To start, I'd like to say that I'm already aware that this model is really bad (got zbrush a few days ago) and that i didn't spend very long on it, but that isn't really what this post is about.
What I'd like help with is improving the lighting. As it stands, the image appears very flat even though the model itself isn't. I think that happened because all I used to light the scene was an hdri and nothing else.
My goal is to show off the model's form and maybe to get a whimsical, zany look (though that would surely take more than just changing the lighting).
It was sculpted and painting in zbrush, then rendered in blender (cycles) if that matters.
Thanks for your time!
Replies
Here are some tutorials from youtube on lighting in blender.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0uc4sRArjE
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDbrOpnIY7Q
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bum0F00TaKU
Also experiment a lot, change between different light types, colours, sizes and angles and see which one works the best.
Renderer , Mesh in viewport , shader ,etc.
All I can tell for now is avoid HDRI for final render unless you are trying to blend the Subject to an environment .
You cant get artistic control for lighting from HDRI , such as falloff , softness , angle etc . BUT , they can be useful for finding mood .
As pointed out from Ashervisalis , 3 point lighting is the most basic form of setup you can do . If you are lost , just use 3 point .
Exactly , but people who are new to lighting tends to use HDRI as one way solution . I had seen many of it .