XP11 Beta - colors look very pale and washed out

[Mountain Man 142]

I had to get used to the pale colors but at this moment, now I am used to it, I think it looks more realistic than the very full and dark colors of P3D (with Orbx). It looks like the sun really shines in XP. In P3D things look more cloudy. Maybe xP10 had fuller colors but I kinda like it as it is now.

 

I agree.  Reality isn't bright and vibrant like a video game.  Things often look hazy and muted, especially when you're looking across distances.

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

So I thought I would give XP11 a shot to see if it is worth transitioning from P3D. I downloaded a bunch of the free airport sceneries, mesh etc. Now I am quite impressed with the way the default aircraft handle. However I am a little disappointed with the visuals. The colors look really pale and washed out. Is there a setting or something which I am missing to add some richness to the world around me?

 

Payware Maxxfx - this will work for you - 20 bucks - cheap - about the closest you will get to the sliders offered in P3D - XP is still beta we dont know how many more options will be added to the menu system but for now I use this - pretty good actually

Edited January 6, 2017 by Jim Young
Link removed. Commercial advertising. Violates AVSIM ToS and my pinned topic in HangarChat

[uwespeed 497]

I agree.  Reality isn't bright and vibrant like a video game.  Things often look hazy and muted, especially when you're looking across distances.

 

Indeed. The majority of the flightsimmers aren't real pilots and thus are used to the view they have on ground with limited distance. Probably many of them expect more or less crystal clear view due to this. I recommend to have a closer :wink: look during the next holiday or business (or whatever) real flight.

 

Man is a creature of habit :smile:, isn't it?

[LAdamson 240]

Go to the Grand Canyon, and take a look from the north & south rims. Then change places depending on time of the day. The view can be extremely colorful with lots of detail, or washed out, with a blue haze. It's the same with real flight.  

[Paraffin 2,197]

I wouldn't recommend it just for this one feature, but I've noticed that the XEnviro weather plugin clears out much of the default local haze effect (unless you're actually socked in). The environment is generally brighter near the plane, and if you're in CAVOK conditions. 

 

I haven't decided to keep that plugin in favor of SkyMaxx Pro yet, but I thought I'd mention that.

 

As a side note, I've done a lot of real-world aerial photography in light planes and helicopters, and I do agree with uwespeed above. Most people don't realize how much haze in the air. Although, it can vary tremendously by location (industrial areas vs. remote wilderness), and if a weather front has moved in to clear out the air.

 

Right now we're having spectacularly dry and clear air in the Seattle area. I'm out on the Olympic Peninsula and I can see sharp views of the Cascades and Mount Baker in the far distance. We're in a pretty good area for visibility, but it's seldom *that* good. Ideally a weather plugin would adjust this dynamically based on the METAR, and I think XP11 does do that.

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

At first I thought this as well until I went back and looked at P3D again and it looked more colorful but also more "cartoonish."  I would, however, like to have access to a gamma slider.

 

One of the main reasons I left FSX - P3D - XP is more realistic in many ways - was a breath of fresh air actually - more high quality payware offerings in the future it will be great

 

Payware Maxxfx  will give you access to gamma - but its the hdr strength in P3D menu which is key and Maxxfx does not offer that - thats why I posted on Laminar blog about this - probably wont care but at least I tried - Maxxfx will help a lot though 

[sd_flyer 6,037]

Colors look fine to me. Here are few examples

[JasonHarris 96]

It could also be that peoples monitors need a little adjustment, where p3d is vibrant but not so much in XP.

 

    I noticed the same thing with a lot of haze and washed out a little but I have done all my flying in XP11 in the oculus rift.   When I actually saw it on the monitor it looked more pleasing so far as the colours which shows a difference from screen to screen.

[richie894 45]

Colors look fine to me

What add-ons are you using?

[sd_flyer 6,037]

What add-ons are you using?

 

If you refer to photos I posted they are from real life. As far as XP11 goes I use xEnviro and default scenery. Everything comes up pretty close to what I get to see from the cockpit when I fly

[LAdamson 240]

If you refer to photos I posted they are from real life. As far as XP11 goes I use xEnviro and default scenery. Everything comes up pretty close to what I get to see from the cockpit when I fly

As I was looking at those real life pics, I mentioned to my wife ( who flew many, many hours with me, considering we owned an airplane), about the context of this thread. The topic has came up before, over the years. So then I just had to browse my "flying" photo files, for all of those pics, where it's easy to see well over a hundred miles.   Happily, a lot of our flight time was in the mountain west. Arizona to the south, Montana to the north, as well as Nevada, Wyoming and Colorado for the east to west.  Utah, Idaho in between. A lot of desert & mountain areas.  Point is, there a lot of days, where it is severe clear. Much has to do with flight direction & the sun. Pollution, weather, adds it's effect too.  What I want to say, is that while the real life pics represent real life, those are just appropriately picked, to make a point.  I have plenty of aerial photos that represent the colorful & clearer days of flight. Since I no longer care to upload to websites that host pics, I just don't publish them anymore.

[Mountain Man 142]

What add-ons are you using?

If you refer to photos I posted they are from real life. As far as XP11 goes I use xEnviro and default scenery. Everything comes up pretty close to what I get to see from the cockpit when I fly

 

To be fair, first time I glanced at your post, I thought, "Those screenshots look amazing!"  Then it slowly dawned on me that they were real-life photographs. 

[efis007 884]

The Xp11 lights, colors, contrasts, are wrong.  <_<

The real world is much more contrasted and colorful than you might presume.

 

This is the real world ... not a "cartoon".

Edited January 6, 2017 by Jim Young
Links to airliners.net removed. Copyright infringement. Do not do this again!! See copyright policy under Forums Tab

[JasonHarris 96]

IMO, if you didnt take it yourself it's very hard to know what processing has been done to any photo, especially when it is an artistic shot.

 

    The photo's from airliners.net posted above do show the haze that appears at longer distance that I have seen done relatively well in XP.   As LAdamson points out, you can get visibility and then not so good.

[sd_flyer 6,037]

As I was looking at those real life pics, I mentioned to my wife ( who flew many, many hours with me, considering we owned an airplane), about the context of this thread. The topic has came up before, over the years. So then I just had to browse my "flying" photo files, for all of those pics, where it's easy to see well over a hundred miles.   Happily, a lot of our flight time was in the mountain west. Arizona to the south, Montana to the north, as well as Nevada, Wyoming and Colorado for the east to west.  Utah, Idaho in between. A lot of desert & mountain areas.  Point is, there a lot of days, where it is severe clear. Much has to do with flight direction & the sun. Pollution, weather, adds it's effect too.  What I want to say, is that while the real life pics represent real life, those are just appropriately picked, to make a point.  I have plenty of aerial photos that represent the colorful & clearer days of flight. Since I no longer care to upload to websites that host pics, I just don't publish them anymore.

 

I didn't pick my photo to make my point. I have a lot more of course. I just picked few available at the time . They were shot mostly from my phone. This is just my opinion. I have flown in different countries

and seen a bit. Feel free to disagree, I'm perfectly fine with that

The Xp11 lights, colors, contrasts, are wrong.  <_<

The real world is much more contrasted and colorful than you might presume.

 

This is the real world ... not a "cartoon".

Airliners.net doesn't just take any photo. Thy refused many of my submissions because they were not professionally edited. What you see there are enhanced artistic representation. Consider it an art where everything exaggerated to the point. It's not quite a real life.

To be fair, first time I glanced at your post, I thought, "Those screenshots look amazing!"  Then it slowly dawned on me that they were real-life photographs. 

When saw a shot from XP10 before I thought it was real. Someone pointed to me that it was a screenshot . It took me a while to process that lol

We live in interesting times