3D & Spatial · 01 of 04
Establish light before refining materials
Use a simple material pass to check form, shadows and separation.
The idea
Neutral materials can help you see whether the lighting describes the object clearly.
Look for a readable silhouette, useful shadow detail and enough separation from the background. Adjust the camera and lights before relying on surface effects to provide all the interest.
Then test the actual materials. Glass, metal and translucent surfaces interact with light differently, so a neutral pass is a starting point rather than a final lighting solution. Refine reflections and highlights around the features the image needs to explain.
How to see it
Terms used in this lesson
The parts
- Key light
- The main light shaping the subject.
- Fill
- Additional illumination used to control shadow detail.
- Value
- The distribution of light and dark in an image.
In practice
- Check form with simple materials
- Inspect shadows and separation
- Retest with the intended surfaces
Avoid
- Using highlights to hide an unclear silhouette
- Assuming neutral and reflective materials behave alike
- Reviewing only at an enlarged render size
The test
Compare the neutral and finished renders at their delivery size. Can you still identify the important form and detail without highlights obscuring them?
Reviewed against all forty, on your product.
The audit is the cheapest thing we sell, and it regularly concludes that you do not need the project you came for.