Somebody already explained what it is. Here's a game example using Bloodborne
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Do you hate lens/camera effects in games?
- Thread starter DonMigs85
- Start date
This is the bad way to do it.Somebody already explained what it is. Here's a game example using Bloodborne
CA shouldn't be separated RGB channels displaced different amounts from center of the screen.
It should be smooth gradient of wavelengths, basically RGB blending into each others.
Shadertoy examples.
https://www.shadertoy.com/view/4dXXDl
https://www.shadertoy.com/view/XssGz8
Shown in inside talk as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdN06E6Xn9E&feature=youtu.be&t=444
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It's really not that simple since there are variables like the display size and viewing distance at a play. At some point it just isn't helpful to have more pixels depending on those parameters and performance budget is better spent elsewhere. Not sure if anyone really *hates* 4K but I can understand 4K not being very important for many.
totally depends on the game and how well stuff is implemented. for example, i loved battlefield 3 but the camera dirt was super irritating because it was always the same pattern and also really low resolution. bloodborne's infamous chromatic abberation also gave me a headache, which is too bad because that game is great.
however, there are definitely games where i like having the effects. rdr2's depth of field effects are straight up nuts for example
i've never understood the whole "chromatic abberation, grain, and lens flare are defects that good directors of photography don't use!" as if good cinematography is all about being technically perfect always. wabi-sabi and all that
however, there are definitely games where i like having the effects. rdr2's depth of field effects are straight up nuts for example
i've never understood the whole "chromatic abberation, grain, and lens flare are defects that good directors of photography don't use!" as if good cinematography is all about being technically perfect always. wabi-sabi and all that
Pixel density is still a factor though, which coincides with the increase of resolution. Display size isn't end be all to justify the increase of higher resolution otherwise mobile devices like cellphones and tablets would not receive higher display resolutions either.
I'm not talking about performance but coming from the stance of being against the idea of improved image clarity that naturally comes with a resolution increase.
Lens flare can be done right. Just don't over do it and the light source should have a purpose. Random lens flares are awful.
Film grain has to go. It makes the resolution look lower than it should for me. The clarity of the visuals is ruined, it just looks awful. Don't have film grain unless your artstyle is cohesive with the film grain.
Chromatic Aberration never bothered me as much as the other two. Have it overdone and the visual quality is affected greatly. I don't think games need this nowadays with how the tech is now. Just use it if it fits your artstyle.
Film grain has to go. It makes the resolution look lower than it should for me. The clarity of the visuals is ruined, it just looks awful. Don't have film grain unless your artstyle is cohesive with the film grain.
Chromatic Aberration never bothered me as much as the other two. Have it overdone and the visual quality is affected greatly. I don't think games need this nowadays with how the tech is now. Just use it if it fits your artstyle.
I like it, I don't know.
There are games where the effects are too heavy, but I think it has improved a lot since the start of the gen and last gen.
There are games where the effects are too heavy, but I think it has improved a lot since the start of the gen and last gen.
Too sharp. There's this ongoing thing in games where everything has to be sharper, sharper, sharper and it's just fucking bullshit. I remember around the time of the new generation reading an interview with some vfx house (I can't remember off hand who, sorry) talking about how they would never work on games because all anyone wants is more and more clarity when actually that's often the worst thing for any kind of artistic expression. But there's definitely a thing in games that all anyone wants is sharpness and damn artistic expression or the fuzziness of the real world. Imagine a film camera that only shot at f33 and always completely in focus. Horrible. And that's what most games look like. It's just numbers getting bigger because people think bigger numbers are better, and the tv companies really want to sell you a new screen every 4 years.
I don't watch a lot of Digital Foundry....
I fucking *hate* chromatic aberration. It's literally a flaw in a camera and not something you'd ever want to achieve as a photographer.
It's one of the things to avoid when buying a decent camera, yet for some reason a developer saw it one day and thought "I'll have me some of this" and then they were all at it.
If the option to turn it off is there, it goes off. Film grain too depending on how the implementation is.
I really think lens flare from sunrises can be beautiful, made Breath of the Wild look much better.
I really like chromatic aberration, I think it looks really cool especially in sci fi games, it can really suit the aesthetic. I don't know why there is a core of very vocal people who hate it.
Honestly, I usually don't even notice that they're there.
I remember people complaining about lens flare in the Mass Effect games I had no idea what they were talking about. Had to go back and check.
Only time I can think of that I noticed unprompted was the chromatic aberration in that Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay.
I remember people complaining about lens flare in the Mass Effect games I had no idea what they were talking about. Had to go back and check.
Only time I can think of that I noticed unprompted was the chromatic aberration in that Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay.
turn it all off, especially chromatic aberration and motion blur.
film grain i can live with if it's subtle but already TLOU2 pisses me off beyond belief.
film grain i can live with if it's subtle but already TLOU2 pisses me off beyond belief.
I like lens effects (except when it's in BF where it's fuckin horrible, and made worse by dense particles followed by some more dense particles via storm etc) but not chromatic aberration. Film grain is something I don't like either but it can help reduce banding in dark areas in certain cases like in RE2. CA though I don't know who or why anyone would think is attractive in any form. I also absolutely HATE vignette, it's absolutely pointless and so annoying. And in RE2 it's a bit too much.
Every game out there should make these settings optional on consoles. I don't know why they leave it out on consoles when there are games that clearly let you do this on those platforms like The Division.
Every game out there should make these settings optional on consoles. I don't know why they leave it out on consoles when there are games that clearly let you do this on those platforms like The Division.
it's often used poorly in games but chromatic aberration is a "flaw" in the same way that a visible brush stroke in a painting is. plenty of stunning films by incredible directors/photographers feature it. it's less of a "flaw" in camera technology and more of a reality of camera technology. especially in older films and photos it can just be unavoidable.
Only when overdone, along with effects like water-on-camera in third person games or when your character in FPV isn't wearing a mask or goggles or something where it would make sense. But when done right, like in Metroid Prime, it can look dope.
I admit to liking chromatic aberration and haven't noticed any examples of it bothering me.
This thread also reminds me of early 3D Rockstar games. The graphics in their PS2 output were critiqued for looking hilariously below the bar of impressive, but they didn't fuck around at all with the lens flare!
I admit to liking chromatic aberration and haven't noticed any examples of it bothering me.
This thread also reminds me of early 3D Rockstar games. The graphics in their PS2 output were critiqued for looking hilariously below the bar of impressive, but they didn't fuck around at all with the lens flare!
I dislike film grain because it adds nothing except lack of clarity. CA adds a sense of surreal when used appropriately and Lens Flare is cute. Motion blur is sometimes distracting and Depth of Field tends to be too low quality to be enjoyable. All in all I agree that these effects aren't really great, but they are used to mask other issues which could be even more of a turn off.
I actually quite like chromatic aberration and film grain when done right. What I do hate, however, are lens flares and the dirty screen effect. Witcher 3 is particularly guilty of this. I mean c'mon, just look at this crap.
I fucking hate them unless they're used sporadically in cutscenes to give a dramatic effect to certain scenes. I play on PC an I instantly disable chromatic aberration, motion blur, vignette, film grain, and other similar stuff on every game at first boot. Chromatic aberration is one I just can't stand. If a game doesn't allow to disable it I search for a mod that does (example: Dying Light at launch)
My character's eyes are not cameras. Third person cameras are cameras but I don't care, still stupid.
My character's eyes are not cameras. Third person cameras are cameras but I don't care, still stupid.
Chromatic aberration is an abomination and should be made illegal to put in video games. Same goes for lens flare, lens distortion, and so on.
The only time you should be allowed to emulate the effect of a camera is if your game is literally being viewed through a camera lens (such as Outlast or Kane & Lynch 2). Any other time it should be called what it really is: garbage that ruins amazing art in good video games (like Bloodborne).
The only time you should be allowed to emulate the effect of a camera is if your game is literally being viewed through a camera lens (such as Outlast or Kane & Lynch 2). Any other time it should be called what it really is: garbage that ruins amazing art in good video games (like Bloodborne).
They're fine in moderation - There's absolutely artistic merit to all the techniques mentioned but I think the issues arise because they're often not used sparingly or specifically enough to have an effect and instead they can become tiresome very quickly
I don't like chromatic aberration but I really love film grain and lens flares. I don't have any example in mind of lens distortion in a game though.
I used to add film grain and cinematic color grading with Reshade on some games, I don't anymore but mostly because I'm just too lazy to do it.
I like a light filmgrain effect, the rest can and should be gone, especially Chromatic Aberration which just makes the games edges look like a migraine.
And yes, always have all of these as toggle options, even on consoles!
And yes, always have all of these as toggle options, even on consoles!
I think they are all fine effects when used appropriately. I don't like how many games try to make it seem like your viewpoint is a camera even in first person. Even in 3rd person I would prefer if things like water drops on camera and lens flares were not a thing. The dirty lens effect is a horrible idea.
My most hated effect of all is camera blur. This is the blur that happens when you move your viewpoint sideways a lot. Mostly used in 3rd person games. It looks awful and is totally unnecessary when most displays will introduce enough blur at that point. Often it isn't even possible to disable it separately from object motion blur which can be useful for indicating fast movement. Hell, many console games don't let you disable it at all.
At least I'm glad we are out of the blue, orange and brown filter era that plagued movies and games at one point.
My most hated effect of all is camera blur. This is the blur that happens when you move your viewpoint sideways a lot. Mostly used in 3rd person games. It looks awful and is totally unnecessary when most displays will introduce enough blur at that point. Often it isn't even possible to disable it separately from object motion blur which can be useful for indicating fast movement. Hell, many console games don't let you disable it at all.
At least I'm glad we are out of the blue, orange and brown filter era that plagued movies and games at one point.
Depends, the chromatic aberration in life is strange straight up gave me a migraine. I was shocked because I've never had that sort of thing happen to me from effects and always thought people saying stuff like that online were exaggerating. Only time I've ever fell ill from media.
Native ultrawide support in games is great.
Letterboxing on 16:9 displays? Awful.
I can see the argument for many of these effects, like chromatic aberration, being there in Alien: Isolation.
The problem I have is that they are severely exaggerated compared to the film itself - and that's a film shot on a budget in 1979 with many bright/white environments which would be likely to show it.
It may not add anything, but it often removes banding if it's implemented well.
Nope, love them. Film grain is an inexpensive way of hiding color banding in dark areas, lens effects like dirt/water look really nice, especially the hexagon shape that the recent Tomb Raider games use.
Can't speak for that guy and i don't 'hate' 4K as much as him but i think 4k (especially native) is a real waste of system resources..
I'll rather they settle for optimized checkerboarding and use the resources for framerate and other effects
*Ducks for cover*
That's fair, but hating 4K because it's too sharp and clear is... something.
I really dislike film grain, but other than that, I can take them if used moderately. It's always great when you're given options to turn each effect off.
I had to google Banding. I guess that makes sense, maybe there was terrible banding in the Silent Hill fog effects, and that's why they went with it.
i don't think anyone will hate 4k because it's 'too sharp'...but their 'hatred' of it will most probably comes down to native 4k consuming too much system resources for diminishing returns and at the expenses of performance.
I remember how people defended BF3's lens flare.
No AngryJoe, that's not how light works. And there are anti glare glasses
Chromatic abberation is also bad. The fact that games are now including an option to turn them off is telling
No AngryJoe, that's not how light works. And there are anti glare glasses
Chromatic abberation is also bad. The fact that games are now including an option to turn them off is telling