How to make this scene more realistic?

[tcp.cp (TCP)]

Hello. What do I need to do to make it more real? Depth of field, roughness on the metal? What do the more experienced suggest?

[will.gibbons]

If you don’t mind… I’d challenge you to ask a couple of different questions…

1. What might make this look better?
2. What is the goal of this image?

Photographers try to make rings look closer to renderings, while render artists try to make their images look closer to photos. I’d argue these look ‘real enough’ for people to understand the product, but with such a simple form and only a couple of metal materials, there’s not much you can do other than work on color and light.

I’d reconsider the composition, go for a bit of a longer lens and use photo reference of rings with the exact metals you’re creating here. Rendering them in photographic mode would probably help. I’d render them out as an EXR or 32PSD and do some color correction and finesse the tonemapping a bit.

And yeah, a bit of DoF would help them look more natural I think.

[tcp.cp (TCP)]

Hi Will. Thanks for the help, I follow your work whenever I can.

“Real” jewelry is not so perfect. The metal does not have such a good polish and the polish is not the same over the entire surface (hard to polish spots, very small areas).

About the photos, it’s hard to get sharpness at all depth of field without too much light and without blowing the white. Some overhead shadows help identify the shape of the piece, but it needs to be done carefully.

These images are for online sales (default with white background).

[oscar.rottink]

I can understand you don’t want to already scratch them or make them less perfect like a bit uneven polish. I also get the white background if it’s for online but I think the reflection is not that exciting.

While you have a clean environment with the white background normally if you wear a ring you will always see the reflection of your surroundings which, well in my case, is not very often a studio environment. So I think it would make a bit more realistic and interesting picture if you had a more natural environment. Could also be an outside one but it brings a bit more life into the image I think.

[oliver.yu]

As one with a photographer’s background, the way photographers would tackle this is generally with focus stacking multiple focus points in order to achieve sharpness from front to back. The photography method of doing this, you would then either photograph multiple different lighting positions if you were limited on lights and composite or use several lights shot behind giant diffusion paper sheets to achieve lighting that has soft edges without the lighting shapes being super apparent. This is also why most amatuer photographers can often get decent results using things like photo cubes that provide omni-directional lighting and it is just a simpler execution of what professionals would use.

The ring model looks pretty great though, but I am not particularly fond of the lighting. I personally find the main light box on the gold ring, how it doesn’t cover the entire stretch of the jewels to be unflattering. Also the same light creating a weird shape on the bottom of the band doesn’t look great as well. On the silver ring, The don’t really like how there are 3 separate shadow reflections on the top of the band. Also the circular light on the underside of the band is also a bit distracting.

Overall, I think all the light reflections also have too sharp edges and should be softer gradient to the shadowed sections. If you are using a HDRI to light these, you could add blur to the lighting in the environment to easily make the edges softer.

I think from a realism standpoint, they look real enough as a photographer would probably post process it to render quality similarly to have you have them, but the lighting could definitely use some refinement.

[oleksii.rybakov]

My bet is

• Add some roughness - full mirror polishing is rare in real-world jewelry
• Highlite diamonds to make more spark-looking
• Softhen light edges to make more gradual transitions
• Rethink the level of contrast you want to achieve - it depends on which look you want to create.

List item

[ben.davies.ford]

I love the challenge! Let’s break it down and dig into your questions:

What might make this look better?

To enhance the image, I’d consider focusing on:

1. Lighting: Play with light sources to bring out the metal’s reflective qualities and any intricate textures or details. This can really emphasize the materials’ quality and help separate the rings from the background.
2. Background: A more dynamic or textured background can add depth and make the rings stand out more. Consider a blurred, neutral-toned backdrop that doesn’t distract from the product.
3. Material Details: If the rings have any special features, like engravings or gemstone settings, they could be highlighted with sharper lighting and a more detailed focus to give them a tactile feel.
4. Reflection & Shadow Play: Using subtle reflections or shadows could help convey the weight and presence of the rings, adding realism.

What is the goal of this image?

The goal of an image like this seems to be to showcase the rings in a way that emphasizes their materials and design. The objective will likely make the product look appealing, detailed, and high-end while still feeling approachable to potential buyers. A key element here is also making sure that the rings appear realistic enough for the viewer to understand their size, texture, and quality.

Reflection on Photographers vs. Render Artists:

You’re absolutely right that photographers strive to make 3D objects look like photos, and render artists often try to mimic photography’s precision and realism. Since the form is simple and the materials are limited, the challenge lies in creating a balance of realism and stylization. Since you mentioned working with metal materials and simple forms, it’s about achieving that balance through how you handle color, lighting, and depth of field (DoF).

Composition and Lens:

Great suggestion on reconsidering the composition and going for a longer lens. A longer focal length helps compress the elements in the frame, creating a more natural perspective for objects like rings. This would also help reduce distortion, making the jewelry more realistic. Also, using reference images of rings with the specific metals you’re working with will allow you to study how light behaves on those materials and replicate it more accurately.

Photographic Mode Rendering and Post-Processing:

Rendering in a “photographic mode” with an EXR or 32-bit PSD gives you more control in post-processing, which is a great tip! You can adjust exposure, lighting, and shadows without losing details, which will help bring the image closer to a more photographic feel. Doing some color correction and tone mapping afterward will help refine the image, creating a more polished, professional result.

Depth of Field (DoF):

Finally, Using image masking to control DoF allows you to isolate parts of the ring that you want to keep in sharp focus while naturally blurring out the rest of the scene. By slightly blurring the background or even the edges of the rings, you create a sense of depth that pulls the viewer’s attention right to the focal point. It’s a simple but powerful way to elevate realism.

Overall, the image is already on the right track, and your suggestions to adjust lighting, composition, rendering techniques, and post-processing will definitely make it look even more polished and lifelike. Does that align with your improvement vision, or would you like to dive deeper into any of these elements?