8/3/2019 1:38:51 PM by
cheesymaid
(Edited: 8/4/2019 7:34:42 PM)
Views: 528
So, just to show what I work from.
Here is the finished image, as a point of reference: https://www.renderotica.com/gallery/shorturl/507502/Bike-test-shot-5
The image in this is more or less the raw render output from Iray. It is grainy, and the colors are darker and more muddy. It's close enough, though.
First, I run these through a denoiser. It's the denoiser from Intel, which uses AI to fix all the noise between the pixels. Very neat stuff, incredibly fast, and requires no fancy equipment.
The other tool is GIMP, which I use instead of PhotoShop since I have no license for that. There's usually 5-6 layers to my work. Base layer, which is adjusted for tone and light. 1-2 layers for pseudo-watercolor effects, in an effort to create a brushed look or to make the image look more "warm" (like an imperfect painting). 2 layers for a hazy Penthouse-style soft focus. I tend to eliminate a lot of the soft focus effect, but I leave a hazy halo as much as I can. The top layer is usually a duplicate of the base, but at a lower opacity... mainly to re-sharpen the image, and then to give me another crack at readjusting the tones of the colors.
I do drop my signature image into these when I can. Sure, people can edit them out with PhotoShop, but I like to sign my work when it is good.