[WIP] + [C + C] Floating Island

[TheUnknownVar]

Here is an update on the floating island... any thoughts on the grass? (That's the only difference, and really what I am most worried about. That's not to say I'll ignore other advice! ) The image I used for a reference on the grass is http://wayofthepixel.net/index.php?topic=18240.10.

Any input is fantastic!

[japie81]

I like the colors of the grass, but i'm going to repeat some advice someone gave me a while ago. You want the player to focus on the things that actually matter for gameplay (in this case the top of the platform where the player can walk). Right now the rocky bottom part pops out way more than the top because of brightness and saturation. Maybe you should try increasing the contrast on the grass by making its darkest shade(s) darker so the highlight at the top pops out more.
Perhaps the contrast already works much better on a dark background by the way, since its shown on a white background here

Also I noticed all your brown tones are fully saturated, it usually looks better when you slide through the saturation as well as the hue in your color ramps

edit:
played with the colors a bit, i think the purple-ish shadows look nice but the lighter tones dont really look that nice in my version. Also noticed it was indeed mostly the light background that messes up the contrast.

[TheUnknownVar]

The lighting may have to be adjusted later on once I compare it with my background (which is not finished yet!)... it will be a sunset, so the brightness should work out good. As far as saturation... I am working with the program "Aseprite", so where would I find saturation, if at all? I am pretty new at some common art terms, so I may lack some knowledge regarding things like saturation.

Edit: Just discovered HSB stands for Hue, Saturation, and Brightness. I'll mess with that to see if it improves the island a bit!

[TheUnknownVar]

After messing around with the saturation, I decided to leave it how it is. You're probably right, it won't stand out much how it is now, so I'll adjust it more once I can compare it with the background. Any more C+C anyone?

[japie81]

These two tutorials were very helpful for me to understand the importance of colors (and things like saturation) better
http://opengameart.org/content/chapter-5-color-palettes
http://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11299

[TheUnknownVar]

Hey, great tutorials! (I really appreciated the Pixel Joint one) Thanks!

Edit: Here is a much less saturated version. Does it improve it at all... is there a noticeable difference?
(The left one is the old, the right is the new) If I adjust it much more it changes the overall color of the rock, which I prefer to have an orangeish-red tint to it.

[Akisingh]

Can you display your Picture In 3D fromat If it is possible then it look more awesome then earlier.

[TheUnknownVar]

Can you display your Picture In 3D fromat If it is possible then it look more awesome then earlier.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Do you mean make it 2.5D in style? Either way, I made it purposely to be standard 2d. That's the perspective my game will have.

[aamatniekss]

I tried putting some of my thoughts on a quick little edit.
I changed the colours to be more contrasty and less similar to each other. It also had quite a lot of banding so I tried removing that too. And the shapes of some of the rocks seemed too unnatural so I smoothed it out a bit. And on the sides I reduced the highlights, to make it look a little more 3D, rather than looking like just a cardboard cut out.
Don't know if it's any better though, but it might give you some ideas.

[TheUnknownVar]

Thanks for the quick edit. It does give me some ideas on some better shading!
I think I'll probably stick with the unnatural shape however, it's part of the story.
I'll continue updating as the island gets better! (Thanks to all the great advice this place has to offer!)