Living room render needs an upgrade

[Avsha]

Hi. I usually render single products but here, for the first time, I was asked to render an interior design project.
The results are nice, and after Photoshop face lift it's even nicer. But still..... that's not it yet. I just can't put my finger on the missing elements.
Looking for some guidance here. TNX guys.

My settings:
Ray Bounces 10, Indirect Bounces 6, Shadow quality 3
Self Shadows, Global Illumination, Interior Mode
Lightning:
Outdoor sky background HDRI
Over all the openings I added invisible screen panels with Area Light Diffuse material at 70Watt
Spot lights inside from the ceiling

[bdesign]

Hi. The first thing I immediately noticed is that the scale of your textures on the carpet, fabric chairs, marble coffee table, and wood dining table are too large, which is drastically taking away from the realism. The white elements in the scene look a bit too bright and washed out; I would use a maximum white value of 84%. The plants will look much more organic and alive if you apply a translucent material to them. Overall, a great start

Cheers,
Eric

[RRIS]

Everything seems to be a bit too evenly lit as well. It's hard to tell where the light is coming from. Try to let a few light sources be your main source and don't be afraid to have some dark areas in your interior.
It also seems your lights all have the same temperature. Try to combine some cool light from the outside with some warmer lights inside.

Also, try to experiment a bit with your camera. Place it lower, or at a consistent eye-level and use a shift lens to keep your verticals straight.

edit: dressing up the interior a little with some magazines or books makes it a bit more lively as well.

[Avsha]

Thanks guys. here are the final renderings I managed to create.

I took your tips and made the best I could out of it. For me the results are like 85% of what I wished for, which is pretty good.
As I succeeded to improve some elements, I found new difficulties: White dots and rough surfaces appeared that were not a problem before. It appeared on metallic surfaces or specular and dark surfaces. Strange...
I red about it and adjusted the material roughness (above 0.1), material samples (above 16), rendering samples (220). The only thing I think will be effective to eliminate the rough looks is expanding rendering time to 6-10 hours per image, which is too much for me to wait.
What do you guys think could add the extra mile here?

[RRIS]

My earlier tips were pretty much the extent of what I can contribute to this thread, I think the changes are subtle, but they are an improvement. Still think you should try the shift camera lens to keep your verticals in check.

Btw, about those fireflies/spots... I get them as well and they can be quite random... rendering for longer for sure doesn't seem to remove them in my case. I think bringing some roughness in smooth surfaces reduces them, but I haven't done extensive testing to see what the best solution is.

[mattjgerard]

Btw, about those fireflies/spots... I get them as well and they can be quite random... rendering for longer for sure doesn't seem to remove them in my case. I think bringing some roughness in smooth surfaces reduces them, but I haven't done extensive testing to see what the best solution is.

Spot healing brush in photoshop. I do this all the time. Its not the ideal solution, but for my stuff and my deadlines its the most realistic.

[RRIS]

Btw, about those fireflies/spots... I get them as well and they can be quite random... rendering for longer for sure doesn't seem to remove them in my case. I think bringing some roughness in smooth surfaces reduces them, but I haven't done extensive testing to see what the best solution is.

Spot healing brush in photoshop. I do this all the time. Its not the ideal solution, but for my stuff and my deadlines its the most realistic.

Yup, I typically just roll with it (unless it's in a critical area) and shop it out.

[Avsha]

I became obsessed trying to find why it happens.
Knowing you solved it with PS is good news. Now I can release.
TNX

[RRIS]

I became obsessed trying to find why it happens.
Knowing you solved it with PS is good news. Now I can release.
TNX

Esben Oxholm has a nice video to help you on your way should you need it:

[Avsha]

I became obsessed trying to find why it happens.
Knowing you solved it with PS is good news. Now I can release.
TNX

Esben Oxholm has a nice video to help you on your way should you need it:

Yea, I red it. I red all the topics about the issue and some suggestions were helpful, but I was still not satisfied with the results.
There were only two things that helped:
1. Longer rendering time
2. Healing brush

[designgestalt]

hey Avsha,
I like the mood you created with the setup: nice lighting, cosy and inviting atmosphere.
however, I would try to find a larger image for the wooden texture for the wooden wall next to the fireplace.
at the moment this is the typical render flaw you do in the beginning: from futher away you see a constantly repeating pattern.
also I think the scale is way to small, which makes it look like some kind of texture noise rather than wood.
also the texture of the carpet is still to large.
again, I think you have done a really nice job with the lighting, which is most times the most complicated task to handle!
well done!
cheers
designgestalt