Not your typical lighting question

[RedPhantom]

I've been sitting on this image for a while and it's making my seat wet. Since I've been wanting to become more active again here, I thought I'd ask for help here.
I've been working on a story and this scene is part of it. I like how it's lit (which is rare for me) but it can't be lit like this. It's really a plot hole in the story I need ideas to fix.
Our heroes were in a city when word came the troll army was close to attacking. Now because this city is close to the border of the troll lands, they expected this would happen eventually and had an evacuation plan. This group was part of the rear guard and split from the rest to fight a squad of trolls that caught up with them. As I was writing this scene, I forgot it was raining and was thinking they were traveling by moon light. But that can't be because it's raining. There is no electricity on this world and they're too far from the city for it to be glow from that.
So my question is where is the light coming from? Aside from the fires that started after the fight did and will soon be put out by the rain. I thought about adding torches but how do you fight with a sword or a bow and hold a torch? Any suggestions?

 

[SimonJM]

It can't rain when the moon is out? The problem with night scenes is ..it's dark. If there is enough light for us to see (moon, street, ambient, etc.) our eyes will adjust so we will be able to see (some) details. In reality a scene like the one you have described would be dark, with fitful pools of light from torches and a lot of confusion! Not good for a picture you want people to be able to look at! In Daz Studio I'd start with a Distant Light (tinted a pale blue) for the moon an Ambient light for general "let me see whet the heck is going on here!) lighting at a low level and UberArea on the torches and see how that goes.

 

[Szark]

nearly all night time images and movie scenes are faked with an intense blue light. As Simon says in 3delight I use a distant light set to a medium blue and Uber Environment set to Ambient only or you could use the night preset with the Saturation turned down to 50%

 

[Lorraine]

I come home in my dinghy at night, in the rain and with a full moon. It's light, not as light as with no rain but I can still see boats ahead and around me. So your soldiers would be able to see on a moonlit, rainy night.

 

[Lorraine]

Szark, on a really moonlit night here, I can read outside so it is pretty bright. Not many camera lens can emulate the human eye but.

 

[robert952]

My 2 kB worth. As Simon points out, you could have pools of light. I see several potential light sources where you could use point lights (looks like a dagger in the background, a glowing palm, a sword and of course the flame areas). You might be able to use those to create more of a single focal point in the image. Turn intensity up well past 100% for those, like 800% or 1300% or what ever. A virtual world has no limits.. Of course, you can overdo anything; finding that balance will be the challenge.

(And at risk of hijacking the thread: Hi Simon and Szark. Been a while for me to be very active.)

 

[Szark]

hey Robert

This was done using Uber Environment and point lights

 

[Szark]

You can use light to punctuate certain areas again UE2 and point lights

 

[Miss B]

Great night renders sir! I especially like the second one.

 

[robert952]

hey Robert

This was done using Uber Environment and point lights

(Image removed in reply).

Nice images and serves to illustrate my point. Any idea on the settings? (I know you're probably like me... can't remember why I hate senility.)

 

[Szark]

All I remember is using UE2 night preset with dropping the Saturation down to 50% otherwise it is too blue for my liking.

 

[Pendraia]

Great night renders!

*sneaks into a corner to sit and listen...

 

[RedPhantom]

Every post I reply to I get alerts that someone else posted. The thread I start...not a peep. I just happened to decide to come check the thread and see what had been said. Thanks for all the suggestions.
Those are great renders. I don't have Uber Environment. Isn't that a DS thing? I'm using poser. I may try to rerender it using Superfly, or maybe reality and maybe downplay the moonlight and have the flames a little bigger and maybe have a few mage lights. There's a few mages in the group.

I jst want to have a good plan a head of time. That many figures in a scene is a pain to work with. Everything slows terribly. I have to hide everything except what I"m working on and loading takes forever.

 

[robert952]

Glad you find the info useful. Not being a Poser user I can't answer definitively if UE is Studio only. But I think so. If you have point lights where you can control the fall off of the light, that should do similar effects.

As to your comment about not getting info on messages you created...

In 'Preferences' are a series of check boxes one of which has to do with threads you start. You might want to see if you have the correct boxes checked. Browsing Preferences is the area where I see the "threads that you create" area.

If it is checked already, maybe someone more tech savvy than I can assist if figuring out why you don't get alerts.

 

[seachnasaigh]

RedPhantom: It's raining - so the illumination is coming from lightning. I have b&w maps for that if you want to make an overlay onto the skydome.

 

[RedPhantom]

Seachnasaigh, that's a fabulous idea, simple but brilliant. Thanks. I have some lightning props I picked up somewhere.