Valgard

[Azélor]

But it dosen't really fit you style...

[Failtality]

Alright, after some further research, I found a font that's not quite as romantic, but its easier to read, looks nice, and fits the overall theme. Pretty happy with this, and it makes it pop. After some consideration, I've taking out the golden figure at the bottom. It added some personality, but wasn't really what I was looking for. Inanimate objects may be better
World-Valgard.jpg

[Eilathen]

I think this is comming along better and better. I still think you need a color that is recognizably green for the forests. The current color makes the "cloudy stuff" still not easily recognizable as forests. All imo and ymmv of course.

Have some Rep.!

[Failtality]

Thanks Eilathen! I'll continue to play around with the colors and brightness of the map (after I get back from work tonight). Hopefully I can keep the same sort of feel to it with brighter colors Thanks to all that support, like and rep!

[Failtality]

Okay, I've played around with the colors a bit, and it does seem to be alot brighter now, and hopefully just enough =) I also hand drew in trunks to the trees, added some layer effects, etc to make this a bit smoother. Those trunks killed my hand, so that's all for now!

World-Valgard.jpg

[Azélor]

To be honest I prefered the previous version.
I think that the blue you add should be more diffused but the color is good.
The biggest problem is that your black is not as pure, It looked better before because it had more contrast.
The color of the forest could be ok but it don't really fit the map.

I also suspect you used a filter or something on the map because the color are less vibrant.

[Failtality]

Thanks for your honesty Azelor. I can certainly see what you mean. Some of the colors don't pop I suppose. Maybe there is a happy median somewhere.

[Azélor]

Hum, we might need somenone else's opinion.

It least keep you black pure.
About the forest, I think Eilathen meant that the forest was not green enough so there was no way to know it was a forest. What you did was ok but I might prefer anorther brown. Something more subtle maybe because it look almost orange. Prehaps something darker or with less red would be better.

[Falconius]

Hmm personally I preferred the black on black thing you had with the subtle clouds in the background more than the sharply contrasted difference you have now and in the one before. It had more of an air of mystery and a sort of dream like quality to it. I also really liked the blotched and shadowed forest with out the trunks laid in, although I did find them hard to read as forest at first I think mostly due to colouring. They are green enough now that i don't think that is an issue though.

It depends what you want, if you want definition and clarity then you are obviously going to loose a lot of the charm and mystery the map had, but of course gain detail and readability. That's a hard choice and balance to strike! But it is a good choice to have even if it is difficult.

[Eilathen]

I'd also leave the trunks out of the forests (weird sentence, right?! ). I like the style you had, i just wanted the forests in a stronger green so as to clearly represent them (so in other words, Azelor perfectly got what i meant).