Rework of old Bg's...

[Rincewind]

Hey - Recently started to realize I needed to change the size of my bg's for them to fit in better in the game, so I began with reworking some of my older backgrounds that needed a good going over anyways...
This one you might remember, posted it in the lounge quite a while ago .



My main concern is the shading - I'll be darned if I can get it to look right, so at the moment it looks rather akward. I'm also sure the perspective have some issues... It usually has...
As usual though, any other help/suggestions/c&c/tips are welcome!Ã, 

Cheers!Ã, 

[Evil]

It looks pretty good. If you move the base of the mountain below the cliff and lower the horizion it will make the mountians look much bigger.

I'm not sure about the rail section. I think its a stairway right? Well, if it is, maybe you could make a grey concrete block to make it look more like stairs are starting.

[Rincewind]

Ah, thanks for the suggestions!Ã, 
Yep, it's a stairway. I was more concerned about how the right railings look, though, but a concrete block is a good idea...
Did a minor edit and tried to incorporate your tips.

[Mr_Frisby]

You should try to add some darker areas :-
  - darken the shadows to the souveneer hut
  - darken the mountain shadows (it would be really dark on the side furthest from the sun)

Don't forget the shadow on the other railing and that your light source should only come from one direction.

The clouds look really original - I like that bit.

[Rincewind]

Mm, good ideas. I'll try to edit it as fast as I can...

Glad you like the clouds. I've been doing them like that in my bg's for a while now, since I couldn't get the "ordinary" ones to look quite right...

[Rincewind]

Ok, took a little longer than I had expected, but here's an edit, anyway.
I feels better, but I'm still not quite satsified with the shadows, though.Ã, 
Oh well. Any more suggestions?

[Mephistophilis]

Is the gap in the railing for stairs?
It looks like the Railing just angles into the ground just now.

[Rincewind]

Well, yes, at least it's supposed to be a stairway leading down. I think I have some ideas of how to make it look better, though... But I'll get to that tomorrow...

[Opo Terser]

I did an edit:




Very nice background.

Overall I just tried to give the whole thing a little more depth and definition by making the backround mountains faded, and making some more shadows. I also reworked the rocks, and made some texture here and there. And also I had a little too much fun with the clouds 

Get ideas for depth and contrast.

[Rincewind]

Ah, Opo, man - I had a hunch when I saw that you had replied that I was going to see a great paintover, and it seems I was right... Looks really great - Gave me a lot of ideas and pointers - Extremely helpful!

I did use the texture you made for the ground, and I hope you don't mind that. Otherwise I've mainly just tried to achieve a similar effect to that of your edit, but without copying, and with a touch of my own... (For example, I realized that the grass on the roof was "shaded" in the wrong direction...)
I don't know if I've suceeded, but at least it's improving...




C&C?

[Chicky]

very nice background Rincewind, the only thing (imo) that needs doing now is maybe some more highlights on the mountains, further right. For example, around the hole in the mountain.

[Jam Torkberg]

My only trouble with he revised version is the confused lighting.  In the foreground, the shadows are cast down and to the right, suggesting the sun is in the upper left corner, past the mountains.  But the third mountain from the left in the immediate background looks to be casting a shadow on it's counterpart to the right, which would lead to a light source somewhere behind the camera's left shoulder.

Or am I completely misinterpreting it?

[Kweepa]

Looks like a fantasy background.
Maybe there are two suns?

Unless a puzzle is to locate the sun in the sky I don't think anyone is going to notice.
The lighting works for me.

[Rincewind]

Chicken:
Thanks! I'll add some highlights, to be certain.

Jam:
Hm, yeah, I suppose you're right - But maybe I could just make the shadow run more along the base of the mountain instead... Ah, it's hard to explain what I mean in words... I'll do an edit soon, so that you might understand my ramblings...

Steve:
No, sorry, it's not supposed to be a fantasy background, it's at least meant to be for a contemporary GK/Broken Sword-mystery-thriller, but I can understand if looks more like something out of Discworld than Gabriel Knight...