Virtual Photography with Poser

Everybody is into photography nowadays. Digital cameras have made it extremely convenient, cheap, and easy, to take photographs, download photographs, and share photographs with our friends and family. The social aspect of photography, has made it into a popular mainstream activity.

Virtual photography is the process of taking photographs of a virtual world, rather than of our real world.

There is also partial virtual photography, where you enhance real-world photographs with image processing tools such as Photoshop.

Virtual photography is quickly becoming popular because of the increasing need for compelling images to enhance websites, blogs, and online articles. Eye-catching virtual photographs can help drive traffic to a website, and increase online earnings.

** All virtual images in this page are generated using Poser.

1. Virtual photography allows you to start generating unique, eye-catching, and compelling images quickly, and easily.
2. Virtual photography is fun and allows you to significantly enhance your website, blogs, and online articles.
3. Virtual photography allows you to generate images of a wide variety of objects, including objects and environments that no longer exist.
4. Virtual photography allows you to explore your artistic side, without actually having to invest too much time into learning art styles and technique.
5. Virtual photography gives you a lot of flexibility. You can take as long as you want to set up a shot, take shots from any angle, and set up any scene lighting.

An easy way to start with virtual photography is through a simple to 3D-application such as Poser or Bryce.

These applications allow you to easily load in 3d-models, pose them, set up lighting, and take snapshots from different camera angles. I use Poser to generate all my virtual photographs. Poser also has some simple functionality of doing animations, so you can create video clips in addition to taking still virtual photographs.

Poser comes with a limited number of human figures, animal figures, and objects. When you first start Poser 7, you begin with the Simon male figure. Simon is in the T-pose, which is a stiff, arms horizontal, pose, that most 3d-models are saved in.

If you look to the right of the application, there should be a Libraries Menu. If this menu is not there, type Shift+Ctrl+b to toggle this menu on. You can also go to the Window drop down menu at the top-left of the application, and select the Libraries option.

Once you have the Libraries menu up, you can start changing Simon's pose to something more interesting. Select the Poses folder in the Libraries menu, then drill down into the G2 folder, and the G2 male folder.

This should reveal a variety of pose categories including Action, Business, Conversation, etc. Go into the Action folder, then Fighting. This will reveal a set of actual poses. Click on these to change Simon's pose from the stiff T-pose to a variety of action fighting poses.

Once you have chosen a pose that you like, you can enhance your virtual photograph by testing out a variety of camera angles.

This can be achieved by manipulating the camera menu on the top-left of the Poser application. The round controller at the bottom, allows you to rotate the scene. The cross controller above it allows you to zoom in, zoom out, and move the scene to the left or right.

The control above the cross consists of two colored hands and a face. Clicking on the face allows you to switch between a series of pre-defined camera views, including a front view, left view, right view, top view, face view, and hand view.

You can switch back to your original view by going to the Select Camera drop down menu at the top of the camera controls. Click on the Select Camera menu, and select the first entry, Main Camera, to switch back to your original view.

Once you have set up your camera, you can adjust the lighting of your scene. To do this, click on the Lights button on the Libraries menu. Remember that you can toggle the Libraries menu on and off by hitting Shift+Ctrl+b.

Click on the Light Sets folder, which should present you with a set of predefined lighting options. Test out the different light sets and select one that you like.

Now you are ready to snap your virtual photograph. You do this by clicking on the camera icon on the top-right of the figure window (i.e. the window with your virtual photograph).

The models that come with Poser 7 will only get you so far.

To get better, more sexy content for your virtual photographs visit Daz3D. They have some attractive looking characters, hair, dresses, props, and background environments. They frequently have deals where they give away certain models for free.

Consider joining their Platinum Club program which gives you good discounts on their products.

I really enjoy doing virtual photography with Poser. If you would like to use any of the virtual photos in this article, you are free to do so as long as you include a link back to this page.

There are more virtual photos available at www.virtualimage3d.com. Use any of the images in your hubs, website, blog, or online articles; just include a link back to the virtual image site.

If there are particular virtual photos you would especially like to see, please let me know.