I'll just add some more character screenshots for comparison...

I think whichever you like best, we can agree that they have a pretty different feel. I personally prefer the first kind of lighting. Softer, darker... I don't think the second set is ugly either, but even with Astarion's tragic mien, due to the crispness and higher saturation, the feeling it evokes is much more upbeat which creates a sort of dissonance between the quests we're undertaking and the way we (and the environment) look.

Both sets were taken in the Underdark, wearing Drow Armour:

Before patch 8:

[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]

After patch 8:

[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]

-N