[Graphics update] Why is everyone's skin and hair desaturated and lifeless?

[Reinha]

Almost all characters in the showcase had darker muted eye colors too.

[Atelier-Bagur]

They look much more defined and smoother than the untextured plasticity of the older models. I dont know what the heck you're talking about OP.

I suppose in the case of like say the male Highlander the highlights do make it look like they've applied the wet texture on him but on many of the other races they clearly look much better

[CidHeiral]

I'm not sure if waiting to see them in-game on my own rig will make much of a difference. The screenshots and videos they showcase are done in neutral lighting and environments in order to highlight the differences. And perhaps since I work with color and have a calibrated environment, these difference are quite apparent to me. Hopefully they'll take this feedback into consideration with their updated shaders.

Well it looks like the majority disagree with you so I wouldn't hold your breath.

[Ath192]

They look much more defined and smoother than the untextured plasticity of the older models. I dont know what the heck you're talking about OP.

I suppose in the case of like say the male Highlander the highlights do make it look like they've applied the wet texture on him but on many of the other races they clearly look much better

It’s baby oil. Look forward to it.

[Shougun]

It’s baby oil. Look forward to it.

You apply to Manderville, Manderville apply to you.

[Gemina]

Please refer to the before and after pictures for every race showcased at the japanese fanfest. It is especially evident in darker skin tones, for example both miqote and even the hrothgar's fur looks wash out and faded.

>(Link to reddit post featuring every race.)<

If feels like the life has been stripped from the skin due to the new shaders, thus create this strange plastic, waxy feel. They're striving for a more realistic look but there doesn't seem to be any sub-surface scattering that is perceivable when looking at these models, especially in the face and ears that ought to give it life, variety and warmth.

There needs to be an adjustment made to keep the hue and saturation the same, whilst still employing these updated shaders. I understand there may be technical limitations to deploying sub-surface scattering, yet I don't like the direction this takes everyone's skin tone.

All of them appear to be a vast improvement over the previous from what I can tell. I am particularly impressed with male Elezen, male Roe, and both male/female Au Ra. I do agree that the darker skin tones seem a bit more saturated, but it is not something I consider an issue. Where I do take issue is with the hair. A lot of the hair looks better in the previous pictures. While it does look a lot better where the hair meets the skin, the added contrast in tones and hues is not making it look more realistic. Quite the opposite. I hope this is something they continue to improve up to release of Dawntrail.

[Atelier-Bagur]

It’s baby oil. Look forward to it.

smooth as a baby's bottom~

[Roukiz]

They look much more defined and smoother than the untextured plasticity of the older models. I dont know what the heck you're talking about OP.

I suppose in the case of like say the male Highlander the highlights do make it look like they've applied the wet texture on him but on many of the other races they clearly look much better

Well it looks like the majority disagree with you so I wouldn't hold your breath.

TFW people can't differentiate a topic about hue and saturation with skin shaders now having specular/roughness detail. But I shouldn't be surprised lol

[Turtledeluxe]

The original models look flat, pointed, dry and plastic. The new models have better shading and highlights, giving faces rounder, smoother, natural complexions. Outside dry skin induviduals, human faces generally do not feature totally matte appearance unless skincare or makeup are making it look that way. A healthy skin barrier has a hydrated, reflective quality to it. With the hair-- shadows are enhancing definition in a good way.

As far as the neutral lighting and skin, it's not totally clear what's going on imo just yet. We need the character creation and lighting previews on a real rig. I can still detect warm undertones in the female lalafell. It's not likely the new lighting is going to erase all skin warmth. You may need to move to a warmer skin tone than your current one for your desired look. Hence the fantasia.

I highly doubt the devs were prioritizing undertones for the preview or they would have varying skin tones and varying lighting to complement them. It's very clear to me whoever prepared these slides wasn't thinking about this at all.

[Roukiz]

-

Again, this doesn't concern the shading or specular aspects of the skin shader which are added to enhance realism. It's about the albedo texture/base color losing saturation.

In their latest showcase which has matched every character creation detail for the before+after and lit in clear lighting, there is a difference in saturation with darker skintones especially. For something that's taken in the exact same environment at the exact same angle, saturation differences shouldn't occur like that, and it isn't difficult to fix if the new shaders are what is mismatching hue and saturation values.

Telling people they ought to use their free fantasia and just move to a warmer skintone is a pretty cooked suggestion to be quite honest lol, but considering it's coming from Casper the friendly ghost... lmao