Gradient or no gradient?

[ManicMatt]

Which version looks better? Should I continue making backdrops with gradient filler or go back and change my backgrounds to having no gradient?

With gradient:


Without gradient:



EDIT: Okay now the above shows the shadows! I decided to keep my bin, Zor, but if I make anymore things that shape I'll keep it in mind. I like my dodgy bin.

[Darth Mandarb]

I'd say go with the gradient ...

BUT

- Make it more subtle (less a color change from highest to lowest values)
- Make the darker color start at the bottom rather than the top

[Phemar]

The gradients on the poster look cool, but everywhere else it's kinda detracting. Try using some simple shading styles.

EDIT: I remember seeing in your GiP thread that you said it's really hard to make cylinders in paint. This is not true, so I wipped this up in 5 minutes to show you:



(sorry the colors are screwed, I used M$paint to convert to gif.)

Basically just draw two cylinders, one larger than the other, then draw two more lines connecting them. Color!

See. Really easy!

[Mr Flibble]

The gradients behind the ladder and on the poster were good.

[Darth Mandarb]

The gradients behind the ladder and on the poster were good.

Eek!  Disagree I do!  I think it looks very distracting actually!

I found a few minutes to do a paint-over to illustrate what I meant.


- left wall (with ladder) - full bright red = yuck!  Changed to a different tone of red
- made patterned gradients instead (to cut down file size, you can use the full gradients if you wish!)
- fixed the shadow of the ladder (and added shadow to the trash bin)
- added a noise gradient to the sidewalk area

Unless there's a lightsource shining on the bottom of the buildings the lighter part of the gradient wouldn't start at the bottom.  It's more natural to start with the darker tone at the bottom.

Good luck!

[Mr Flibble]

I only see this when I look now, but it looks like a street corner, so perhaps a slight angle on one of the walls so that it becomes a corner, and not just flat.

[ManicMatt]

I'll edit the picture 2mrw then! (After work. Yes, I do have one of those, despite being seemingly on here all the while)

It's not a corner. The building with a ladder is where EGO (Or Jake) comes down from, is very tall, and the wall next to it is just a wall adjoined to it.

I will add the shadows, and tone down the brightness of the left hand building. (Which means editing two backgrounds for continuity)

I really like to hand draw everything, but sometimes I want straight lines, and that's why it's odd. I hate the circle tool because it doesn't appear where your cursor is, if you know what I mean!

Noise gradient? How do I do that in photoshop?

Thanks for your help folks!

[InCreator]

Your current skills tell me that you're really free to do whatever you want.

I mean, doing it somehow else with knowledge you don't have yet doesn't look that good. So there's two options, use gradients or take some hardcore practice and spend much time until you get as attracting bg's without gradients.

Though the gradient use on first image went terribly wrong,
first, under the ladder(?) you messed everything up
and second, the stones in wall, your gradients change too much!
Start with more similar colors to get only little change.

[ManicMatt]

My main problem was that I was using a cheap free gradient filler that came with that adventure game maker.

And the photoshop one just seems to gradient over the whole picture, because I don't know what I'm doing!

Oh! I miss Personal Paint on the Amiga! That was simple yet pro also! and I could animate on it! *Cries*

Okay! I'll get to work now!

[Phemar]

You need to create a selection in Photoshop to only gradient a certain area.

[ManicMatt]

Oh that selection tool with the cut out lines? I'll go try that out! At least for the noise effect!

(Incase no one notices, the latest edit of my background is in the first post)