Pro tip: I stopped adding a background layer to my digital portraits and it cut my render time by 30 percent

I was fighting with the same dark background for weeks until I tried leaving the canvas transparent and just sent the PNG with no fill to the client, has anyone else messed around with negative space like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaretw411mo ago

My first 50 portraits had that solid white background layer because I thought it made the piece look finished. Then I did a series of 7 pet portraits where I kept the background transparent and just let the fur fade out, and clients actually liked it better. It forced me to clean up my edges and the whole thing felt lighter somehow. Now I almost never add a background unless the composition specifically calls for it.

barbarab561mo ago

Letting the fur fade out did wonders for my dog portraits too.