Dark Mountain Backgrounds for C&C

[He-Man]

EDIT: See last reply for newest update...

Hi

I've just finished these two backgrounds and now I want to hear for you think I can do to improve them.
Both backgrounds are located in the Dark Mountains which are a place where there is a lot of evil things going on.




Here I really have problems with the door.

The back space in the bottom in for the gui.

EDIT: I've changed the headline because a lot of people seems to be posting their backgrounds right now...
Thanks

[Gilbert]

I think one problem with the doors is, the doors are so tall, while their handles are opened so low. I can't give concrete suggestions as I don't know the size of your characters (but I think the handles are really too low), that the handles would normally be just below the character's chest (for LARGE doors, it can even happen in real life sometimes that the handles are placed quite high, they you may even need to raise your hand to touch them).
I'll suggest you do either one of the following:
1. move the handles higher (like I explained),
2. if the doors are meant to be HUGE, that the handles are now really at the desired height, I'll recommend that you make the doors even wider, having the doors so TALL but handles so low does not balance.

[He-Man]

Thanks for the reply.
The doors are supposed to be quite huge and the handles are now around the characters chest.
I'll try making them wider and see how that works...

My main issue with door is the frame around it. Somehow it doesn't look right.

[gameboy]

They were really cool backgrounds! On the last picture these heads were BA from A-team and Albert Einstein? 
Anyway there was a little typo: no entrAnce.

[Gilbert]

I think the problem is probably with perspective, for a door that's put on the right, and it's placed with an upright angle, it may look better if you move the vanishing point to the right, something like:


EDIT:Seems that it's animated too fast, but I'm too lazy to fix it, just load it up with whatever programme that can handle animated GIF to see the changes.

[TheYak]

Bronze Statue Crotch Lasers!

There's a lot to like about these.  They establish a mood, seem ripe for tossing in RoomEdit and would seem like they belonged with some sprites and MIDI in there.

I'm very fond of the moon you've got in the first BG, for one.  The only problem seems to be a mixture of Warm & Cool colors that throws me off a bit.  The moon is more yellow-ish in your picture, yet the foreground has mostly "Cool" Gray colors (Blue-skewed). Some of the background portions seem to have a red-gray or brown-gray color so it doesn't make everything blend smoothly.  (Preceding paragraph utterly opinionated and probably artistically incorrect)

The Bridge seems a bit narrow, or rather since that seems to be the idea, I should say it seems a bit two-dimensional.  The spacing of the posts seems too little to establish any foreshortening and doesn't give the same good illusion of depth that the ropes' planks do.  If nothing else, the perspective seems to be visually placing the sides less in alignment while this effect essentially ends at the left-side posts.

The first background layer of gray distracts me.  It seems too bright so that I have to fight with my eyes to keep it in the background, of course this crappy overbright monitor might be to blame.

For the door frame, it seems like a gold frame placed around an already-functional entrance.  Normally, I'd assume decoration would be carved in or placed onto an previously shaped structure.  I think if you envision the door set back into a flat panel, followed by decorative plating or carving for the finished surface, it might look a little bit less tacked-on.  Gilbot's perspective mention is also good.  You've given us an approach from the left and made it appear that the vanishing point comes from [Gilbot's Kickass Crotch Lasers] the indicated point.  I think it has something to do with the fairly orthographic style you've got that puts everything lining up to a central point. 

The style's not bad and works very well for adventure games, but the lack of perspective is probably what's making it stand out to you.  If you do put in a real line of perspective, be sure to change the statue on the right, since according to the indicated angle of the left one, it should be facing roughly left-center instead of far right. 

One coloring idea that would bond everything together better is to give them a similar base color.  It's too dark outside for everything to be so saturated and such a unique color, but with a similar amount of yellowish hue (to go with the moon) in the grays, browns and especially highlights, it'd have more tendancy for everything to seem it belonged. 

[He-Man]

Hello again and thanks for all the great critic.
I've tried to follow the things you've said:


Changed the colours to make tehm blend better. But I'm not an expert in colour so I'm not sure it turned out that good. (Does anyone has an easy way the make the colours blend in Photoshop? Please help me!)
Made the rocks a little darker.


I also changed the the colours here.
Fixed the perspective.

EDIT: I've just added a screenshot so you can see the doors and the player character. Maybe I'll add a region to make him a little darker and fitting to the background:

[Mordalles]

hey, man. I love ure backgrounds. does this mean silent knight 3 is in the works. how far r u with the game? am i allowed to ask here. hehe.
i not much help, even though this is the critics lounge. maybe i can help with the door. but looking at re bgs, its obvious you know a whole lot more than me.

[fovmester]

Nice!!!

One thing I thought of is that the sky goes from black to grey at the horizon. Try using a gradient from black to darkblue instead. That usually gives more life to night scenes.

Edit: If you want these mountains to be really EVIL you might want a sky gradient from black to blood red instead!

[Paper Carnival]

Nice! I love your choice of colours; except the Orc head, which I think is kinda bright

[He-Man]

Thanks. I'm glad you like it.

Guybrush - I think you might be right about the orc head. I'll change it later.

Fovmester - The sky actually goes from dark blue to a little less dark blue, but maybe I should make it less dark so the blue would become more obvious. I'll work with the red, but I'm not sure it'll work with the rest of the colours.

Mordalles - Silent Knight is on the way but school is taking quite a lot of my time at the moment so it is going to take a while. I want this last chapter to be really good.
What do you mean by helping with the door? I would to hear your surgestions...

word

[He-Man]

Sorry for double posting but I've edited my backgrounds again...

I've edited this picture a little:



Here the backgrounds are with a red sky.



I can't really figure out if that is for the better. What do you guys think??

[Haddas]

Depends on if you want a "cold/scary" mood or an "evil/dawn" mood. I really can't decide which one is better. maybe the original though

[DonB]

This monitor is so dark (a little too dark and can't fix it) I can't even see the first picture's horizon good, only a black spot..
The second one.. the evil/dawn mood as Haddas says it.. is good to see here.. I like it much better