Original Post
So this is one of my attempts at lighting.
It looks awful.
The skyscrapers here are lighted form inside with a point light, since they are hollow.
I am using a sun light too to make the general scene brighter, its too dim without one.
finally, one spot light that is linked to the humanoid (i.e it only applies to the humanoid) to give the humanoid more highlight.
oh forgot to mention there is a slight fog to dim the background, using a cube with volume scatter
So after following some of your tips and suggestions, I have achieved the following result:
What I did:
- Use an HDRI as a base
- Change sun position to make shadows visible
- lower sun strength
- change the light color of the skyscraper behind the humanoid
- change the highlights position and color to match the skyscrapers around
- modified the fog, increased its visibility and changed its color and density
Although it doesnt look perfect nor great, I am very happy with how it turned out , and that is thanks to everyone here.
I am planning to make more changes, based on the other comments, like that comment that suggested bloom, so expect another update inshallah ๐
Anyway, really like the new render, thank you lemmings ๐ค
I think the purpose of light isn't to light up everything for readability but to grab attention or convey a message:
Here the victims are lighted by one source of light: the lamp. It grabs attention. we can read their faces. The white clothes that reflect a lot of light make the him a martyr or an angel. The shooters are in the shadows, dark and evil. The darkness makes them anonymous. The city is dark. there is no light in windows. It makes the viewer wonder what happened to people in the city. Are they asleep? Did they left? Or Were they killed?
Think of a light as a tool to highlight stuff and darkness to hide stuff.