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Post by deltalima on Aug 14, 2015 15:56:25 GMT -5
Since there's been a fair bit of "FS9 vs FSX" talk, how about refocusing on the fact that what binds us all here is an interest in flying aircraft and seeing locations from bygone eras, and that both sims can make this magic come to life ... here's a walk down memory lane: (sorry, didn't keep most of my FS9 screens very long, since I never found they looked that good - these are all that were kept over the years) FS9, almost 10 years ago .... when Jan Visser's F-86 first came out:   FS9, about 7-8 years ago, static CVN-65, AH Grumman F9F Panther (yeah, I know wrong carrier type, but that's all there was at the time:  FSX, 2 years ago ... right before most recent PC upgrade - Milviz F-86 subbing in as Canadair CL-13 Sabre:  FSX, 2 years ago, right after the current upgrade - fabulous AFG/HJG Caravelle, and some scenery that we all know about ...  :  FSX, a few weeks ago - man do I love the L-749:  FSX: a few weeks ago ... how about a coffee and a Mozart minuet?   FSX a few weeks ago ... who wants some Swiss chocolate?   Here's to old props, turbojets, well dressed passengers and more legroom! dl PS: an "original FS9 Calclassic meets future FSX project" - a few shots I took recently as beta test for the SimWorks Studio F-4B - here taking off from the McDonnell Douglas plant at LAX ...  And doing CARQUAL off the coast of San Diego ... 1964ish ...   And taking in some sights ...  |
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Post by jacklyon on Aug 14, 2015 18:49:08 GMT -5
Really Nice Pictures, Glad you like Merignac |
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Post by deltalima on Aug 14, 2015 18:53:52 GMT -5
Really Nice Pictures, Glad you like Merignac Without question, amigo - that's "top shelf" scenery! dl |
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Post by Erik on Aug 15, 2015 13:13:00 GMT -5
Marvelous, thanks!
Erik
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Post by cowboy40 on Aug 20, 2015 11:01:44 GMT -5
My heart jumps a beat when i see those old military jets. I tend to do a lot of flying in an F-80 shooting star and an f-86d sabre dog. The 50's jets are my favorites, but that F-4 brought back memories from when i was child living with my granddad who was a navy pilot, but that time he was pushing papers for the navy, but we spent a lot of time at Pensacola.
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Post by deltalima on Aug 20, 2015 15:50:28 GMT -5
50s era jets, you say .... How about a little F4D to get the juices flowing ...  And how about it's younger, faster, more handsome younger brother, the F5D ....  And, introduced in the 50s - though served most of its life in the 60s ... another 4 - this time, an "A" ...   And if you go back a bit further, add 4 and 5, you get 9 ... specifically, the F9F ...  Enjoy! dl |
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Post by deltalima on Aug 20, 2015 16:26:49 GMT -5
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Post by deltalima on Aug 20, 2015 16:36:11 GMT -5
One last non-classic (I call classic a period before when I was born!), and non-Calclassic, shot, but since delta wings are my "thing", and since I really liked how the contrast between rock and aircraft turned out ... the Skysim Nesher dressed up like an mid-80s USMC IAI Kfir ...  dl ps: all shots raw FSX Accel, no postproduction editing (except for an occasional crop ...) DX10, REX. dl |
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Post by deltalima on Aug 20, 2015 16:43:06 GMT -5
After a decade in Her Majesty's armed service (though on army vehicles, not on boats), I suppose I owe a few shots across the pond, in a matter of speaking ...    dl |
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Post by deltalima on Aug 20, 2015 16:56:13 GMT -5
And to end back on a "Calclassics airportish" theme ... a bit of Classic Europe, courtesy of Calclassics!  Thanks for all the great scenery! dl |
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Post by jacklyon on Aug 25, 2015 5:03:39 GMT -5
Great pictures Daniel!
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Post by Erik on Aug 28, 2015 16:11:40 GMT -5
Wow... FS screenshots simply do not get better for me. Not because of the subjects per se (which I actually DO all love) but because of the way you work with light and composition. It's just like top notch real world aviation action photography.
Kudos dl!
Erik
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Post by deltalima on Aug 28, 2015 22:41:24 GMT -5
Thanks Erik,
I try and learn from some of the masters. There is way more fancy stuff one can do, with view control programs like EZDOK that allow way more artistic view angles, such as what you'd see at airshows, etc - but the reality is, I'd much rather fly than take screens. But both here and over at my other haunt, SOH, I've observed some techniques with weather by the truly talented screenshot artists that I try and apply. It helps to have done a fair bit of photography with good equipment, kind of engrains the lighting and composition theory.
Ironically, a cloudless bright sunny day rarely (for me) produces the best screenshot results. Could be that there's a flatness or a missing depth of field that is somehow missing in FS programmes. So I usually like some cloud, and a sun angle of solar zenith angle (angle from vertical) of at least 45 deg (so either mid morning or mid afternoon). That usually allows some nice play between illumination and shadow, giving more options than a light source directly from the side or the top. Certainly REX (both ground, sky, water, and weather texture wise) really helps.
Finally, FSX makes it a bit easier, since the shadowing rendering is a more precise and realistic. The built-in shadowing that some of the really good FS9 artists would add to repaints is not necessary, and the shadows produced will be accurate with respect to the sun / light source. If you look at my first shots, of the SectionF8 Sabre, taken in FS9, you see some flaws, where the shadows (painted in) don't correspond to the light source. I run 4096 texture size, which though it doesn't help with FS9 native aircraft, sure helps on FSX planes in those texture formats (the Milviz F-86, being one such example, as well Vertigo Studios F9F Panther.
Still, I recall that fab website "screenshotartist" or something like that from 5-10 years ago - guys were posting killer FS9 screenshots. So it's less about the platform and more about finding certain core techniques, blended with a few of your personal signature elements. I personally like my screens to convey motion - so whether its ships' wakes, gear retraction sequences, weather, etc. - I try and bring those into the screens where that's relevant. Take lots of screens - my ratio of what take to what I save is easily 10:1; my ratio of what I save to what I post is about 5:1. So maybe focus on quality over quantity in the final snap - having taken a few from different angles to hedge for success.
But better yet - just fly - that's what's most important, no?
cheers,
dl
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Post by Erik on Aug 29, 2015 3:54:34 GMT -5
Hi dl, So I usually like some cloud, and a sun angle of solar zenith angle (angle from vertical) of at least 45 deg (so either mid morning or mid afternoon). That usually allows some nice play between illumination and shadow, giving more options than a light source directly from the side or the top. Just like in reality! Which in turn says something about the high-quality visual engines of FS. I have never really looked into REX or comparable add-ons (if there are any) because I did not feel I devote enough time to simming to justify that. But REX does seem to do magic, and who knows, perhaps in the future as FS9 will probably stay on my system as one of the platforms for years to come...  I personally like my screens to convey motion (...) But better yet - just fly - that's what's most important, no? It is, but both are certainly based on the same fascination. It's that what thrills me in aviation as well. Soaring the skies at will, through mastering of technique, subjected to ever-changing weather phenomena. What better way to convey that fascination than through images that take the viewer there. Like said, it's real photography the way I like it, ported over to the sim. Cheers, Erik |
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Post by deltalima on Aug 29, 2015 3:59:29 GMT -5
Also,
You may already know this - but REX is available for FS2004 also.
DL
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