Ok, after reading your comments about the planet I posted earlier, I decided to use it to make a space scene. It's not very big but it is a wallpaper size, 1024x768 so you can use it as a wallpaper. This also contains my first attempt at a nebula which I feel turned out well despite being all one color. So, lets see how you people feel about this wallpaper(Click Here!) so I can get a feel as to what direction I need to turn this time

I like that alot it's dark and gloomy and has a really nice space feel. My only suggestion is that those white glowing stars theres too many that look the same, maybe try adding in a sort of solar flare and try to give it more depth by changing the opacity of some of those glowing stars because that all it's really laking at the moment depth. But i really like the cloudy sort of effect you go going on the right side of the wallpaper, becuase it changes it from the old boring black background.

this is another nice piece zorlen. usually space is quite dark and gloomy although i have never been there so i cannot say for certain.

i agree with Silent Soul X about the glowing stars, there are too many and are too bright it takes the little depth away from the picture. the colours are very nice. is that planet the same as the one from your Planetary Experiment in a previous topic?

the nebula is very nice.

ps. if y'all wanna do a nebula yourselfs go here: Nebula

well done!

Sorry if I come off a bit harsh, not really intending to.

The blue nebula on the right and the planets in the lower left and upper right are the only objects that I really cared for. The rest of your stars look fake and blatently brushed on with a round brush. Also, the smaller blue "dots" bothered me because of the slight bevel I can see around most of them that's about 2 or 3px away from the edges of the blue. The background gives me a "dirty" feeling that I really didn't care for either.

I just spent about 20 minutes looking for an old tut. that I found over 3 years ago, and I can't for the life of me remember the name of the site. If you check www.good-tutorials.com there were a few good space tutorials, but most of those were for sig-sized images, nothing the size of a wallpaper.

Thanks for the criticism. One person can't find all the mistakes. I have no idea how that bevel effect came about, because I know I never placed a bevel in there. I agree with you about the stars. I'm really going to have to tweak them, or at least experiment with them to get a better effect. I know that I will increase the spacing on the brush however so I don't have to move my mouse a milimeter to avoid brushing too much As for the "dirty" background, I can not stand backgrounds that are a single, unbroken color. I had to do *something* to break up the monotony of the black, however subtly. Not everyone may agree with that, but it was what I did. Also, I am glad that you liked the nebula and the smaller planets used to emphasize the scale and depth of it. That's my favorite part of the image too

So then, for everyone out there, don't be afraid to give negative criticism about things that I make. As long as you make it *constructive*, it really isn't negative, simply pointing out flaws to keep in mind for future iterations. Go ahead, tell me what you don't like and as long as it is polite, as was geist's, then it will be welcomed.

Heh I really like to list my critisms and things to fix because it is easier for another to read and fix their mistakes.

First off, I like the idea you are going for, although it is somewhat over done. Thus you have to make it pop, make it yours and unique.

1. The nebula is… plain and blurry, add some purple or yellow, or blue to it to give it a more live feeling, thus creating a better effect.
2. The stars are horrible, they are like just one stamp with a circular brush with 20 hardness, try adding lines to them to simulate the effect of light, make light crosses and such.
3. Too dark, I know space is dark but hey it can’t hurt to make it a little brighter right?
4. There seems to be no visible source of light that could have brightened the planet like that, maybe add a bigger star that gives off light? Not just a small star in the background.
5. I have no idea what those blue dots are suppose to be, planets? They need some work and loose the black ring that is around them.

There are my critisms, I hope you will improve upon your work, that piece has a lot of potential, but you know what potential is – “ain’t done it it” (my wrestling coach used to say that a lot to me)

The planet came out beautifully. The background on the other-hand, could use some more work. It doesn't seem to blend right.