lighting method needed

itwerkforpizza-2225276

so I have been working with lights forever but I can't seem to get the right type of lighting I'm looking for..
with uberenvironment I noticed the light is extremely harsh and the type of lighting I am looking for is similar to these:

http://oddpixels.deviantart.com/art/Katya-Bejeweled-106200807
http://oddpixels.deviantart.com/art/Sarai-113449100
http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/sabby-lanaya/82705#
http://oddpixels.deviantart.com/art/Turning-Japanese-82408624
http://oddpixels.deviantart.com/art/Kerina-112776285

see how the shadow is centered around the mouth area & under the neck also lacking shadow around the arms? i want exactly that for a crisper render
even when I lighten the uberenvironment shadows it helps but the shadow lessens around the mouth area & leaves everything flat..
i tried distant lights with moving it around, but its not giving me that look that I want
so I was wondering if anything has a method of how to get shadows like the examples above?

thanks in advance

Richard Haseltine

What settings are you using for uberEnvironment?

itwerkforpizza-2225276

usally default settings, but I lighten the shadows and lower the maximum trace distance as if it does anything

jestmart

In every one of those picture I would say the effect is as much the result of surface settings as it is lights. My best guess is they used the ambient channel of the surface to enhance or fake the look of sub-surface scattering.

itwerkforpizza-2225276

would you know how to do that for Uberenvironment?