EFFICIENT WORKFLOW FOR STUDIO NEO

Sequence 1 : Preparation

    

    A Concept is important, What style of artwork do you like ? look for inspirations as many as

you can (pixiv, deviantart or pinterest) It is also a great idea start your project with a sketch.

Find and prepare materials your scene requires, here's how to use HS mods in PH. 

Example project: Studio Portraits 

Interested in Lighting i use in this scene ? i learned it from here. Also here. 

you can play with different styles of portraits like this:

Sequence 2 : Setting Up Your Scene

   1. Organize your folders

    Make sure every items have positions, rotations, scales in 0,00 0,00 0,00 (X,Y,Z)

    Set this setting "Spawn location" to Origin every items will spawn at 0,00 0,00 0,00 (X,Y,Z) by default. Set to Crosshair they will spawn at crosshair. 

    Folder structures : (Don't create lightings folder)

Click Show Screenshots to see how to parent folders  

    You can do it two way, here's how.

    

    Here's how to release parented folder : Click release button

     + Scenery : every items excluding Character and Lighting folders.  

        + Background Layers: Can be an image or Studio items... anything you put behind a character. 

        + Foreground Layers : items that are in front of a character, items on the ground.  

    + Lightings (SDP) : SDP for Standing poses lighting setup.

    + Lightings (SP) :  SP for Sitting  poses lighting setup.

    + Lightings (LP) : LP for Laying poses lighting setup.

    + Key Lightings : for Fixed Standard lighting setup (depends on scenario like day time or night time setup). 

Warning : If you put lights in a folder when you load this scene later all lights value/colors will reset to their default stats but their position will stay the same. so it's best to just put them outside the folder. don't really know why maybe it will be fixed in the future.

    + Character : To put character in. 

    + Effects : Additional effects. (Smokes or any effect you think fits for the portrait) i think it's better to use photoshop tbh but they won't allow you to use it in a contest. 

    2. Attach items to their parent folders 

     The only reason we doing this is to be organise and also easy to move them in group. Now let set them right in their parent folders. again ignore lighting folder...

    3. Set Character positions and poses

    Set them poses and positions Dynamically  for each shots. Press F to pay respect... no jk, to center view of your object original center point. You must set your character to the very center of the scene. Select your Character and make sure his/her position, rotation X Y Z value 0,00 then start setting up your studio scene from here. 

    Posing a character can be a pain in the ass most of the time (i can guarantee you) but if you spend time to make it fit your artwork it's worth to do it (i will make a tutorial on how to convert poses from HS as well).

    4. Set up cameras for portrait poses.

    Pan your Camera until you satisfy with how your screenshots will look and click save above camera icon you see up here. after you save the camera just press number on your keyboard to switch to them. 

    See camera controls below: 

Additional:

        + adjust your camera angles using " . " and " \ " then " / " to reset to 0 degree angle. 

        + change your field of view using " = " and " ] " keys. 

        + pan to left or right using " Left Arrow " and " Right Arrow " key.

        5. Save the Scene and render your final work.  

    More practice more good results.

Written by EXCALIBUR