bootyprofessor
patreon
CG's Look Fancy Now
🕑 Added 2022-12-16 21:07:51 +0000 UTCHey!
Well, shit I did jinx it last time. Would've been cool to get the update out by the end of the year but I don't see that happening anymore. Some of the tasks are taking way longer than ideal.
As you can see in the header I did some post edits on the images. For every previous update I always just lowered the brightness and raised the contrast and that was it. Not that I was happy with only doing that, I just didn't know where to start experimenting. This time I was dead set on doing some actual editing and I think they turned out pretty good.
You should be able to zoom in on the photos but if it's not visible, the top one is the finished drawing, the second is with -5 brightness +5 contrast, or how you saw them uploaded here before/ how they would've appeared in game, the next one(s) are my initial experiments, and the bottom one is the finalized version.
I knew very well that I used some unsaturated colours when drawing but seeing them side by side the difference is crazy. Also, I just titled them initial but the third row was supposed to be the final version. I experimented with Lightroom a few times this year but I really didn't have a clue how to do this. First, I hoped there would be a universal solution, a filter that fits every image and makes all the levels identical. However, since I can't shade my drawings the exact same way twice, there were always going to be differences in the lighting and tones, which meant I had to develop individual filters for each CG.
What to do if the image looks washed out? Obviously boost every slider by a shit ton. I randomly did just that and since I liked the result I decided I'd go for a really saturated, heavy contrast, deep shadows, bright highlights look. I liked it initially and went all in adjusting the sliders for days but when I was almost done I realized it was not right after all.
Nice😋
I wasn't a complete retard, I tested them in both daylight and night time and I found them cool but then gradually started second guessing everything. It's the weirdest thing because when I stared at it long enough my brain started processing colours differently. Even now I wouldn't say they look bad, just different, but definitely not what I was going for. Way over the top.
I was shitting bricks to have wasted days making the custom filters but fortunately I was able to repurpose them. Still, I have no idea how any of this looks on you guys' displays so let me know in the comments. At least they won't cause blindness when
the lights are off anymore...probably.
As the art always has been the utmost priority, I never really searched for anything coding related. I was just happy things worked in the first place. That's how I only recently found out about the Renpy action editor. It's a tool that lets you do real time transformations/movements in-game. It's great to have stumbled upon it because I've been having some worries about the update turning into a slideshow. I mean visual novels that aren't animated are essentially slideshows but the large amount of images this time around would amplify that even more.
The editor is really helpful with zooms and stuff and I think those would be a nice touch and make the scenes feel more interesting. Depending on how long it takes I'll be implementing it in at least a couple of scenes. That's the plan.
Have a nice weekend!
BP
Comments
BootyProfessor
Soon
Hybye
When is next post update?
BootyProfessor
Can't really stop anybody, can I? (Not that I want to in the first place)
Craftts
out of curiosity how much are we allowed to tell those on f95zone about what's going on here in the patreon?
BootyProfessor
As of now I'm a couple scenes in. One day it's hard to churn out words, the next day they come naturally so it balances out. I have a goal in mind for the wordcount I want to hit. However, the dialogue is made up on the spot so I can't really make estimates. I'll know more and be able to share more in my next post.
John Ortega
In that case, carry on. I understand.
James Smith
Images are cool, but... is there any progress with the writing?
BootyProfessor
I already made the adjustments for this one so why not release them? But indeed, there's going to be a full remaster because the early CG's desperately need it. I couldn't tell when it happens though.
John Ortega
Have you considered just releasing the update and giving these adjustments in a completed remastered version? Yeah, people are annoyed when Naughty Dog does it, but I think it'd be fine here.
Colin Westerman
Honestly, the differences are so minor I think they all look great. It's always sad when you extend the deadline, but I know when it does come out it will be amazing! Can't wait!
dska
That's great to hear. You are doing amazing work. Keep it up ^^
BootyProfessor
That's light hitting her face, supposed to be kinda orange-y but definitely not orange...well. It's all good I have the unedited images too and will make them available with the release. I only want to add a couple to make scenes more interesting. There are some moments that could be elevated by edits.
dska
I forgot to comment on the images. Final images do look very nice, but on my display raw images look slightly better than the final ones. It's very minor difference that I can only tell looking at both pictures closely. For example on my monitor, Riley's hair looks almost orange at some places. As for the transformations/movements in-game that's a really cool idea, but I hope there would not be too many because it can become annoying. For example a game "A Promise Best Left Unkept" uses animations a lot and it was way over the top. It also ruined CTRL skipping because it lags too much (animations starting to play), which kinda ruins multiple playthroughs.
tim
Nice, the bottom images look way better to me. Good work
BootyProfessor
Well, if you guys dislike the new look, no problem, I'll include an image pack with the originals.
BootyProfessor
Well, shit🙃
BootyProfessor
I'm aware of the situation. I've been on the other side a few years back. At this point no matter what I do there will be outrage. An alpha ver. would probably make some people happy but ultimately it'd only add fuel to the fire for those already frustrated. I'd rather focus on delivering a polished update for people willing to appreciate it.
Mochi
Looks great. I actually prefer either the 1st or 2nd pic (raw and/or brightness/contrast) but I already tune my monitor to have some saturation and such so that's probly why.
dska
How is progress with dialogue? What else is a blocker issue before release? These new changes you are doing are nice and it's important that you are proud of your final product, but these things you listed could be done after alpha version of the final game is ready. You could release an alpha version on Patreon for people to test. The reason why I am suggesting this is because people have become really impatient with waiting. I advise against reading F95Zone forum GFT thread, because the messages there are quite nasty. To me personally it doesn't matter when the update comes, I am content with your progress, but clearly a lot of people are not. Since you have plans for next game, keeping your Patreons happy should be a priority right? Just my 2c, love you work, big fan. ^^
Noraku
Proud of you! Keep it up!! Looks AMAZING
