Manitou House

[glorybound]

What am I missing? What will I study in 2024 to make my images better? Years ago, you guys told me to buy a camera, which I did, and I studied photography hard, and it helped. I have studied color theory and composition, but to tell you the truth, that is out of my hands on most projects. Clients want everything in one shot. My images are missing something. On this one, I have to work on the roof and paint out some repeating wood patterns, but that probably isn't the issue. It just lacks something. I have learned that subtle is the key, so I must find one subtle thing to make the difference.

However, here is an image that my client got from another guy. He went cheap and got what he paid for. My client asked about the environment, and this guy said that he didn't quote the environment because it wasn't in the CAD files sent.

[glorybound]

Just swapping the sky makes a world of difference. Can anyone recommend the best sky package available? I have looked, and the ones I have seen are mostly these wacky ones that I would never use in an image. Here is one, but again, a lot of wacky ones - https://www.skyreplacementpack.com/

[dayna_beaver]

I think it looks pretty good Bobby... definitely a Bobby Parker image!


The only thing I would add is geometry detailing. Treat every piece like an individual asset. What are your shading networks looking like?

For 2024 if you have extra time in between all your work! Maybe check these out:

3d modeling: Arrimus 3d

Texturing: Take a look in Mari (Most use substance, but with Mari you build everything from scratch which leaves you with a pretty good foundation of how textures work)

Post: Davinci resolve

For backplates, I have a hunch that Mark is sitting on some pretty solid ones...!

Anyway, just my 2 cents, great work as always!

[glorybound]

Well, the modeling is what it is. I model from the CAD, and some projects have more detail than others. This one had a lot of wood, so I had to align the UVWs for each piece. I have a subscription to Poliigon for textures, and if I can't find it there, I can find it on the SketchUp Texture site. I think post-production is the key, and I need to focus more on that. I need to concentrate on depth, making the house pop more.

https://www.foundry.com/products/mari - that is a new one for me. I'll check it out.

Here is a new roof.

[dayna_beaver]

Every time I watch something from Arrimus, I learn 10 new things! If you do look into Mari, check into Zak Boxall. I think he should still have a free tutorial on youtube which is really good. His paid content is really good too.

It's a little more time consuming (Then UVW), but Rizom is a great unwrapping tool. You can orientate everything correctly and set resolutions accordingly. Good for some projects and not needed for others I guess.

I think a lot of great renderings also have a lot of post work, which never really gets shared. I definitely need to spend more time on that side this year... amongst every thing else!

Your renderings always have a great look Bobby and your style is consistent. Looking forward to your future work!

[glorybound]

Thank you, Dayna! I watch a lot of photography YouTubers, and what makes their work stand out is color-grading. Everyone has a camera, but not everyone can take good photos. Everyone has a computer, but not everyone can create a good rendering. Some of these photographers have the same camera I have, but their photos are stunning; mine are okay and getting better. They'll go out and take one photo and spend hours color grading. I take 100's and mass edit using Camera RAW. I spend about 15 minutes per rendering color-grading. I try to color grade in a way that it can be reproduced so all my images look like I did it, and so when the client makes changes, I can apply the same color grading. I'll do the same thing in the future; I think I'll spend more time separating my houses from everything else. Stay tuned!

[suzanne_doherty]

I personally like the lighting more in your 1st post, it has better contrast, better highlights. However I think you could push this further. If you're not using Filmic Tone Mapping, then give that a try for a more dynamic shot. Don't be afraid of contrast when you have strong lighting like you have with the sun light.

Also, I'd be curious to see the light coming from the right. I kind of feel that a lot of the house is in shadow, and my eyes dance around the image too much, without a clear focal point.

I think you also need to try and add depth into the shot. Foreground, mid and background. At the moment, it all blends into one.

Foreground benefit from more foliage close to the camera, or even just using a bit of DOF on the trees and background.

Regarding realism, your materials look a bit flat to me, maybe lacking reflection and glossiness? Maybe a few camera effects would help too, a bit of bloom, noise, vignette. Just be careful to not over do it!

[glorybound]

It's all good, and I agree with them all. Thank you!

Foreground, midground, and background are fundamentals, and I used to pay special attention to that. However, clients want nothing in front of their masterpiece, so it is removed. I guess I got used to removing it, and I don't bother. I might mask the whole house each time and boost its brightness so it pops. I have tried Filmic Tone Mapping, but it flattens things out too much. It is almost like log, which is meant to be color-graded in post.