How improve this scene lighting ?

[warriorash]

well u can give some shadows of the leaves, for now it looks like it is lit by a bulb.
scary means u shd make the scene dark, adding a little fog wd be also a good option.

it took some time for me to realize that the trees are also some kind of a character... may be more definition wd help .... glowing eyes.... etc...

get some ref pics...

[JamesMK]

Hi Vincent,

that's a very nice scene with a pleasant composition. The light is really the weak link, so I guess that's the reason for this thread in the first place.

Anyway, what jumps at me initially, is that the main key light in the fore- and midground feels very localised, like as if there was a single light somewhere a bit to the left of the camera. This could make sense if the image is supposed to be somewhat of a first person perspective, and the viewer is holding a lantern to illuminate the forest. If that is the case, however, I think that light should have a sharper falloff to create a pool of light in centerstage, while the rest is kept a bit darker than it is now.

If the localized effect is not the intention, I feel like moving the main key light quite a few more degrees away to the left, to get rid of the current look, which suggests that the key is very close to the camera itself, giving a flat look.

So, I would try moving the key further to the left/up, giving it a slight pink/rose/orange tint, then adding a blueish fill from the right (dark blue/purple for a late-night feel, or pale blue/green for a day/afternoon appearance). Basically a more contrasty look, both in angle as well as in hue. I would also let the key spill a bit on the trees far away in the background to get a better sense of depth. Right now there's too much of a strong division between the far background and the closer elements, which makes it seem a bit disjointed.

[berniebernie]

I agree with almost all of what JamesMK said (nice composition, misplaced point light, hues etc) however I think adding a rim light (from the right) who be a great help, and giving the forest an even darker feel and giving the sky a little more contrast

here's a quick rendition of what I thought of it, might help...

http://mlkdesign.online.fr/dump/lightingts8.jpg

[authentic]

Thanks guys for your comments. really interesting.

warriorash : the fog is a good idea. for the trees I've not finished them, I will add some more details but I wanna have something near of the render before adding details. For the shadows of the leaves I put some but as the light coming from moon is not the main one it is very low.

james and mlkdesign : 1st thanks for big answer and paintover. So 1st, the main light coming from left is the light coming from the light of a car (I plan to animate the scene). But you're totally right about the fact that in this case it has too be really sharpened.
For the background I have worked many version, what you mean to "let the key spill a bit on the trees far away" is to have less hard edge lighted on the far trees. I'll try. I have a problem of dstance maybe because the scene is not enough long. But I hope to have a better thing with fog and maybe a Z pass.
The blue light from the right is just a great idea. Moreover with the darkening of the upper part where leaves are as you made mlkdesign.

[authentic]

I have reworked the lighting once more with your advices. Hope it is better.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6645/lightcca5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[berniebernie]

indeed !

[JamesMK]

Yep, much better, and an improved depth.

Even more pronounced rim lights could add an additional touch, although that would perhaps move the whole image more towards "cinematic realism" rather than illustration, and perhaps not the right thing if I understood the case at hand correctly.

So - very nice :thumbsup:

[gu1tarfreak]

I am seeing a few spots even with the color correction. Maybe dim your lights a bit?

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