Need some help with Space BG

[DrSlash]

Maybe you can give me a piece of advice how I can improve it. I suppose something is wrong with lighting.
btw this is one of my first nicely looking BGs  

[NickyNyce]

I'm assuming that the planet is out of focus and you want the attention on the spaceship, if so, I think your pretty close. But I wonder in the back of my head if your going for that look or you skimped on the planet?

looks good though, I like it. IMO if its an animated background i think the out of focus thing would work, but if it's a still BG than I would detail it. Here's a reference pic

[Snarky]

OK, that's clearly a USB stick floating in space. 

You're right that the lighting is off. I take it that's the sun in the middle of the image? If we assume that nearly all the light comes from the sun (and in space, that's usually the case), think about the fact that we are looking at things -- the asteroid belt, the space ship, the planet -- from the other direction. So most of it would be in shadow and almost completely black. We'd pretty much just see the edge outlined. You've got that mostly right for the asteroids, but the planet and space ship seem to be lit by another lightsource entirely.

If you really are doing a focus thing, it's not just the planet that would be blurry. Also the sun, stars and most of the asteroids should be out of focus. I don't think that's a good idea, so I'd just make the planet well-defined.

Also, if you're serious about the red sun, you need to make the light it casts red as well. Adding reddish highlights to the asteroids, space ship and, yes, even the planet will create a much stronger and more realistic-seeming effect.

[Ali]

Just as an optical note, I think it would be impossible for anything in the scene to be out of focus, unless the focus was on something very near ( within a few meters). I don't think that's the case here.

[DrSlash]

I'm assuming that the planet is out of focus and you want the attention on the spaceship, if so, I think your pretty close. But I wonder in the back of my head if your going for that look or you skimped on the planet?

To be honest, I just messed with planet

OK, that's clearly a USB stick floating in space.  

To be more specific, It's space ship which looks like a gigantic USB  

I'll see what I can do with planet & lighting.

EDIT:

New planet:


Fixed lighting:

[Bror_Jon]

I think there are some problems with the lighting still. In space there isn't a lot of light or the light sources are very far away and such.

So, once things are in shadow they go pitch black. 
Like on the rocks, the spaceship and the planet the shadow ought to be much darker.


As you can see here the earth get very dark once there is sunset.

Also, aren't the light on the rocks coming from the wrong direction?
Or is that sun really close and really small? 

[DrSlash]

Also, aren't the light on the rocks coming from the wrong direction?

Oops, it really does)

I'll fix it later.

EDIT:


I fixed lighting of planet and spaceship, but there is still problem with asteroids.

[Tuomas]

OK, that's clearly a USB stick floating in space.  

To be more specific, It's space ship which looks like a gigantic USB  

Awesome

[Stochie]

Nice one, i were bored at worked and did a paintover, hope you dont mind, and take it just as an suggestion.

I would however considering moving the light source. It takes away to much attention from the spaceship which i guess is supposed to be your focal point in this picture.

[DrSlash]

hope you dont mind, and take it just as an suggestion.
I would however considering moving the light source.

I agree that it could be better to move sun, but:
1)  It will take much time because I'll have to move lighting too.
2) I've placed the sun where it is because it fills some free space there.

PS I like your paintover

[InCreator]

Good space will have alot of... space. And space is easy to draw.
Why make it so loaded?

[DrSlash]

Because I think that empty BGs are not nice BGs Perhaps that's why  there is so many junk on the foreground in Sierra games.