All input appreciated on my best render so far- Oldschool Mercedes 540k

[eze49]

link to full size- * Warning its BIG * http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7013/6438703045_b181fd305e_o.jpg

I am currently working on a new one and plan on doing the following so far: (please let me know your thoughts)
1. in the hdr- blur it (right now its not at all and that just doesnt work (sharp reflections and blurred bg??)), and add some light to bring up the front up a bit specifically tires, bumper)
2. do something about the paint material- its bugging me- too shiny/ sharp.  possibly increase roughness? and ill try and enable DOF to help drop back end off and hopefully that will help it merge better with the scene (will see)
3. slightly move car- azmuth seems off after ive been looking at it for so long now- what do you think?
4. Try and do something with the lights in post- I want to lay light on the foreground but they will have to criss cross and there would be shadows from the body.  so ill try and maybe end up just turning off the lights all together lol.
5. spin tires of course, in ps bc i dont know any other way :/ i knew i would be rendering again shortly so i thought ide save some grief.
6. redo the whole post work.  i feel like the flare is spilling everwhere right now and want to have it help draw the eyes to the car not all over the page.

one thing that i dont know about is the headlights on with the lens flare thing going on..  one could argue its a wooded scene and so its easy to see why you would turn on the headlights but still.  maybe a slightly different approach to the post can help make the headlights seem more appropriate.  this is also the first time ive 'turned on' headlights in any shot.  was playing with 'beams' but they kept looking to fake, might try and play with them a little more too...

please share any and all thoughts/ suggestions/ tips

thanks for looking!!

[Speedster]

Well, as a vintage car freak, I'll throw in my 3 cents. 

1)  Paint gloss and shine look fine to me- hey, it's a 99 point car!  They really shine!  Color is spot on!
2)  Headlights:  They were usually more toward a yellow tint, not high intensity like today.  Try tinting either the reflectors or the actual lenses.  Would the spots really be on?  They are a bit distracting.  The vintage and hot rod car photo pros usually light the lamps up at low voltage, to give just a glow, even for studio shots.
3)  I'd kick the front end up a tiny bit within the perspective.  Seems a bit "nose down".  I agree with adding just a touch of DOF to the rear end.
4)  If the car's at speed, and the background is blurred (which I think is a bit excessive for a 50 mph car) the reflections would remain sharp, as they are "travelling" with the car.  I think!
5)  Not sure about spinning the tires.  So little of the spin would show for the effort.
6)  You might want to Photoshop out the double yellow line, which places the car firmly in the "modern age".  Even if that's the intent, maybe none, or just a subtle single white stripe?

Having said all that, it a stunning start to an equally stunning classic automobile!  Did you model it?

Keep us posted!
Bill G

[eze49]

thank you for such a detailed reply, very helpful! I am a exotic car enthusiast myself so this is also my first stab at any older car so to hear from you is great

1. i hadnt even thought about the yellow tint to headlights!  i will play with this in KS
2 i am glad you mentioned the spots being on- i thought it looked overkill with all the lights on like so, so i will turn them off and feel better about them being off. 
3 i shall also play with the position of the model- thank you for your perspective
4 i believe the reflections would be as sharp as the background- open shutter= movement, except for what camera is attached to (car, not what the car is seeing though) eh?
5 thanks for the thought- ide really rather not even start that in ps lol
6 i thought about it- i will try removing it on a layer to see how it looks, i just felt it gave it some weight but maybe a solid white might do better

thank you! and no i certainly did not model it, not into the modeling thing, having said that its one of the better ones ive worked on its quiet nice.

[EGON]

Nice job. I like it!

[eze49]

thanks egon, im a big fan of your work- i know you have something to say about this!

[Speedster]

The more I think about it, I believe you're correct about the blurred reflections.  They probably are blurred.   Hmmm.   Also, try hiding the two side spots- it would draw attention back to the front and emphasize the stunning MB styling.  Side spots were options anyway.
Bill G
www.GouldStudios.com

[degruch]

Great render, it is hard to make these old things look authentic and you've done a nice job so far. A couple observations (certainly not critisisms):

- It's a great day to be out for a drive, top down and lights off?
- Is that a hardtop, or fabric soft-top? It should be a f'waxy' abric instead of paint if it is a soft-top.
- The car appears a little small on the road...it's a European country lane, and a 540K is a BIG car.

Love to see the next incarnation, you've certainly done a great job with a really challenging subject, keep it up!

Cheers,
Duane

[EGON]

The left side of the backplate looks like a curtain. Really bugs me. But the car looks good.