Rendering Look dull

[jackieteh]

Hi, My client complain this image look flat and dull, i have make a lot of version until now i still cannot get it right, hoping someone here could give me some help.
Regarding to my client, i cannot change any color in the scene, for example: change the light grey wall to orange, or change the dark grey wall to red and etc, but i can change the plants and tree, but cannot use too saturation color...
may i know how to improve with all the condition above?

ps: I hope i have posted in the correct forum.

[ijzerman86]

Lose the kid on the front, maybe something like this?

[Morne]

You need to add reflection and bump to EVERYTHING, not just the windows.
Adding reflection will give you some specular light variation.
You can also add a vrayedgestex in all bump slots to give objects some round corners (like walls, columns frames etc) between 3 and 5mm will do. You double up the edgestex in a VRayComptex if you also want to add a normal bump in there (walls are hardly ever super smooth)

Doing this is a quick way to add depth to the render as you'll get some nice subtle highlights etc which will make it less flat.

Stick in a couple multimatte render elements and use it in PS to mask additional reflection and specular from reflection and specualr render elements. Stick those elements in add mode and play with the opacity.
Also stick some more trees or fake buildings BEHIND the camera so the ground floor windows has something extra to reflect

[Ihno]

Not much to add to what ijzerman86 did with his edit and morne said.
Just one thing:
Do you use vray sun/sky?
The shadows seem a bit harsh to me.
Try to use a nice HDRI with some clouds to get a less uniform lighting.

[jackieteh]

Lose the kid on the front, maybe something like this?

Hi I show your version to my client, he comment as below:

1) The dark grey is not dark enough
2) Too much cloud on the sky
3) And the white is too white, he said he want off white not completely white
4) He ask why all the tree in front are blur

I also don't know what he really want, my version he comment too dull, shadow too dark and look flat, yours one he say dark grey is not dark enough...

[jackieteh]

You need to add reflection and bump to EVERYTHING, not just the windows.
Adding reflection will give you some specular light variation.
You can also add a vrayedgestex in all bump slots to give objects some round corners (like walls, columns frames etc) between 3 and 5mm will do. You double up the edgestex in a VRayComptex if you also want to add a normal bump in there (walls are hardly ever super smooth)

Doing this is a quick way to add depth to the render as you'll get some nice subtle highlights etc which will make it less flat.

Stick in a couple multimatte render elements and use it in PS to mask additional reflection and specular from reflection and specualr render elements. Stick those elements in add mode and play with the opacity.
Also stick some more trees or fake buildings BEHIND the camera so the ground floor windows has something extra to reflect

I will give it a try...thank you for your input

[jackieteh]

Not much to add to what ijzerman86 did with his edit and morne said.
Just one thing:
Do you use vray sun/sky?
The shadows seem a bit harsh to me.
Try to use a nice HDRI with some clouds to get a less uniform lighting.

HDRI rendering slow, my daily work always rush, rush, rush..so vray sun and vray sky is the best for fast rendering

[urbanite]

well, a lot to change and I agree with client comments.. If you do not feel comfortable with PS I would recommend to stick to 3d as now to many element stand out because of the wrong lighting. I would repaint he glass to make it more bluish, add some interiors, add some glossines to the materials if you do not paint in PS, reduce the white to make some variation with it, put more tree shadows on the street, replace PS street with other image as now it looks badly placed, replace people with correct lighting and colors as not the stand out a lot, add some flowers with warm colors as now it is to toxic, proper grass not texture, cropped it differently - cut at the bottom where you have nothing interesting and add more sky, rather cloudless. Just at the first glance...

[jackieteh]

well, a lot to change and I agree with client comments.. If you do not feel comfortable with PS I would recommend to stick to 3d as now to many element stand out because of the wrong lighting. I would repaint he glass to make it more bluish, add some interiors, add some glossines to the materials if you do not paint in PS, reduce the white to make some variation with it, put more tree shadows on the street, replace PS street with other image as now it looks badly placed, replace people with correct lighting and colors as not the stand out a lot, add some flowers with warm colors as now it is to toxic, proper grass not texture, cropped it differently - cut at the bottom where you have nothing interesting and add more sky, rather cloudless. Just at the first glance...

Hi thank you for so much input.

as you mention wrong lighting, do you mean i need to place my vraysun in difference position? how to add variation to a white wall?

i will try all your comments and show a draft to my client, hoping he will like it.

[urbanite]

5 min work but I was thinking about something like this. about white I was thinking about reducing the white value in rendering and then add some brightness to certain elements in ps. replace the people.

[urbanite]

and more stuff in front of the building would help to make the reflection more interesting. right now looks like there is nothing there beside few trees, adding more and in different distance will do the trick.

[francomanko]

the bottom part of image is confusing, the pavement dirt texture repeat is too obvious, and the foreground trees are too contrasty., also maybe add a slight bloom in photoshop (duplicate layer, guassian blur, desaturate and set layer to screen, and reduce layer opacity)

[glorybound]

The first thing I think is, how much did they pay for it? We have to know our current limitations, and so does our clients. I know of places that charge upwards of $5000 for an interior. I would love too, however, I am not there yet. If a client hires me, paying me for a $2000 image, expecting to get a $5000 image, nobody will be happy. Did they see your portfolio? Is the image they paid for as good or better? I know it might not be the comment you expected, but it is what I thought.

[squintnic]

I dont think it can be saved. I would try and apply these tips to your next image

[jackieteh]

urbanite, wow! myself like your version a lot. but my client comment the tree is blocking the house, which mean have block their design.