My first render, let's call it
Backdoor Alleyway Bust, taught me a lot about limits (textures, AA, rendering time, knowledge) so I would love for you to give me some input on how I can improve the most glaring errors (e.g those awful jagged shadows - why are they even there?).
The scene depicts a couple caught in the headlights of car by the way if it wasn't already obvious. Thx.
View attachment 1038157
First things first, and I will assume you use Iray... not enough pixel samples, and way too much nearby lighting. That's what gives those shadows. Move the lights a little further back, and use a night-time HDRI map, as the core environmental illumination. Then, for this particular scene, use TWO spotlights, positioned at around where thecar's headlights would be, narrow the beam on each, and lower the intensity just enough. Let the HDRI give the base illumination, and only use the spotlights to add the necessary effect.
Also, always create a camera, using the "copy active view" option, in the camera creation popup (it gives you a camera that is located and angled in a way that it matches what you currently see in the main viewport, assuming you're happy with the angle and all), select the camera view, and, on the camera properties, turn off the headlamp. In fact, unless you are trying to achieve flash photography, ALWAYS keep the headlamp off.
In time, you'll get the eye for the little details, like editing limb bending to achieve a more plausible pose. In this particular case, the man's shins are up in mid-air. Trying to fuck like that will surely destroy your kneecaps before you can say "I'm cumming". And, his hand looks like it's about to sink his fingers through the concrete. But, I have done way worse mistakes when I was fresh in the field, so don't feel too scared.
Finally, if you do GPU renders, consider turning on the Depth of Field function on the camera, it delivers far more eye-catching end results, keeping the focus where you want it, rather than letting the eye jump along all the little details that can distract the viewer if they remain too crisp.
