[Rodo]

Oh I see, what where you using to make these T-LoW?

[T-LoW]

In this case Cinema4D - it's my first work with this program, but I'm a fast learner

[Scourge of Ages]

Hey, does anybody have any idea how to make mountains/mountain ranges in GIMP/Photoshop?
I was quite happy with my first planet, except that the mountains were rubbish.

[headdie]

Hey, does anybody have any idea how to make mountains/mountain ranges in GIMP/Photoshop?
I was quite happy with my first planet, except that the mountains were rubbish.

for generic/procedural generated mountains you can use layers of filters->render->clouds and one of the options in there depending on the style you want.

otherwise google for rough texture images off the net which you can greyscale and chop up to suite your needs

[Herra Tohtori]

Render -> Solid Clouds

Set to "turbulent"

let it render

invert

adjust levels as appropriate.

If you want only parts of the height map to have mountains, make another solid cloud layer, adjust its levels, and use it as alpha mask for the actual mountainous height map.

You should end up with something like this:



Which as such doesn't look too impressive, but when you use it as a height map (here simply embossed to show the effect):



(watch out for tresher maws, they nest on flat areas)


This can then be overlaid on top of ground texture, which can also be made with gradients from the height map:




Of course, in a 3D-program you would just use that as a height map (or make a normal map out of it), but making stuff in 2D is also quite interesting.

[CommanderDJ]

(watch out for thresher maws, they nest on flat areas)

 

[Scourge of Ages]

Herra, you are the master! Thanks!

EDIT: Except that I can't for the life of me figure out how to apply the height map in PS, or if that's even possible. I can get to the first image you posted, but I have no idea how to get the clouds stuff to look like mountains. I'm quite sure that I'm missing something big here.

EDIT AGAIN: I got some sleep, and I think I'm figuring it out. Still, how exactly did you get that awesome effect?

[FreeSpaceFreak]

It's called "Bump map" in GIMP...

[Scourge of Ages]

OK, it's starting to come together. Found a quick bump map tutorial, and I think it's just going to take some experimentation, plus some gymnastics with Lighting Effects and/or the Emboss filter.
Thanks!

[Herra Tohtori]

What I did was simple Emboss filter on the height map and then put that layer on top of my terrain texture with Grain Merge layer mode on GIMP. Applying the height map as a bumpmap requires using lighting filter which isn't all that great.

I don't have hands-on experience with Photoshop, so I can't help with the detail there.

[Scourge of Ages]

Ah, I see. I think it should be mostly translatable to PS. I just need to experiment with it a bunch.

EDIT: Here's what I have so far. I think I just need to create a better texture to make the ground, and figure out how to adjust the clouds to make a good map. I'm thinking about creating the clouds in GIMP, and porting them into PS to work with, as the PS clouds don't quite work right for what I'm going for.

EDIT again!: Some time and work later, plus a stock texture I found, and I now have this:


First version here

[Retsof]

I think you'd be better off generating your own texture.  That stock one just doesn't match well.  Remember, solid noise, plasma, and coloration filters have nearly infinite uses.

EDIT:  Remember when I posted this?

I found a relatively easy way to make Gas Giants in GIMP.  I will post a tutorial shortly.
EDIT:  Maybe not so shortly, but I will eventually.

Well, I haven't made a tutorial, but here's the xcf file if you think that'll help.

[attachment deleted by ninja]

[Scourge of Ages]

You exit a previously unexplored subspace node in your scout vessel. The following starfield is ahead of you. What do you do?

[Topgun]

Oh NO Its A Black Hole!

[Snail]

You exit a previously unexplored subspace node in your scout vessel. The following starfield is ahead of you. What do you do?
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/8496/starfieldsm.jpg

Find a hole in the event horizon!

[Pred the Penguin]

Start blowing **** up!

[CommanderDJ]

OSHI--!

[Scourge of Ages]

Heheh. So, I was thinking about how you always see black holes (in art) with a big 'ol accretion disk. Sure it looks cool, but it's a little obvious, and doesn't fit in deep space. So I found a nice starfield, blocked out a spot, and applied a gravitational lens filter. Do you think it looks believable then?

Also, new planet!

[SypheDMar]

Nice.

[watsisname]

Barren.  Bleak.  Desolate.  Foul.  Terrible.  Wretched.

Perfect for an uninhabitable wasteland planet.