Author Topic: still struggeling with tonemapping  (Read 941 times)

2022-10-05, 15:15:51

steppes

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Hi all!

I still have problems to find nice even eterior lighting.

With the new aces, I was hoping for better results. My pics are always to contrasty but decreasing contrast in tonemapping panel is not the solution. With the new clouds one has a pretty good reference for a realistic brightness of the sky. But then everything on the ground ist too dark.

Are we still talking about 70% for a clean white? Or has this guide changed?
Shouldn't standard settings in tonemapping panel result in a good picture?
Are all these nice pics on the internet done in post?

Thanks

2022-10-05, 15:25:50
Reply #1

TomG

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Can you share some examples of the results you are getting (along with the tone mapping settings used, and some info on the scene set up)?
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2022-10-06, 10:53:04
Reply #2

Philw

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I think there's definitely scope for some official guidance/tutorial on some archviz scenes from start to finish including tonemapping in recent C4D Corona. It can all get a bit confusing with all the changes. Guessing when v9 goes final we may be due some updated tutorials?

2022-10-06, 11:57:32
Reply #3

davetwo

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"Shouldn't standard settings in tonemapping panel result in a good picture? Are all these nice pics on the internet done in post?"

Exposure is a thing. Your brain does it so well that you barely register it happening - but your eyes are constantly changing apeture to be able to see in different lighting situations.

Corona cannot guess how bright your lights are. You will always need to edjust either camera exposure or light brightness to get the best result. I wouldn't count this as 'post'.

If you show how you are setting up your lighting (HDRI? Sun/Sky?) then maybe we could help. 

2022-10-06, 13:21:00
Reply #4

Nejc Kilar

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I'm inclined to agree with the post above in that there could be multiple things you'd ideally want to consider, artistically speaking. What I often do is I put a color chart in my scene and see how that behaves as that typically gives me a solid reference for how the basic colors behave. Otherwise I too find myself thinking "oh but is it the sky that is too bright? The Sun too strong?" etc etc.

ACES OT should give you a really nice, filmic like image out the gate. I find it to be really great myself. That however doesn't mean you can't tweak it for that particular scene. Post-production is pretty common and with Corona you often see folks do it right in the VFB.

There's also maybe worth considering that when you see certain images and they look very nicely lit but seemingly only with natural lighting... It might very well be that they are in fact also using artificial lighting or bounce cards to light up other otherwise occluded areas. In that sense, with additional lights, you sometimes "lessen the contrast" that way as well.
« Last Edit: 2022-10-07, 11:38:13 by Nejc Kilar »
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2022-10-06, 22:11:46
Reply #5

burnin

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Simple tip:
Color balance first, tone mapping last.

PS
Start from BW, apply "zoning".
« Last Edit: 2022-10-06, 22:15:18 by burnin »

2022-10-07, 17:29:39
Reply #6

BigAl3D

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I think we all, as 3D artists, fall into the trap of set it up and hit click. Perfect. In reality, we need to think like photographers, and I have worked with some, I will guarantee you that shots like you describe, no image ;-), are either heavily edited post-shot or are meticulously set up to cheat reality with out-of-site lighting to fill dark areas as needed. Even darken areas with large scrims (translucent fabric) to soften harsh sun.

We're assuming you are creating stills (I guess this could work with animation too). One way is to render the main pass for optimal lighting for the majority of the shot, then you can render a different exposure for the areas in question. I believe there's a way to just render a defined area to composite later so you don't have to re-render the entire image twice. Saves time.