Value Study Tool for archviz
Drop a render, a painting or a film frame and see its structure in grays: grayscale, 2 to 6 values (notan), a thumbnail and a histogram. Nothing leaves your browser.
Showing a sample render. Drag an image here, paste it with Ctrl+V or choose a file.
Six questions before you deliver
Your image is analyzed in this browser and never uploaded.
Why values come before materials
Value is how light or dark something is, regardless of its color. Painters have checked it for centuries with thumbnails and notan sketches, studies in two or three values, because an image that does not read in gray will not be saved by texture or color.
In architectural visualization the same rule applies. A render with a clear value structure reads in one second on a phone screen; one without it looks flat no matter how detailed the materials are.
How to use it
- Drop an image on the tool, paste it with Ctrl+V or choose a file.
- Look at the 3-value version first: can you read the big masses?
- Check where the brightest point is. It should be where you want the eye to go.
- Read the histogram: a fog image lives on a short range of values, a night image on a long one with a single peak of light.
- Use the mirror button to see the composition with fresh eyes.
Six questions before you deliver
- Does it work in grayscale?
- Can I read the image in 3 to 5 values?
- Is the brightest point where I want the eye?
- Is there empty space to breathe?
- Did I remove at least one element?
- Does the image tell a moment?
Looking for a mood to study? The Atmosphere Notebook shows seven atmospheres, each with a real rendering and the recipe to make it.
