Post-Processed is good for you
Nowadays game titles use all types and forms of post-processing in their video games. From bloom to blur and lens flare, there's a lot that can be done to improve the look of a game with the help of some nifty light manipulation tools and a strong graphics card that can be used efficiently. It is quite fascinating how many of these ideas come about and how game studios choose to implement them within their own game effectively. There are, of course, those who aren't the type to enjoy all the added effects and filters that the game has gone through before you see it which is why nowadays games usually come with the option of turning down or even turning off these graphical settings. Some people prefer to play games the way they were originally made with no over-drawn effects blocking their experience while others like all the shininess and polished environments game makers strive to deliver. Either ways, there is a right and a wrong way of using post-processing and many arguments on either side of the table.
This blog intends to demonstrate what the pros and cons are to post-processing while mentioning some big name titles and how they got it right. We will discuss the various things one can do with a graphics card and how efficient it is to post-process depending on the requirements your PC/graphics card meets. A quick google search manages to turns up hundreds of links to forums where post-processing (especially HDR and bloom) is discussed extensively along with varying opinions on whether or not it needs to be present in video games.
Effect and Affect
Today video games use all variations of visual effects applied to their scenes after they are rendered by the game engine. Sometimes developers intend to create a particular look or draw the player's attention to certain finer details in an attempt to enhance their gameplay mechanics. However, improvements in graphics rendering technology often result in particular effects being overused excessively. But more on this later, for now, let's talk about a few of the more popular post-processing video effects and give some practical examples.
Lens Flare
Lens Flare occurs when a bright object (usually the sun or a light source) is in the shot. The bright light causes glare off every piece of glass as it passes through on the way to the film or optical receiver. This causes the little ghostly chain of circles on an imaginary line from the object through the center of the frame. While some people feel that lens flare is overused in games, others feel that getting rid of it will cause the Coconut Effect. The Coconut Effect is when an unrealistic visual effect resonates with an audience so much so that its absence would be detrimental to the audience's experience.
Film Grain
Film grain adds a certain amount of graininess to the displayed image in order to evoke the look of an older film. This effect is usually in place within the background environment of a video game and isn't always noticeable. The image above does contain film grain but is not all too noticeable unless seen up close.
Bloom
The bloom effect produces fringes of light around very bright objects in the scene. This effect is one of the most popular in games nowadays and is possibly the most blatant visual effect. Some people enjoy the bloom effect while others prefer to turn it down a great amount because they believe it doesn't do visual justice to detailed game assets.
Tone Mapping
Tone mapping is the remapping of on-screen colours into a specific palette to create a unique effect. Games such as Mad World use a monochromatic filter which turns the display black and white. There is also a sepia filter which adds a brown tint to the display in order to simulate the look of an old film. This is often used in flashbacks or dreams within games. Some games choose to use more vivid colours or something esoteric to draw attention to areas of the game.
Cel Shading
Cel shading is a style of computer rendering that imitates the look of hand-drawn artwork and animation. It effectively replaces the shading gradients of conventional rendering with flat colours and shadows shadows based on an artist-specified palette. Cel shading applies to the way the lighting is rendered and can be as realistically-proportioned and textured as any hand-drawing.
Motion Blur
One of my least favorite post-processing effects, motion blur gives the illusion of an object moving faster than it really is. This way, it helps disguise screen tearing and low frame rates. In some way, it also makes the game look like it's being filmed with a camera.
Depth of Field
Depth of field is a far more visually apparent effect where near or far objects blur away depending on the camera's focus. It uses a depth map and is highly effective in concentrating the player's attention to one or more important areas in the scene.
Gaussian Blur
Often most apparent in video game cutscenes, the Gaussian Blur filter can be applied to distant objects to disguise object pop-in. It can also be applied to edges as a form of anti-aliasing. Gaussian blur could even be overlaid on top of an original frame to simulate bloom.
Vginetting
Vignetting is the process of reducing brightness or saturation of the corners of the screen while emphasizing and drawing interest to the center of the image. Interestingly enough, vignetting is beginning to replace bloom as the most common game effect.
Summary
Let's now take a look at a really neat video that summarizes some of the more popular post-processing effects and how they look when practically implemented into video games.
All the preceding post-processing effects are part of high dynamic range rendering (HDR Rendering) which takes place in most best-selling games out now. Post-processing is an important piece in fine-tuning visual effects to enhance the player's experience. In addition, most games use these effects to cover up blotches or mistakes in their rendering. Some game companies manage to do this effectively, while others don't approach it in the right light and end up creating more of a visual headache for players than improving their visual experience. Let's take a look at whose got it right and how.
Film Grain
Film grain adds a certain amount of graininess to the displayed image in order to evoke the look of an older film. This effect is usually in place within the background environment of a video game and isn't always noticeable. The image above does contain film grain but is not all too noticeable unless seen up close.
Bloom
The bloom effect produces fringes of light around very bright objects in the scene. This effect is one of the most popular in games nowadays and is possibly the most blatant visual effect. Some people enjoy the bloom effect while others prefer to turn it down a great amount because they believe it doesn't do visual justice to detailed game assets.
Tone Mapping
Tone mapping is the remapping of on-screen colours into a specific palette to create a unique effect. Games such as Mad World use a monochromatic filter which turns the display black and white. There is also a sepia filter which adds a brown tint to the display in order to simulate the look of an old film. This is often used in flashbacks or dreams within games. Some games choose to use more vivid colours or something esoteric to draw attention to areas of the game.
Cel Shading
Cel shading is a style of computer rendering that imitates the look of hand-drawn artwork and animation. It effectively replaces the shading gradients of conventional rendering with flat colours and shadows shadows based on an artist-specified palette. Cel shading applies to the way the lighting is rendered and can be as realistically-proportioned and textured as any hand-drawing.
Motion Blur
One of my least favorite post-processing effects, motion blur gives the illusion of an object moving faster than it really is. This way, it helps disguise screen tearing and low frame rates. In some way, it also makes the game look like it's being filmed with a camera.
Depth of Field
Depth of field is a far more visually apparent effect where near or far objects blur away depending on the camera's focus. It uses a depth map and is highly effective in concentrating the player's attention to one or more important areas in the scene.
Gaussian Blur
Often most apparent in video game cutscenes, the Gaussian Blur filter can be applied to distant objects to disguise object pop-in. It can also be applied to edges as a form of anti-aliasing. Gaussian blur could even be overlaid on top of an original frame to simulate bloom.
Vginetting
Vignetting is the process of reducing brightness or saturation of the corners of the screen while emphasizing and drawing interest to the center of the image. Interestingly enough, vignetting is beginning to replace bloom as the most common game effect.
Summary
Let's now take a look at a really neat video that summarizes some of the more popular post-processing effects and how they look when practically implemented into video games.
All the preceding post-processing effects are part of high dynamic range rendering (HDR Rendering) which takes place in most best-selling games out now. Post-processing is an important piece in fine-tuning visual effects to enhance the player's experience. In addition, most games use these effects to cover up blotches or mistakes in their rendering. Some game companies manage to do this effectively, while others don't approach it in the right light and end up creating more of a visual headache for players than improving their visual experience. Let's take a look at whose got it right and how.
Up the Wazoo!
A lot of gamers believe that post processing is being taken to an unnecessary extent and has been overused in many games nowadays. As mentioned earlier, this is the reason why gaming companies are now allowing their customers to adjust their post-processing effects to maximize performance or just for their games to be easier on the eyes. It is not that graphic designers use there methods throughout their games, but even a poorly executed cutscene with overused post-processing effects can ruin a player's experience. These effects are unique and fun in small doses but can get quite annoying and even take away from the gameplay at times.
A little while ago, some spare time found me immersed in F.E.A.R Project Origin which has several post-processing effects applied including bloom and motion blur to name a few. I enjoyed the story and was impressed with the gameplay but the motion blurring simply took a lot away from my experience. I would have to give my eyes frequent breaks just to readjust my focus and prevent headaches. Luckily, there are external programs and ways to turn of the motion blurring which helped a lot. The other annoying artifact was the film grain that appeared in an attempt to make the game feel like a movie. I understand this effect but with movies now in 3D and on blu-ray this is hardly relevant. I thought it would be a lot more impressive to show me the bare bones of the graphics and lighting, which at its core is executed very well in F.E.A.R. Project Origin. I thought the bloom was used well though, at times, could be overkill.
A little while ago, some spare time found me immersed in F.E.A.R Project Origin which has several post-processing effects applied including bloom and motion blur to name a few. I enjoyed the story and was impressed with the gameplay but the motion blurring simply took a lot away from my experience. I would have to give my eyes frequent breaks just to readjust my focus and prevent headaches. Luckily, there are external programs and ways to turn of the motion blurring which helped a lot. The other annoying artifact was the film grain that appeared in an attempt to make the game feel like a movie. I understand this effect but with movies now in 3D and on blu-ray this is hardly relevant. I thought it would be a lot more impressive to show me the bare bones of the graphics and lighting, which at its core is executed very well in F.E.A.R. Project Origin. I thought the bloom was used well though, at times, could be overkill.
My point behind this bit of a rant was to make it clear that there has to be moderation with post-processing. There are games that use it efficiently and effectively (Far Cry 3 and Battlefield 3) and other games that butcher it. While there is a large margin of opinion when considering the true effect of post-processing on gameplay and graphics, it can safely be said that all good things must be used in moderation. At times an overuse can even be at the cost of visual clarity or a maybe a framerate drop. Other times graphical tricks can leave the game looking less realistic in an attempt to be more life-like. As an example, say there was a game where you could see the player's reflection in a car on a sunny day. In some cases, the car would be a perfect reflection of the world including the player and minute details may be noticed (unlike as in real-life).
Then there are the games that do it right.
Let's take Left 4 Dead for example. The game world in Left 4 Dead is colour corrected through post-processing and this effect is used within the game deliberately to brighten and saturate things like signs on buildings and lights to areas that you are supposed to visit in order to complete the level. There is a present film grain effect but it is not uniform and is increased or decreased depending on how much light there is where you are. This creates texture where there is non so that you do not have to stare at blackness. It also adds to the game's scare factor which is always a plus. Other effects used well within the game include vignetting and local contrast which are used in such instances as when the player is low on health. When this happens, the level of vignetting is turned up to simulate tunnel vision. To learn more about the visual effects used in Left 4 Dead, go here.
Then there are the games that do it right.
Let's take Left 4 Dead for example. The game world in Left 4 Dead is colour corrected through post-processing and this effect is used within the game deliberately to brighten and saturate things like signs on buildings and lights to areas that you are supposed to visit in order to complete the level. There is a present film grain effect but it is not uniform and is increased or decreased depending on how much light there is where you are. This creates texture where there is non so that you do not have to stare at blackness. It also adds to the game's scare factor which is always a plus. Other effects used well within the game include vignetting and local contrast which are used in such instances as when the player is low on health. When this happens, the level of vignetting is turned up to simulate tunnel vision. To learn more about the visual effects used in Left 4 Dead, go here.
Now, of course, Left 4 Dead isn't the only game to get it right and there exist several developers who spend insane amounts of time on fine-tuning their visual effects to enhance the player's experience. The truth of the matter remains that some get it right and some get it wrong.
A funny emphasis on games that get it wrong...
In Conclusion
HDR rendering is a fascinating piece of visual design and will continue to improve as graphic processors continue to grow more technically efficient. Post-processing effects can do wonders for games that use them right and even help hide some of the minor (or major) flaws in visual design so that they aren't noticeable. There then remain questions worth thinking about: As games get more and more realistic, is this necessarily a good thing? Do you want to be interactively playing in the real world? Or do you prefer the cartoony and unrealistic look and feel of games with effects such as cel and toon shading?
Of course there are many answers and each is based on personal opinion, but it is worth considering or even trying to predict what the future of gaming graphics is going to be.
HDR rendering is a fascinating piece of visual design and will continue to improve as graphic processors continue to grow more technically efficient. Post-processing effects can do wonders for games that use them right and even help hide some of the minor (or major) flaws in visual design so that they aren't noticeable. There then remain questions worth thinking about: As games get more and more realistic, is this necessarily a good thing? Do you want to be interactively playing in the real world? Or do you prefer the cartoony and unrealistic look and feel of games with effects such as cel and toon shading?
Of course there are many answers and each is based on personal opinion, but it is worth considering or even trying to predict what the future of gaming graphics is going to be.
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