LWF seems washed out. HELP!

[mr. a]

With my very limited experience in LWF, I have already seen dramatic improvements with the amount of light I add to a scene, although I have a few questions as everything seems a little washed out:

1) Is LWF strctly to be used with the VRAY Physical Camera? (I am currently using standard max cameras)

2) Using Linear Multiply as the color mapping type, I am leaving all the values at default as I think changing them will be back to the same old guessing game 'pre-LWF'. Do you guys change these values?

3) How do I determine if a map needs to be gamma corrected or not?

4) I am just picking colors from the max color picker? Correct or should I be using the color correct plug-in or something else.

I like the ease with wich I can light scenes now, but need more contrast!

[instinct]

wrong section as this section is meant to POST tips, not to ask for them :P

Anyways:

1) I am using it with a Max Cam to. No idea if there's a reason not to do so. But it does the trick
2) I leave eveything at default except gamma to 2.2 and "Adaption only" to ON (but that's only for newer betas, otherwise everything default)
3) i'd guess all need 2.2 gamma unless you got MAX's bitmap input gamma on. Only maps that were not gammacorrected BEFORE max wouldnt need it
4) I use VrayColour to be able to pick colours as usual and gamma correct them. Usually colours WILL have to be darker for LWF Scenes

Regards,
Thorsten

P.S. if i told bullshit someone correct me :P

[sv]

P.S. if i told bullshit someone correct me Razz

no, not at all. spot on.

[mr. a]

2) I leave eveything at default except gamma to 2.2 and "Adaption only" to ON

Don't know where the "adaptation" setting is.
I tried the linear color mapping with bright and dark multipliers at 1.o and changed the gamma there to 2.2- it came out worse.

???

[Sawyer]

Gamma adjustment washes everything out - thats what it does. What you need to make sure you are doing is compensating for the lightening of the image by darkeing the materials you use.

[instinct]

Read closer :P The adaption setting is only available in newer betas. and all it does it adapt the sampling to LWF as LWF scenes tend to be undersampled.

Otherwise leave it at default settings and adapt your maps, colours and lights for LWF.

Regards,
Thorsten

[mr. a]

thanks guys

[joconnell]

It seems that most people get tripped up trying to convert an old scene to lwf and things look bad seeing as you originally set up the scene with darker lighting - it ends up being a pain in the ass to get it behaving. You're possibly better off starting with a blank scene, setting up the lighting on an override grey material and then starting on your materials - since you're making the materials with the linear lighting already in place you'll make your materials to what looks correct in lwf - as thorsten mentioned your materials will probably end up using darker settings than you'd use in non lwf scenes.

[mr. a]

You're possibly better off starting with a blank scene, setting up the lighting on an override grey material and then starting on your materials - since you're making the materials with the linear lighting already in place you'll make your materials to what looks correct in lwf

Great point......Will give it a shot starting from scratch. Maybe my headache will cease.

Thanks joconnell

[pengo]

Maybe U use yet and I misunderstood but if u use LWF as suggested in all the thread related u should not have so washed out color.
I mean u could if for example not use vray VFB because if u use max vfb and u put gamma in color mapping to 2.2 (and as suggested u put 2.2 in max preferences to gamma imput, output, and DISPLAY gamma too) u get two times gamma correction applyed.
I hope it helps
have nice day

[themaxxer]

hello

I used the LWF for the first time. My settings are these...
max preferences:
Gamma 2.2
Input gamma: 2.2

Bitmap files
Input Gamma : 2.2
Output Gamma: 1

vray color mapping settings:
gamma correction 2.2

rendering using VFB: you got burn in gamma 2.2

...BUT





the whole linear workflow is buggy. It has too little black in the image, and if I want to correct this it's like I never used LWF!!

I make something wrong.

best regards
themaxxer

[crazy homeless guy]

rendering using VFB: you got burn in gamma 2.2

saving in a HDR format will eliminate the need to burn gamma into the image.

[priad]

Why always trying to reproduce a scheme?
We have too intellectualized the LWF IMO, that's just one parameter which is adapted or no to your workflow, try different gammas and see the result gamma 2.2 wouldn't be responsible about a washed out image or less.
Remember that if there were a one solution button and if it was called LWF in the next realise we'll have a LWF button which settup all for that, but no.
that's a good method for someone and a bad for someone else.
No offend wanted

[instinct]

the whole linear workflow is buggy. It has too little black in the image, and if I want to correct this it's like I never used LWF!!

I make something wrong.

best regards
themaxxer

Did you render the same scene with the same settings ? tjem yes, you did something wrong. You need to work with lights differently when using LWF. The whole setup is kinda different. It's not an a) vs b) with switched buttons comparison.

Regards,
Thorsten

[themaxxer]

the whole linear workflow is buggy. It has too little black in the image, and if I want to correct this it's like I never used LWF!!

I make something wrong.

best regards
themaxxer

Did you render the same scene with the same settings ? tjem yes, you did something wrong. You need to work with lights differently when using LWF. The whole setup is kinda different. It's not an a) vs b) with switched buttons comparison.

Regards,
Thorsten

ok, and how do I have to work with lights? I really want to understand the LWf, but I guess I'm too stupid for it.

best regards
themaxxer