How do i give this matte finish to water or anything?

Question

I know how to fix all the problems this tutorial art i did has (light, color, shadows, etc) but theres something missing, i want to achieve a matte finish like the one at the end

LINK to the example: https://www.behance.net/gallery/37227055/Everything-is-okay-until-its-not

Answer 1

The thing that makes the second image look bright and shiny like plastic rather than matt and natural like the top image is the bright highlights and high level of contrast. This can be remedied quite simply in Photoshop by reducing the brightness and contrast of the image (Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast...), like so:

You can get finer control over this effect by using Levels, Modify Curves, Exposure, etc (all found in the Image > Adjustments menu and/or by masking off various areas of the image for specific treatment, but the key is to eliminate the overly bright colours and try to lose the highlights.

Answer 2

Matt is the opposite of glossy. If you want an object to be glossy put a highlight.

Any object that has no highlights will look matt.

But the second image has little to do with glossy or matt, it is Translucent. Translucent is the opposite of opaque. More in the middle ground between opaque and transparent.

In that case, if you want something translucent just put an object to bee seen under the material.

Take a look at this similar posts, so you can explore the different properties of a material.

• Creating an implied floor with light

• How can I make a shape look like it is made of glass?

• Prototype Visualization: How can I learn to render glass convincingly?

In my answers, I am trying to explore and compare tiny details that make a difference in how we perceive a material.