Author Topic: Nebulas and pretty clouds...  (Read 10566 times)

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Offline eldain

  • 27
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
I was wondering how long it would take you to react  :p

on topic:>> sounds great, really, I must say i am a big fan of the running man nebula, and if you create something like that... wow.

 if you use photoshop, using one of the cloud brushes on top of your renders might be an idea, just make sure, you set the brush  at lighten, screen or darken, and play with the effects of a brush with opacity smaller than 10 percent( to make the brushing less obvious and the effect more subtle). It brings out the lighter parts and combined with what you have could make a fascinating play of light.

eldain
---pencils are not only for picking my nose---

 

Offline Lt.Cannonfodder

  • Moderator
  • 210
  • Digitalous Grunteous
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
Okay, so what I'm hearing is you want whispy and hero nebulae... but you already have whispy ones.  What is a hero nebula?
Hero nebula means that it's a clearly visible, beautiful and a very central piece of a mission's background. The whispy nebulas are there just to create a bit of variety and mood, hero nebula is there to awe people.

Quote
Thanks for the compliments and suggestions.  Yeah, I didn't use custom brushes.  I used the "render cloud" feature in a feathered selection and played with the levels, added some overlays and filters, cloned some cool patterns and started painting with various textures I had generated.  I pulled some textures from existing photographs as well and then just painted color on top of that.  Added some debris and a few big stars and viola!
I'd suggest avoiding the cloud filter alltogether. It's far too overused and can be spotted miles away.

 

Offline eldain

  • 27
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
Im not sure on that last one, i'd use it just to give the nebula some randomness, but indeed don't overdo it with the render cloud...

---pencils are not only for picking my nose---

 

Offline Bobcat

  • 23
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
I'd suggest avoiding the cloud filter alltogether. It's far too overused and can be spotted miles away.

Did you spot it from miles away on those last two?  Hmmm?  Hmm??  ;)  jk  Yeah, I can see how that may become somewhat apparent when repeated over and over.  I just used that as a base and then painted texture over it.  I'm going to try various techniques over the next couple weeks and see what comes of it.

As I had mentioned... painting isn't my strongest talent.  Editing and making movies is.  Although, I wouldn't say I'm a writer... at least not the likes of which you'd be looking for.   I might be pretty good with box art... but there is no box... or spoon, for that matter.

Peace!

 
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
Check out Greg Martin's stuff. He has two tutorials that may be of help. The planet tutorial has a texture that works GREAT for cloud brushes. You may give that a shot.

http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tuts_arts/making_a_star_field.html

http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tuts_arts/making_a_planet.html

Good luck!

 

Offline Bobcat

  • 23
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
Check out Greg Martin's stuff. He has two tutorials that may be of help. The planet tutorial has a texture that works GREAT for cloud brushes. You may give that a shot.

http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tuts_arts/making_a_star_field.html

http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tuts_arts/making_a_planet.html

Good luck!

Hey that was some good info.  The only thing I'd change about it is using a layer mask instead of erasing.  If you've gone another 40 steps beyond and realize that you erased too much, you can always bring it back if you're using masks.  :)

I'm a bit tied up for at least another week and then I'll be back to the drawing board.  Peace!

 

Offline Bobcat

  • 23
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
Finally... here is an updated Nebula using a different method.  Its kinda in between whispy and hero.  Let me know if you like where this is going.

[attachment deleted by admin]

 

Offline Bobcat

  • 23
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
Another earlier version

[attachment deleted by admin]

 

Offline Felix 039

  • 27
  • The One True Noob
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
Another earlier version
I like this one, it looks pretty nice actually :P
Mind if I keep these as desktop pic?
Turning pros into noobs since 1992.
---
Oh look, there's something down here!






No there isn't...

 

Offline Sushi

  • Art Critic
  • 211
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
Those look very nice, although the second ("earlier") one feels a bit too cross-shaped. :) The first one looks straight out of a Hubble shot, and I do indeed like where it's going.

 
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
That first one, I'm not sure you DIDN'T yoink that from Hubble. VERY nice. :D

 

Offline Aardwolf

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  • Posts: 16,384
    • Minecraft
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
It looks like they're hubble images photoshopped together. Not that that's a bad thing.

But the first one has an anomalous round blue splotch on it.

 

Offline Master_Drow

  • 27
  • Theseus CIC officer.
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
The early version has some edges that look very cut off, gives it a feeling of being out of place. The other one (updated version) looks very nice indeed.

 

Offline Bobcat

  • 23
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
No, they're not Hubble photos!  :ick:

I'm using various textures from various photos to paint with.  For example, the one that seems to be everyone's favorite was composed of textures from about half a dozen different photographs.  There are 4 layers each with a different color and texturing.   My base was simply a grayscale blob painting for luminance with a little noise added in.  But I can't give away all my secrets.  ;)

More to come.  I'm stuck in a military contract working mad crazy hours until Nov. 24.  Not likely that I'll get much done between now and then.  Peace!  Thanks to those who have offered suggestions.  :)

 

Offline Nighteyes

  • 211
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
OK I think these are very nice quality nebula, but as people said, there are "splotch's" or BIG stars on the first one, and the second one has very sharp edges...
try making one similar to the new version, the core smaller, the overall color dark purple with a bright center, and the nebula itself very wispy

 

Offline Nighteyes

  • 211
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
I took the liberty to play around a bit in photoshop to better show what I was meaning, I hope you don't mind :)

By gbtf67 at 2009-10-18
*thanks for the pointer newman :)
« Last Edit: October 18, 2009, 05:20:56 pm by Nighteyes »

 

Offline Aramil

  • 23
  • Can you smell fear?
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
OMG that is truly beautiful :jaw: :jaw: :jaw:
"Of all the things I've lost. I miss my mind the most."

 

Offline newman

  • Moderator
  • 211
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
Nighteyes, on HLP you can use [lvlshot] tags instead of [img] ones. It's a lot better, especially with large images, as the browser will auto scale it to fit the window, and you can always see it at 100% scale by clicking at it.
You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with 'til ya understand who's in ruttin' command here! - Jayne Cobb

 

Offline darkone

  • 25
  • Space Sims will NEVER DIE
    • Space Sim Central
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
I took the liberty to play around a bit in photoshop to better show what I was meaning, I hope you don't mind :)

By gbtf67 at 2009-10-18
*thanks for the pointer newman :)

I have been trying to figure out how to make a nebula like this in Gimp or Paint.Net for a while and just can't seem to get this detail. Great job Nighteyes! I like that cloud/nebula effect and that is the thing I can't seem to make right. Any tutorials that talk about creating nebulas that you can almost see your self going inside of?

 

Offline Nighteyes

  • 211
Re: Nebulas and pretty clouds...
hay don't ask me, all I did was use the clonestamp tool in photoshop on Bobcat's original nebula, played a bit with curves and coloring, that is all... ask Bobcat, he's the real artist here  :yes: