Screenshot Discussion Thread

[Antrox]

Quick outdoor shot....and in response to  ao2thend  ..i agree...tho quite honestly its not a concious thing i do to neglect outdoor shots..i will work on it.

my love is mainly to create contrast..its hard to do outside in daylight ,unless you find good shade and shadows..anyway...berate her..ohh btw..she's a Lovegirl Char who is Cbbe

i like to keep a cbbe in my roster to take advantage of costumes..etc

 

anyway here she is

 

 

i also made a new Nord..no name yet..i might keep her

-snip-

 

I usually like outdoor shots as more light is available to work with. Add the factor of the environment and you get a gorgeous shot like the first one. Excellent work.

[Guest]

 

Up for criticisms.

 

I've been wanting to ask you what normal maps you use. I really, really like that toned body.

 

 

GrimReaper, sorry for the super late reply. This thread moves fast, and I kinda lost your post. 

The normal maps I use were a mix of SRG and Zoe's UNP body normal map http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/58163/? (a very underrated texture mod. I think people just cross it out because it is old)

head, hands: SRG

body: Zoe's

[gvman3670]

No comment...

 

 

This is entirely opinion, but her boobs appear to be too full of plastic. Vamps shouldn't need implants to have pretty titties. Natural, perky, upswept titties would be more reasonable.

 

Still a matter of taste I guess, but there are more realistic body options available.

[gvman3670]

Quick outdoor shot....and in response to  [/size]

ao2thend  ..i agree...tho quite honestly its not a concious thing i do to neglect outdoor shots..i will work on it.[/size]

my love is mainly to create contrast..its hard to do outside in daylight ,unless you find good shade and shadows..anyway...berate her..ohh btw..she's a Lovegirl Char who is Cbbe[/size]

i like to keep a cbbe in my roster to take advantage of costumes..etc[/size]

 

anyway here she is[/size]

[/size]

i also made a new Nord..no name yet..i might keep her[/size]

[/size]

 

You are one of LL's posters who should be giving advice. Your eye for screens is better than 90-some percent of the people uploading them. I always want to see what you've done just because your shots are that cool.

[Antrox]

 

No comment...

 

 

This is entirely opinion, but her boobs appear to be too full of plastic. Vamps shouldn't need implants to have pretty titties. Natural, perky, upswept titties would be more reasonable.

 

Still a matter of taste I guess, but there are more realistic body options available.

 

Its mainly just the skin and the lighting here. Aether Suite does seem to make all my characters (All of them use different textures) plastic or oily...

[ao2thend]

 

 

Have you tried experimenting with different face normal maps?

 

I feel as if they lack volume, and seem more hand drawn and flatter currently, but that's not a good or bad thing, just personal taste. The stories you weave and the scenes you create feel more like an animated series over a forced realism approach, so my suggestion might be off base. Maybe what I'm really trying to say is that I feel they could differentiate more in facial structure and features, to better emphasize the differences they have in their appearance. 

 

There's so much to say and reply to.

 

Like Taskmaster said, more detail in the normal maps might help and the only other thing I noticed is that Lucari's chin has two sharp points where you can see some vertices sticking out.  That could be the normal map or just the mesh warping oddly.  Its not a big deal, but its something that always bothers me when I create characters.  

 

The only other thing I wonder about is Lucari's vampire eyes.  Are they vanilla re-placers or modded?  

Ah, yeah... the flatness...

 

Honestly I hadn't noticed it XD. It's probably because I'm using FSC normal maps (actually FSC normals w/ Adorable face but whatevs...).

 

I'm probably going to experiment with SG again, because I LOVE its normal maps and all the other facial normal maps I've used made my characters look older than I wanted them to. 

 

@ao2thend Uh, those are vanilla replacers. From what? I currently do not know

 

 

Hmm...

 

I asked about the eyes because I usually use this: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/38829/?

 

I thought that these eyes might give Lucari a bit more depth, but maybe you had reasons to use those eyes instead (which is why I asked about them).  

 

Again, only my opinion (which people do not have to listen to by any means).  

 

Now I gotta get some shots of my characters. I can't just give my opinions on everyone else's characters without putting mine up to the chopping block.  

[datjellyman]

Most people said this hair look best on my character but I'm not sure if I should use black or red. I also finally found vampire teeth after searching for a year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kaos Wulf]

 

You are one of LL's posters who should be giving advice. Your eye for screens is better than 90-some percent of the people uploading them. I always want to see what you've done just because your shots are that cool.

 

 

We're all on equal footing in here, even Shermie. No one should feel their critique isn't worth anything based upon who's giving it.

[Taskmaster]

 

 

I think that she may be one of the, if not THE, most real/unique characters I've seen.  There are some ridged looking sections on the sides of the bottom of her nose, but that can be tricky to fix so it may be best to leave it.   

 

Hey man, I really appreciate the kind words. 

About the jagged ridges on the nose, yeah I notice them, too. I took these earlier today: 

 

 

 

I might be able to fix the ridges in sculpt, you're right it might be tricky, but I think it's worth doing simply to get my character looking better overall. So I'll be sure to post a picture of her again whenever I get to adjusting it.

 

 

 

You are one of LL's posters who should be giving advice. Your eye for screens is better than 90-some percent of the people uploading them. I always want to see what you've done just because your shots are that cool.

 

 

While this is a great compliment to Shermie, it's at the risk of possibly slighting/backhanding everyone else. No one here should be generating the notion, that someone should or shouldn't be giving their own critiques, advice, or tips if they or others feel their screenshots are inadequate by comparison.

 

This is all subjective matter, what's better than another is based on opinion.

 

Critiques and advice, aren't, and shouldn't, always be about suggesting or telling someone of things they could do(in their opinion) better. It's also about sharing feedback on things they would've done, would do differently, and even alternatives for people to consider.

 

We're dealing with subjective matter - everyone here is knowledgeable on all things subjective, even those lurking.

 

This thread shouldn't create a cloud of intimidation for people to be afraid to share or even give their own perspective on what's shared. 

 

Let's prevent the elephant from spawning.

Everyone's input is valuable and more than worthy.

We're sitting at a round table.

[GrimReaper]

 

GrimReaper, sorry for the super late reply. This thread moves fast, and I kinda lost your post. 

The normal maps I use were a mix of SRG and Zoe's UNP body normal map http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/58163/? (a very underrated texture mod. I think people just cross it out because it is old)

head, hands: SRG

body: Zoe's

 

 

<3

[gvman3670]

Its mainly just the skin and the lighting here. Aether Suite does seem to make all my characters (All of them use different textures) plastic or oily...

I was referring to body type and not textures. The plastic injected breast look. Your character would look better with more natural shaped breasts. But, like I said, it's a matter of taste and entirely subjective. I just can't imagine a vamp needing implants.

While this is a great compliment to Shermie, it's at the risk of possibly slighting/backhanding everyone else. No one here should be generating the notion, that someone should or shouldn't be giving their own critiques, advice, or tips if they or others feel their screenshots are inadequate by comparison.

 

This is all subjective matter, what's better than another is based on opinion.

 

Critiques and advice, aren't, and shouldn't, always be about suggesting or telling someone of things they could do(in their opinion) better. It's also about sharing feedback on things they would've done, would do differently, and even alternatives for people to consider.

 

We're dealing with subjective matter - everyone here is knowledgeable on all things subjective, even those lurking.

 

This thread shouldn't create a cloud of intimidation for people to be afraid to share or even give their own perspective on what's shared. 

 

Let's prevent the elephant from spawning.

Everyone's input is valuable and more than worthy.

We're sitting at a round table.

I understand. Just pointing out that her screens are far better than damned near any others (of characters) that I've seen. And I've seen damned near all of them. Not saying her work is beyond reproach, just hinting that she should be giving pointers instead of expecting criticisms.

[Antrox]

 

I was referring to body type and not textures. The plastic injected breast look. Your character would look better with more natural shaped breasts. But, like I said, it's a matter of taste and entirely subjective. I just can't imagine a vamp needing implants.

I dont like other body mods. UNP is what I think is "too skinny" (Rather have her not look likes shes 12) CBBE is just overused and not many available textures for it. 7b has the whole package, the curves, and the textures that are supported (basically any UNP texture). My taste says it fits her perfectly.

[GrimReaper]

 

I understand. Just pointing out that her screens are far better than damned near any others (of characters) that I've seen. And I've seen damned near all of them. Not saying her work is beyond reproach, just hinting that she should be giving pointers instead of expecting criticisms.

 

 

I have to disagree. I am someone who isn't fascinated by Shermie's screenshots (that is by no means an attack against Shermie or Shermie's taste, more on that below). They're too vibrant and have to much contrast for my taste. As for the characters, the latest one has a very big head, almost as broad as her shoulders. I can see and understand what others like about Shermie's screenshots, but they're just not for me. If someone makes the best strawberry ice cream in the world, it just doesn't do anything for you if you don't like strawberry ice cream because you'd rather eat ice cream you like. It's a matter of taste, there's no objective truth to be found here. That's why I don't comment on content that's inherently incompatible with my taste, because it just wouldn't do anything. I broke that rule of mine on this occasion just for the sake of clarifying what I mean.

 

And, as taskmaster said, we shouldn't encourage lifting someone above all others. Something similar along those lines is what causes the drama in the regular screenshot thread in the first place, because everyone wants to be the best and get all the likes/attention.

 

@Antrox: You could always try UUNP.

[Antrox]

 

@Antrox: You could always try UUNP.

 

 

 

Doesnt have a lot of armors that are supported :/ plus 70% of my 300 mods are armors for 7b...

[GrimReaper]

 

Doesnt have a lot of armors that are supported :/ plus 70% of my 300 mods are armors for 7b...

 

 

Doesn't matter, really. You can always use the 7b variant you use as a base and tweak the breasts. Clothing and armors should have a pushup/squish effect anyway, so you can keep the armors you have for 7b with more natural looking breasts when nude, for example - if that's the thing you want, of course.

[Jexsam]

If I had one critique to level against Shermie, it would be the same one I'd level against NeonFirefly - cartoon-style proportions do not mix with super-realistic body textures and normals. Simplest fix would just be to find a flatter, more plastic texture with a normal map that doesn't, or at least minimally, show pores and veins. It's ugly and jarring, two disparate styles that just don't work together. The caveat is, cartoonish textures look out of place in Skyrim's more realistic environment, so it's sort of a no-win situation for cartoonish characters. Still, better to go all out with the animu than try to balance the looks and wind up worse for it. In all the screenshots I've seen here, I've never seen one I can recall that's really nailed the mix.

 

NeonFirefly used to be better about it, but then he "improved" his body of choice and it all just went to hell. :\

 

All of that, of course, is just an opinion, not a statement of fact.

 

@Shermie: Black outfit on black background is a bad idea. Your Nod looks like she has no hands, and would look like she had no waist if not for the belt on her shorts. The shot is also split in two, but it works in this case since she has a sense of symmetry, broken up just enough to be interesting by her tilted head and and slightly askew hips/legs. Definitely the better of the two.

 

Top shot of the black-clad girl isn't horrible, but her posture combined with the full body shot leaves little in the way of points of interest for the eye to be drawn to. She also splits the image in two, but there isn't the pleasing sense of symmetry there to make that work, and with the mountain so painfully out of focus, it doesn't add anything but a grey splotch.

 

 

I love the idea of this thread and may throw something to the wolves later, but mostly it's making me want to do another tutorial-esque write-up of some photography tricks and tips. I feel like presuming my input in the matter will hold weight is a bit... arrogant, though. Should I submit some stuff here first and see if people think they're good enough to warrant spilling my tips?

[gvman3670]

 

I was referring to body type and not textures. The plastic injected breast look. Your character would look better with more natural shaped breasts. But, like I said, it's a matter of taste and entirely subjective. I just can't imagine a vamp needing implants.

I dont like other body mods. UNP is what I think is "too skinny" (Rather have her not look likes shes 12) CBBE is just overused and not many available textures for it. 7b has the whole package, the curves, and the textures that are supported (basically any UNP texture). My taste says it fits her perfectly.

 

I just put together a 7B lower half and a UNP upper half. Best of both worlds!

[GimmeBACON]

My main character is actually a male, shock I know. Here are a few pictures of him...

 

  Here he is punishing Anise for dressing like a slut at her age (and for being a witch, I guess )

 

Just a question, is there a way to change a characters combat expression so that he doesn't look like he's taking a shit every time a bandit shows up?

[GrimReaper]

Should I submit some stuff here first and see if people think they're good enough to warrant spilling my tips?

 

As long as you leave your 'pent-up anger' at the door, you're welcome. Although it would be a nice idea to show where your criticism would uttimately lead to, i.e. a few pictures would be nice. That way people may heed or disregard your advice, based on whether they like the eventual outcome or not.

[Jexsam]

As long as you leave your 'pent-up anger' at the door, you're welcome.

Yeah I know I'm a real dick sometimes but there's a stark difference between my little episode in the main screenshot thread and a thread like this where serious advice and critique is desired. When I'm aiming to be helpful, I tend to post more like the @shermie part of my earlier post. Or at least I try to.

 

Although it would be a nice idea to show where your criticism would uttimately lead to, i.e. a few pictures would be nice. That way people may heed or disregard your advice, based on whether they like the eventual outcome or not.

Absolutely!

 

So when I talk about symmetry and how to can make or break an image. Generally, splitting an image directly in half is not aesthetically pleasing. Obviously it's not that cut-and-dry but as a rule of thumb, unless you're specifically trying to work in halfs horizontally or vertically, try to break the image up.

 

One method of making symmetry work is to use patterns. For example:

 

 

 

See what I did with the stairs? They're mirrored, and the angle of ascension draws you pretty much right to Selune's face. The chandelier and bushes prevent it from being distractingly identical on both sides, and the entire background is lit in blue. Then there's Selune in the foreground, who is standing at a 45 degree angle, so she splits the image, but isn't symmetrical herself, making her stand out. It helps that she's lit in a pretty basic contrast of orange against blue, further making her pop. And she pops without being super shiny or oily-looking.

 

Another example:

 

 

 

A highly symmetrical shot, with only slight variations from left to right, but at the same time, it's a dynamic shot what with the lightning. She's lit bluish against the orange firelight in the doorway, making her stand out, with the doorway itself framing her, keeping it from being just her against color blotches. An inferior shot to the previous example, but nonetheless an example of how symmetry can be done well.

 

I find it yields more aesthetically pleasing results to skew the character to one side or another, even just a bit. Then try to use pose or background elements to balance the image out. For example:

 

 

 

The centered element isn't the character herself, but rather the point at which she grips the blade of the sword with her gloved hand, the eye drawn to that point by the sun. She stands with sky behind her, framed by tree limbs from just out of frame to the left and more distant trees in the middle ground to the right, topped off by the bluish-white background against her slightly orange-lit armor contrasting and making her stand out.

[Kaz Aanh]

Quick outdoor shot....and in response to  ao2thend  ..i agree...tho quite honestly its not a concious thing i do to neglect outdoor shots..i will work on it.

my love is mainly to create contrast..its hard to do outside in daylight ,unless you find good shade and shadows..anyway...berate her..ohh btw..she's a Lovegirl Char who is Cbbe

i like to keep a cbbe in my roster to take advantage of costumes..etc

 

anyway here she is

 

 

 

 

 

Whats the point of the exterior shots if you are going to blur 95% of the screen.

[GrimReaper]

That's a very nice and informative post, Jexsam.

[GimmeBACON]

It's supposed to add emphasis on the character, though, it' usually done in close up shots. Like if you are staring at one image on a screen, the rest aren't as clear.

[Guest]

You do have a good eye for symmetry and proportion Jex, I've commented as much in the past. But this:

 

"cartoon-style proportions do not mix with super-realistic body textures and normals.Simplest fix would just be to find a flatter, more plastic texture with a normal map that doesn't, or at least minimally, show pores and veins"

 

 is another of those infamous 'Law According to Jexsam' moments and why you should probably post more screenshots and offer less advice.

 

Some folks will inevitably have a strong dislike of Shermie's obviously rather non-conformist approach. But If you're going to go critiquing one of the very major features of what she clearly sets out to do, at least have the decency to acknowledge that you probably aren't her target audience. That will at least clue folks into whether your advice is actually worth heeding rather than you just airing your rather conservative views on what should and should not be. 

 

edit: I do like that stair shot. She's a rather fine example of a proud and haughty race. 

[Rayblue]

I'd better leave these two for further reference:

 

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/how-to.html

http://photo.net/learn/photography-technique/