
    4. If Dome and Scene was set correctly in Step 1, try switching to Scene Only and see if it renders with your lights again
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