I'm sure this question has been asked a million times...

craanbery

But what is the best way to get photorealistic renders? I understand all the basics like using light and the best materials, but I have seen some realistic-looking renders with the models in particular. The picture you see attached is about the norm for me. It's ok, but this is not the level of realism that I am happy with. Are there ultra higher quality materials that I need to make myself or is it all in the lighting or something? I have tried to light in every way possible

craanbery

craanbery said:

But what is the best way to get photorealistic renders? I understand all the basics like using light and the best materials, but I have seen some realistic-looking renders with the models in particular. The picture you see attached is about the norm for me. It's ok, but this is not the level of realism that I am happy with. Are there ultra higher quality materials that I need to make myself or is it all in the lighting or something? I have tried to light in every way possible

This picture is it by an artist named Jeff that looks very realistic to me. I have contacted him but not have heard back yet but I would like to replicate something along these lines

Sevrin

It's not a simple thing.  You might want to follow this really long photorealism thread.

https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/313401/iray-photorealism#latest

SixDs

"Are there ultra higher quality materials that I need to make myself"

In a way, you have answered this question yourself with the example in your second post. Using very detailed texture maps that display every pore and bit of peach fuzz is not going to make the difference, since the example of "Jeff"'s work is quite photorealistic, yet such minute details cannot be detected. Moreover, many actual photographs of real people look real, and yet they do not display such minute details either. So something else obviously must be at play. What that is is the subject of the rather long discussion Sevrin refers to, and others. For the most part, the verdict still seems to be out, IMO.

Okay, so that may not be particularly helpful, but you do have the basis for exploring the issue yourself, by looking at what differences there are between your render and Jeff's. At the risk of offending you by seeming overly critical, it is only by looking at what the second image has that yours does not that you can get closer to the answer. Lets look at lighting, for example. In your image the subject seems to be somewhat overexposed. See how the lighting seems to blow out her facial features. Also the shadows are quite harsh. Compare that to the Jeff image re exposure and shadows. To look at another aspect, lets talk poses. Is the character in your render a robot or a mannequin? Because she is posed like one (I'm not even sure that a real person could sit sideways on a couch like that). The character is sitting shock upright, squared shoulders, straight-on to the camera, completely expressionless, like she's posing for a mugshot or a passport photo. Look at the character in the Jeff render for comparison. The camera is not straight-on and level, and the pose is more natural (and interesting). These things alone may not make all the difference, but as Sevrin has said "It's not a simple thing", and is probably the sum of a great number of different things that come together and suggest "real".