### Akari Aizawa – Face Completed

I've finally finished working on Akari's face!

Here are three images showing how she looks with different levels of post-processing.

**Image 1 – My Usual Rendering Setup**

For this image, I applied the Victoria 8.1 Head HD Morph at 100% and added eyebrows from another figure. The only post-processing was adjusting the brightness and contrast.

I personally find this level of realism more than enough for most of my commercial work, including close-up renders.

I also use almost the same lighting setup for distant, mid-range, and close-up shots, without changing the light positions or intensity. Sometimes I simply swap the warm and cool lights depending on the scene in my comics or CG collections.

I could actually create skin textures with even more visible pores and finer details for extreme close-ups.

However, my priority is finding a balance that looks natural and beautiful at every distance, not just in close-ups.

This image is a good example of what you can achieve without spending much time adjusting the lighting.

Of course, with more carefully placed lights, it's possible to bring out even more skin detail and achieve a more realistic, photographic portrait look. I've designed the Iray surfaces to respond naturally to those adjustments.

**Image 2 – Advanced Post-Processing (No AI)**

The second image is based on the first, but with more extensive adjustments to color temperature, tones, contrast, and other settings.

No generative AI or AI-based image enhancement was used. Everything was done through traditional image editing.

I wanted to see how much I could change the mood and lighting of the original render using only these adjustments.

I don't usually spend this much time on post-processing, but I like having the option when a scene calls for it.

**Image 3 – Straight from the Renderer**

The third image is completely unedited, straight from the renderer.

No third-party HD morphs, additional eyebrows, or post-processing were used.

I've designed her face to look natural and complete even without those extras, so she's ready to use as she is.

I've also intentionally kept her eyebrow textures very subtle.

They work as soft, natural-looking eyebrows on their own, but they're light enough that you can easily add other eyebrow assets without interference.

I had Japanese makeup styles in mind, where the natural eyebrows are sometimes shaved or made less visible before being shaped with makeup.

**My Approach to Figure Design**

My goal is to make a figure that anyone can render beautifully without complicated lighting or surface adjustments.

Rather than optimizing everything for one perfect angle or lighting setup, I prefer a figure that looks consistently good in many different situations.

At the same time, I want to leave plenty of room for artists who enjoy experimenting with lighting, HD morphs, and post-processing.

In short, I want her to look great straight out of the box, while still giving you the freedom to take things further if you want to.