PDA

View Full Version : Need starfield help!

Kotayus
02-07-2003, 08:09 PM
I have been working on an image for a couple days and im using a starfield and im having a problem:

I am rendering the image out to 3600x2400 pixels @ 300 DPI for an 8x10 print for a friend. Everything in scene is correct...the starfield has nice density (im using the starfield shader in color and luminence)

It looks fine in scene, however when i render it to picture viewer, it seems to lose the starfield...what im wondering is: is this happening because the image is so big? cause when i view the final image in looking at it through windows picture viewer or ACDSee and when it fits the image i cant see em...but if i look at it full size, i can see em...when i get it printed, will it show the stars? or should i approace a different method for the starfield?
twilight
02-07-2003, 08:37 PM
Most probably it will show up in the print.
What might be happening is that when you zoom out the image, acdsee can't display all the details.
To make sure it will print right open the image in Photoshop and zoom it to 1:1 (100%). If you can see it there you'll see it in the print!

:)
Kotayus
02-07-2003, 11:11 PM
thanks, i can see em in PS. Ill give it a go.
Bucko
02-08-2003, 11:27 AM
If they (the stars) shows in PS at 100% there is no guarantee that they will show when you print them.
It all depends on the raster resolution of the printer. A 600 dpi laserprinter can print B&W in 600 dpi, if it where to print 4 shades of grey it would have to go down to 300 dpi etc meaning that a 600 dpi image would have to be downsampled.
If, in the rasterizing process, the printer would use a raster that would require it to downsample the image your white pixel for a star would be averaged out with its neighbouring black pixels.

A simple soultion would be to check what raster resolution you would print in and render the same resolution in C4D with antialiasing turned on.
Kotayus
02-08-2003, 07:21 PM
thanks for the tip bucko, but this is not being done from a cannon at home =) i go to a professional print shop and they print my images for me. There printers are exellent, i have had many pieces printed from them. But should i set the DPI of the rendered picture higher? its currently at 300 DPI, should it be higher than that?
Bucko
02-09-2003, 09:50 PM
Ask your printer at what raster they will use and then render at, say 150% of that. If you will set the image in Quark, Pagemaker etc you can control the rastersize yourself but bear in mind that higher resolution raster means lower color resolution. Too high a raster resolution and you'd get ugly banding in colortones.
acid2002
02-10-2003, 10:14 AM
Hello
I downloaded the sky shader plug-in from maxon it has the best star field and renders pefectly,has so many controls,moon etc

hope this helps
CGTalk Moderation
01-14-2006, 09:00 AM
This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.