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Bloom effects poll

JarloJarlo Member Posts: 221

It seems that new most recent trend in new games is to introduce a post rendering effect called bloom.  This makes the landscape and characters look kind of fuzzy and dreamy in what I imagine to be an anime style of art.  Personally I can't stand it, it simply makes everything like fuzzy and out of focus to me.. almost like I need to clean my monitor or something.  I always have to dig thru all the settings to figure out how to flip it off so the graphics look "in focus" to me.

Do you leave bloom on? Am I missing something or just old fashioned?

Comments

  • CaesarsGhostCaesarsGhost Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 2,136

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  • LeodiousLeodious Member UncommonPosts: 773

    I like bloom if it is done right. If the game takes it too far, it does get to be like what you say: dreamy and surreal, and no good. but just a little bloom is very nice. However, I greatly prefer good old-fashioned graphics improvements, like antialiasing. Bloom can be nice, but it doesn't make the graphics. My problem with it is that many games are trying to use it to mask their poor graphics, because if everything is fuzzy, you can't tell it's blocky and choppy, right?


    Wrong.

    It's only nice if you have good graphics to start with. Now, I'm not obsessed with graphics, but I get annoyed with people who try to pretend they have something they don't.

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  • QSatuQSatu Member UncommonPosts: 1,796
  • LordSlaterLordSlater Member Posts: 2,087
    Bloom is alright as long as its done right.

    image

  • AltimitAltimit Member Posts: 82
    Bloom looks amazing if done right. Guild wars is a great example. If it's overdone it can be a bit painful, take Oblivion for example. On the flip side if you don't use enough, or don't use it at all, you get a dull, flat, empty, dead looking world like LOTR:O.



    In my opinion, once you've seen bloom done correctly (Guild Wars, and they were one of the first too, weren't they? Gears of War does a good job too), there's no going back. When it comes down to it, it's just another aspect of lighting, and good lighting is absolutely essential. No bloom sucks, but poorly done bloom sucks just as much, if not worse.
  • JarloJarlo Member Posts: 221
    I even hated it in GW, maybe just a pet peeve of mine /shrug
  • AutemOxAutemOx Member Posts: 1,704
    GW has some of my favourite graphics and its largely thanks to their use of bloom and complimentary style.  It really gives the game a fantastical feel that you dont see in a lot of fantasy games.



    It really doesnt blur the graphics in a traditional sense, I think thats a bit misleading.



    I dont like anime art much, I have no clue why one would associate blooming with anime, but maybe theres something about anime I dont know seeing how I dont like it.   

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  • lomillerlomiller Member Posts: 1,810
    Bloom is basically an optical trick intended to be a substitute for true HDR lighting.  Do HRD right and there is little need for bloom. (See Oblivion on a graphics card that supports it’s HDR)

     

    Bloom makes everything around a bright spot brighter to give the illusion that spot is even brighter then it is.  HDR makes the spot brighter in reality. 
  • PhoenixsPhoenixs Member Posts: 2,646
    Bloom is nice if used correctly. Subtle etc, not like Guild Wars.
  • Squal'ZellSqual'Zell Member Posts: 1,803
    Originally posted by Phoenixs

    Bloom is nice if used correctly. Subtle etc, not like Guild Wars.
    can you give an example of a good bloom please?

    i know guildwars exagerated a bit but i have yet to find a game that uses it properly

    image
    image

  • HexxeityHexxeity Member Posts: 848
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  • Rayx0rRayx0r Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 2,902
    Originally posted by Squal'Zell

    Originally posted by Phoenixs

    Bloom is nice if used correctly. Subtle etc, not like Guild Wars.
    can you give an example of a good bloom please?

    i know guildwars exagerated a bit but i have yet to find a game that uses it properly

     

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  • anarchyartanarchyart Member Posts: 5,378
    Originally posted by Altimit

    Bloom looks amazing if done right. Guild wars is a great example. If it's overdone it can be a bit painful, take Oblivion for example. On the flip side if you don't use enough, or don't use it at all, you get a dull, flat, empty, dead looking world like LOTR:O.

    LotRO has plenty of bloom. And middle earth as created by Turbine is anything but dull, flat, empty or dead looking.

    image
  • 0k210k21 Member Posts: 866
    *bonks the troll above him* Oblivion graphics = Stare. Or at least that's how I'd put it :P

    Quoting people doesn't make you clever, in fact, it makes you all the more stupid for not bothering to read the quotes you post in the first place.

  • JADEDRAG0NJADEDRAG0N Member Posts: 733
    Halph life 2 Does great Bloom effects with HD lighting its very well done.
  • 0k210k21 Member Posts: 866
    Half-Life 2 is a definitely good example of good graphics I have to say, though I don't play it as much as counterstrike these days.

    Quoting people doesn't make you clever, in fact, it makes you all the more stupid for not bothering to read the quotes you post in the first place.

  • marowitmarowit Member UncommonPosts: 268
    i hate bloom everything looks to bright.....the darker the better real life doesn`t have bloom so why should games have bloom?

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  • JarloJarlo Member Posts: 221

    Hrmm I'll have to boot up Half Life I didn't even know it had bloom.  Maybe that is when it is done right, you don't even notice it hehe.

     

    I think DDO looks horrid with bloom btw, much more clean and sharp without IMHO.

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