Presenting your Work - Background Color

tygereye107

I am in the process of making a new digital portfolio and I wanted to have a standard setup of lighting and backdrops for my models.

When you render out a turnaround, what color backdrop do you use? Do you feel black is too dark? Is white to bright? Do you like using color lights?

Pedestals. Should the character / model float in space or should they be grounded on a pedestal?

Thoughts?

Laheen

I've always been a fan of a darker grey for a background.

vahl

dark grey->lighter gray vertical gradient seems to be hype since the release of mudbox and zb3

cholden

I prefer a neutral or slightly darker grey. Sometimes slightly saturating that to a color that helps accentuate the colors of the piece.

Black is too dark, white is too bright, and colored lights are great.

When lighting your scene, keep it simple and easy to ready (nothing all shadowed out or dark). I usually use a warm (orange) light from below, a cool (aqua/blue) from above/behind and a main fill light that is white or slightly yellow (like sunlight). Test each light on it's own to see that they look good, and then all should look great together.

Characters don't "need" pedestals, but it can help ground the character, as in, give the viewer a sense of scale. I'm particularly fond of seeing a small environment cut-out for the pedestal. Nothing crazy, just again something to ground it within its own reality and tell a story about the character.

Look at the DomWar winners, these mostly all have awesome pedistals/background to help set the tone.

commander_keen

I say 2 low saturation color gradient based on lighting direction, different colors for each model or each set of models. You will probably get a better result then same background for every model. Just dont make it so over the top that its obvious you are using different backgrounds.

Or maybe you could go for a low contrast/saturation image or something. Maybe some nice abstract moving stuff (for reel/turntables) depending on the style and theme of your work.

Richard Kain

I agree with using different colors for each set of models. (low-saturation, of course) Subtle touches like this help to make your portfolio easier to understand. Usability is key when showcasing your work.

I am personally in favor of pedestals. Free-float your character if you don't have it rigged yet. A character with their arms sticking out to either side looks silly on a pedestal. But if your character is ready for posing, than a pedestal helps to give it much-needed context. The pedestal itself is also another chance for you to strut your stuff. A touch of level and prop design to go with your modeling skills. It's a bit more work, but I think it is most likely worth it.

Also, kudos on bringing up this topic. Pointers on this subject are most welcome.

tygereye107

Yeah, I've been looking around and I've got to say, gray gradient, maybe with a little complimentary color, is definitely the way to go. Thanks all for your input.

moose

pink

killingpeople

greenish/brownish/grayish

Wells

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greenish/brownish/grayish

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Ruz

don't forget to include a 'where's wally'