Light Dome PRO - R

Dreamlight

Not sure which version you're using, and is this MAC or Win? I've tested in 6.0, CS2 and CSS and neither of them had icons showing up. Maybe it's a dialogue box thingy. You can simply select the images, starting from 0 to 7, while holding down CTRL (on a Win machine). That should select the layers. Or if you have some display options for that window?

Let me know how this turns out!

A.B.A said:

Found it :)

But when I render i get all these little icons too, is that suppose to happen??? Or am i doing something wrong?

Dreamlight

It's basically the same core product, but heavily optimized for better speed and render quality. It also has sun + sky bouncing which wasn't present in LDP 1 or LDP 2. And, the biggest difference, is that it takes you out of DS as soon as possible, so you can do live adjustments in Photoshop.

Further on, it renders everything in layers, so you can adjust all lights after the rendering is completed, giving you tons of render time savings as well as amazing control over the final render without the need to re-render.

It also adds glow, vignette, "gamma", z-depth / fog / haze effects as part of the layers / photoshop effects.

No brdige is needed.

JohnDelaquiox said:

The original light dome pro was one of my favorite products, how different is this from that.

Dreamlight

That's correct, no bridge is needed.

JohnDelaquiox said:

It does not appear to need the bridge, it rather looks self contained. It does looks like an interesting product. More for me because I am still learning to use Photoshop.

Though I do still wish he would update LDP2.

Dreamlight

LDP-R renders "default" lighting and everything is adjusted in Photoshop, where you can instantly dim down any layers or change colors to c reate night renders. Night render preset is on the to do list for a near future update. The layers CAN be used in The Gimp, but will not produce the same effects.

Jabba101 said:

This is still an LDP plug-in, but now comes with even more for 'serious' work, albeit from the videos it looks like there are no time of day settings (I think there were in LDP2?)... That said, I haven't actually bought it yet, waiting to see what else comes out this weekend, as LDP-R doesn't have speacial price above the 'standard' 30% so can wait until I get some money on Tuesday. But it's definitely a "must have" product for me.

Anybody that does postwork to their renders will instantly see how awesome this product is (I've done a lot of stuff similar to some of these render passes manually, and this will certainly save loads of time). Fot those not accustomed to doing anything post render, there's still a fair bit on offer, albeit you do lose out if you don't use PS (The render layers could still be worked manually in Gimp, albeit you'd really have to know what you're doing to come anywhere close to the instant results possible via PS).

You can still set up scene and render normally if you don't want to do any post, but obviously you'd then lack the ability to easily tweak to your satisfaction afterwards if you change your mind and/or want to add that extrta oomf to your image, which is the revolutionary feature of this (we're talking the sorts of render passes that are more typical of higher-end 3D apps than what we're used to in DS).

Dreamlight

You bring out a valid point, and I am a high contrast freak! ;) It's designed to let you control every single aspect of your final render, and if you want more "normal" lighting, then you can choose to right inside Photoshop. If your scene is very bright / plain looking, there is also a manual over-rider inside LDP-R options, where you can "dim" down the lighting if needed.

However, this is an "emergency" over-ride, since ALL adjustments are meant to be done inside Photoshop.

SereneNight said:

I am curious about the product, but have had issues with dreamlight stuff being too bright or overlighted. I am curious about others opinions on how it works for them.

Dreamlight

Please note that the LDP-R photoshop actions are specifically designed to produce special effects and manually working in the Gimp would require a lot of work. Just stacking the layers will not produce the desired effects. I'm not aware how Elements will read Photoshop actions, but since it's using "basic" Photoshop effects, it might work.

icprncss said:

I would think as far as Elements goes, it might depend upon which version of Elements you are using. If your version of Elements can use Ron's products that have PS layers in them then you should be good to go. I don't know about GIMP. Can it use PS layers out of the box?

I wish to heck the vendor would give more information about the product. In the end, I suppose you could buy it and if it doesn't work or do what you want, return it for a refund.

I also wish the vendor would just update LDP and MoodMaster so the work in newer versions of DS.

Dreamlight

Looks great, thanks for posting!

Artini said:

... Then with Miami filter ...

Dreamlight

The first image posted, was a preview render done using DS standard render options. The 2 other renders were done by first combining the layers using the Photoshop action and then applying the Miami / Cold filters.

To get a "normal" straight view of a render, you would simply combined the layers using the Photoshop action, and NOT add a filter. However, there is no "normal", since you do all the tweaks to your taste.

Such a pre-mixed image, without filters, would leave out glow effects, vignette, "gamma" and tinting and show the "raw" image.

However, LDP-R is a mix of DS renders and PS filters and not intended to be used without both parts.

JohnDelaquiox said:

Actually from the look of the video it does not just render one image but multiple and then allows you to combine them in Photoshop. So there is no raw image. Closest thing to it was the first of his post. One thing that interest me is the possibility of using other light sets and using the ldp-r render feature.

Also rather than using the Sun light you can You Moon light as well from the look of the videos.

Dreamlight

The userguide explains how you can add your own lights on top of the LDP-R layers. You can of course, also use the LDP-R filters (Miami / Cold / Default) with ANY DS render.

Sisca said:

JohnDelaquiox said:

Actually from the look of the video it does not just render one image but multiple and then allows you to combine them in Photoshop. So there is no raw image. Closest thing to it was the first of his post. One thing that interest me is the possibility of using other light sets and using the ldp-r render feature.

Also rather than using the Sun light you can You Moon light as well from the look of the videos.

Yeah I wouldn't see any reason you couldn't use your own custom light set. From watching the video loading the lights and the sky dome are separate steps from the actual render. That appears to be a script to render multiple files though it may be expecting some specifically named lights to work correctly.

Dreamlight

Hey Pete! Yes, it uses a single Sun Light, 4,8 or 16 sky lights and 16 ambient lights.

Szark said:

JohnDelaquiox said:

Actually it just looks like it uses the one sun light

"magine creating your DAZ Studio scene and when you're ready for lighting, you simply add LDP-R, point the Sun Light and hit render. Next, you find yourself making LIVE ADJUSTMENTS with automatically combined layers and filters inside Photoshop."

If it is like LDP2 then yes one Sun and possibly at least 16 sly lights and 16 ambient lights which is the default of LDP2 but not having this yet I am only quessing.

Artini

I have rendered Fort with default LDP-R camera and reduced Sun Light intensity to 50 (from default 150).

Artini

Dreamlight said:

Looks great, thanks for posting!

Artini said:

... Then with Miami filter ...

Thanks a lot, Dreamlight. I really like this set and will continue exploring its possibilities.

kyoto kid

icprncss said:

LDP 2 was a plugin for DS3 rather than just a light set. Everything was done inside DS. You didn't need any other bridges or outside apps to get results.

If you wanted Z depth or other atmospheric effects, you would use Mood Master 2. Again, this generated everything inside DS.

From the product page, it seems the majority of the work is not done in DS but in Photoshop. You create the scene, point the sun where you want it, make any background adjustments and then the rest is done in Photoshop using layer effects.

LDP and LDP2 were very popular before UE and UE2. This really isn't LDP. It's too dependent upon Photoshop to get the results you need.

Product page should also list what version of PS this works in and if the bridge is needed or not.

...so this does require PS to be useful?

Dreamlight

Yes, PS is a requirement. There might be actions coming for The GImp, if possible.

Kyoto Kid said:

icprncss said:

LDP 2 was a plugin for DS3 rather than just a light set. Everything was done inside DS. You didn't need any other bridges or outside apps to get results.

If you wanted Z depth or other atmospheric effects, you would use Mood Master 2. Again, this generated everything inside DS.

From the product page, it seems the majority of the work is not done in DS but in Photoshop. You create the scene, point the sun where you want it, make any background adjustments and then the rest is done in Photoshop using layer effects.

LDP and LDP2 were very popular before UE and UE2. This really isn't LDP. It's too dependent upon Photoshop to get the results you need.

Product page should also list what version of PS this works in and if the bridge is needed or not.

...so this does require PS to be useful?

Dreamlight

You're welcome, looking forward to seeing some more renders! :)

Artini said:

Dreamlight said:

Looks great, thanks for posting!

Artini said:

... Then with Miami filter ...

Thanks a lot, Dreamlight. I really like this set and will continue exploring its possibilities.

Dreamlight

Love the set and the ship! However, not sure if this is rendered using the LDP-R render option?

Artini said:

I have rendered Fort with default LDP-R camera and reduced Sun Light intensity to 50 (from default 150).

Artini

Dreamlight said:

Love the set and the ship! However, not sure if this is rendered using the LDP-R render option?

Artini said:

I have rendered Fort with default LDP-R camera and reduced Sun Light intensity to 50 (from default 150).

It was just a preview render. Now I am rendering with layers, but so far the resulting image in Photoshop is very bright.
Will try to decrease its intensity.

Dreamlight

Awesome, looking forward to the final mix! Yes, it can be bright if you have very bright / plain looking surfaces. If that's the case, try adjusting the LDP-R Options in Parameters Tab to sky / sun / ambient 75% instead of 100%. Also, while in Photoshop, you can adjust down the two sun layers.

Artini said:

Dreamlight said:

Love the set and the ship! However, not sure if this is rendered using the LDP-R render option?

Artini said:

I have rendered Fort with default LDP-R camera and reduced Sun Light intensity to 50 (from default 150).

It was just a preview render. Now I am rendering with layers, but so far the resulting image in Photoshop is very bright.
Will try to decrease its intensity.

Artini

Are there any possibility to disable generating these *icon.png files?
For combining layers in Photoshop one need only the generated *.bmp files, right.

Dreamlight

Yes, only the BMP files.

I actually don't know why the PNG files are created. They are not created on my end. Be sure to select them in the right order though... We did a last minute change, and altered the folder location that LDP-R saves in. Maybe that's causing DS to include the icons... I will have a look into this...

Artini said:

Are there any possibility to disable generating these *icon.png files?
For combining layers in Photoshop one need only the generated *.bmp files, right.

Artini

I have reduced intensity of the lights even further, but the sky is still very bright. How can I fix that?
I attach flatten image from Photoshop, its layers and lights settings from Daz Studio.

Machieltje

Sooooo...

Ultimo Paradiso probably wasn't the best set to first try LDP - R on....:red:

Artini

After further playing with the opacity of the layers, I got the following one.

Artini

And one more ...

kyoto kid

Dreamlight said:

Yes, PS is a requirement. There might be actions coming for The GImp, if possible.

Kyoto Kid said:

icprncss said:

LDP 2 was a plugin for DS3 rather than just a light set. Everything was done inside DS. You didn't need any other bridges or outside apps to get results.

If you wanted Z depth or other atmospheric effects, you would use Mood Master 2. Again, this generated everything inside DS.

From the product page, it seems the majority of the work is not done in DS but in Photoshop. You create the scene, point the sun where you want it, make any background adjustments and then the rest is done in Photoshop using layer effects.

LDP and LDP2 were very popular before UE and UE2. This really isn't LDP. It's too dependent upon Photoshop to get the results you need.

Product page should also list what version of PS this works in and if the bridge is needed or not.

...so this does require PS to be useful?

...I really really miss the original LDP/LDP2. When I first saw this I was very excited. Finding out it requires an expensive pro grade application that I (and many others) cannot afford is a big disappointment.

I've been using other light sets, in 4.5/4.6 but they just don't give the same results and look that I used to get and like with LDP.

Hopefully the GIMP version will become a reality, but it was nicer when everything could be done inside Daz.

Lindsey

I've filed a support issue regarding the error message (looking for the skydome UV set file) when applying the Skydome material presets. If you click OK the material will still apply. Mantis issue: 0050732, submitted 08/02/2013

Dreamlight

Looking good! I would just simply lower the haze / fog layer, since that is affecting the clouds. In the userguide, you also have an option to add an additoinal mask, to tone the haze/ fog layer.

Artini said:

I have reduced intensity of the lights even further, but the sky is still very bright. How can I fix that?
I attach flatten image from Photoshop, its layers and lights settings from Daz Studio.

Dreamlight

That's looking really great, thanks for sharing!

Artini said:

And one more ...

corrose

Got this and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.
When I leave the default directory where it saves the images, I get an error, and then I tried making a forlder on my desktop and rendering to that and it it's only rendering one image, not several, I rewatched the video but he doesn't really go into this part too much.

Also in the video he gives the example of deleting the dome from the Stonemason file, but on several scenes I own like Urban future, when I load that scene it has several lights that load with it, ambient, infinite etc. Am I supposed to find and delete every default light from scenes I load before using this add-on?

Anyone able to help?

Dreamlight

I hear you, and yes, there are plans for updating with Gimp and other options, including a built in mixer. There is "kind of" a "free" way of getting Photoshop CS2 directly from Adobe, although I'm not endorsing any "free" downloads and any actions, you would have to take on your own. You can either google for it, or look here:
http://basic3dtraining.com/photoshop-and-cs2-free-dont-miss-this/

Kyoto Kid said:

Dreamlight said:

Yes, PS is a requirement. There might be actions coming for The GImp, if possible.

Kyoto Kid said:

icprncss said:

LDP 2 was a plugin for DS3 rather than just a light set. Everything was done inside DS. You didn't need any other bridges or outside apps to get results.

If you wanted Z depth or other atmospheric effects, you would use Mood Master 2. Again, this generated everything inside DS.

From the product page, it seems the majority of the work is not done in DS but in Photoshop. You create the scene, point the sun where you want it, make any background adjustments and then the rest is done in Photoshop using layer effects.

LDP and LDP2 were very popular before UE and UE2. This really isn't LDP. It's too dependent upon Photoshop to get the results you need.

Product page should also list what version of PS this works in and if the bridge is needed or not.

...so this does require PS to be useful?

...I really really miss the original LDP/LDP2. When I first saw this I was very excited. Finding out it requires an expensive pro grade application that I (and many others) cannot afford is a big disappointment.

I've been using other light sets, in 4.5/4.6 but they just don't give the same results and look that I used to get and like with LDP.

Hopefully the GIMP version will become a reality, but it was nicer when everything could be done inside Daz.