[Solatar]

I had some free time, and inspired by some of the threads around here I did a few pictures.
This is just a semi-frozen lake that I did in Terragen and touched up in PSP8. I was bored.

This one I did when I was experimenting with making planets. That's my first one. I later realized that the star looks like our sun, and the planet like a nuked Earth...

Did this one for fun to see how well I could nuke a planet.


Comments, flammage?

[Setekh]

Hey, Solatar, nice ones... Let's have a look, what can we say here?

• #1. I like it. Love your use of colour. As for the composition, well, it's very standard - conforms to a reasonable ratio of background/middle/foreground, but it does lack a bit of direction. Even giving the place a name would improve the nature of how you composed the shot, because right now we're focusing on... everything. What are we looking at, really? It's halfway between the mountain range and the lake. Make a decision on that.
  
• #2. This one has a more clearly defined point, which I am quite fond of. A couple of technical notes: watch the banding on your star, and try to eliminate the shadow you have happening between the hard edge of your planet and the planet's atmosphere. Otherwise, it looks great. Nice and derelict.
• #3. Ow for that planet, is all I have to say. ;) No wait, I have more. I'm guessing you used Solarcell's halo feature for that rainbow light effect - be sparing with it, as it gets old real fast. But I do like what you've done here. One thing I would add: the stars in the background should be reacting to the scene happening in the foreground. For instance, dim the stars around the sun to simulate space dust and the dimming of further lights, or brighten the same ones to simulate light refraction and the extra light arriving at your eyes being bent towards you by the gravity of the sun. Something like that. Just don't make the background indifferent - backgrounds are often thrown in as a token presence, but you can do a lot more than that with them. :)

All in all, they're nice.

[Solatar]

I had them open and ready for editing, but PSP8 crashed.

Thanks for the advice, I'll definantly keep all that in mind when making future stuff.

[Solatar]

Edited the third one somewhat.


EDIT: I figured there has to be something flying across the planet.

[Setekh]

Originally posted by Solatar
Thanks for the advice, I'll definantly keep all that in mind when making future stuff.

That, incidentally, is very important - keep making future stuff. You and your art will mature as you do more and more work, keep that in mind as you try new things and get stuck with artist's block and put out renders you don't think are that good. Your standard will rise immensely.

[Solatar]

Originally posted by Setekh

put out renders you don't think are that good. Your standard will rise immensely.

*conks out number 1 and 3... *

[Solatar]

I did a few reworks of number 2 and, and this was by far the best.

I need to get a good 3d modeling package, PSP8 is starting to show its limitations.

[Triple Ace]

Those are some nice pics, great job.

[Solatar]

Thanks, they took about an hour to an hour and a half each.

[icespeed]

dont really like the first one... i think the edges or the colours or something are too edgy.

could be venus, in which case the atmosphere'd be a bit more misty. i like this one.

really bright. try shrinking your signature or putting it somewhere unobtrusive, it gets distracting.

[FreeTerran]

uhm how have you did the glow of the planets in psp8 i only know it in ps7 ?

[Solatar]

Now that I look at them, I don't like any of them that much except the 2nd and the revised second one.

FT, I used dropshadow. The planet is its own layer.

[Setekh]

Originally posted by Solatar
Now that I look at them, I don't like any of them that much except the 2nd and the revised second one.

Good, you're improving.