Post-editing Poser hair

Last updated: 08.07.2001

While the use of more detailed hairstyles and transparency maps in recent versions of Poser makes it easier to produce realistic results, you can also improve the appearance of your rendered hair by post-editing. This is actually easier than it sounds. The two images below show a rendered figure before and after post-editing.

Before	After

The basic technique is very simple. Import your rendered image into an image-editing program such as Photoshop, and use the Brush and Smudge tools on the finest setting to paint in the hair. This is easier than it sounds. The key points to note are:

Brush and smudge
Using the Smudge tool, drag from dark areas into light and vice-versa. Using the Brush tool, paint lighter lines over dark regions, and darker lines over light regions. You can 'pick up' colors from the hair using the Eyedropper, and then use the color controls to slightly lighten or darken the color before you paint. You may also want to reduce the opacity level so that your brushstrokes merge with the existing color slightly. Experiment until you find a setting that works well.

Follow the line of the hair
Make long sweeping strokes that follow the natural line of the hair. Use the outlines of the rendered hair as a guide here, and think about the way that each strand of hair would lie on a real person's head. Hair doesn't stick up vertically (unless it's been gelled, or you've slept on it), and it certainly doesn't lie horizontally, so avoid short horizontal or vertical strokes. Strokes should flow and curve.

Work on the edges
The best places to show that hair is composed of individual strands are around the edges, where the hair meets the figure's face or the background. Use the Smudge tool to pull out fine, short strokes from the mass of the hair, remembering to respect the natural line of the hair. If the hair would cast a shadow on the figure's face, paint fine dark strokes on the figure's forehead before overpainting with hair color strokes.

Curly hair
It's possible to use post-editing to create figures with curly hair. Make short, circular strokes instead of long sweeping strokes (if you're painting with a mouse, it helps to have a larger input image; it's difficult to make a precise curl at smaller sizes, so it's easier to paint on a large image and then shrink it to the size you want to use). Paint light colors first, and then brush over them with a darker color.

Before	After

The following tutorials cover the topic of post-editing for realistic hair in much greater depth.

Poser Hair Tutorial (Zone Five Graphics)

The Queen Tutorial (Martin Murphy)