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I don’t know much about cycles but, I tried this and this is my final result, it stopped adding to the detail around 50,000 but I let it keep going to 75,000. I’m seeing texturing as a challenge as well as lighting, when it comes to cycles.
If you haven’t already, you should always use more than one shading component in all of your materials.
For example, the candles look like they only use the translucent shader, when in actuality it would need to be combined with a diffuse and a glossy shader to make them look realistic.
Higher resolution textures would help as well, you could also apply a texture with very thin lines to give a more realistic impression of pages between the bible’s front and back cover.
thanks for that, I’ll try to keep it in mind. I have a lot to learn about cycles but little time to study. ain’t that the way lol.
is the room a full box or is it open?
lighting is probably the most crucial thing in a render.
you could have the coolest models with the best textures and with bad lighting its going to look bad
(hair is probably with most difficult)
IF you have a closed box room put some windows in
then put some emission planes on the outside of the windows to cast world light in.
Use mesh lights, and like someone already said use mix shaders
combine at least 2 shaders pretty much all the time.
Mix(Diffuse_Glossy) is the most common
Mix (translucent_Mix_Glossy_Diffuse)
etc.
it’s open, thanks for the info. anyone got a good tut for mixing shaders in cycles?
there are many cycles tutorials available online here is some for you to look at:
Look at reference for the candles
thanks for the help yall, it cuts down on time for me as far as searching for whats good or not.
Wow the longest render i ever did in cycles was 300 
Great picture by the way!!!
move the cam up some and have it face down at the bible
@ for, Thanks, i got a new comp and wanted to put it to the test a bit.
@Tony, actually I was making a piece of art for a publication I design quarterly, the background won’t even be in it when I’m done.
oh ok, it looks real nice
Man, you need some textures! a leather texture for the Bible, wave texture to simulate pages, better mapped wood texture for the cross, and a cloth bump map for the table.
Keep it up!
You actually could use a generated wood texture for the pages, just set it up to use bands.
yeah i got to agree with you, but in all reality, I don’t know much about cycles (but I’m learning) I think my textures are fine, I just didn’t realize that I could have mixed all this in the nodes section, which I should have. then the images I use for texures would have looked better, I actually did try to use both waves and bands on the Bible as well as a real good leather texture on the cover, but there are some things I’m not grasping yet with textures in cycles mode, I know I’ll get there.
yeah i got to agree with you, but in all reality, I don’t know much about cycles (but I’m learning) I think my textures are fine
Well, you are the artist, so only make it as good as you want to, but IMO just 25 min. of texturing would improve the quality a lot.
I threw some textures together in about five minutes (not great, but it’s a start):
I know you are still learning, but the best way to learn is experience.
when I get back home and actually have the time, I’ll look into it, but it will take me longer than 25 min to retexture. I really try to learn in between projects when I can but certain times of the year are really booked up for me. spring and fall are the worst. I’m not to big on the texture for the pages but I do like that leather, it’s very nice.
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This is at around 13000, I’m trying to analyze footage so I had to stop it but, it shows the changes pretty well. Thanks for all the input and advice, I’m calling this one done.
One questino - the lettering on the face of the bible, it is smooth. If it is intentional, cool, I understand sometimes stuff is embossed in, but I would think that the lettering had been printed onto the leather so that it would also have the texture bump from the leather as well. Just a thought.
I had it raised more but smoothed it out. none of it is bump mapped though.