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Hello All!

I'm working on trying to get more photorealistic (in my mind filmic) results. I know this is a combination of render and post production in photoshop and I'm wondering what workflows/pipelines you have developed for such? I just completed a test render of a studio shot and did some post work on it. It looks decent but I'm striving to create a consistent look. I've tried clamping the values a bit and bringing down saturation, but I'm still unsure. I'd love to hear about the post production of others striving for the same type of result. Here's the latest:

Since the output from Maxwell is pretty flat, many filmic LUTs work pretty well on it. I suppose it depends a lot on what the LUT expects as input (the camera response), if it expects an sRGB gamut or wider, if it's a super flat profile or not...for this reason I think LUTs that don't expect a super flat profile work best.

I have been wondering how to treat Maxwells "camera response", if it's entirely linear, which I understood it should be because if the light is 100% white then the input color you set in a color chip is what you get in the render...

One of the tools I work with (outside of CGI) is 3D Lut Creator (https://3dlutcreator.com). A friend of mine who owns a VFX house is sending me a digital color checker chart he made and I'm going to try doing one render with it in every scene. In theory, I should then be able to bring that image into it, color correct it, and then apply a lut or build one for it from scratch.

Part of my issue is I keep looking at some Vray renders by some talented artists and they look exactly like photographs. I keep telling myself its the artist and not the render engine, so I'm trying to figure out how to do it in Maxwell.

I picked up this book and am going to give it a read over the holiday, hopefully it will offer some insight.

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Lighting ... 6ZKX2AMTN9

Here's where I am with the set grade so far. I can't really do anymore until I shoot the talent and comp them in. That will make it easier.

I heard lots of good things about 3dlutcreator. It looks like an excellent coloring tool. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of renders simply use one of the embedded tone mapping curves now built into them, as Maxwell has now too. I'm not sure though if all of them work as intended, I think the input from Maxwell is not as expected. Many seem way too saturated and contrasty when applied to the render.

Photoshop has some LUTs now too and the Kodak/Fuji film LUTs work pretty ok in many renders. I like especially how they change the highlights, they become smoother somehow, less CG looking.

But before all this you have to have very good materials. In your last render for example I think the life buoy material looks too metallic.

Interesting take on the life bouy. I agree it feels off, but haven't been sure why. Again, using roughness to control the metalness is hard for me to wrap my mind around sometimes. I will try to redo it and render again. If you have any tips before I do, please feel free to chime in.

You're using two layers, the top one in additive mode? This is really the only way to go for any plastic (when you don't need SSS) and anything that's supposed to be rough looking and also have some sort of coating or glossyness on top of the rough base. So the bottom layers BSDF needs to be left very high, 99 or 100. The buoy looks to be a rough cloth with maybe a semi rough paint/coating on top of that cloth.

How's this:

Now that I'm finally getting it, I'm redoing everything!

Better A bit too much bump I think. Would a buoy have such a rough surface? I have no idea what they look like in reality...

Getting closer! Tonight I started a final render (after making some changes to the one below). I'm pretty happy with how it's coming out - but it's still way too saturated, I think. Contrast needs to be corrected as well. Maxwell seems to add quite a bit of red? I think a vibrance correction will help.

But again, I'd love to hear about others post production methods. I really wish these forums were more active...

@mjcherry
That’s a great book.

Do you have the color checker built with Maxwell materials? If yes, i would be very interested. Especially if the colors are matching 3D Lut Creator‘s colors.

When you adjust contrast do you do that in RGB mode or LAB mode? It's only LAB mode that allows you to affect luma only. If adjusting contrast in RGB mode, it will inevitably affect saturation as well.