Side by side lighting tests changed how I show my pieces

Last month I put two renders of the same character on my screen, one with a single softbox setup and one with three point lighting I copied from a tutorial. I thought the single light looked moody and cool, but my friend who paints miniatures said the three point version made the armor read way clearer. So I zoomed into the elbows and knee joints, and he was right, the rim light separated every panel instead of blending it all into a blob. Now I do a quick A/B test before I post anything in my portfolio and it takes like 10 minutes. Has anyone else switched their demo reel after comparing lighting styles directly?

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jamienguyen19d ago

That A/B habit is a smart move. I started doing the same thing with my character sculpts after noticing my turntable videos looked flat compared to the ones in the groups I follow. The side by side really shows you where the eye gets lost, especially on metallic surfaces or layered cloth. My stuff still needs work, but catching those issues before posting has saved me from a few rough critiques. Good on you for testing it early, that ten minutes adds up to better work real fast.