Cold lake

[Ariel DK]

Okay, isnt to original teme, but I never try it...

- Mountain from WM
- trees from X-Frog
- Snow by DandelO (where is this guy?)
- and some FS with a reflective shader

some points to correct:
a) the leafs difuse/too bright
b) the big FS layer is not reflective
c) there is a black patch behind the pines in the left, maybe the displacement tolerance(?

working on all that things, and like always C & C are welcome

[Agura Nata]

fine work

[archonforest]

Great start. 
Pls consider to change the uniformity of the trees (color and size) also.

[Ariel DK]

thanks to both

Great start. 
Pls consider to change the uniformity of the trees (color and size) also.

I think the size variation is ok for now. If you are referring to color variation, yeah it's a good idea. my question is: how?
I'm also investigating how to put snow in the leafs, but i dont find any useful method for now...

[Dune]

Good start. First a question; how did you get the straight edge of the snow? I presume it's a different layer (plane or such)? That is a nice element, but I'd go for a different way of texturing the snow. The graininess up front is kind of black/white, and could be softer bluish white, more translucent. There's a tgc around, can't find it but might be this one: (old ice and snow) http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,12639.msg126189.html#msg126189
Then I'd take out the reflection lights under water, get more age varieties of the tree or more species in, as well as color variation (there are numerous posts about it, but principle I use is a PF through transform shader in world position, as input for color of the leaves' default shader). But there are possibilities in the population tabs as well. For snow on leaves/needles, you just add a white (or snow) surface layer under the leaves' default shader with a slope restriction (use Y, final slope), as the simplest method.

[archonforest]

thanks to both

Great start. 
Pls consider to change the uniformity of the trees (color and size) also.

I think the size variation is ok for now. If you are referring to color variation, yeah it's a good idea. my question is: how?
I'm also investigating how to put snow in the leafs, but i dont find any useful method for now...

In the color tab of the object click on tint diffuse color and add a PF as a color shader. Play with the values of the PF. This can create a nice color variable on the population.

[Ariel DK]

Good start. First a question; how did you get the straight edge of the snow? I presume it's a different layer (plane or such)? That is a nice element, but I'd go for a different way of texturing the snow. The graininess up front is kind of black/white, and could be softer bluish white, more translucent. There's a tgc around, can't find it but might be this one: (old ice and snow) http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,12639.msg126189.html#msg126189
Then I'd take out the reflection lights under water, get more age varieties of the tree or more species in, as well as color variation (there are numerous posts about it, but principle I use is a PF through transform shader in world position, as input for color of the leaves' default shader). But there are possibilities in the population tabs as well. For snow on leaves/needles, you just add a white (or snow) surface layer under the leaves' default shader with a slope restriction (use Y, final slope), as the simplest method.

@ Dune: thanks, I haven't had time to apply your tgc at my scene, but I check out and I undertand what do you meant, I probably tomorrow work on that.
about the snow, nothing seems to work... I've attached a sreenshot showing what I think, you meant to do(?

@archonforest: I've following some advices from  you and Dune, and added a new pop with some leaf color variation, only something subtle, nothing too visible

Just for curiosity and contradictorily to the norms of photography, i've rotate the image horizontally and looks strangely better...

EDIT: of course, the surface layer have minor slope restriction with "Used Y" checked

[Ethrieltd]

Just for curiosity and contradictorily to the norms of photography, i've rotate the image horizontally and looks strangely better...

https://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds/

I find the images composed favouring the right to be more pleasing to the eye and always felt it related to the above somehow. As if your brain favours "right handed" images.

[Ariel DK]

Just for curiosity and contradictorily to the norms of photography, i've rotate the image horizontally and looks strangely better...

...As if your brain favours "right handed" images.

"tell me how you communicate, and I tell you how you think", isn't a surprise considering that we write and read from the left to the right.

[luvsmuzik]

Great series, keep at it.

[Dune]

That's what I mean indeed. You could even add that tgc to the child input of the surface layer for the snowy branches.

Tell me again about the snow; extra plane? If so, do some subtle displecement on it and/or warp a bit, to get rid of those straight lines.

[DocCharly65]

This will become a great render!

[Ariel DK]

That's what I mean indeed. You could even add that tgc to the child input of the surface layer for the snowy branches.

Tell me again about the snow; extra plane? If so, do some subtle displecement on it and/or warp a bit, to get rid of those straight lines.

hi Dune, the snow shader is in indeed, a displaced, intersected underlying. I chose working with that tgc. because whatever you connect like a child, will work properly, also your file.
I suppose that i gonna need a diferent way to mask only the edge of the snow´s Surface shader, if I want to warped it.

BTW I'm playing with the intersection values to get more smooth edge

[bobbystahr]

I find the images composed favouring the right to be more pleasing to the eye and always felt it related to the above somehow. As if your brain favours "right handed" images.

I've noticed that "right-handedness" myself in my compositions lately and wondered about that...thanx 4 da link.