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⇛Marnetmar⇛

Use Of Color - What Do These Pictures Have In Common?

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This is a little odd and probably sounds silly, but it's been bugging me for a while now. I really like the use of color in these screenshots and art pieces and would like to emulate it in my own stuff, but I'm having trouble figuring out what they all have in common that I find so pleasing and putting it into words. Specifically I'm trying to figure out a way to systematize whatever rules are at play here. Can anyone help me out?

 

(This is largely random stuff I've saved over the years, so it's all uncredited. Sorry!)

 

 

iRZUzaP.png

k1CVG7W.jpg

PcyjbAm.jpg

Vn9DaOQ.png

0l9tJEC.png

AkrSKr2.png

doomwip2_zpsul8kg5z0.png

If5JGSK.png

IhIqN48l.png

Doompic1.PNG

Screenshot_Doom_20170824_161952.png

0e907f94f2c2c3bf68e620e7ada7ccf5.png

doom00i.png

11.jpg

BwfEudo.gif

qsR3EUTl.png

Screenshot_Doom_20180216_202908.png

 

I guess "comfy" is the best descriptor. I know brown, grey and primary colors are somewhere in the formula, but what is it about how they're used that gives these shots their magic?

Edited by Marn

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17 minutes ago, Averagewalrus23.9 said:

Contrasting colors, while not present in all of the pictures shown, I found this in enough of them to mention it. In case you don't know, contrasting colors are colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel, and when they are seen next to each other they appear to be more vibrant. However this may of been me looking for something I like in the screenshots, so sorry in advance if it's not quite what you're looking for.

 

You have the right idea, but it's definitely a little more nuanced -- why doesn't FIREBLU or SLADWALL combined with lava look good, for example? What makes contrasting colors look good in one instance but not another?

Edited by Marn

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I think I'm just gonna go over each picture real quick and point out what stands out to me. Maybe there' something you can relate to.

 

2 hours ago, Marn said:

 

iRZUzaP.png

This to me seems pretty straight forward. You got very "clear" geometry, and what I like to call 3-tone-aesthetic. That shot in particular has two relatively dark colours coupled with some highlights that make the whole thing "interesting yet uncomplicated". It's not all over the place and overburdens you with details, instead it provides some eye-candy where it makes the most sense (where the player should be going), imo.

2 hours ago, Marn said:



k1CVG7W.jpgIhIqN48l.png


The two pictures above are quite similar to the first one. Scenerey is mostly governed by a select few colours, you got some nice "regular" shapes in there as well. I will say though that these two pictures here seem to have a bit more contrast to them due to the sky textures. Nonetheless I think the principle of not cluttering sceneries with all sorts of colours at once is what makes these shots pleasant to look at.

 

2 hours ago, Marn said:

 

Screenshot_Doom_20170824_161952.png0e907f94f2c2c3bf68e620e7ada7ccf5.png

These two are also governed by a very "simple" colour scheme. I guess those would basically qualify as two-tone. Funnily enough they don't come across as two tone, due to lighting gradients, but they're still made in such a way that it doesn't overburden the observer. First shot, much like the first pic I quoted, also has that highlight in there, which really "pops" nicely, plus it has the sort of symmetry that is so easy to wrap ones head around.

 

2 hours ago, Marn said:

doom00i.png

Again very "unoffensive" colour scheme, some highlights, and geometry that is "easy to understand".

 

2 hours ago, Marn said:

Two tone aesthetic. Good sense of scope and depth, and some "regular shapes" to boot.

 

2 hours ago, Marn said:



BwfEudo.gif

Giant floating germ. Beautifully bizarre, and quite vibrant.

2 hours ago, Marn said:

A bit too "busy" for my liking, but a non-offensive colour use here regardless. Also a nice mix of "natural shapes" and "regular stuff". Sense of depth and height sure is there as well. I can see why people like that, it's just not my cup of tea.

2 hours ago, Marn said:



Screenshot_Doom_20180216_202908.png

I really don't know how I feel about this one. I guess you can make the argument that the room you're looking into "pops" really well because the surrounding is so subtle in terms of colours. It's like looking at a framed picture in a way, hence the term "framing", I guess.

 

2 hours ago, Marn said:

what is it about how they're used that gives these shots their magic?

Your personal taste aside, there are some things most humans like, and perceive as "pleasant". I think music is a good example, because you could say that every purposeful arrangement of sound is music, yet nobody likes all kinds of music. However, what most music that is enjoyed has in common is repetitions. We perceive music that constantly shifts in tempo as "weird" and maybe even unpleasant, but as soon as the stuff takes a more steady route (regular, as I call it), it is much, much easier to listen to. The same can be said about visuals, because much like your favourite music has some very "elementary" stuff in it (rhythmic guitar, for example) it also has highlights (lead guitar, singer and so forth), and these pictures for most part have that too, in my opinion.

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5 hours ago, Marn said:

(This is largely random stuff I've saved over the years, so it's all uncredited. Sorry!)

 

I can (partially) do that for you:

Image##

#1: from "Dimension of the Boomed"

#3 and 8: no brainer

#7: from "Absolute Dishonor"

#9: from "Hellebarde"

#11: from "Skulldash: Expanded edition" perhaps? 

#12: a "NASTY" screenshot from a Ola-tex map (wip)

#13: from "Valiant"

#15: a lupinx-kassman wip (probably for "TNT 2"

#16: from "Hocus pocus Doom"

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8 hours ago, Averagewalrus23.9 said:

As for SLADWALL, I have no idea what that texture is (And gave up looking for it after 3 minutes because I'm tired) :P

 

image.png.5afe7c6f9787c378d99ce894ff25711b.png

 

This particular image is from this post and shows a comparison of a high resolution version of SLADWALL (by Reinchard) next to the original.

 

SLADWALL is the texture from the walls of the chainsaw secret room in E1M2.

 

image.png.34a86299b02b67b3348b11edeffc26af.png

 

@Marn

My two cents is that SLADWALL doesn't look as good with lava because the SLADWALL texture isn't green in the same way that GSTONE is green. There's green, but there's also a fair amount of gray and brown.

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most of the images you posted feature rich, earthy colors contrasted against a more vibrant element. Those types of colors are nice to look at but can get monotonous without something to provide contrast.

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7 hours ago, Catpho said:

#11: from "Skulldash: Expanded edition" perhaps? 

#12: a "NASTY" screenshot from a Ola-tex map (wip) 

 

Specifically, #11 is Mournful Dawn by Bauul, MAP47 of Skulldash EE. #12 is Eviternity MAP02.

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#1 is a early ZDoom prototype that preceded Dimension of the Boomed.

#2 is a early version of Exposure from Way2ManyDeadGuys before I added directional lighting.

 

Pop quiz: Who are these 4 Superheroes?

 

Quiz.png.9373c2b10817093cb8e2fb69848b5767.png

 

Spoiler

SuperPalettes.png.4fbd68f53fac8927ba5f92c4488117e9.png

 

Colour Palettes are a useful tool for visual design, and level building is no exception. (In modern games, determining an envrionment's colour palette is usually done by the concept artist rather than the level designer.) I certainly think about them when I'm prototyping a map, and I'm certain Arya Iwakura and Russell Meakim did the same when they were designing No Rest For The Living. Naturally a whole map doesn't require having the same colour palette. It can be useful to differentiate distinct areas in a map with their own colour scheme.

 

There's no particular science to creating a palette as such, though if you want, you can google concepts such as Colour Wheels, Warm Tones vs Cool Tones and Constrasting Colours, etc. A lot of it comes down to artistic judgement, and it can be quite subjective.

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Yeah, #17 comes from my latest map "Iron Moor" created for the Vinesauce. I don't really remember how exactly i made it... I kinda spaced out while mapping, and next thing i remember is this exact screenshot on my screen...

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On 8/8/2018 at 7:28 AM, Marn said:

This is a little odd and probably sounds silly, but it's been bugging me for a while now. I really like the use of color in these screenshots and art pieces and would like to emulate it in my own stuff, but I'm having trouble figuring out what they all have in common that I find so pleasing and putting it into words. Specifically I'm trying to figure out a way to systematize whatever rules are at play here. Can anyone help me out?

 

(This is largely random stuff I've saved over the years, so it's all uncredited. Sorry!)

 

 

iRZUzaP.png

 

I guess "comfy" is the best descriptor. I know brown, grey and primary colors are somewhere in the formula, but what is it about how they're used that gives these shots their magic?

Wad names?

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3 hours ago, elarmadillo3 said:

Wad names?

 

On mercredi 8 août 2018 at 6:28 AM, Marn said:

(This is largely random stuff I've saved over the years, so it's all uncredited. Sorry!)

 

But nonetheless:

8 hours ago, Urthar said:

#1 is a early ZDoom prototype that preceded Dimension of the Boomed.

#2 is a early version of Exposure from Way2ManyDeadGuys before I added directional lighting.

 

On mercredi 8 août 2018 at 12:05 PM, Catpho said:

#7: from "Absolute Dishonor"

 

On mercredi 8 août 2018 at 12:05 PM, Catpho said:

#9: from "Hellebarde"

 

17 hours ago, Eris Falling said:

#11 is Mournful Dawn by Bauul, MAP47 of Skulldash EE.

#12 is Eviternity MAP02.

 

On mercredi 8 août 2018 at 12:05 PM, Catpho said:

#13: from "Valiant"

#15: a lupinx-kassman wip (probably for "TNT 2"

#16: from "Hocus pocus Doom"

 

6 hours ago, Kyle2959 said:

#17 comes from my latest map "Iron Moor" created for the Vinesauce.

 

So other than for #4, #10, and #14, you had your answers already. (#3, #5, #6, and #8 are not levels.)

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They're all Doom stuff, that's what they have in common.

 

I don't see the big deal, just make something in whatever color you want. I don't even care if things contrast often.

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5 hours ago, Gez said:

 

 

But nonetheless:

 

 

 

 

 

 

So other than for #4, #10, and #14, you had your answers already. (#3, #5, #6, and #8 are not levels.)

I found them all, except for "Way2ManyDeadGuys", doesn't bring any results.

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