Correct workflow with fabric samples from client

[Majeranek]

Hi Guys,

What is you way to deal with fabric/leather textures which you get from the clients? Most important thing is proper color because they always moaning that it's not the same as on the sample.

I usually use Levels in photoshop to get proper RGB values of the texture, but at the end I always need to correct colors on final rendering in photoshop.

Do you have any neat solution?

[burnin]

Well, nowadays you need to get the whole PBR/surfacing method right. Color is just a part of it.
Analyze, generate, recreate // Substance or Quixel
Down to shading-lighting-rendering and finally to post/color correction.

Sample or reference of what you're working on would be more than helpful.

Or do as majority does... communication ping-pong + trial&error... until deadline.

[Juraj]

Even if you get physically correct albedo, let's say by cross-polarized scan calibrated to X-Rite color chart, your clients have other idea :- ). Sunset ? Blue sky ? GI ? Doesn't matter. Obviously a color is always the same : /

I myself deal a tons with exact colors and I use a mask and do some matching in post-production to the original swatch. It's physically incorrect, because it ignores the color of environment but they want the color perceivable to be closest to neutral ( D65 white point ) as possible. It's not just CGI problem, I know product photographers deal with the same issue, the same way.

[Majeranek]

Yeah, so I guess I'll stay to photoshop method. Because it's just like Juraj said blue sky, pink wall, orange sunset, it doesn't matter to the client. It has to be like on the sample, dot. So anything near to PBR methods is pointless.

PS. So maybe you've got solution for other problem with samples. How do you deal with heavy repetition? Client sent me fabric sample like 10x10cm and wants it on 3m sofa. It's almost impossible to make it look decent. When I made some randomization in PS and added some dirt maps to somehow mask it out, they are not happy with the result because the fabric is not smooth like on the sample. Of course my asks to provide me bigger texture is pointless because they don't have one...

Sorry for not attaching any texture but the NDA is forbidding me to, so I won't risk that.

[Juraj]

I am building up a small side venture that will help with issue like this :- ).

Try some texture synthetizing options, manually tiling is never going to cut it. Some easy to use are Gimp, Pixplant, etc..

[Majeranek]

Thanks for that! PixPlant works jsut fine :) Is there any similar feature in Gimp?

[Juraj]

Pixplant is better, but both are bit behind the times :- )

[Majeranek]

Ahh, ok. I hope that you'll come with your solution soon :)