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Is that the same surface set up just with different lighting?
One of the problems with this long thread is that there is a big difference between 4.8 and 4.9... so there is a lot of confusing and now outdated information...
i did many tests with devibrance, desaturate, "greyish" textures...... and while it did improve results in 4.8. i dont see a need for this anymore in 4.9.
@Kaboom... you can try my standard reference settings which i used to compear different reference scans/textures and see if you like the results better then yours.
i miss skin glossines on your render - the map in glossines weight is to dark...(looks like you have a dark specular map there)
i use really a high glossines amount on all my renders - it is important to understand that in HDRi environments the light is mostly diffuse - so when you think under studio light it is to much.. it migh be perfect for outside light.
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for a test, remove the map and set glossiness weight to 1.. and glossines to 0.7 - 0.8.. then do some renders with different environments.
Also SSS amount is confusing - because SSS = sss amount / scattering distance.... Different settings can be the same: example... 2 / 1 0.2/0.1 1/0.5.. all have as result 2.... the result number 2 is the real SSS amount "in the shader code)...
This are some important "things" which we figured out over the last months here in this community...
if you want more SSS in your shader .. just make the scattering distance smaller..... i use mostly distance 0.1 and SSS amount 1... ( 1 / 0,1 = 10 real value).. you have a way lower SSS effect right now.
SSS direction i use 0.1... this means i also get a good amount "backwards" scattering.. makes the skin looking more soft in my eyes (good to see in extrem closeups).
So here are again the settings which i had used for all posted reference skin renders to this thread since 4.9...
a very easy simple setting which looks great in all light conditions is:
Diffuse AND translucency map are identical
translucency weight 0.45
translucency -> diffuse map plus color to pure white
modes always scatter and transmitt
transmitted color to the final "wish" face color (you can pick the color from a reference photo)
transmitted distance about 2
sss distance 0.1
sss amount 1
sss phase 0.1
glossiness color -> pure white
specular color ->51, 51, 51 (51 - 59 mapped )
Glossiness weight 1 (mapped are only eyebrows with about 0.3-0.5 )
Glossiness 0.7 - 0.8 ( mapped 0.5 - 0.8)
No Top coat
If you are not happy with the skin tone - > just adjust the base texture in photoshop! this settings working well since 4.9 and come most close to wysiwig with your original texture but IRAY always renders a tad darker using translucency.. so just add a little bit gamma right in the original texture or DAZ shader... (dont use brightness! use gamma or curves)
Using this settings we have easy control over:
To glossy... reduce glossiness weight to 0.8
To glowing (clipping to reddish on the head) in strong sunlight : reduce transmitted color distance from 2 to < 1
Thanks Andy. Noted.
I'm pretty happy with my skin right now for Bruna for Dawn from Hivewire but have begun to experiment with haircolors that I made a while back. Do you have some basic iRay settings to bring out allot of detail without too much gloss on the hair? I've found that looking over others settings to learn from I've found with some of the hairs out there, older and even new, with more simplistic STRIPS of geometry and only a couple of layers deep I've found that there seems to be no way to get a really tightness on the hair colors to bring out individual hairs. Even added in a normal map (set to 1.00) as well as ridid the bump map and have that set to 2.00 but still can't get things to POP!
Thanks for the help in understanding this a bit more.... hopefully.........
Hairs are very difficult... if i try to get a photorealistic render, i avoid long hairs as much as possible
... i prefer bold womens maybe 
.
Serious: . it depends a lot on the geometry, density and general the quality of the used hair product. ..lesser on the shader settings in my eyes.
the main difference to other shaders is that you must play around with glossy anysotropy - this parameter let's you control the direction of the shine on hairs which are very important for a realistic result.
OK. Thanks for the advice! :-)
something else which i usally do:
Most hair products iray shaders use a very high reflectivity and a hair color shade as specular/glossy color..... i change that...
Specular/glossy on hair is also a grey! to compensate the difference in highlights.. i REDUCE reflectivity. and make the hairs rougher.. here a quick example:
Render one: Standard IRAY product shader -> a good one but looks like painted to me
Render two: Quick change - > glossy color to grey -> reflectivity from 1 down to 0.5 -> roughness up to 0.4....
Render two looks more alive like hairs now... just some iterations for demonstration.
Good advice. I'll have to play with that.... for now this is full on render. Just photoshopped in the settings, that's all...
Wish there was a way to supress the spread but inhance the specular on the bumped up threads. As you can see I have all three going, bump, normal and displacement to get things popping more..
it depends on how many different layers the hairs have... maybe you did set the same bumpdisp/normal strength for all layers ? try to use different values on each layer.
Also i think you have now to less glossines...
try this for a start:
glossy color 0.54, 0.54, 0.54
glossy reflectivity 0.5
glossiness roughness 0.3
glossy anisotropy 0.8
glossy anisotrpy rotations 0.25
Now you should be able to control the effect with the glossy color..... you want more shine use a brigther grey... lower shine a darker grey,
the blackhairs in this render use exatly this values - the original is in the background. -> the blackhairs - base (color) set to 20, 20, 20 on the brown texture.
OK, I'll give that a try Andy. thanks again!
If that is directed at me...yes that is the same setup except I cranked up the back light.
@AndyGrimm thanks so much for every bit of info in this thread. I am rendering a scene now and will post my result as soon as it is done. My computer is so old and weak now :(
transmitted color to the final "wish" face color (you can pick the color from a reference photo
What does this mean exactly. What is a "wish" face color? (sorry I started reading backwards once I realized that skin is different in 4.9 than 4.8) I was already confused. now I am really really confused.
I think it refers to the color you wish for the face to be in the final render.
right - i normaly have some reference photos open on my screen which match the base texture type which i try to setup .... in other words if i want a pale skin.. i google a nice portrait image of a pale model and use this as reference for my setup... i pick the transmitted color from this image usally somehwere on the forehead or cheeks on a area without highlights..
here a example... and why i call it now wysiwyg....
reference photo - token in studiolight, color neutral (close to 5,25k)
Image one: reference -> very pale skin... measured on the forehead ...
Image two: Adjusting the base texture with curves to match the values of the reference skin....
(Image removed as copyrighted texture. Please add a watermark to the texture area.)
Edit: original uploader -> Free Gen3 Base texture
Here is the black hair again... using allot of your suggestions. Really wish I could get tighter, brighter play on the "strands" but perhaps it's the lighting in the scene. I'm trying to keep it all as neutral as I can for when I do promo's (ie' low to no shadows)....
2. Setting up the reference studio scene
image one - checking ligh source in her eyes refelction = there is only a camera flash, normaly 5.25 k light color (neutral)... camera with portrait lense usally a 85 or 105.. based on the reflection size - the photographer is close to her.. so i go with a 85mm...
image two: setting up a similar scene....Spotlight set to geometry - rectangle with flash size... i use 8 x 5 cm rectangle... lightcolor 5.25....10000 luminous flux...
the spotlight sits right on the camera......
3... doing a quick test render...using my reference shader settings from above. and compear the results in photoshop
image 1... comes close allready,, but about 5% to much red..... going back to the base texture and remove 5% red...
(Image removed as copyrighted texture. Please add a watermark to the texture area.)
and that's how she looks now after taking a touch red away..... next i make the same for the lips, they are now a little bit to pale.. and she needs the same eyes as the reference..
Edit: Slow rendering has the advantage that i have time to study the reference image,,,, i often have the render image open while the reference image is in photoshop riight next to it.... same as the uploaded screenshot 2 shows:-)...
While matching the lip colors i also decided that the lips need to be more glossy.... that was the only change in the shader settings yet... glossiness is now 0.9 for the lips.
@forumadmin @Cris Palomino - i am using the free fem base3 texture for demonstration... while i dont have a problem with copyrights.. i think it goes a little bit to far to remove free for everybody available textures which i post in a screenshoot IN photoshop with a resolution of maybe 800 pixel... posted as a tutorial... you really want me to watermark it and upload again?
Please realize that we have no way of knowing the sources from which things are posted. Had it been copyrighted, even if it's a small image, you still want to protect the work of others. You can assist us by giving the source when you post so there is no question.
Well - i did not expect that DAZ people dont recognize a GEN3 base figure/texture
,, sorry just kidding... i will give the source from now on in my postings.. because there are and will be also work of my own which could be removed too in this case. No problem.
Before i correct and improve now details - i test the skin and lip colors in different environments.... i know that the shader settings are working well.. so i just render some iterations to check skin color under different lights for demonstration.. the results are ok, very pale (the reference model is famouse for beeing one of the palest photomodels around - .. and the skin reacts well to different light...
A really, really pale model: http://greatbritt.tumblr.com/post/36067141864/nastya-zhidkova-by-danil-golovkin-in-wild-flower
To make it complete for tonight... the shader settings as screenshot.
Note: After setting up using the posted values i only worked in the base texture to show how i create other skin tones/types using this shader settings. It looks well also with standard DAZ textures... image 2 -> gen3 base.. nothing changed in textures .. same settings.
Next would then be to add maps (nothing is mapped yet - except the original bump is there).
Hope that cleared up what i meant with "wish" face/skin color - and how to pick transmitted color or create a skin tone from scratch.
@Kerya
Yes - they call her the most beautyful albino in the world.. i saw her too as i googled for a "pale" photomodel.... i did not pick her because this skin type is - usally white powdered.to hide to much transparency... but she looks fascinating.
Thank you! Okay I thought that was it but you know, if I assume, I would be wrong and it would be some tiny hidden icon somewhere lol. My brain is pretty much exploding right now but I am taking notes so hopefully once I have a couple or three uninterrupted hours I can try some of this.
Here are my latest tests. Pretty much followed andys settings. Adjusted gamma on diffuse maps.
a. uses 1spotlight setup as softbox, 1spot setup as smaller backlight and a simple hdri for fill
b. is the pixar hdri rotated to give roughly the same light direction as a
Now my next step is to make/find a really good bump/normal. She is a young character so I need balance between good micro for spec but still maintain softness.
also have to play on with eye and hair shaders and I want to have better eyebrows...maybe sculpt in zbrush?!
Great info about "wish color", do I put that in transmitted even if I make a diffuse texture that is closer to wish color??
Thanks again for all the info.