[CrazyMerlin]

To add it in post, you would render the shadow onto a white surface with nothing else, jus the shadow.

Then you would take this into an image editing package, load your scene pic, then in another layer load the shadow and set the shadow layers Mode to 'Screen'.

This would get rid of the white and overlay the shadow onto the scene.

If it covered anything it shouldn't that would be easy to work around with some selection.

The smoke in my scene was rendered in LW, but I rendered it in a scene on its own, and layered it over the other image of the whole scene.

There is nothing in the rules that says you are not allowed to use post production techniques, so you could get you electricity to really BUZZ!

lol

~~CM!

[doosterproductions]

Thanks a lot for the tips, I think that will really help me in the future. Thanks.

[NoStr0m0]

Hi everybody...
It might be just me but could you move the zapped mosquito a bit higher or lower to see it better on a darker surface, since in the position it's in now you can't really see it because of the stone wall.
Also, I'm not sure, and I might just get a lot of bashing for this but something doesn't look right with the bug zapper's base... if one's not carefull one might think that it's actually touching the cobblestone walkway, but again...it might be just my eyes playing tricks on me at 1 o'clock in the morning :zzz:
Anyway...keep up the good work and sorry if I popped out uninvited like I did...

P.S. Just a thought: you could rotate the eyes of the mosquito, the living one, of course, twards the left (from his perspective, to the right - from ours), like it's trying to look behind him to see if he's safe. At least that's what everybody on TV in a horror/ thriller does: look behind to see if someone's following them, fall, twist their ankles, die...well, don't wanna spoil the end

And since you gave the little flier human eyes, maybe even dilate the pupils a bit... a bit more.... to give the impression that he's actually scared and not just flying around, minding it's own business while some other unfortunate buddy of his comes across a shocking experience :lmao: ok, so maybe it wasn't so funny ....

BTW It's a scientifical fact that when we get scared, among other thing happening, our pupils dilate so more light reaches the receptors on the retina to help us better understand and react to the current situation. Just a fact.

[CrazyMerlin]

I agree about the base looking like it is almost touching the stones.

This is probably because you have no DOF. And so everything is in focus, so it looks like the objects are all together.

If you add a little DOF it will give the scene volume.

You could move the bug by the zapper away to a darker area, and then use post-processing to add the electrical zap, giving you more control over it.

I hope you don't mind, but I copied your picture and added some post-process gaussian blur to get the image below. This is not exactly what you would get with DOF, but is similar.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ithwalkway.jpg

Doing this also makes the front bug the focus of attention.

I'm not sure if DOF would work for you, but as the scene has a lot of depth, I would certainly give it a try.

~~CM!

[doosterproductions]

Thank you so much for the advice NoStr0m0 and CrazyMerlin. Those suggestions are really gonna help thank you. CrazyMerlin, I had DOF on my other renders but I didn't make it strong enough, thank you for doing that, as it showed me how much that would help. This render has more DOF blur but I'm not sure if it is enough. I also changed the eyes as NoStr0m0 suggested. Also I moved the zapped mosquito down adjusted the glow and played around a little with the electricity in post. Please give crit and/or compl. Thanks.

[CrazyMerlin]

Yup!

That'll do it anyday!

It looks much better. The eyes give the bug a look like what's happening is now, in the moment.

The DOF is just enough I think. Too much and you may as well just composite a background image. That amount makes the bug stand out but keeps the scene depth.

The new position of the back bug, and the electricity is much better. I would personally show a little bit of that bug, so that it looks like the electricity is more around the outside of it rather than all over. I think that would give it more of a comicy (comic-like) look.

Anyway, I think it's better!

~~CM!

[doosterproductions]

Thanks CrazyMerlin. I tried showing more of the zapped mosquito and putting the electricity around him instead of him just being eaten by it. I have tried a couple different things. This first image is of the mosquito with the green/blue electricity around him, and white lines of electricity coming at him from the zapper. Please give your thoughts and comments.
Note: this image has limited region and my computer wouldn't let me crop it for some reason so that is why there is all that black.

[doosterproductions]

Here is another test of the zapped mosquito but this one has a white outline of electricity all the way around the mosquito. Please give crit and/or compl. Thanks.

[vedic kings]

Very cool scene you have there!!

Keep it up! and good luck to you

[doosterproductions]

Thanks vedic kings! Here is yet another test of the electricity, this one the white lines connect to the mosquito but do not border him. Please give crit and/or compl. Thanks

[vedic kings]

I like the new render better

[CrazyMerlin]

nice!

The thing to remember is that electicity is also a light source and as such would disipate.

Try blending you lightest color and your darkest color across a range.

Gradient them.

This would give a more convincing look.

Small details really effect an images overall composition and mood. Like the DOF. Your image suddenly has 'Mood'.

~~CM!

[doosterproductions]

Thank you for the comments and advice vedic kings and CrazyMerlin. I worked more on the zapped bug and the glow around him. Now I have more of a medium between the all white original and the much more visible bug that I had changed too. I think the glow on this one is much better, and I didn't do anything in post except add the white lines from the zapper to the bug. Please give comments, crit, and/or compl. Thanks...

[CrazyMerlin]

Dude, that looks really good!

It looks like electricity on a bug, lol.

Nice update.

~~CM!

[doosterproductions]

Thanks CrazyMerlin! I rendered the entire scene with the new glow settings and the revamped zapped mosquito. I think this is most likely my final image. Please give comments, crit, and/or compl.