Thread by @Oddernod, { mograph } Diving back into studying real world lighting techniques in [...]

{ mograph } Diving back into studying real world lighting techniques in Redshift and the VERY first thing I do is make sure I have this mapped to an easy to remember keyboard shortcut:

SELECTED OBJECT AS CAMERA.

Mega obscure but POWERFUL lighting tip:

When looking through a light as a camera and set to CURSOR MODE, ALT+LMB obv rotates around your cursor. CTRL-ALT+LMB enables the fairly useless CENTER MODE.

BUT – if you have the light selected?

CTRL+ALT+MMB uses CAMERA MODE.

It really feels like the best of both worlds, almost like you're operating in GOD MODE with the ability to rotate around anything in your scene but then make tiny tweaks like you're moving the light with your hands – esp with the real-time feedback you get from Octane or Redshift

Lighting this way with everything in the scene off except for the currently selected light really starts feeling like you're on set.

You would NEVER consider feathering CG lights this far off axis if you were just placing and rotating a light from a random Perspective View...

In the real world, you quaickly learn the real magic of your lights is found at the edges – esp if you're dealing with softboxes.

Bigger, closer, and as far off axis as you can get and still have the control you need.

The dope advantage in CG is doing this WITH light linking.

It's pretty amazing the differences in working w sRGB Display Mode vs OCIO + ACES config.

I couldn't ever go back – wonder why this isn't STANDARD on a Redshift install.

The falloffs feel more natural, the colors feel richer, and it pushes you away from overlighting by default.

So stoked @maxon added Viewport Filter presets few versions back – we were begging for 'em on PACRIM ages ago and they're really helpful.

Immediately added a Lighting Preset for viewing through lights as a camera.

(I do wish we could assign shortcuts to them though

)

So stoked @maxon added Viewport Filter presets few versions back – we were begging for 'em on PACRIM ages ago and they're really helpful.Immediately added a Lighting Preset for viewing through lights as a camera.(I do wish we could assign shortcuts to them though )

One other TINY UI/UX thing that would be wonderful is if the LIGHTING TOOL worked with Redshift lights – or at least a way to interactively adjust the Spread of Redshift lights as you are viewing through it.

Being able to see the effects of the barn doors in situ would be dope.

Right now you have to adjust Spread in the slider buried away in the Attributes Tab, breaking your workflow a bit – and you can't drag the slider into the Camera view as HUD elements.

It'd be great if Redshift Area Light's little icons would update and be adjustable in viewport.

One aspect that I totally slept on in Redshift until I started working with OCIO on was using Temperature AND Color controls in Lights.

Dialing in temperature & a little color on top feels like using CTO and CTB gels on set.

In sRGB you barely notice anything, but w OCIO?

Dang

That's it for now. If you can't tell – I'm super stoked on Redshift right now thanks to @richnosworthy and @helloluxx's spectacular training.

And @friedpixels discussion over on @daveko's CLUBHOUSE where he talked about studying the master cinematographer ROGER DEAKINS.

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