PSD-Manager and Gamma

If you save a 32-bit per channel (HDR) PSD file:
There is no gamma correction applied to anything by psd-manager itself. Photoshop expects a 32-bit (HDR) file to have a linear color profile (which means Gamma needs to be 1.0). Photoshop will show you the colors corrected for your display if you have enabled View > Proof Colors, so you will see the image adjusted.

In the V-ray Color mapping rollout you should set Gamma to 2.2 and enable Don't Affect Colors (adaptation only). This tells V-ray that you will later want to display the image using a Gamma of 2.2 (like on a typical sRGB monitor) but will not actually bake the color correction into the pixels. So you are setup for whats called a linear workflow this way. 

If you save an 8 or 16 -bit per channel PSD file:

psd-manager uses the Gamma options set in the 3ds max Preferences dialog. So if you have setup an 3ds max output gamma of 2.2 then this is what psd-manager will use. However there are important exceptions to that:
Per default there is no gamma correction applied to render elements, only to the main render output (and layers using RenderCutout mode). This is important because otherwise render elements would not match the look of the main render when combined.  So in Photoshop you will typically add an Exposure Adjustment layer on top of your render elements layer stack to correct the Gamma (to match the rest of the file).

If you don't want psd-manager to apply Gamma correction for some reason then you can turn it off in the psd-manager Advanced Options dialog (Gear Icon button in psd-manager).

Recommended typical setup for V-Ray:

V-ray Color mapping rollout:

  • Gamma: 2.2
  • Don't Affect Colors: on
  • Linear workflow: off (this is an old option in V-ray, you have a true linear workflow without it)

3ds max Preferences > Gamma LUT:

  • Enable Gamma correction: on
  • Input Gamma & Display Gamma & Output Gamma: all set to 2.2

Your V-ray setup:

If you set Gamma in V-Ray Color Mapping to 1.0 that would be fine for saving 32-bit PSD, and also fine for saving 8/16 bit PSDs if your 3ds max Output Gamma is set to 2.2. But it would help the V-Ray renderer if you set the V-Ray Gamma to 2.2 and turn Don't Affect colors: on. V-ray will then spend more time calculating detail in darker areas instead but not actually do a gamma correction to the color values. So this is better than you having to fix it it by cranking up other V-Ray options for the whole scene to counteract lacking precision in dark areas that becomes visible when displaying the image using a sRGB working space.

If you set Gamma in V-Ray Color Mapping to 2.2 and you have Don't Affect Colors turned off, then you would get a double gamma correction if your 3ds max Output Gamma is set to 2.2, because psd-manager will use this value for its gamma correction and apply it on top (just like it happens if you save using the 3ds max VFB with the same options). 

Screen Grab

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Best Point of View

There may come a day, when fine tuning all the controls in your render engine is all done by the computer, but I can't ever imagine there will come a time when a render engine will be able to tell you what the best point of view is. There are two constants in the art of renderings; "seeing" and composition, and no amount of technology will replace either. The good news is that you can learn both the art of composition and how to "see".

Architectural rendering composition is based, in part, on order and structure. Every great rendering owes much of its success to the way it is composed, which is, in essence, the way the elements are arranged.

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Magician

Artists aren't magicians. There's no penalty for revealing your secretes.

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Good Theft vs. Bad Theft

At some point, you’ll have to move from imitating your heroes to emulating them. Imitation is about copying. Emulation is when imitation goes one step further, breaking through into your own thing.
— Austin Kleon in Steal Like An Artist
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How to Look at the World (Like an Artist)

Every artist gets asked the question,
Where do you get your ideas?

The honest artist answer,

I steal them

How does an artist look at the world?

First, you figure out what's worth stealing, then you move on to the next thing.

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Architectural Rendering Art

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and this is particularly true in the field of architectural renderings. There is no better medium than a balanced, well-done rendering, for capturing and displaying the look and feel of a building.

At what point does architectural rendering become art, and how can we differentiate between artistic architectural renderings and its documentary sibling? 

The variety of definitions that exist justify some inquiry. The following are a few that come to mind:

An action by means of which one man, having experienced a feeling, intentionally transmits it to others
Art is nature expressed through personality
Everything which we distinguish from nature
Art is the expression of pleasure in work

Please, bookmark this, because I am going to add to it as my thoughts develop. If you would like to contribute please, leave me some feedback.

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Chicago Apartment

Chicago Apartment

Here are two more interior spaces of another Chicago apartment. My machine's are acting wonky, and my render times are through the roof, so I am done for now. It's a really small space so I used furniture sparingly. I also used a lot of monochrome to give it that urban feeling.

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Soft Glowing Atmosphere.

Soft glowing effects are common in portrait photography but are not used often for 3-D Architectural Renderings. The 3-D artist usually likes the sharpest possible image, and using a soft filter would be counter intuitive  But, in certain circumstances a soft focus of an Architectural Rendering can enhance the mood of a rendering by creating a soft glowing atmosphere.

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