Tips and tricks for a good water tile?

[GDawgTheFab]

So yeah recently been trying to make a decent water tile but not having too much luck, was wondering if anyone has any good tips on how to create a good water tile and how to animate it



This is my first attempt but well can't shake the feeling that it looks too thick like a broth and looks closer to water you might find in the sea rather than that of a mountain river or stream (which is what I am currently hoping to create),



This is the base tile used in the pic above and the idea is to have it semi transparent and overlay it on the tiles in the background

also need to a waterfall so any tips on that would be helpful as well

[TEETH]

Thats a pretty good start. For pixel water, you need shading on the bottom of it. Also a little brighter highlights. example:
credit:on1link on deviantart
However, if you were looking for more serene water like you would find on a lake, less texture may be more of what you need. example:
credit: ZaPaper on opengameart.org

[MysteryMeat]

One good tip I got once was to take two layers of "water cells" (like you've drawn) in different opacities, and slowly shift them around inversely to each other. it's a good quick-hack for water, but for better looking stuff you want to follow the examples teeth posted.

[GDawgTheFab]

Well here is the second attempt but I can't help but feel the lighter highlights make the water flow look a little rougher than it should like a choppy day at sea.



Here is the base tile without any transparency



any suggestions?

[Hoogo]

If making the highlight lighter doesn't work for you, have you tried making the shading tone darker?

[MysteryMeat]

Try having them slide back the way they came to give it a slow back and forth motion, or if it's supposed to be a Stillwater river you can keep it mostly stationary and introduce just a bit of wobble and small highlights.

[GDawgTheFab]

Well this is what I have so far.



Might revisit or redo it later but it will do for now while I work on other things.

also here is my attempt at a waterfall



Not sure how to do the bottom where the waterfall meets the water, anyone got any advice?

[MysteryMeat]

Treat it like you would a cloud, since that's usually what it is. The crashing bases of water falls are almost always shrouded in mist from the water vaporizing on impact!



alternatively, you can imply a gentler waterfall by having it only have a BIT of a cloud streak streaking away along the surface of the water:

[GDawgTheFab]

Ok thanks that helps a lot, this is my attempt so far, might need a little more work so any critiques would be appreciated.

[DTE462]

I like the bottom of the waterfall a lot. Where the top meets the falls the transition seems abrupt. The waterfall is a really saturated blue and the top is a muted sea green. If anything I'd think it would be more the reverse, but I think if they were closer in tone the transition would look smoother.