Messages

Ok well then I suppose my question is- is it always a good idea to have a high contrast in scenes, regardless of the overall lighting. 

No, it's the lighting that causes the contrast. On a sunny day there is high contrast because objects are lit by the direct rays of the sun and have dark shadows behind them. On a cloudy day there is low contrast because the light is bounced around by clouds and comes from everywhere.

Indoors, a  single spotlight would cause high contrast, but a lot of lamps would reduce the contrast because the multiple sources of light would illuminate the shadows.

But the range of values available to an artist on paper or screen is never as great as the full range in nature, so it's still often necessary to use the full range, but emphasizing either the high values or the low values as needed. It's all illusion. If the illusion works then you're doing it right.

Thank you. It's a relief to know I was looking for something that no longer exists. Much better than looking for something that's right there if you could only see it. 

I haven't been able to find the list in the manual or in the forum search.

Also, how do you create your own custom global messages and room messages?

Also, I've seen references to a "room message editor" in the manual. Where is that?

Thanks!