C&C on this scifi crater background

[Steel Drummer]

Here is my first good (in my opinion) background. Created using the GIMP and MSPaint. EDIT: Here's the final version.

[MashPotato]

I can see that you are definitely improving, Yodaman--good for you ^_^
However, I would advise you finish your background as best as you can before putting it in the critic's lounge.Ã,  It is hard to critique something when it is not finished, because we can't tell the difference between the things need to be changed from the things that are not complete yet.
For now, I would suggest making that cylindrical thing not blurry on the edges, as it looks like an object that should be distinct, and to add some more clouds and/or stars on the right (or conversely, take some out of the left), as the right side of the background seems a lot more empty than the left side.

Finish your background then update, okay? ^_^

[Steel Drummer]

Check it out now...

[Khris]

Stars and white clouds? Which time of the day is it?

[Kweepa]

Before you can get any useful criticism, you should tell us what you are trying to achieve with this background.

What is it supposed to be?
The title says "sci-fi" and "crater" but that's really not enough. Where is the crater? Is this on a moon, another planet, an asteroid, a ring world?

Why is it all cyan?
If you have a reason for the monochromaticity, you should explain it.

What are the elements of the background?
What are the sweaty bags in the foreground? Why is the right hand edge of the sky a solid colour? Why is the ground a solid colour, and perfectly flat?

Why is it not 3:2?
Is it for a cut scene? Does the camera pan down it?

I'm sure you can think of more to tell us.

[Steel Drummer]

Okay, the game that it's for takes place on a crater. The cylinder thingies are holes leading into pits. It is night time and there is a weird sky because the crater has its own atmosphere kinda thing. The camera does pan down from the sky. The monochromaticity is to just add an unearthly quality to this world.

[Mikko]

The cylinder thingies are holes leading into pits.

In that case I think you should make the ground with same style as the cylinders. Now they strike too much and at least I couldn't tell that they were connected with the ground as holes.

[Kweepa]

Here's a (very) rough five minute paintover:



* made the image taller so the tops of the cylinders aren't visible at the start of the pan
* added something cliched to pan down from
* added some texture to the crater floor
* added crater walls
* changed the shadows cast by the cylinders to match their lighting

[big brother]

Loominoused!

[Kweepa]

Hardly!

[Steel Drummer]

Here's a (very) rough five minute paintover:



* made the image taller so the tops of the cylinders aren't visible at the start of the pan
* added something cliched to pan down from
* added some texture to the crater floor
* added crater walls
* changed the shadows cast by the cylinders to match their lighting 

Thanks. Not really the style I had in mind, but I'll add some of those details.

[radiowaves]

Uhm, its good for a beginner, but there are some tips you should hold on:
Firstly, the main mistake it has, is that the seting isn't quite recognizable. As far as i understood, you wanted those green blobs to be craters? For a start, those craters should fade into the ground since they rised from the ground.
Secondly, is this a night scene, is there a rising sun behind the horizon? If so, then the light in the sky should be the lightest point in the picture, make the craters darker and more ground-coloured.
Thirdly, clouds look like some kind of blobby cottonballs, usually the bottom side of cloud is slighltly faded and it doesn't shine out. And where have you seen a white cloud in a night sky? Clouds should be dark in a dark sky, going slightly brighter when the sky goes brighter.
Clouds are too bright right now.

Hope it cleared some things out.

[Steel Drummer]

It's not day or night in this setting. The game takes place in a surreal world. Hope I cleared some things out.