Sure it's a good idea to remove the static light dot from the eyes?

[Fuyume]

Here's an actual person with the same thing going on due to the similar direction of the light source. It's certainly moody but I don't think any reasonable person would describe him as looking soulless or dead. That's just how light works.

Now hold on, you've chosen a very dark and moody portrait to portray what a 'real person' looks like. Let's take a look at a portrait in more neutral light.

And here you can see the catch lights are still very visible without having to be in extreme lighting conditions. There are also other parts of the eye that reflect light as well, such as the inner corner. I agree with others that the catch lights in the benchmark are far too dim and small.

[4clubbedace]

Now hold on, you've chosen a very dark and moody portrait to portray what a 'real person' looks like. Let's take a look at a portrait in more neutral light.

And here you can see the catch lights are still very visible without having to be in extreme lighting conditions. There are also other parts of the eye that reflect light as well, such as the inner corner. I agree with others that the catch lights in the benchmark are far too dim and small.

neither of these pics are natural light, these are both photoshoots with studio lights and manacured set design.

[Fuyume]

neither of these pics are natural light, these are both photoshoots with studio lights and manacured set design.

Yes well unfortunately short of me going outside and trying to capture a good picture of my own eyeball I don't have access to clear natural light images of random people lol.

[Tengi]

neither of these pics are natural light, these are both photoshoots with studio lights and manacured set design.

Yeah I'm not the best photographer, but I have taken classes and this photo looks like it is from a studio set with multiple lights placed in specific areas to get that exact lighting and shadows in those exact places.

[Fuyume]

Yeah I'm not the best photographer, but I have taken classes and this photo looks like it is from a studio set with multiple lights placed in specific areas to get that exact lighting and shadows in those exact places.

I would like to point out that I said neutral, not natural, in my post, which I think is getting lost here. The first photo was even worse where it's clear the photographer was trying to actively prevent eye shine. Maybe even touched it out.

Here's the closest I could find to a candid outdoor shot with iffy lighting at best.

And even at the distance of the photographer with the whole thing being shaded by a clearly overcast day her catch lights in her eyes are still clearly visible.

[Tengi]

I would like to point out that I said neutral, not natural, in my post, which I think is getting lost here. The first photo was even worse where it's clear the photographer was trying to actively prevent eye shine. Maybe even touched it out.

Here's the closest I could find to a candid outdoor shot with iffy lighting at best.

And even at the distance of the photographer with the whole thing being shaded by a clearly overcast day her catch lights in her eyes are still clearly visible.

It is overcast behind her but what if behind the photographer the sun is shining through a bit? Plus her eye shine is a more natural shape That "white perfect dot on the eye' tends to come from harsh artificial light shining into the eye directly.

[Fuyume]

It is overcast behind her but what if behind the photographer the sun is shining through a bit? Plus her eye shine is a more natural shape That "white perfect dot on the eye' tends to come from harsh artificial light shining into the eye directly.

I'm not arguing for a return to the dot as it was, but saying "well look humans don't have visible eye shine anyways" while showing an image of a man in a dark and moody photograph where that was clearly the goal of the photo is disingenuous. It's not the dynamic part that people have a problem with, it's how much you just can't see it.

If Square wants a graphical upgrade, make it an actual upgrade, not just a side-grade.

[Tengi]

I'm not arguing for a return to the dot as it was, but saying "well look humans don't have visible eye shine anyways" while showing an image of a man in a dark and moody photograph where that was clearly the goal of the photo is disingenuous. It's not the dynamic part that people have a problem with, it's how much you just can't see it.

If Square wants a graphical upgrade, make it an actual upgrade, not just a side-grade.

The talked about how they added eye movement and blinking to NPCs I wonder if they have added this to PCs when they are standing still?

Edit: And in regards to the black and white photo I don't find it disingenuous, sometimes your eyes don't have light shining into them. Which is why I think the eye movement thing might help.

[CidHeiral]

Now hold on, you've chosen a very dark and moody portrait to portray what a 'real person' looks like. Let's take a look at a portrait in more neutral light.

And here you can see the catch lights are still very visible without having to be in extreme lighting conditions. There are also other parts of the eye that reflect light as well, such as the inner corner. I agree with others that the catch lights in the benchmark are far too dim and small.

That person literally has one of these shining right in his face.

I'm not arguing for a return to the dot as it was, but saying "well look humans don't have visible eye shine anyways" while showing an image of a man in a dark and moody photograph where that was clearly the goal of the photo is disingenuous.

That is not at all what I said.

And I chose that picture because the light it in was being cast from the side of his head, which is exactly what's happening in the Au Ra example and why her eyes aren't lit up like a Sailor Moon character. Unfortunately I do not have a personal archive of portraits with lighting from every conceivable angle so I have to work with what I can find, which happened to be a black and white picture. A photo being in black and white doesn't prevent you from seeing catch lights if they are present.

[Iscah]

neither of these pics are natural light, these are both photoshoots with studio lights and manacured set design.

Sure, but the second photo seems shot with the intention of mimicking natural lighting – and this entire game effectively is a photoshoot or movie set with the power to place studio lights wherever they feel like it, even in configurations that would be impossible in real life.