Getting that airy, light look for interiors

[MANUEL_MOUSIOL]

Doing a lot of interiors lately and I am a bit struggling with a natural, light, airy look.
Just one example would be Bertrand Benoits renderings like this: http://bertrand-benoit.com/blog/emmas-place-v-ray/
it seems like light is everywhere but still shadows are nicely defined.
Do I just open up more windows, so to speak, to let more light in?
Because right now I am going in and adding vray plane lights to fill up the dark spots, but that is far from natural...
Of course that is debatable when it comes to interior photography. I have never worked in that business, and maybe there is also a lot of artificial lighting going on.
But for a natural, airy look, what would you guys recommend?
In the old days I think there was the option to bump up the GI multiplier, but not with GPU rendering anymore (unless it is somewhere hidden).
Maybe just raise the shadows in post and then add contrast? But Bertrands images look really good raw already...I am a little lost, haha

[M.Max]

I think you could find some info here (read the comments too)
I might be able to add more later when things calm down here

[MANUEL_MOUSIOL]

Thanks you Bertrand. I read the post. And right now working with ArionFX and then brightening the shadows a little further in Capture One works pretty well. But my renderings are nowhere as bright and airy as yours. Either the sun coming in is burning everything close to the window out and then the rest is nicely bright or there is no burn and everything is dark.
here is a rendering (composed in photoshop of lightselects) and the edit:

[M.Max]

Thanks you Bertrand

lool I'm not Bertrand

[M.Max]

Sorry but I should have wrote reply in a more clear way
I meant I would like to add to the Discussion here but I'm busy fightng with a tight deadline and messy project.
Sorry for inconvenience

[MANUEL_MOUSIOL]

lool I'm not Bertrand

Lol, but I'm am an idiot . Too much time Infront of the computer.. My eyes fooled me into thinking that the link description was your signature. Even though we already talked in another thread.
my apologies

Good luck with the messy project. Maybe you have time afterwards!

[glorybound]

It's a struggle for sure. I have been exposing with just exterior lights on and adding interiors with real-world power later, or vice versa. PS's camera Raw Auto also help to balance the light, but usually at like 40%.

[MANUEL_MOUSIOL]

Camera raw is similar to capture one, right? No 32bit and it would brighten the shadows?

[glorybound]

No, no 32 bit, which is lame!

[francomanko]

are you using the burn value on the reinhard color mapping? To reduce the outside glare?

[MANUEL_MOUSIOL]

in Arionfx you mean? I am using the randomcontrol tonemapping and yes, doing a lot of tonemapping to reduce the burn. But I am just not content with my raw render.

[francomanko]

ah no i meant the color mapping setting in vray.

[MANUEL_MOUSIOL]

oh yeah, using reinhard. although I read somewhere that linear multiply would help with the burns..havent tried it out. suggestions?

[MANUEL_MOUSIOL]

Oh you mean the burn value in the color mapping? never touched it actually...

[PGD]

This is an interesting one and I'm interested to hear how you get on too.

Try colour mapping burn value lower at 0.3 - 0.5 to reduce bright areas.

In reality, the camera sensor couldn't cope with full sunshine coming in through the windows AND expose for shadows as well. You'd bracket the exposures and blend in PS (one exposure for the bright areas, then a longer exposure to capture the dark areas) Better still you'd wait until the Sun light wasn't so bright, moving towards dusk. Only then can you get the scene in one exposure.