I had previously posted this but got an email and link showing the case was closed the next day so I’m re-posting, sorry for the redundancy. Using TM for renderings, I am trying to match specific RGB codes in colors to an architectural structure and this apparently is not working. I’ve adjusted all the settings to match the time of day and shadow location and other settings that were used in the latest versions of Sketchup and Twilight Render on Windows, but after entering the RGB Codes - the colors don’t match and then if you adjust any of the shading lighter or darker it changes the codes. see the [example picture] and thanks for any help. Billy
you can include a ‘color calibrating card’ in your renders and then use photoshop/lightroom to auto color balance your images. here’s a calibration object i have created: dropbox link. insert this into your scene, render the image with and without.
Hi Emre, Thanks that sounds like good advice only A. the Dropbox link said “file deleted” and B. I use Gimp not Photoshop would like to know more? thanks again, Billy
thanks again - says this item was deleted anyway Tried to make it happen in Gimp perhaps with your last suggestion I’ll find it? otherwise I’ll probably end up with Enscape where I should be able to do this whenever needed but always want to learn other options.
Post process colour matching is probably the only option, besides eye balling it. You have to keep in mind that your material colour is influenced by several factors (and that RGB is a screen colour not a reallife one). Releftions, shadows, sun temprature, HDRI/Sky, etc. So even if the base colour is perfect your render should look different when all these factors have influenced it. On top of that if a material has a texture (it does) with a base colour (probably), the RGB you enter in TM is just an overlay on the base textures colour, so your end result isn’t the RGB code you want.
Thank you Studio412, I kind of suspected this. TM tech support is asking me to send them my model so it will be interesting to see what they come up with. What I’ve been doing was using a simple rendering program inside Sketchup called Twilight Render which has gotten me much closer to the actual color but they are going to be discontinuing it. Sometimes I would do a little post-process in Word by lightning or darkening a very little but it gets the color very close and clients know shadows, lighting and reflections can have an effect. Keeping it simple has worked for me. That said, I’m looking into working with Enscape which can go inside SketchUp and still uses the material editor in SU to set the RGB value. If you have any experience with this do tell. Otherwise, I’ve been looking into using my free Gimp program for color processing but haven’t found the formula yet. Regards, Billy
Hi Emre, I had a look at your example and it appears that this does not apply to the color after export or am I reading this wrong? All the other opinions seem to talk about post-process color matching. Also, I’ve been corresponding with TM tech support and they are looking into the issue but have not come up with an accurate solution at this time.
sorry about that, please try this link now: new link i’m guessing gimp has similar color adjustment functions. in lightroom for example, you can select a base gray color anywhere in the image (in this case it would be the gray tone in the calibration panel inside the render) and it will auto color adjust the entire image. in photoshop there should be a similar workflor however I haven’t done this in PS since a while. basically, you tell gimp: these are base values for red, green, blue etc, and it figures out the rest of the color values for the entire image.
hm, that’s odd, i just checked the new link and it seems to be working fine for me. could you try it in another browser or on a private page on your usual browser? here it is again just in case: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wczyvs3f4lvwce6prr88g/Calibration\-Set.tmi?rlkey\=md4hz3wjb4rz29cgouatrszan\&dl\=1
Sorry about the confusion. I’m watching NBA but will get to it later. Thanks again for the help
no worries. in order to get the file into TM, you should place it in your user library folder. the location of this folder can be found inside the TM settings.
Hi Emre, I downloaded this but was not familiar with this type of file and was hesitant to load it into my TM library. Can you describe more about what exactly this is or send me some screen shots? Thank you, Billy
it is a TM user library object format. if you have any custom objects in your user library, you can see the tmi files in the directory. i have a simpler method though - i saved the object as a regular TM file. so you can just open this and copy the setup. here’s the link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b1qjuv2x7zijxqyccaiv6/Cal-Set.tm?rlkey=lkpadyylrtm4fnlocvatl5n0e&dl=1 now of course, this is not a %100 accurate perfect method. it is just a simple way to achieve a result that is acceptable and easy to manage.
Thank you so much, Emre for your detailed answer. I’m going out of town today and won’t be back in the office until the 29th but definitely intend to look over your response. As a fellow TM enthusiast, I know there’s a lot of time and thought that goes into our learning process and behind your post, and want you to know I appreciate it. Best regards, Billy TTYL