Facial Skin Layered Mapping

 

Part 6.1 – Specular Intensity

Before You Begin

Have your work file open in Photoshop.   Have your model open in AM.

Introduction

These maps define the intensity and size of ‘shininess’.  This of course can change: after running 2 miles the face might be far shinier then normal and if dried out by the desert wind, the face could have almost no ‘shininess’.

 

These maps are important for realism – get them wrong and you’ll wind up with Mr. or Mrs. Vaseline (or plastic).  Many 3D programs only allow a secularity map.  AM breaks out intensity and size and this is both a blessing and curse but now, I don’t know how I managed with only one map controlling both before.

 

Intensity

The intensity will go up in those areas of the face that secrete more oil (the sides of the nose, around the ears, areas of the forehead, etc.), where the face is harder (the chin, the end of the nose, the forehead, the ears) and also in areas that are moist (the edges of the eye lids, the lips).   The intensity will go down in the dryer areas (cheeks), in soft areas (the eye lids) and in enclosed areas (wrinkles, creases, where the ear goes into the head).

 

Size

The size will increase with dry or rough areas and soft areas.  The size will be smaller in hard or smooth areas and wet areas.

 

Balancing out all these characteristics as they combine in different ways and effect the intensity and size is not as hard as it might seem and to be sure we don’t have to take in every consideration.

 

In this section we focus on the Intensity.

 

As I tried to create this section I realized that I had been creating the specular intensity map in a very adhoc way so I set about refining it.  Formulas for creating these from reference various references (not made for AM) just didn’t work.  However I found one that gave me the right gray scale levels except in the extremes.  Doing this and then pulling in the extremes by adding a layer filled with white and raising the opacity actually gave me a better spec intensity map in less time then I’d been getting with my old adhoc try this/try that method (which couldn’t really be documented anyway).  So that’s the game plan – we’ll take precise steps to create an accurate if extreme map the adjust it until it looks right.

 

  1. For safeties sake, same your work file to a new version.
  2. Duplicate your work file and save it as SpecIntBaseWork.psd so that you can tear it up and shuffle it around to get what we need.  You might close your work file so you don’t make any mistakes.
  3. Delete everything in the SpecIntBaseWork.psd file except the Guide2 layer and the Bump Layer Set.
  4. If you have a whiskers layer delete that and also delete the Pores layer.
  5. Hide and lock the Guide 2 layer.
  6. Duplicate the Softness Cap and name the duplicate Neutralizer and drag this layer out of the Bump Layer set underneath the Guide 2 layer and hide it.  We’ll come back to this one.
  7. If you have a Veins layer drag this out of the Bump layer set and under the Neutralizer layer and hide it (if you have more then one, merge them first).
  8. In the Bump Layer set hide everything except the Nose, Chin, any neck wrinkle layers you many have created, any forehead wrinkle layers you may have, the Upper Nose layer (wrinkles between the eyes at the top of the nose if you have this), the Wrinkles layer and any extra softness areas you may have created to supplement the Softness Cap layer (but not the Softness Cap itself).
  9. Review that you have only the layers mentioned in step 8 visible.
  10. Select the Wrinkles layer and do Layer->Merge Visible (<ctl><shift>e).
  11. Drag the Wrinkles layer up and place it underneath the Veins layer then hide it.
  12. Unhide everything below the Wrinkles layer (the remaining layers that were in the Bump Layer set), select the Bump Base and do Merge Visible.
  13. You should now have the following layers in the following order: Guide 2; Neutralizer; Veins; Wrinkles; Bump Base.
  14. Select the Wrinkles layer (which will make it visible again).
  15. Change the Blend mode to Multiply and do Adjustment->Levels and set the Input Levels to 0, 2.10, 255 to lighten the effect.
  16. Select the Bump Base and do Adjustment->Levels and set the Input Levels to 0, 1, 210 to lighten this layer.  You should now have only the Wrinkles and Bump Base layers visible and it should like something like Figure 6.1.1.

 

 

Figure 6.1.1

 

  1. With only the Bump Base and the Wrinkles layers visible, select the Wrinkles layer and do Merge Visible.  You should now have the following layers in the following order: Guide 2; Neutralizer; Veins; Wrinkles.
  2. Now we need to lower the background chaos a bit and darken the main features.  Duplicate the Wrinkles layer and set the duplicate to Multiply (Figure 6.1.2).  This darkens the main features but not too much yet.

 

 

Figure 6.1.2

 

  1.  Now we’ll remove some of the chaos.  Select the Neutralizer layer which un-hides it and do Image->Adjustment->Invert (<ctl>i).  Then drag it between the two Wrinkle layers.
  2. Change the Neutralizer layer’s Blend Mode to Linear Light and reduce the Opacity to 0%.
  3. Now slowly bring the Neutralizer layer’s Opacity up until you can just see the all or most of the background chaos – this will usually be around 20% Opacity (Figure 6.1.3).

 

 

Figure 6.1.3

 

  1. With only the 2 Wrinkles layers and Neutralizer layer visible select the Wrinkles layer and do Merge Visible.
  2. Now we want to lower the brightness way down to represent the base secularity of the skin (in AM’s case an extreme of this anyway).  With the Wrinkles layer selected do Adjustment->Levels and adjust the Input Levels and the Output levels until you have the image as dark as you can get it and still see all of the major features.  Try setting the Input Levels to 73, 0.75, 220 and the Output Levels to 0, 84 and work from there.  If this is too light, lower the Output Level to say 0, 75 or somewhere in there.   If this is too dark, try raising the Input Level to say 63, .75, 220 and/or raising the Output Level to say 0, 90.  Exact numbers are impossible to give here.  You should wind up with something like Figure 6.1.4.  Although many of the finer features seem faded to black or very dark gray and virtuall gone, they’re still there.

 

 

Figure 6.1.4

 

  1. If, at this point, you have any light areas that stand out like the forehead, chin, ears or, as in Figure 6.1.4, use the Burn Tool at a very low exposure to tone them down (Caution: due to the darkness of the image the Burn tool will have a stronger effect – set the exposure at around 10%).
  2. Now we just need to tweak the brightness in a few areas.  Activate the Guide 2 layer and set it’s Opacity so that you can barely see the mesh lines and use this as a guide.  Using Dodge/150/45%, lighten the front area of the face a bit with a few light strokes.  You may have to use History to back out and redo a few times to get rid of areas that got too light because you went over them too many times.  The best way I found is to make horizontal strokes that slightly overlap starting at the top and working down (Figure 6.1.5).

 

 

Figure 6.1.5

 

  1. Next reduce the Brush size to about 21, zoom in on the lips and lighten them up pretty good.  If you find you are getting very light areas within almost pure black areas (as you well may with a female with makeup) then use the Smudge Tool at 24% to even this out and move back and forth between the Dodge and Smudge tools until you have a smoother pattern of lighter tones (Figure 6.1.6).
  2. Reduce the Dodge Brush to 5, zoom in on each eye and lighten the patches around the eye slits where the lashes will connect – lighten these to almost white.  Again, if you find you are getting white dots against a black background, switch back and forth between the Smudge and Dodge tools as before but this time until you get a smooth consistent line (Figure 6.1.6).

 

 

Figure 6.1.6

 

  1. Finally, zoom out and setting the Dodge brush to about 35 lighten the ears a tad (Figure 6.1.7).

 

 

Figure 6.1.7

 

  1. Now unhide the Vein layer if you have one and set the Blend mode to Overlay if needed.  Veins should show up about as much as an wrinkles except light instead of dark.  If you can not see the veins switch the Blend mode to Linear Light and drop the Opacity until it is toned down enough (Figure 6.1.8).

 

 

Figure 6.1.8

 

  1. Save.  You want to maintain this image just in case you need to come back and tweak it.
  2.  Hide the Guide 2 layer, flatten the image, select all and copy.  Open your work file if you need to, select the Spec Int Layer set and paste.  Name the new layer Original.
  3. Duplicate the layer and name the duplicate Spec Int Base.  This will be your specular intensity extreme to work from and with.  Sometimes towards the end you may not be able to increase the brightness enough using Overlay layers and you may have to make adjustments directly to this layer so, we preserver the original.
  4. Lock and hide the Original layer and save you work file.
  5. Next create a layer above the Spec Int Base layer called Neutralizer (as before).   This it’s blend mode will be normal.  What we will do with this layer is pretty simple.  If we were to fill it with 50% gray and set the Opacity to zero, then as we raised the Opacity the darker colors would get lighter and the lighter colors would get darker and the colors near 50% gray would stay about the same.  As we increased the Opacity to 100% all the colors would met at 50% gray.  If on the other had we filled this layer with black and increased the Opacity the light areas would darken quickly, the 50% gray areas less quickly and the dark areas slowly until at 100% they would all merge into black.  By the same token if we filled the layer with white, the opposite would be true.  And in fact for AM specular intensity at 100% it is white that worked for me and is the best bet for you.  Just realize that if you get the light colored lips and eyes looking right but the rest of the face has too much shine, to fix this, try filling the layer with 75% gray so that the spread between the light and dark areas is greater.  Fill the Neutralizer layer with white and set the Opacity at 15%.  Figure 6.1.9 shows the Spec Int Base without the Neutralizer layer on the left and with it on the right (yours should look like the right side and not cut in half okay!).

 

 

Figure 6.1.9

 

  1. Generate a map from this and name it SkinFrontSectionSpecInt.tga.
  2.  We need a neutral Specular Size map so click on the Spec Size Layer group and create a new layer, Blend model Normal and fill it with 50% gray.  Then generate a map from this called SkinFrontSectionSpecSize.tga.  Now hide the Spec Size layer set and reselect the Neutralizer layer in the Spec Int layer set so no mishaps occure.
  3. Go to AM and expand the Decals section, right click on the Image section and select ‘Add Image’ and add the SkinFrontSectionSpecInt.tga image.  Change the Type to Specular Intensity.  Leave the percentage at 100%.
  4. Do this again to add the SkinFrontSectionSpecSize.tga image under it setting the Type to Specular Size.  Leave the percentage at 100%.
  5. Now render it and see if you’re in the ball park.  We will probably need to darken and lighten a few areas but you should be fairly close.  If not you need to adjust the Neutralizer layer’s Opacity and/or its fill color by darkening it.  Mine looks okay at these settings (Figure 6.1.10).

 

 

Figure 6.1.10

 

  1. Once you get this ‘in the ball park’ create an Overlay layer above the Neutralizer layer and call it Lower.  Well use this to lower the shinny ness of some areas.  Make Guide 2 visible with the Opacity at a level were you can just see it.  Reselect your new Lower layer (I forgot and started burning the Guide 2 layer!).
  2. First using Burn with a large brush size (say 150 to 200) and an Exposure of about 20%, subtly darken the neck area but fade out the darkening before you reach the rear seam (where the Front Section will meet the Back Section).  Then lower the Brush size and darken the lower eye lids and eye sack, between the eyes, the cheeks and between the upper lip and the nose.  Also if the sides of the nose are too shinny (to light) darken these a tad.  Figure 6.1.11 shows before and after (on the right).

 

 

Figure 6.1.11

 

  1. Create another Overlay layer above the Lower layer and name it Raise.  Using Dodge with an appropriate Brush size and an Exposure of perhaps 20% lighten the chin a tad.  If your model is wearing lipstick and/or eye makeup also lighten the lips and/or the upper eye lids a more increasing the Exposure if you need to.  For myself, the forehead has too much variation (see Figure 6.1.11), if yours is the same, lighten the darker areas a bit to even this out.  Figure 6.1.12  shows the difference – left before / right after.  Not much and I increased the exposure to 100%.

 

 

Figure 6.1.12

 

  1. Time to test the map again.  Mine, due to the makeup, shows that I need to increase the lips and upper eyes more and I can’t do it using the Raise Overlay layer and so I select the Spec Int Base layer and using the Dodge tool I increase the lightness here.  Also on mine I need the light area to more precisely follow the edges of the lips.  Figure 6.1.13 shows the difference now.

 

 

Figure 6.1.13


  1. The final touch is to drop down into the Bump layer set and duplicate the Pore layer and drag it up between the Lower and Raise layers.  Change the Blend mode to Overlay.
  2. Time to test it with a render.  Mine okay (Figure 6.1.14) and after a screen test I pretty happy.  You should be close with this and a screen test will tell you if you need to lighten here or darken there a bit.

 

 

Figure 6.1.14

 

  1. Save all.

 

Go to 6.2 – Specular Size