Juraj's Renderings thread

[-Ben-Battler-]

Yes that's exactly how I am working with it.

So in VFB+ full Filmic is provided? Or is it a differently implemented as well? Because to me it feels like the Corona Filmic and the VFB+ Filmic act similarly.

[Juraj]

Yes that's exactly how I am working with it.

So in VFB+ full Filmic is provided? Or is it a differently implemented as well? Because to me it feels like the Corona Filmic and the VFB+ Filmic act similarly.

Very similar, almost identical. Corona does slightly more crunchy image by using HL alone, and that is bit ugly in highly dynamic interiors with warm materials.

[tallbox]

I haven't been using 32bit output for a while. In past months I used pre-dominantly VFB+ filmic ( with single midtones boosting, slightly contrast adding LUT, but with no color bending ), then send it to PS as 16bit tiff and continue from there as I would develop my raw photography.

My head hurts from this every second month though :- )

I would like to see how the Fstorm curve looks like, I think Vlado was trying to make a LUT of it last time I checked chaosgroup forum. I would probably be most satisfied with full filmic curve, but I guess it would be confusing for 90perc. of users, who knows, maybe even for me. But full filmic lets you specify when the shoulder happens, how fast it rolls, how boosted the linear section should be. I want to tweak it to resemble the one NIKON cameras have.

I would like to eventually do some post-production in framebuffer maybe, but those tools would have to work in sRGB/2.2 space, and that would probably collide with the option to export linear files. For now my ideal dream is tonemapping resembling the camera response curves modern DSLRs have ( because current CMOS chips are linear a tonal curve is applied ), with some contrast LUT only for preview reasons ( like viewfinder showing your the jpeg processing to give you estimate of "nice look" ) and then do everything in ACR.

Hi,Juraj.
Could you explain how do you use VFB+ with saved corona exr. files?  I have tried to open the files from VFB+ but they appear dark and with maximum burned areas. If I try to render trough the VFB+ it renders trough normal max frame buffer? :(
Thanks.

[Juraj]

Did you use latest VFB+ ? It loads .exr files correctly (with gamma 1.0), and than in exposure applies 2.2 preview. (This is the same Corona does, it just doesn't show you).

Previously there was a bug that causes incorrect gamma though but it was long-time fixed.

[tallbox]

Did you use latest VFB+ ? It loads .exr files correctly (with gamma 1.0), and than in exposure applies 2.2 preview. (This is the same Corona does, it just doesn't show you).

Previously there was a bug that causes incorrect gamma though but it was long-time fixed.

Hmm, now I see. Unfortunately, I use 2.6 because I have tried the trial 2.7 and has some bug or something that doesn't appear in the max frame buffer. The Plus icon just it's not there no matter how/what I do. ((

[Juraj]

Here's a difference between old shader behavior, and new (fixed) PBR mode. Both materials are the same otherwise (1.52 IOR, full reflection 1.0/255), only the glossiness value has been adjusted to match (thanks to Dubcat's chart).

If this doesn't tell you why this is good, then I don't know what :- ) I'll write a short primer next week to get people started.

OLD on left. PBR on right.

[Dionysios.TS]

Juraj, a question for you:

The Corona VFB is getting really great now, now we have LUT support, we miss the aberration effect but I think this last will come soon.
I did some tests today and I noticed that VFB+ if compared to the new updated Corona VFB when it comes to Glare and Bloom effects is way too slow and I like more now the Corona's ones. The effects seem more natural to me and more efficient. Strangely the VFB+ lacks sensitivity on those effects and is hard to me to adjust them and get a realistic Bloom or Glare feeling.

Did you noticed the same? Just for curiosity...

Thanks,

Dionysios -

[Juraj]

Yes, Corona's glare&bloom is easier to use, and faster. Right now for me VFB+ no longer makes sense to use. In 1.5 we have Contrast exactly as in Photoshop, LUT support.

The only thing I am missing in Corona's glare is a mask, because the moment the effect is dominant, it's very artificial star/flare :- ).

[Dionysios.TS]

Great, we're in the same boat! :D

[aardej]

Hi Jurja,

Can I PM you with a question?

Thanks,

Aaron

[Juraj]

yup, the second email on website.

[aardej]

Great thanks!

[Juraj]

So not really posting anything worthy lately, I just really wish November comes and I can post lot of the stuff we worked our the year, way different than our usual stuff.

Until then...some brief review of 1.5. Well, it does rock, that's for sure. A small look into current post-production workflow of fast preview:

1) Pure linear
2) Highlight compression in low values (not filmic), together with filmic shadows to counter-balance the ugly milky blacks.
3) Add LUT and contrast. At this point, save as 16bit tiff and head to Photoshop ACR or Lightroom. I still do some gradient kind of adjustments a lot. But I can treat the render at this stage as pseudo "photo .raw".

[Juraj]

One more, Reinhard with it's bleached look and milky blacks, very low values not to flatten too much (instead slightly under-exposed), then LUT+ contrast.

PBR materials work flawlessly, can't imagine why anyone would be nostalgic after the old fresnel (supposedly some people are), this saves so much of the handy-work, but most importantly,
not sure if people realize that, correct fresnel means the material will work in every angle and light situation. Previously I had to tweak specular level based on camera and light. Dull could become glossy and that made option of creating universal material library pointless.



As can be seen, post-production ramps up the contrast a lot, which is why it's important to follow the rules and keep albedo within correct range ( "artistic" [30-240] sRGB; "strict" [50-240] sRGB; I follow the strict method, my blackest black is 50 sRGB )

[johan belmans]

Hi Juray

The LUT you are talking about, is this a home made one, or one which comes with the Corona installer?