What do you think of my space background?

alexm · Wed 28/03/2007 17:49:47

Drew this up quickly using Inkscape. What d'you think and how could I improve it?

Ghost · Wed 28/03/2007 18:05:14

Space itself and the stars look okay, if somewhat simplified- but I think that's the style you're aiming for. The planet in the foreground could use some details, right now it looks like a glass ball floating in space- add some continents, clouds, maybe a tiny orbiting moon or sun, and you should be home and dry.

alexm · Wed 28/03/2007 18:13:29

How 'bout now?

thewalrus · Wed 28/03/2007 21:40:48

Umm, it looks a little better but still a little empty looking. (the planet)

Azaron · Thu 29/03/2007 04:59:24

unless you're looking at the planet from the direction of its star, you should consider shading the planet a bit. the side toward the star will be in daylight and will show more definition than the side that is in night.

Two VERY quick and VERY dirty paintovers to describe what I'm saying:
The sun coming from somewhere on the other side of the planet (does not have to be visible in your bg):

And if the sun is coming from behind the viewer (and to the left. This shadow is crap, sorry

):

See what I'm saying? On a nice, simple drawing like this (which I very much like, btw), you can benefit a lot from some very simple shading and shadows. the edges on both of these are a little harsh, there should be a bit more blending, especially on the second one, but I hope that's ebough to give you some ideas to work with.

Ghost · Thu 29/03/2007 07:58:01

These two edits also are a good example how to change the mood of an image- the first one looks more mysterious, hiding a lot of the planet, the second one drags the eye towards the planet.

Still, some more details? The clouds a re a good step, but is your planet made entirely of water, or should there be continents visible?

alexm · Thu 29/03/2007 17:01:58

Thankyou so much for them two ideas! I decided to adopt the first one...

As for Ghost's question, I am not actually sure, but with the edit I made it doesn't really matter.

gASK · Thu 29/03/2007 17:56:21

Wow. Hell of a progress from the first image. But the planet still needs some texture - be it clouds, continents, cities,...whatever is on your planet. This way it is still the afforementioned glass orb - only shaded this time

alexm · Thu 29/03/2007 18:11:43

Do I have to add continents etc. with this pic!? $:-\$

Buckethead · Thu 29/03/2007 18:36:14

I've made this edit but I accidenly took the original, hope it helps anyway:

- I've added some smaller stars

- made the big star a bit more interresting

Ghost · Thu 29/03/2007 19:00:54

alex, that last one looks fine- good work

alexm · Thu 29/03/2007 19:05:27

Quote from: Ghost on Thu 29/03/2007 19:00:54
alex, that last one looks fine- good work

Ta

So it's all good, thanks for the improvements! I'll get on creating the game (and hopefully finish it) See you later!

gASK · Thu 29/03/2007 22:21:36

Quote from: alexm on Thu 29/03/2007 18:11:43
Do I have to add continents etc. with this pic!? $:-\$

In my opinion, the shadow now doesn't match the position of the star - I liked the previous better

The "star edited" by Buckethead makes the universe looks more "real". Nice touch

nihilyst · Thu 29/03/2007 22:36:59

I made a quick edit:

Darth Mandarb · Fri 30/03/2007 05:19:17

I would suggest looking at some reference photos ... go to Google and type "space photos" or "outer space", something like that. The problem I have with your image is that it doesn't look like space.

I didn't look at references ... but I whipped this up in about 10 minutes:

The larger blue planet could still use some work. Space backgrounds are, in my opinion, some of the easiest to do once you get the hang of it.

ThreeOhFour · Fri 30/03/2007 05:55:07

Darth wins in my opinion. That moon is one of the best things I've seen, and the sun actually looks relly bright. What a fantastic effort.

Da_Elf · Sat 31/03/2007 14:29:19

i love to see nebula however you should look some up online to get them right. darth is really good however i hate seeing dark space like that. a little color is cool. you cant see the stars too much in mine but i can say this sure is impressive to see at HD size in 5.1 surround sound. ( http://www.elfpro3d.com/Turtles/ELF_1.mpg )

opps. i didnt realise my link didnt work. sorry, fixed now

Renal Shutdown · Sun 01/04/2007 05:12:53

There's a tutorial floating about somewhere. I think it was either Eric or Helm. Whoever did Sol, most likely.

Find it, or ask about it. For stars, it was a cracking guide.

Eric's "MrCollosal". I've no idea who Helm's parading around as at the moment.