Tomb of the High King WIP - Need Advice

[Wired]

Alright, this here is actually a continuation/refinement of the map I did for the August 2016 Challenge.

I've added a good amount of details and made some changes with regards to the overall coloration, but what has me stumped is how to depict darkness in a dungeon. I've just got no experience in doing this and could really need another pair of eyes (or more) to take a look at what I've got. Please be so kind and take a look at map I've linked and at the example I've posted below (the new light/dark has only fully been applied in the Hall of Silent Guardians). Let me know what you think/what you'd do/what advice you've got. Thank you!

[Mouse]

If you were to light a room with intense blue walls with a very reddish orange light bulb, the walls would look grey-black. That is because the blue pigment can only reflect blue light, and there isn't very much blue in a reddish orange light.

If you were to replace your bulb with a very pure blue bulb, however, the blue walls would light up and glow like blue fire.

where your light sources are all orange/yellow, the objects around them would be seen mainly as being different shades and depths of orange/yellow/grey/black, depending on how much of the orange light they are capable of reflecting. This means the very blue floor in the Hall of the Silent Guardians would be pretty black.

Better I would say to return the floors to a more neutral grey, like they were before, but make them a tad darker (especially in the inaccessible corners of the room and behind the pillars. Then let the orange glow of your light sources play over everything.

Give it a go and see how it looks.

btw - What software are you using?

[Wired]

Thanks for the advice! And I'm using Photoshop CS 5.

[Mouse]

You're welcome, and its a good job I asked. CC3 has lots of built in sheet (layer) effects to cope with this scenario, so you wouldn't have understood a word of it if I had continued to prattle on and on in CC3 at you! LOL

[snodsy]

Not sure if this will help, I only work in photoshop, not sure if this is? But here goes.

Maybe try a HUE/SATUATION overlay and take out some color, especially in the trees.
Then maybe try a 10-20% black layer over everything, then erase areas with a 50% transparent eraser (play with these percentages)
starting from any light source. and fade out.

I would probably make the areas under the trees only slightly different color than the darker surrounding areas.

In a dungeon, your not going to get a lot of value differences - higher contrast, fewer grey values.

Hope this helps some?

[ThomasR]

Hi Wired, I agree with Mouse. You should keep the ground more grey than blue (keep a hint though) and use a gradient outer glow around the lights (maybe with a soft light blend mode) and darken the corners that are away from the light source. You could also add sharp edged shadows. The result should be something more like this.

One thing that has to come back in my opinion is the light coming in from the entrance. And if you can fade the light as you go deeper in the Grand Anvil room (depends if the stairs are going up or down).

As it is, the grey of the walls and stairs pop too much, they should be darker too.

[Wired]

You're welcome, and its a good job I asked. CC3 has lots of built in sheet (layer) effects to cope with this scenario, so you wouldn't have understood a word of it if I had continued to prattle on and on in CC3 at you! LOL

Not sure if this will help, I only work in photoshop, not sure if this is? But here goes.

Maybe try a HUE/SATUATION overlay and take out some color, especially in the trees.
Then maybe try a 10-20% black layer over everything, then erase areas with a 50% transparent eraser (play with these percentages)
starting from any light source. and fade out.

I would probably make the areas under the trees only slightly different color than the darker surrounding areas.

In a dungeon, your not going to get a lot of value differences - higher contrast, fewer grey values.

Hope this helps some?

Hi Wired, I agree with Mouse. You should keep the ground more grey than blue (keep a hint though) and use a gradient outer glow around the lights (maybe with a soft light blend mode) and darken the corners that are away from the light source. You could also add sharp edged shadows. The result should be something more like this.

One thing that has to come back in my opinion is the light coming in from the entrance. And if you can fade the light as you go deeper in the Grand Anvil room (depends if the stairs are going up or down).

As it is, the grey of the walls and stairs pop too much, they should be darker too.

Okay, thanks very much everybody, I'll try to work in your recommended changes.

[Wired]

Okay, I've made a lot of changes. More clutter, more monsters, less blue. It's probably far too saturated for most peoples' taste, but I'm generally happy with how it turned out. Thanks for all your help!

### Latest WIP ###

Attachment 87245

Here's the thread for the finished map.