How to Correctly Use Reference Images as a 3D Artist

We cover effective uses for reference when doing art and 3D.

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[BillieCake]

It makes me mad that no alarm bells went off in my head when I first saw that giraffe XD

[letsdeuxthis]

There are so few core art concept videos available, as most people focus purely on the technical aspects of sculpting or modeling etc, that having more videos like this would be essential to the betterment of the artistic community!

[leatherslipper]

Every single video you make is useful in some way. Thank you guys, really.

[NikolaNiKucu]

Didn't think of taking reference of every single piece, but now when I think of it.. that is logical
I like the use of filters in Photoshop, did similar things for color palette by using mosaic/pixelize filters or similar. Easy to apply and quite useful to simplify the picture

[alfredaxelsson]

Very useful video! It's great to get examples of HOW to apply these fundamental practices as opposed to just hearing about why they ought to be used. I'd love to see you guys cover how to do studies, as well.

[brohikhondker]

The naming of this channel is just BRILLIANT considering the kind of content and mindset you guys have XD. Absolute LOVE for you guys

[erickendoka]

In 2020 I find You guys one of the best free resources online, I just bought a tutorial online i needed in order to support you guys.

[Ange-C]

This video was very useful. I never went through this stage of how to really use references. Very handy and helps a lot. Especially the saturated mode to get the correct colour on little areas. I'm learning how to texture, so this will help a lot for hard surface for me.

[carlosedubarreto]

Oh this video is precious. I'll try some of the hints. Thanks a lot.

[mitkoogrozev]

Huh, I saw the zebra stripes on the giraffe immediately. That would be because I'm into animals, but I do agree that generally we don't know how everything looks in every detail, and we should refer to well...reference! Not only as a 3D artist I would say, it's just good advice for many things. Don't assume you know everything, and always check if what you know maps well to reality. And even if you have to go on a assumption, being conscious that you are making an assumption might save you from getting disappointed.

[khazretshafiev]

That's easily one of the most overlooked parts of learning curve.

[TsukiOniichan]

Thank you for this video. There's like a new sub community of younger artists (seems most are teens) that think using references is some kind of cheating. As if artists haven't referenced real life and other artists since the beginning of time. Funnily enough they're the same ones that think pose, style, and color palette theft are a thing.
Everyone should use reference, even logo artists or mostly graphic artists; and the good ones really do.

[DMCvsKILLER]

You guys are wonderful! Please more of core concepts!

[iAdrian]

Thank you for this video! I have just asked my lecturers this question too

[Adlip_Kun]

Thank you so much, I found this really useful

[mikkelmelby]

jeesus, so good. do more on reference and texture grading etc!!

[gh]

This is great stuff. I'd like to see more like this, maybe how you would suggest someone could break down the gator by drawing the primitives you might use to create it. Show the basic steps of referencing into ZBrush, creating that first basic shape.

[WhyIsTheCouchWet]

I'd love more core art concept tutorials. I can generally figure out the technical things that I don't know with some time and effort. When it comes to the core concepts, I often do not know what I don't know, which makes self direction difficult. Personally, I'd love something on how to approach and then execute successful composition. There's lots of instruction about composition in already made pieces, but not much about how you get that well thought out, deliberate composition when starting with a blank page. Thanks!

[alibit]

i tend to directly use eyedropper to steal colors from images or use already made color schemes for that thing i am making. works well with more basic projects. also for blender users you don't have to put images in a separate window. in 2.8 you can directly import reference images to your scene to save on screen space by dragging them directly into your blender window ! . also images are not enough! you have to research what that thing is made of and its exact size and proportions and how it works. which are plentiful for humans and anthropomorphic creatures ! in forms like blueprints and cheat sheets . you also can try importing already made models and use them as reference for your original creations i find those effective as they show angels that most people wont photograph. also make sure you have a separate folder for those images as it gets messy fast !. for creatures you should get images of their skeleton and muscles from every angle. use only 2D images for those as 3d ones are sometimes low effort. i recommend learning high-school biology as it helps understand living things much better and allows more realistic designs. like a centaur with tow holes on his sides because his horse lungs would require somewhere to get air from.

[AnotherGirl]

Super helpful. Also, since you've asked.... I would be interested in how to translate a 2D character into 3D and make it look good from every angle. Cheers :)