Stonemason Greenhouse Lighting Doesn't Match Promos (product works as intended)
barbult
Posts: 24,244
I bought Stonemason's Greenhouse product. I am having a problem with lighting it. The product comes with 6 camera presets and only 1 Render Settings preset that is labeled as Greenhouse Lights 01. It fairly accurately reproduces the lighting in the promo image for Greenhouse Camera 001, but not any of the other promo images. Stonemason often provides a render settings preset for each camera, but this product does not have that. So, I wonder if files are missing from the product or if this product content is just pared back to reduce cost, or what. I was hoping that when I saw a nice scene in the promo images, I would be able to add my character to that camera view and get similar lighting. That is not the case, so that is very disappointing. Of course I can modify the lighting any way I want, but that is a lot of trial and error, and so far, I have been unable to achieve satisfactory results. Are other people having similar issues with the Greenhouse? Any tricks I am not aware of?
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Let me post an example. Here is Greenhouse Camera 002 view in promo image and in my render with the supplied render settings applied.
Promo image
My render with product's render settings preset
Change the Tone Mapping settings. Raise the ISO to 200 or lower the speed to 60 or the F/Stop to 6. The promo image looks over exposed. Yours actually looks properly exposed believe it or not :)
I agree that the promo looks a little washed out. The problem is that the lighting is from a different angle. It is not just a matter of tone mapping. Look at how the pavement is lit in the promo and completely dark in my render. Look at how the pavement and stairs in the promo have a fairly sharp shadow on it. You can see that trees and grass and ivy are lit in the promo and completely dark in my render. Here is a render of the same scene with adjusted tone mapping. The scene is not as dark, but the light angle is not the same as the promo.
There's a strong light coming, apparently through a window on the right, that's missing in your render. Well it looks like sunlight, sorry don't own the product, but I don't think this is a tonemapping issue...
I agree. It is not just a tone mapping issue. It as issue with the direction of the sunlight.
Exposure to 9 and rotate the dome.
I thought there had been a previous thread on this, but a search is not turning it up - whether the fault is my memory or my search fu I do not know.
You can tell something is different; the light on the post and the background are brighter. Promo: They might have an increased lumination setting on the post light or increase the ISO. It seems like a subtle atmosphere, but it might have some illuminating properties there. Yes, it has post-work. I see many things that could be done to get that look. If I get a dark Image from the light from the background, I'll put a mirror behind the camera to reflect the light into the scene, but that doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about or how to do it for that Promo Image.
Here is another example, to demonstrate that the lighting difference is not a tone mapping issue.
Camera 5 Promo Image
Camera 5 Render with the provided render settings
Looking at your camera 2 example I was thinking that you could achieve a similar look using a Ghost Light Kit type of emissive panel up top. But that's probably not how it was done. Stonemason tends to use the sun-sky system. I recently got into it myself, after doing a render with this very Greenhouse. I really like it now.
Do you have https://www.daz3d.com/iray-sun-sky-system ? If yes, you could try the various render presets to see if you can achieve similar result.
Thank you for looking into it, Stonemason. I do not believe it is just a tone mapping problem. The light in the promo images for cameras 2 through 6 come from a different direction than the light from the only render settings preset in the product. I posted some comparisons above, I have a set of comparison images (promo vs. render) for each camera. Only camera 1 render lighting matches the promo image. This kind of makes sense, because the render settings preset in the product is named Greenhouse Lights 01. But there are no render settings presets for cameras 2 through 6.
I don't have that product, but I have tried manually rotating the sun/sky. I have tried manually changing date and time. I have even tried rotating the sun/sky or X and Z axes a little. I have tried hiding some of the backdrop images that might be in the way of the sun/sky. I tried using a spotlight as the sun node so I could aim it. I just cannot find a combination that gives the light angle in the promo images 2 through 6 (each promo might have different settings, too.).
OK, Thanks for confirming your intent and process.
new render preset attached which is slightly brighter than the default one,
use Longitude,Latitude and Dome Rotation to position where the sunlight falls
Thank you, I'll give it a try tomorrow. It is very late here now.
This is my render. I was able to get the sun-sky close enough to what I wanted. I ended up doing post processing anyway to puch it up for a more fantasy tone.
@barbult: it is really beautiful! Couldn't find it in the gallery, so i am commenting here
Thank you, mding. I almost never use the gallery any more.
Great image! And I have a companion piece for it.
I can still remember that one, @lou_harper, and i still like it very much!
Thank you both. :) I like how modular this greenhouse is. You could easily take it apart and build a new structure of the pieces.
I just ran across this thread today. I don't usually use cameras that come with products, but I love the Greenhouse and Stonemason's Render Settings options in general. I'll have to check this out.