Bliss Wallpapers

from WinCustomize Forums
Hey, I've been making wallpapers and designs for a little while now, but I'd really like to expand and learn more things...I've made a few bliss wallpapers by taking other people's hills and blending them with various skies and lighting conditions but i'd really like to make the WHOLE thing myself
...which brings me to my question:
how do you make your own "bliss-style" grasses and hills?
I've taken pictures of hills around where i live and done what other people say-to increase the saturation to a nice green, blahblahblah - doesn't work. Pictures turn out grainy (yeah, i'm even using photoshop.) The real bliss wallpapers were definately generated completely on the computer.

Anybody have any suggestions or know how to do this?
8,337 views 15 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I actually doubt they were completely computer generated. They were just photoshopped...a lot. Increasing saturation, some burn and dodge, maybe color balance or levels changes. Try to make subtle changes, and keep building on it. Use duplicate layers, make alterations, and fade in the alteration with the layer opacity.

If you try to just do one effect, and push it too far, it probably won't come out well. You can always post it here, and see what we have to say about it.

Good luck.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Do a search for Terragen, and Bryce.
ObjectDock - Access shortcuts and frequently used applications from an animated dock.
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks Adamness, and yeah, I'm getting Bryce soon - probably within a week or so, but I've been using Terragen for a while and it's too difficult to get the right slope and the grass doesn't look right.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Here's a screenshot of my hill - i took it in my back yard...
Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
any suggestions?
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

If you have a late(ish)-model digital camera, preferrably around 4 megapixel or above, you should be able to take photo's at (at least) 1024x768 in hi-res. Try looking in your camera's settings to change to what you need.

You'll know when you have the right setting, because the shots take a little longer to snap/complete. You may also need a tripod or a steady object to rest your camera on, and perhaps a cable shutter release to avoid shaking your camera ~resulting in a blurred shot. 

Changing your photo in photoshop to a larger size than what the picture was originally taken at will most likely result in some distortion etc, and often will take considerable work and effort to correct.... but it is possible to achieve good corrective results with hard work and patience.

I'd suggest doing a google search for tutorials on the exact subject/result you're trying to achieve. There are literally thousands out there on the net.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If vegetation is what you want to create then I would suggest Eon software's Vue. It comes in many price points and versions which is helpful if the finances are an issue.

http://www.e-onsoftware.com/
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yeah, Eric, my camera takes pictures at way over 1024x768 (i don't remember off hand how big) but that's shrunken down in photoshop, and i've already made it greener and everything. as for the length of time it takes to take a photo, yeah, it's got that too - btw, my camera's 5 megapixels. i still don't understand the graininess in the grass since it's 5.0...
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Here's another attempt
Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
(i already scaled it down to 1024x768)
looks pretty flat, but what else should i do?
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
To be honest about the picture, it doesn't look to great. Not saying I could do better, but it just looks fake. The hill looks out of place >_>.

Here is what I suggest:

- Climb a tree (or get higher than ground level) and take a picture of the hills.
- Make sure the clouds follow the curvature of the ground to a tiny extent, right now it looks, like you said, very flat.
- The ground looks like paper. There is no grass entending past the "horizon".

The colors and saturations look VERY nice however. I may give a "Bliss" wallpaper a try... all done in photoshop because we have no hills here .
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Light and shadow are the keys to doing it right. Put a highlight on the side of the hill, and shadow on the flatter part. Same for the clouds. More contrast.

The color on the grass is good, but the sky is a bit dull. Pump up the saturation.

If you want more depth, put something in the background. A house, a sign, a dinosaur, anything. Just make it small, maybe out of focus.

You have a good start, but you just need to push it more.
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks guys, that's what i was looking for.
don't be shy to critize - it's exactly what i want
thanks again, i'll try some of that.

one thing i have to disagree on though, and i'm not being defensive or anything but, when you said that it looks like paper because there isn't any grass sticking up into the sky, i did that because every bliss wallpaper i've seen did that same thing - to give it a cleaner look. maybe it doesn't work as well with mine because the grass is a little higher, but just so you understand my reasoning...
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Can I ask why you want to make these 'bliss wallpapers' anyway? There's a millions out there, and they seem pretty much down to a formula now: simple landscape with enhanced highlights, shadows and saturation in Photoshop. Rather than try to emulate an existing genre, maybe try to create your own?