Effect of Desaturation on Colors

[Greebo]

That yellow looks a lot better to me.

To get your screenshot to show, after posting right-click on the attached "mustang.jpg" file and select "copy link address". Then modify your post, click the "insert image" button, paste the linked address between the img tags and save the modified post. Like this:-

[Vraciu]

Looks good to me. 

How's the yellow?     It isn't an exact match of the color plates you all shared with me a couple years ago but it seems to mesh better with the NMF (and matches the photo above).

[Vraciu]

That yellow looks a lot better to me.

To get your screenshot to show, after posting right-click on the attached "mustang.jpg" file and select "copy link address". Then modify your post, click the "insert image" button, paste the linked address between the img tags and save the modified post. Like this:-

(Image removed from quote.)

Thanks for the help on the skin, G.

Red next.   Your changes were perfect for that so I will just duplicate them.

I must be having a problem with IE since all I see on my end is a tiny black image placeholder with an x.   Let me try Chrome and see if that's any different.   Probably a plugin missing with IE.

 


EDIT IN: Yep, it's a problem with IE (go figure).  Works fine on my iPad strangely enough (usually it's the other way around).     I hate Microsloth.

[Devil 505]

How's the yellow?     It isn't an exact match of the color plates you all shared with me a couple years ago but it seems to mesh better with the NMF (and matches the photo above).

If you want to better match the photo you should desaturate the color you have now a bit. It's a little too bold and should be more pale. Take the shade you have now and add some gray.

[Vraciu]

This photo is a gold mine.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Military-Aviation-9/North-American-P-51-Mustang/i-gjxKKDN/1/O/P-51%2000006%20A%20US%20Army%20Air%20Force%20North%20American%20P-51%20Mustang,%20MIss%20Ruth,%20in%20flight%20with%20three%20other%20P-51%20Mustangs,%20airplane%20picture,%20Official%20USAF%20Picture.jpg



How on earth do you duplicate that?????????

Jo-Baby is third from the camera.  Do the gear doors look to have red on them????

http://www.cloud9photography.us/Military-Aviation-9/North-American-P-51-Mustang/i-B856QqL/A

Same squadron different airplane.  The yellow looks pretty glossy.   

http://www.cloud9photography.us/Military-Aviation-9/North-American-P-51-Mustang/i-BnrR2bk/A

[Greebo]

If you want the yellow to have a shinier finish to the other paint colours you need to make the yellow areas a lighter shade of grey than those other colours on the specular, power and environment maps. The bare metal of course will be much lighter still. Its then just a question of adjusting these levels until you are happy with the effect. Its useful to use the "lighting only" option in the viewer to see what is going on without the distraction of the skin itself.

There does seem to be a red area below the yellow on the gear doors. The yellow is part of the wing stripe so the question is whether there was a red stripe on the underside of the wing inboard of the yellow one or whether the red was just painted only on the gear door.

[Vraciu]

If you want the yellow to have a shinier finish to the other paint colours you need to make the yellow areas a lighter shade of grey than those other colours on the specular, power and environment maps. The bare metal of course will be much lighter still. Its then just a question of adjusting these levels until you are happy with the effect. Its useful to use the "lighting only" option in the viewer to see what is going on without the distraction of the skin itself.

There does seem to be a red area below the yellow on the gear doors. The yellow is part of the wing stripe so the question is whether there was a red stripe on the underside of the wing inboard of the yellow one or whether the red was just painted only on the gear door.

That gear door is throwing me.   I assume this is a color photo and not a retouched one.  Hmmmmmmmm.......   all the other photos I have don't quite give me enough of a view to know for sure.

I love the shiny metal.  Your Ki-43 is similar.   Seems no matter what I do the plane looks gray or white when not in direct sun.

[Greebo]

Specularity is a reflection of the sun so you will only see those effects from certain angles. The environmental reflections are reflections of everything around the plane so you could up those a bit to make it look less like grey paint. Otherwise all you can do is paint reflection effects on the basic skin, i.e. hint of blue on the upper surfaces, hint of brown on the lower, some white reflections in places. You need to keep this sort of thing very subtle though or it looks odd.

I'll send you my Ki-43 skin files to look at, perhaps you can learn something from them.

[Vraciu]

Specularity is a reflection of the sun so you will only see those effects from certain angles. The environmental reflections are reflections of everything around the plane so you could up those a bit to make it look less like grey paint. Otherwise all you can do is paint reflection effects on the basic skin, i.e. hint of blue on the upper surfaces, hint of brown on the lower, some white reflections in places. You need to keep this sort of thing very subtle though or it looks odd.

I'll send you my Ki-43 skin files to look at, perhaps you can learn something from them.

Thanks, G. 

So, even with AH3 skins the blues and browns are necessary for the NMF effects?

I'm gonna keep tweaking it.    Maybe one of these days I'll have it right...   

[Greebo]

Not necessary, but an option if you think the skin needs it.

My bare metal skin templates were mostly done during AH2 so have those effects anyway. I haven't deleted them from the AH3 conversions but have turned those effects down in the diffuse file so the environmental file effect dominates them. So anyone not using environmental mapping still sees something but it doesn't clash noticeably with the EM when its turned on.

[Vraciu]

Not necessary, but an option if you think the skin needs it.

My bare metal skin templates were mostly done during AH2 so have those effects anyway. I haven't deleted them from the AH3 conversions but have turned those effects down in the diffuse file so the environmental file effect dominates them. So anyone not using environmental mapping still sees something but it doesn't clash noticeably with the EM when its turned on.

The problem with EM to me is it seems rather mirror-like even when toned way down.   Maybe I am doing it wrong. 

I will fly your NMF planes offline and compare...

[Vraciu]

So I posted this link that seems to show a red landing gear door.   It also looks to have black stripes bordering the yellow.   Am I wrong?


http://www.cloud9photography.us/Military-Aviation-9/North-American-P-51-Mustang/i-B856QqL/A

Zooming in on the photo below, does the left gear door appear to also be red?




Then the question becomes, did it stay that way after the tail was painted all-yellow...?  I'm actually going to buy the color photos listed above from the website for about $25 each just to find out.

[Devil 505]

Looking at the B/W photo, a red door is a reasonable conclusion. It looks dark like the other red paint. Also, you know that right door is red and you can see the small plate with holes on the lower nose is red on both sides. I would not even question there being red on the left door.

as to the black striping, the color photo seems to show black stripes on the doors. The B/W photo shows there is no black on the top of the wings for the inner stripes. Either the strip was bordered with black only on the doors or just on the lower wing. It is also possible that the yellow and red bled together in the color photo. Experiment and pick whichever you like best. Remember that there are no perfectly accurate skins and that skinning is the nexus of reference, reasonable assumption, and artistic license.

[Vraciu]

Looking at the B/W photo, a red door is a reasonable conclusion. It looks dark like the other red paint. Also, you know that right door is red and you can see the small plate with holes on the lower nose is red on both sides. I would not even question there being red on the left door.

as to the black striping, the color photo seems to show black stripes on the doors. The B/W photo shows there is no black on the top of the wings for the inner stripes. Either the strip was bordered with black only on the doors or just on the lower wing. It is also possible that the yellow and red bled together in the color photo. Experiment and pick whichever you like best. Remember that there are no perfectly accurate skins and that skinning is the nexus of reference, reasonable assumption, and artistic license.

True that.   Which way would you lean?    Red door with black stripes on the door only?

[Devil 505]

True that.   Which way would you lean?    Red door with black stripes on the door only?

Yes.