WIP: Hills, forest, grass, and rocks

[nvseal]

No, I do not have a good title for this one yet . As the title says, this is still a work in progress. Some things which I intend to add: more detail on the rocks, maybe some cloud cover (but I also like the clear sky), and possibly a distant snow covered mountain range. Suggestions welcome.

[old_blaggard]

I like the detail in this image.  The point of view is good, the rocks look nice, and the tree distrubution is also good.  My only qualm is that the dry grass implies that this is an arid, warm-hot region, while the pine trees imply a moister and cooler climate.

[Buzzzzz]

I like it very much! It could be a dry season and pines stay green year round. Some people need to get out more. 

[SeerBlue]

Looks alot like the edges of the Black Hills here in South Dakota during the late winter /early spring...something I see  everyday.

[Will]

Just to say, as one from New Hampshire, that the grass around the trees could be a tad darker just to show the diffrence in grow due to compition. Just syaing, overall though great work!

Regards,

Will

EDIT: added commas (go commas!)

[nvseal]

Thanks for the replies. About the grass, it is actually an illusion which is maintained only through the grass color (otherwise it would have been green). The actual grass population ends at the bottom of the hill in the foreground; but because of the grass coloration relative to the ground surfacing you can't really tell. This restriction to the grass population stems from the hardware restrictions of working on a small laptop, so I can't really do anything about (except buy a new laptop ). I like the idea of changing the grass color around the trees, I'll have to try it. I've been playing with mountains in the background and this is what I've come up with. Now all I need is some more ground detail and maybe some cirrus clouds and this scene is all set. (Note: render detail at 0.4 with GI at 2)

[rcallicotte]

Wow.  I like this last one better, though I like the first one as well.  The background and blue sky give it a sense of grandeur and depth.

[old_blaggard]

I feel like the background adds a lot to the image.  And, for the record, living in the midwest, I have seen stuff like this, except that when the grass is that devoid of green there's often still some snow on the ground.

[ozijon]

I like the first one reminds me of the pines back home in Australia and belive me thers no green grass around them 
verry nice pic

[ProjectX]

colour the ground and grass green, limit the snow to the absolute top of the mountain and you have new zealand

[Oshyan]

I liked the first image, it reminds me a lot of the hills around here in the summer where we do have lots of dry grass with big bunches of greener trees (not just evergreens either). Overall it has a very realistic feel to me with great detail. The addition of the mountains in the 2nd image adds a real "epic" feel to the scene overall and if that's what you want to communicate, you've done so very well. Both versions have their appeal to me. Sometimes I do feel the more conventional, "real world" scenes get overlooked for the highly dramatic, but it's really down to artistic choice, and that's all in your court. The bottom line is you have a lot to work with and two great choices.

- Oshyan

[nvseal]

The completed version 2 image. To tell the truth, I don't quiet like it. There just seems to be something missing. Also, the power fractal changed the size of the rocks so I think I'm going to take it out to get the rocks from the first image back.
I agree with what you're saying Oshyan. In a way, the simpler scenes can sometimes be the harder to make. If my ram could handle it, I would love to simply cover the entire terrain with grass.

[Njen]

Great image

I think the snowline is a little too low. It almost looks like it's too close to the land below, which makes the foreground and background clash a little.

Variating the tree colour would go a long way. This means creating new populations using modified testures, but in the end, I think it would be worth it.

Variating the grass/ground colour in the mid ground very slightly would help too.

If you are not on the free version, I would increase antialiasing to help with the graniness in the trees.

Cheers!