Face Light

Yes. Post counts matter.

Yes I do, but I speak Blah. I minored in it in College. It was easier than taking computer classes.

Well, you should be.

only to you. i just like to see myself type.

You are forgetting that facelights exist within the environment defined by the client (Windlight or pre-WL). Unless you expect everyone to run an old (pre-WL) client, or to run a certain default setting under Windlight, or to have the same computer monitors as you, or to have the same hardware/software calibration settings as you, your hope that others see what you see is nothing more than a fantasy.

I run individually custom calibrated dual monitors by the same manufacturer (acer) and there are still subtle differences between what I see on one monitor versus the other. I check my work on both because I understand that each monitor has unique properties that render colors in a unique way.

You are correct to point out that the solution to improving the look of the avatar surface rendering issues needs to happen through improved lighting INSIDE the SL viewer. It wasn't until Windlight came along that I had complete control over how visible the shadow detail was on the avatar's polygon surfaces. Before WL, I had to composite two separate snapshots (sunrise and sunset) in identical positions to cancel out the ugly shadows. I think LL is heading in exactly the right direction with Windlight. It just needs to be improved upon. Someone (not neccessarily LL) needs to impliment a technology that deals with better/smoother real time rendering of specularity, cast shadows, sub-surface light scattering, and bump mapping within the client viewer. Facelights do not globally solve the avatar surface rendering problem inside the client viewer in any way, shape, or form.

I apologize for calling all people that wear face lights "glowtards". I just wish everyone could see the forest for the trees.

I've tried other people's face lights and made some of my own, so I have no hesitation in knocking them and explaining what they really do.

Face lights cause an additive brightening of texture color and luminosity in exactly the same way brightness and contrast work in an image editing application (like pre-CS2 Photoshop). They shift the distribution of color information along the histogram. This pushes any color values close to pure white (R-255,G-255,B-255) to pure white, clipping the histogram and losing that textural information.

Translation: Face lights make skin textures brighter and more contrasty.

The Gamma setting in the WL viewer does exactly the same thing if pushed past a setting of 1.0. It will wash out areas of a texture that are extremely light. I have a couple WL settings I created for working with my skins. The download was linked earlier in this thread by Virrginia Tombola. They both have the gamma set to 1.0 to preserve the original textural information within my skin textures. They also limit the amount of shadow rendered on the avatar's surface, letting the baked in highlights and shadows of the skin textures create the illusion of the volumetric, specular, and translucent detail that is currently still lacking in any SL client viewer.

i don't like okra therefore okra should be banned simply cause i don't like it. to hell with all you pro okra-ites it's all about ME!!!!!

Needs moar desu. (^_^)y

Oookay... so I look stupid? See and judge for yourself. This is an example of facelight used in midnight settings.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27764102@N02/2649478979/

I must add that the things done with the pic, is cropping, adjusting saturation and temperature a tiny bit, and adding vignette (the dark edge around) The face is softened a bit in a few spots where it was a edge. I have not added more or less light to the face. I am pleased with the way the picture looks.

Looks good for a portrait. Sorta like having a key light on you. For day-to-day walking around thought? To me, it looks weird. RL people dun have little white lights following them.

*gasp* Okra is yummy! & Where is the reg sweet ice tea?! hm
I'm displaced from the east coast, you can order 20 kinds of ice tea and not a glass of plain ole reg sweet tea!
...Well unless I make it, but I don't drink it that much enough.

k Back to you!!!!!

We are not talking about use for artistic portraiture.

Glowtard here again!

What I've been trying to say is that by using a facelight you at least have some hope of presenting your intended look in the best light possible to other people, where if you only change viewer settings you aren't changing a thing in regard to how other people see you.

Yes some people could find a way to twist just about anything into being in violation of the terms of service so im not on board with that one.

I am not a technical wiz but I do think the lighting leaves much to be desired in SL and could be improved. And I maintain that this is where the problem lies not with those who try to fix it with facelights.

Im proud to be a Glowtard!

SL viewer has option which makes locating the light sources much easier -- it's in the Advanced menu (enable this one with ctrl + alt + d) under Rendering -> Info Displays -> Lights. It will cause the viewer to draw a rectangle around each defined light source, and the size of rectangle reflects the range of light.

Quickest way to disable such lighting is switching Lighting Detail to "Sun and Moon only" in the custom graphics preferences panel. It turns off all extra lights of course, but it's typically not too bad compromise for a quick fix.

/me nods.... this is an example of a softer facelight. With different settings. I walk around with it if I'm on a photo raid. Can't put it on and off every two-three minutes if I find a good place for a photo? This isn't the type that cast a ring of white light around you.

And I usually go with it in sunset and sunrise photos too, because I use the sun and reflections in water as background. Then my face would go totally dark.

It is not enough for me, to jump in a photosphere and push the buttons until I have a nice background and lights. I will have SL photos, not photosphere photos.

/me nods. Even if I'm not on photosraids I use facelight, because I can see possible pictures everywhere, and it's nice to see the face even on a simple snapshot, not just a scene set up for a spesific photo.

We got that. And we also get all the shadows cast, and the reduction of ambient light in large groups, wherein your facelight becomes pointless if 6 other people happen to wear one (or two, or three, etc.). If you wear your light at home or in your portrait studio, no one cares. It's when you have to be around other people that it matters. We personally don't care how you look if you make *us* look bad by casting shadows, or nullifying ambient light sources.

Neither am I.

You wanted to see a walking candle? So I showed you one. Listen, a few sentences here in 10 pages mention "it can be ok if used in a photosphere or photoshots". The rest is totally negative to facelights.

Likewise, I do opt for shots "in the wild" -- but while I do have my Mytsi for adding a little keylighting to my face time to time, I keep it off when I'm not shooting. It takes me all of a second or two to type "/1 light on" and be ready to click (though I'll often fiddle with the light's intensity). About as long as it takes me to click the emote and give a smile, really.

Before people jump on me for calling them a "glowtard" (because I did't anyway), the only sort of facelights I don't really care for all the nuclear intensity ones that some people opt for. It makes them look like a Nagel painting, and sucks all the light and subtle colors out of an area. To me, that's inconsiderate of others.

Now, do I mind a pale face light? not so much. It's "Your World, Your Imagination," and all that. But when I see people with 6+ spheres of high intensity light on 'em, that's a bit much all around.

Like everything in life, moderation and consideration goes a long way.



Trust me: your face light is not a walking candle. I've seen those. Yours is not it.

Mari

Agreed. I think what some of us are trying to say is that, in some situations, we're not here to look at them and may not care if they look their photogenic best. I have nothing against people using a facelight so long as it doesnt distract from the focus of the situation, but so many folks have lights that not only light up their head from every direction but the room around them as well.

And even so, unless it's quite subtle, when at a theater, a movie, a concert or a performance, you are not the focus. No one cares that you're pretty. Fight the need to be seen in darkness and kill the stupid facelight.

Hopefully you also got the part about being able to differentiate between someone with a nuclear glowing facelight and a subtle one that is barely detectible. I think its actually more inconsiderate and offensive to harass someone with a facelight (who has taken the time and money to buy a more low keyed version) than it is for me to deprive you of one of your 6 precious local light sources by wearing it. Unless you own the land we are talking about I have just as much right to one of those light sources as you do. And if the facelight is like the one I just bought you aren't getting any noticible shadows or anything of the sort from me because its very mild. If it bothers you let me know I'm glad to take it off, or better yet I'll get as far away from you as possible. Bottom line, and you can ignore it if it interferes with your passion for controlling others, but SL lighting sucks and facelights are a stopgap measure until someone makes it better.

even a tiny bit of post editing changes it from what is seen in SL...

I guess that is where we differ... I do not care how others see my avatar, I just care about how I see my avatar, since I have no way of knowing or controlling their lighting options and computer settings... plus with the settings I use, I do get to see other avatars in the best light possible for my computer and settings... I win the best of both world (for me)

as for the violation of the terms of service I too do not agree with it, I merely made the comment that some folks would go to that extreme...
(just because I made the connection, doesn't mean I agree with it)

Obviously subtle is better than supernova.

And I have never "harassed" or even commented to anyone for wearing a facelight, and I would not, since it is not my right and I have no desire to "control" anyone. Excuse you. I'm just grousing about it here in this thread, as an alternate source to vent, since it's being discussed. And speaking of control issues, isn't it you trying to control how everyone else sees you with your light? Pot, kettle, black.

If I am at a place that is open to the public, such as a concert, you deprive me and everyone else around you of the experience intended by the builder if you use up one of our "precious" light sources that you have no concern over, as if we care how you look up close.

If everyone is wearing these things, it's clear we spend more time looking at ourselves and there's nothing wrong with that. But you can do that and get the look you want without throwing off the build, or others' viewing experience for the mere "chance" that we will see you the way you think we are going to see you. Considering the proliferation of these lights, chances are your light isn't giving the desired effect anyway if 6 people are in the way with their own lights.

God:
I'd like to give you the keys to the Sun, the Moon, and the stars to do with what you will, or... you can keep the 99 cent flashlight you have pointed at your face.

So... What'll it be?

Gel Lit, Overly Washed-out, Technically Aggravated, Resident Dweller:
Ummmm... The flashlight!!!