Facial Skin Layered Mapping

 

Part 8.0 – Tweaking the Maps

Before You Begin

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

Introduction

Unfortunately one map will, to some degree, affect the other maps.  So the bump will be affected by the color, the bump and the color by the spectral and so on.   So it is not unusual to have to go back and adjust the bump and color, etc.  The only way to know what the maps really look like is to view them all together in the chor with the standard 3 light setup with the camera moving around the model: i.e. our screen test.  The following is the way I go about it.

 

  1. Render a screen test at 640x480 (VGA) at 15fps.  Look over your render settings and make sure you’re using: Quicktime/Sorrenson 3/Best Quality/15fps/Keyframe every 150/No specified data rate;  Final; Reflections; Shadows.
  2. First play the screen test back at normal size ‘Loop back and forth’.  Make a list of what does not look right (you should use the TTD sheet of the model control EXCEL file).
  3. Then force yourself to work the face from top to bottom – that is watch the top area of your maps play all around and back then, move your focus down a bit so that it overlap slightly with the first area and watch this go all around and back.
  4. I repeat the above with the movie playing at double size and at half size and even at full screen size.
  5. Once my list of tweaks and fixes is complete I’ll sort them into logical groups so if several changes involve the bump map I do these all at one time.
  6. Then I go to back to Photoshop and/or AM and attempt to make the tweaks or fixes on my list.  It is important that you maintain the ability to return to were you were!  This is to say, if I see that I’m going to make an adjustment that can not be reversed I always either save to a new version or create a new layer.  Or if I see that I’m going to change a setting (like a layer’s Opacity) I  may record the previous setting in the layer name or in the workbook by the item I’m working on.  The easiest way to make sure that you can ‘revert’ is to save to a new version preserving the old one: both for Photoshop and AM.
  7. Once this is done I repeat the screen test and check each item on my list to see how well I did and note any remaining, or new tweaks and fixes.
  8. Once I’m all done I always get a fresh eye on it.  You’ve been looking at all this stuff too long and too closely.  Others will see the obvious things you’ve missed.
  9. Remember that any modification of the mesh must be done very carefully!  Modify it too much and all of your maps will have to change!!  This is why you should not start the mapping process until the head geometry has been completed.  Still it often happens anyway.
  10. Finally remember that this process of tweaking never really ends!  So save and preserve your work files.  As soon as you get around to adding hair or closing the eyes or opening the mouth or testing facial expressions you may see another tweak and/or fix.

 

Go to Part 9.1 – The Back to the Back