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Jigsaw Puzzles!!

DB Jigsaw Puzzles!

8.73/10 rating
(216 votes)

Print Available!

Getting more comfortable with Vue 9.5's new cloud controls. They really do allow you to place clouds wherever you like. Very powerful! The previous versions had one character standing on the rocks overlooking the valley, but a number of folks seemed to see two. In the end I thought it would be a good idea to actually have two people together. In this case they are the sorcerer and "assassin" that I used for my "Arcana" scene. So does this scene happen before or after the events in "Arcana"? You tell me...
Pickle Jar Variations what's this?

Member Comments

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Eirik
"Impressive"
I just realized that the (single-screen) version 3 of Heliocentric is absolutely stunning. Wow.



Love that contrast with the night sky in the corner that gets cropped out when it spans 2 monitors. Simply breathtaking!

Fri August 3, 2012 at 9:41 am

Gilvan
"Sugoi Desu"
wonderfull work!

Tue November 15, 2011 at 4:13 am

Shay
"It's amazing...."
To see how much Ryans talent, and how far along software and technology have come compared to a decade ago.



http://digitalblasphemy.com/preview.shtml?i=harbor

Fri August 5, 2011 at 6:40 pm

Wanderer
"Game of Thrones"
I dont know why exactly, but this rendering reminds me of Game of Thrones more so than LOTR,Return of the King...

Mon August 1, 2011 at 2:31 pm

Karl
"missing resolution"
the 640 x 480 image is missing, the size for my phone. Could you add a link to it?

Fri July 29, 2011 at 2:02 am

Agni451
"Lossless Multiscreen?"
I realize the files would probably be 15MB each, but I would really like to have the lossless PNG versions for multiscreen (3).

Tue July 26, 2011 at 7:16 pm

Sebastian
"Humanless version?"
Are you planning on adding a humanless version? I have a tendency of liking those without human life more than those with...

Tue July 26, 2011 at 7:26 am

Cole
"thx"
Thx for adding the storm rez!

Mon July 25, 2011 at 9:16 am

Anna
"Gorgeous!!!"
Nearly every post takes my breath away and this is no exception! You do such amazing work. I would also like to see it in a night version too.

Sun July 24, 2011 at 12:07 am

Ryan
"PNGs"
The 2560 x 1440 (16:9) PNG collection is going up today. Most of 2011 should be available as I post this. I've marked the links as "Lossless" in the download table.

Fri July 22, 2011 at 1:49 pm

Ryan
"Heliocentric (Night)"
I started a night version of "Heliocentric" rendering last evening. The clouds in this version are quite a bit less opaque and that will most likely increase the render time a bit.

@Logan: Quite a lot of people are using 16:9 so I hope to have the 1440p PNGs up shortly!

Fri July 22, 2011 at 8:07 am

Logan
"Night heliocentric (Lunacentric?)"
I think this would be an interesting night concept. Like I mentioned before this reminds me of the planet Crematoria from Chronicles of Riddick with the sudden boundary from night to day. I wonder what it would look like when reversed, with the boundary going from day to night.



Regarding PNGs, I realize you are posting the original 16:10 file that you render. I know you can't make one of every size and resolution but perhaps a large 16x9, perhaps the 2560x1440 so those of us with 16x9s don't have to crop. Do you have access to the statistics on how many people log on with 16x9 sizes to determine if that would be worthwhile? Honestly though great work, we are thankful for the awesome pics you create for us.

Fri July 22, 2011 at 0:47 am

Daniel B
"re @Daniel"
Thanks. The other thing that might work well is to add a voting system of some sort where people could request specific images and/or resolutions for PNG copies. That way maybe you can see what images people want to get the higher quality and it'd also allow you phase those changes in over time to dampen the sudden increase of storage and bandwidth some.



For example, right now I have about 20 images of yours on rotation for my wallpaper, pretty much all 5760x1200. I'd rather get PNG's of those 20 than the entire single monitor galley in PNG.



The same idea could also apply to higher res renders of your older work or maybe even ones that might be "due" for a re-make (Children of the Night on either count for me).

Thu July 21, 2011 at 9:17 pm

horcruxhp
"Thank You!"
Thank you! Thank You! You have no idea how long I have been waiting for the dual screen version. It's going straight to my desktop!

Thu July 21, 2011 at 1:16 pm

Ryan
"@Daniel"
Good idea. I've added a comments field to the renewal form where you can let me know what you would like to see more of. The only downside is that it only works when you use a credit card. I already use all of the pass-through variables available with PayPal and Amazon.

I would love to add more PNGs but, as you know, they are very large!

Thu July 21, 2011 at 11:32 am

Daniel B
"PNG's and Order Page"
Ryan,



Please consider adding an option to the renew/pay it forward order pages to specify why people are doing so.



Since you mentioned there may be a relationship between the PNG, bandwidth usage, and memberships's, letting people specify why they are renewing or gifting a membership may give you insight into what those people are looking/hoping for. The amount of donations that went into your new workstation obviously shows that people are willing to put down extra money to help your art. So giving those people who want to push more money your way a voice (or at least a better data point) may help encourage that.



I'm paid up for another 18 months, and would definitely tack on another couple years right now and/or do a couple of pay-it-forward memberships if I knew I could get triple widescreen (5760x1200) PNG's of your work going forward and over time the existing gallery.

Thu July 21, 2011 at 2:17 am

Luke
"No stars in dual-screen :("
I miss the stars (and godzilla), but nonetheless, this is cool enough to be promoted to my wallpaper for a while. I like the full-on sunshine as well - makes quite a change from your usual style of landscape, plus, its not so bright that my monitors blind me.

Wed July 20, 2011 at 6:55 pm

Ian
"Night version, 4 seasons, or whatever you like"
I concur with bruceam, and would like to add that a daytime version would probably look pretty great, too, or any other type of alternate version, really. It would be hard to go wrong with this image as the starting point, and I look forward to whatever you cook up.

Wed July 20, 2011 at 4:30 pm

bruceam
"Heliocentric"
Ryan,

I have no idea how a night version of Heliocentric would look, but I would love to see it. I believe Heliocentric would be a very good candidate for a Four Seasons version as well. The clouds shifting in type, density, and altitude as the seasons would be gorgeous. And the color combinations associated with each of the four seasons could be done with this vista, as it covers so much area. In this way, the summer and and the spring could look entirely different, and completely avoid the problem you encountered with Highland Mountain scene in the autumn.



This is a great image, and has become one of my favorites, Especially the widescreen multiple monitor shots.



Keep up the great work!

Wed July 20, 2011 at 3:08 pm

Matt
"Gorgeous in dual!"
This, with the dual screen, is absolutely unbelievable! I love the tilt of the -- haha, I was about to say "photo" because it's so realistic! -- image, and it's truly awe-inspiring. Thanks for the amazing artwork! :)

Wed July 20, 2011 at 9:16 am

jlpilkin
"Awesome"
I'm liking this wallpaper more and more every day. Great job! Especially with the triple screen.

Wed July 20, 2011 at 7:41 am

Robert_R
"@Ryan"
Beautiful! It look like "The Lord of the Rings" with the 2 little Hobbits, Frodon Sacquet and his friend going to Sauron's contry ;)



Yes I've a lot of imagination ;)

Wed July 20, 2011 at 4:41 am

Andrew
"5120 x 1600"
This looks fantastic! Small nitpick: the Digital Blasphemy watermark is out of place on the 5120 x 1600 version.

Tue July 19, 2011 at 6:08 pm

rdefores
"Wow!"
Looking at the 7680x1600 render on my single 1920x1200 monitor makes me want to buy three 2560x1600 monitors and another video card. *sigh*

Tue July 19, 2011 at 5:57 pm

Cole
"360x480?"
no 360x480 anymore?

Tue July 19, 2011 at 2:26 pm

Ryan
"@john"
Just uploaded. Why do I always forget that one?

Tue July 19, 2011 at 11:49 am

john
"3360x1050"
Forgot the dual screen 3360x1050 again, lol.

Tue July 19, 2011 at 11:44 am

Ryan
"Re: PNG Link"
Let's try it with a new line for now.

Tue July 19, 2011 at 10:07 am

Brandi U.
"Separate Line for the PNG files"
I do think a separate line for the PNG files would be good. It's a little confusing that the "(PNG)" is actually a separate link. Or, at least make the PNG underlined.

Tue July 19, 2011 at 10:01 am

Jason
"Assassin"
Oh man, I never noticed the assassin in Arcana before! lol

Tue July 19, 2011 at 9:42 am

Ryan
"@Chris"
Which device are you using Chris?

Sun July 17, 2011 at 12:54 am

chris hoga
"resolution request"
Any chance you could make a moble version at 768x1024?

Sun July 17, 2011 at 7:26 am

GMaster7
"Final Version"
Ryan, I love this newest version. The two figures and the scope of the shot that they help provide (from the cliff and the trees up to the starry sky!) are wonderful.

Sat July 16, 2011 at 3:12 pm

Greg
"@Ryan"
Ah I see now :) thanks

I new line would help I think :)

Sat July 16, 2011 at 3:10 pm

Thunderbol
"@ryan"
oh I am a hardcore visualphile ;)

Sat July 16, 2011 at 1:28 pm

Thunderbol
".p.s."
I guess N°3 looks best so far ;)

Sat July 16, 2011 at 1:27 pm

Ryan
"@Thunderbol"
As much as I appreciate that lossless quality of the PNGs, I have to admit that my JPGs are all compressed at a very high quality setting (over 97% in most cases). You are not likely to see any JPG artifacts in the hi-res files. The PNGs are provided for the hardcore visualphiles.

Sat July 16, 2011 at 1:27 pm

Thunderbol
".PNGS!"
would be nice to have ALL your pics as .pngs

(I know, a hell lot of work, but in the end its about quality, isnt it?)

Sat July 16, 2011 at 1:25 pm

Ryan
"@Greg"
Click where it says "PNG" to load the PNG file Greg, otherwise you will get a JPG. Perhaps I should add another distinct line for the PNG files...

Sat July 16, 2011 at 1:07 pm

Greg
"fail..."
your 'PNG' image isn't even a png at all :P it's a jpg.

PNG is just an extension like .exe or .dll - its simply a method of data storage and compression. a completely unnecessary change to the site, just upload 100% jpgs (no compression)

Sat July 16, 2011 at 12:58 am

Miguell026
"PNG images"
THANKS Ryan!



i was awaiting these PNG files for ages! thank you!



now the quality of my 2560x1600 files will increase!



Awesome work!

Keep it up! this is Quality!



can't wait for your next scenario!



Peace to all

Sat July 16, 2011 at 11:32 am

Nelson
"PNGs"
I like your idea of offering the highest resolution also as PNG. Sometimes I have taken the 2560x1600 and cut an area out of it for my desktop use (1080p), when I want to see an area more detailed or when I don't like a certain element in the picture. A PNG is perfect for such things.

And btw, Heliocentric really rocks ;-)

Sat July 16, 2011 at 11:21 am

Paul M.
"AMAZING!"
I can imagine myself on that precipice, looking out onto that vista. Absolutely beautiful! I can hardly wait for the next image.

Sat July 16, 2011 at 10:08 am

Phillip D
"amazing atmosphere"
Amazing atmosphere...I bet those clouds took a long time to render, lately on my artwork when I have godrays, or dense grasses, etc...I render only in size of 1024 pixels by 768 due to rendering times takes a long time, lol....and this image you have here is quite amazing..excellent atmosphere!!! Guess what is on my desktop now :) your new post of this image.

Sat July 16, 2011 at 9:31 am

Cougz
"Lovely"
Totally orgasmic Ryan...

Sat July 16, 2011 at 3:04 am

Ryan
"The Duals"
Thanks guys! I've got the multiscreen all cued up and ready to render. Once I hit F9 I imagine it will take at least 20 hours (and hopefully look acceptable when it's complete).

Fri July 15, 2011 at 11:05 pm

Shay
"5770x1600?"
Lets get some bigger renders going! Can't wait!

Fri July 15, 2011 at 9:42 pm

Zach
"Incredible light"
This piece is beautiful, Ryan! I can't wait for the duals of it. :)

Fri July 15, 2011 at 8:07 pm

OMeyers
"Wow"
I liked the first render. Man I LOVE the third. Keep on keepin' on

Fri July 15, 2011 at 7:33 pm

Tony
"Such realism"
I got to say Ryan this one is an impressive feat of work, feels like I'm seeing the visual with my own two eyes.

Fri July 15, 2011 at 2:37 pm

byteful
"Holy S**T!!!"
ABSOLUTLY BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!



Can't say anything more that would do it justice!

Fri July 15, 2011 at 2:26 pm

erielack
"Wow"
V3 is great. Each one just kept getting better. Cannot wait to see other new landscapes.

Fri July 15, 2011 at 1:51 pm

Fumigator
"NEVERMIND."
I get it now... different link for the PNG. (Sometimes I really miss old-school underlined links because you can tell it's a link without hovering)

Fri July 15, 2011 at 8:34 am

Fumigator
"Confused about PNG version"
The PNG version appears to be a JPG.

Fri July 15, 2011 at 8:32 am

dmackoy
"improvements"
I love the changes to the cliff and the valley additions. It really makes the whole thing feel much more open and a feeling of greater depth.



I did however like the softer lighting that you had in the prior version, felt a little calmer... like an easy morning.



Either way the new one has made my background. Thanks for putting all the effort you do into each one of these.

Fri July 15, 2011 at 8:03 am

Alex H
"Bloody perfect"
Constructive criticism: some of the mountains look a little plastic. But otherwise the new rock, the lighting, the clouds, the new character, the everything else is perfect. Would rate it 9 if I could vote again (10 being reserved for personal favourites such as the grid and overseer.)

Fri July 15, 2011 at 6:02 am

Logan
"v3 For the win!"
I've been holding out but I think v3 is going on my desktop now. Can't wait for the PNG files in a 16x9 resolution.

@Braden, I think Ryan has the selling prints thing covered pretty well with Zazzle.

Fri July 15, 2011 at 2:54 am

Richard
"Fantastic!"
Version 3 is so good it has replaced "Dispersion" as my phone wallpaper! :-) Good job!

Fri July 15, 2011 at 2:31 am

Matt
"Version 3"
Version 3 is amazing. This piece just got better and better with each iteration. The foreground in version 3 is killer. Great job. Love it!

Fri July 15, 2011 at 0:45 am

Steve
"Love it"
All 3 images are fantastic, but it is nice to see what you mean when you say art is never truly finished, only abandoned :)

Thu July 14, 2011 at 9:41 pm

Brandi U.
"Version 3 is a winner!"
I've liked all 3 a lot. V3 seems the perfect blend of the strong points in V1 & 2.

Thu July 14, 2011 at 7:33 pm

Braden
"Image hosting"
Have you considered moving your hosting to a different site, at least for the images? For example, Smugmug has a flat yearly fee with unlimited bandwidth and storage. I would think this would suit you very well and could possibly save you money. They also allow you to sell prints of the files, and with a "pro" account you can even sell stuff at a markup for profit.


Thu July 14, 2011 at 5:22 pm

Lidia
"Version 3"
Definitely the better version of the three. I really like that you shed some more light on the big rock in the foreground. I like the caped people on the rock, too.

Thu July 14, 2011 at 4:55 pm

Chris B
"Love the new Version!"
Still missing one character aren't we? ;)

The way the light is hitting things is awesome, especially the rocks and clouds, and Godzilla is missing lol, but it is fun to see clouds look like different things even in the digital world. The only non-consequential nitpicky thing I can come up with is you can't really see the crystal on the magi's staff anymore... Still love it & it's the best version so far. :)



PNG, I don't know, it's really only in the 2560x1600 resolution, I don't know if it would be worth your time for the small number of people that would pay extra for it compared to a non-PNG. I mean we will always go for the best resolution for our monitors but I don't know if people would pay more for it. If it makes more people sign up that's awesome :). Would it make that much of a bandwidth difference? I'm not sure what the average difference between .jpg & .png is with your images.

Thu July 14, 2011 at 3:57 pm

bruceam
"Heliocentric"
Outstanding!!! I really like this image! Version three is the best of the group. I am anxiously awaiting the dual and triple screen versions of this image.



Keep up the Fantastic Work.

Thu July 14, 2011 at 3:56 pm

David
"PNG"
Honestly I think it would be silly to charge extra for PNG, these images are only downloaded periodically by subscribers (I wouldn't give non-subscribers PNGs), and the price of bandwidth is always decreasing (S3/EC2 is currently charging $0.12/GB, or less if you send >10TB). It seems to me this should be a nice value-added feature for being a subscriber.

Thu July 14, 2011 at 3:23 pm

Benson
"Almost forgot"
V3 is great -- I like the new rock. Were there two people all along, just closer together, or is the shortie a new arrival?

Thu July 14, 2011 at 3:06 pm

Benson
"PNG FTW!"
I have a lifetime membership already; I would be happy to pay extra for PNG access.



@Daniel B

Lossless compression is always much bigger than a suitable lossy algorithm, while the differences in efficiency between (modern) lossless algorithms are small by comparison. There are several lossless JPEG standards (Lossless JPEG, JPEG2000, and JPEG-LS -- I'm not sure exactly how they compare vs. PNG for coding efficiency), but none of them are nearly as widely supported as PNG, so I think the compatibility benefit of PNG is worth whatever small size penalty there might be.

Thu July 14, 2011 at 3:03 pm

rdeforest
"v.3 - dramatic improvement"
The changes to the foreground addressed my previous concern perfectly. I agree with +Benke about the cape, but much less distracting than the apparent pitch difference was. Here's hoping the barrel distortion is mild in the multi-screen...

Thu July 14, 2011 at 2:43 pm

Daniel B
"PNG Pricing Tear"
Just a thought, but perhaps having a second pricing tier for people who want access to the lossless formats? Cost-wise the only difference for you would be storage and bandwidth costs so a few bucks more / year should cover it. As long as the content itself is the same (same images, resolution, etc.) is the same I don't think people would have much of a problem with a seperate tier.



Also, I was under the impression that jpeg was better at photos and photo-realistic stuff. Isn't there a lossless jpg format that would be more efficient than png?

Thu July 14, 2011 at 2:22 pm

Gregor
"Progress so far"
I have to agree with FlareHeart and Ryan, this third render is the best so far! Do I smell a night version coming up? :D

Thu July 14, 2011 at 2:18 pm

FlareHeart
"Beautiful"
Definitely the best render of the 3, I love the shadows on the clouds in this one.



PNG files are something I'd definitely prefer. They end up looking sharper overall. I have a Lifetime membership, but if I was on a subscription model, I would definitely renew again with those as an option.

Thu July 14, 2011 at 2:15 pm

Labanimal
"Heliocentric (2011)"
don't see much of a difference in quality between the PNG and the JPG, perhaps a bit in the shading of the mountain... but not that much different... but other than that, V3 is the best as a Final! Very good! ;) Looking forward to the Triple!. Love the Angle just the way it is! I think that's one of the aspects I love of this design!

Looking forward on your updates on Enshrouded & Moonlit Citadel especially! They are LONG overdue for Triple monitor!!!!!!

Thu July 14, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Ryan
"v3 the best"
Version 3 is definitely the best. Love the new foreground rocks, the multiple characters, and how the light seems more uniformly spread. Beautiful!

Please start the multiscreen ASAP!

Thu July 14, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Benke
"Cape"
Very nice colors and a good step back to the first version's lock but improved! :) I like the stars occupy a greater deal of the sky. Earlier it was too small creating a little disturbance to the image. The only thing I feel could be improved is the large cape. It looks a little bit unrealistic to the rest of the world.

Thu July 14, 2011 at 1:41 pm

JoeC
"Still makes me dizzy"
I think that the new version is really beautiful, but it physically makes me dizzy. Can we please have a flat one in the pickle jar? Please?

Thu July 14, 2011 at 1:18 pm

Scot
"wispy "
is there a way to make the clouds more wispy? like a longer exposure look?

Thu July 14, 2011 at 1:16 pm

Ryan
"v.3"
I've posted a new (final?) version of "Heliocentric" in the Members Gallery today. I've changed up the foreground quite a bit, added some more trees in the valley, and brought back the sunlight on the near mountain peak.

You may also notice that the 2560 x 1600 file now has a PNG version. This is a lossless file that looks exactly like my original uncompressed render. Basically it is the "purest" image possible.

I've added PNG versions for my newer images and will be adding more (and more resolutions) over time. You can download them all here.

The main deciding factor in adding more will be how they impact my bandwidth budget per month vs how many more people sign-up/renew with them as an option.

Let me know your thoughts on new render. I am eager to get started with the multiscreen version...

Thu July 14, 2011 at 1:01 pm

Skrit
"3>1"
I'm so excited for the tri-screen of this!

Thu July 14, 2011 at 10:01 am

MJPollard
"@Ryan"
Night version title: "Lunacentric"? Just a thought...

Thu July 14, 2011 at 7:36 am

Firefly
"Can't wait for multi screen"
I love the angle on this. Makes me feel like i'm looking through a birds eye.



Can't wait for your dual screen.

Wed July 13, 2011 at 5:36 pm

Ryan
"@Tyson"
I can see doing a night version, though the title wouldn't make a lot of sense.

Wed July 13, 2011 at 12:41 am

Tyson
"Heliocentric"
night version maybe?

Wed July 13, 2011 at 10:01 am

Kromak
"Even Better"
I really liked the first post of Heliocentric but this one is even better. Everything seems a little clearer to see in the new rendering. Really stunning piece, this will probably be up on my desktop for a long while.

Wed July 13, 2011 at 2:02 am

Ryan
"v.3"
The final version will have more sunlight on the mountain and improved rocks in the foreground. Hope to have it up before the weekend! I'm also rendering a new abstract on the side...

Tue July 12, 2011 at 4:16 pm

Garry
"Mostly Prefer the Original to the Updated Version"
Personally, I like the less smoothed out clouds of the original version. I also like the greater visibility of the background mountains of the original version vs. hiding them in the clouds. I do like the simplification of the large foreground rock (removing the vegetation) and the brightening of the stars in the updated version. Both versions are stunning, but that's my feedback.

Tue July 12, 2011 at 11:57 am

Dan
"Not Cheerful, But perhaps Epic?"
I don't feel this is Cheerful, but its certainly not gloomy either. It makes me think of a grand adventure. With all that landscape below, basked in golden sunlight just waiting to be explored.

Tue July 12, 2011 at 9:41 am

Dark logic
"Wow -but getting vertigo"
Ryan; why is the sun and cloud base tilted. Giving its me vertigo; can you please please please make the world flat.

Tue July 12, 2011 at 1:27 am

David M
"Middle Earth"
This is great Ryan. Kinda reminds me of LOTR: The Two Towers when the beacons are lit from the mountaintops signaling solidarity with Rohan. Just my opinion! Anyhow - great job.

Mon July 11, 2011 at 6:58 pm

FlareHeart
"Magneto? "
Maybe it's all of the X-Men that I have been watching infiltrating my perceptions, but the dude on the cliff looks like Magneto.

Thanks for the wonderful update!

Mon July 11, 2011 at 4:43 pm

Ryan
"@Seeker"
Thanks for the kind words! Funny you should mention Codex Alera because I've had a copy of "Furies of Calderon" mocking me from "unread" pile (sitting next to "Curse of Chalion" by Bujold, "The Judging Eye" by Bakker, and "The Other Lands" by Durham. I will be sorely needing something new to read after I finish reading "Dance with Dragons". I've heard so many good things about Jim Butcher I may finally dive in.

Mon July 11, 2011 at 4:16 pm

Seeker
"Majestic"
Cheerful isn't the word that comes my mind when I see this. Majestic is, I'm sure who the guy standing on the bluff overlooking the land is, but I imagine a great lord of the land surveying the place that he has pledged to protect. Reminds of soemthing out of the Codex Alera series. Awesome scene regardless.

Mon July 11, 2011 at 3:58 pm

Tyler
"@jens"
I would say cheerful by comparison to Dødenfel. Everything is relative. I actually feel peaceful looking at this.

Mon July 11, 2011 at 1:25 pm

bruceam
"Heliocentric"
Wow, Very, Very Nice. This one would be wonderful spread over several screens. Once again, Great Job.

Mon July 11, 2011 at 12:24 am

Ryan
"@jen"
Maybe cheerful isn't the right word. "Brighter"?

Mon July 11, 2011 at 9:09 am

David V
"Perception"
I've been reading the comments about the perception with mixed thoughts. At first look, it gave me a weird sense of vertigo but it seemed in an odd way correct. Sitting bored at work, I leaned my head on my hand with my head cocked to the left and the perception instantly changed. The angle becomes more natural and a certain depth seems to pop out. I say a "flattened" angle would ruin the entire feel of the picture.

Mon July 11, 2011 at 9:00 am

jens
"cheerful?"
this is really good, but it is not cheerful IMHO.

Looks more like dooms day... ;-)

Mon July 11, 2011 at 3:39 am

markm
"sweet"
yeah, i have to agree too. better clouds but worse mountains/lighting.



It seems to me like mountains in the distance have gotten larger and are blocking out the sky more. Also, perhaps the clouds are lower.



i think i'll stick with the first one for now

Mon July 11, 2011 at 1:24 am

RoninStorm
"Suitably epic"
Now this feels like the closing scene to a truly epic film where those two on the rock saved the world from destruction. Love it. :)

Sun July 10, 2011 at 5:26 pm

Case
"Lighting"
I've gotta agree with Kana. Mountain lighting was better on the first render, And I'd still like to see a little bit more stars. So far I'm diggin the other little changes on the new render, good work yo!

Sun July 10, 2011 at 5:12 pm

Kana
"lighting and such"
Ok - clouds, definitely better in the second one. Mountain lighting, though? DEFINITELY the first one is better for that. Combine the two and you've got a massive winner for me, although I still really like the scene you've created.



I also would like to see the person taken out, too, but that's just me.

Sun July 10, 2011 at 4:09 pm

Jamison
"@Aelver"
I thought that too.

Sun July 10, 2011 at 1:40 pm

Aelver
"Volcano?"
Is that the volcano from Dødenfell (side view) I spy off to the left?

Sun July 10, 2011 at 11:47 am

Ryan
"@Wraith"
I almost called it "Elevado 2011".

Sun July 10, 2011 at 8:01 am

Mjodvitnir
"Wow"
This is awesome, it's already on my background and surely has the potential to become one of my favorites.

Sun July 10, 2011 at 1:35 am

Wraith
"Reminds me a bit of..."
Elevado from 2002. Love the lighting and how the sky contrasts with itself. Love it. :)

Sun July 10, 2011 at 1:31 am

JD
"NICE !"
I love the mix of yellow / orange / white sunlight

Sat July 9, 2011 at 8:40 pm

horcruxhp
"Anticipation"
This is another great wallpaper from DB. I can hardly wait for the dual monitor version!

Sat July 9, 2011 at 8:25 pm

Chris
"Interesting changes"
Looks like the cloud cover has increased and the overall height of the land to the left of the sun has moved up. I like it so far.



Losing the detail on the background mountains on the left is a bit of a shame. I would think splitting the difference on that would be a nice touch.

Sat July 9, 2011 at 5:18 pm

Dan
"Again, fantastic work "
This picture is just great, I love the view.



(Off topic) I know you've touched on the desert landscape in some of your renders, but it would be really cool to see a real desert scene. You know, with the cactus and cracked land, tumbleweeds and dust, maybe something cool going on in the sky.

Sat July 9, 2011 at 2:37 pm

Patrick
"Very beautiful"
A ten from me. I like the feel of this. Bright, adventurous and imaginative.



Now how can I wake up to a view like this?

Sat July 9, 2011 at 1:59 pm

Travis
"Too Subdued"
Ryan,



I prefer the original lighting, too. While things are more "calm" now, the image almost feels too subdued. However, still amazing colors and I love the perspective. Art is so tough!

Sat July 9, 2011 at 10:20 am

Ryan
"@Thunderbol"
I prefer the original lighting on the mountains too. I haven't figured out what changed in the newer version (except for clouds in different places). Such is the danger of posting first drafts I guess...

Sat July 9, 2011 at 10:13 am

Thunderbol
"so-so"
hm I prefer the first version a bit more, because I dont like that theres now more shadow on the mountains in the left and middle of the background and also that the right and right bottom corner is now darker because of that

Sat July 9, 2011 at 10:01 am

Jeff K
"All I can say is...."
WOW. Amazing what a few little tweaks can do. Im one of those that loves this perspective. Great work!

Sat July 9, 2011 at 9:59 am

Ryan
"Update! (v2)"
I've posted a new version of Heliocentric this morning. The clouds are smoothed out a bit as are the rocks in the foreground. There are a few other little tweaks that I will leave for you to discover. Getting closer!

Sat July 9, 2011 at 9:35 am

Benke
"Best of 2011! (so far)"
Wow! This is definately the best one you've made this year since Dolmen! :D I love the view, the cloads and the colors! My membership went out yesterday and it is definately worth renewing it! ;)

Sat July 9, 2011 at 8:29 am

Amaryllis
"perspective"
Lightbulb...I get what people mean by 'flat' persepctive: the horizon line parallel to the bottom of the frame. I like it the way it is, however, because lifting your eyes up and to the right gives a a sense of hope and positivity.

Sat July 9, 2011 at 5:13 am

Scott
"these coworkers..."
Them: "oh wow, where was that picture taken?!"



Me: "umm, actually it's this artist on the internet..."



Them: /boggle



+1 to ya Ryan.

Fri July 8, 2011 at 4:38 pm

Kana
"little guy with a crystal"
I didn't even notice the guy, he blends in with the rock. He looked like a piece of outcropping or a really dark tree lol. Either lighten him up a little to make him more visible, or take him out?



Besides that, I love the angle of this one. Great work, as always!

Fri July 8, 2011 at 3:52 pm

Rusty
"on the right"
what is that dark area on the right side? is that something sticking up through the clouds?

Fri July 8, 2011 at 3:18 pm

Ryan
"Re: Multiscreen"
I haven't started the multiscreen yet (still finalizing scene) but I'm pretty sure it will be less canted than the single-screen. Not flat though...

Fri July 8, 2011 at 1:40 pm

Jack
"Tilting?"
I actually like the tilting. I'm not sure how that will work for a duel screen tho which I am very much hoping for!

Fri July 8, 2011 at 1:36 pm

Phil
"Leaning"
I love the picture but also would like to see it more level. It looks like the mountain in the foreground and the character is level, but then the rest of the world is all tilting. It seems a bit distracting.

Fri July 8, 2011 at 12:17 am

Ryan
"@Matty"
Glad you noticed! He is a recurring character ;)

Fri July 8, 2011 at 11:39 am

Matty
"Recurring Character?"
Ryan, this character seems to be alot like the one from Arcana, especially with the tiny red glowing crystal. Is this a recurring character, or simply unintentional?

Fri July 8, 2011 at 11:13 am

Littlemom
"Awesome"
This is exactly why I am a DB member. I always love your landscape type wallpapers they are always my favorites. Can't wait to see the finished product. As always great job Ryan!!!

Fri July 8, 2011 at 9:08 am

anna_writr
"D'oh!"
Okay, there are TWO posers, and definitely a little more definition needed in them. :D

Fri July 8, 2011 at 8:51 am

anna_writr
"Nice but"
I'd love to see the poser with a little more definition on his cloak so he doesn't just fade into the rock.



Also maybe a level version? It's artsy but I find my head tilting.



Love the clouds!

Fri July 8, 2011 at 8:49 am

Paul
"Perspective"
Awesome image but I keep tilting my head to the left... I would prefer it to be flat rather than at an angle. :)

Fri July 8, 2011 at 8:47 am

Matt
"Great perspective"
I personally love this render, and you use the third's rule very well here, no matter the perspective. It's like a flyover of a scene, and we are heading toward the sun. Can't wait for a dual-screen version for at work!! :)

Fri July 8, 2011 at 8:47 am

Brian
"@Ryan"
i went to the link now and got the correct size. The size I got initially on 3 occasions, was a the length of a multiscreen but the height was like 600 pixels. Weird. Anyway, all is good and downloaded.

Fri July 8, 2011 at 8:06 am

Ryan
"@Brian"
Thanks for the feedback! I checked the 1920 x 1080 file and it seemed to be correct on my end. What size are you seeing?

Fri July 8, 2011 at 7:47 am

Brian
"Link 1920 x 1080"
It is breathtaking and the colours are awesome. Just one thing, though. I think the link for the HD 1920 x 1080 is wrong as the pic does not look the right size....

Fri July 8, 2011 at 7:02 am

Amaryllis
"initial reaction"
It's breath-taking. Will become another favorite when final version posted I think. Don't really understand the calls for a 'flat' perspective, however. I don't know what that means. But for me, by the time my eye reaches the right top corner of the image my imagination is already in freefall - it's what I love about DB.



I see two figures in this image, actually, and not just a 'sorcerer' type. There seems to be a light-haired woman, too.

Fri July 8, 2011 at 6:07 am

Alex H
"Quick idea"
Replace the sorcerer dude with two people (Parent(s) and child(ren) or even a simple couple) embracing and watching the sunrise. You could give them roughed up/ragged clothes to hint at some dangerous journey they're undertaking together.



The human touch is simple, but is such a good way to inject meaning into beauty with little effort. What's the point of amazing scenery if there's no one around to appreciate it! :P



Do a picklejar version with no people in it for members who can't handle the intimacy :P



Great pic imo, don't lose the stars or the perspective. With a little polish, this one could be your best so far.

Fri July 8, 2011 at 4:54 am

Greg Zaal
"teh atmosphere"
And I see you're trying to make it cheerful... it's not working ;)

The contrast and overall darkness and orange of it make it look evil. I thought that dude was some sort of evil sorcerer!

Perhaps some grass on the foreground mountain will make it better, and that will fix the previous problem I mentioned



Also the ominous clouds in the sky - I'm sure they would be lit from the bottom if you can see the sky from the ground. Lighting them from the bottom will also cheer it up a lot :)



(Lets hope I don't think of anything more ;) I have three separate comments already :P )

Fri July 8, 2011 at 2:52 am

Greg Zaal
"teh rock"
And the rock in the foreground could be better... not sure what's with that...

But you've inspired me to try my first landscape!!

Fri July 8, 2011 at 2:47 am

Walo
"Love it!"
I love this render! It has a very unique atmosphere(literally and metaphorically). I say tweak it if you feel you can make it better, but I love it the way it is.

Fri July 8, 2011 at 2:38 am

Greg Zaal
"teh clouds are meh...."
Ah Ryan it's awesome!! BUT the clouds again look pretty terrible... I'm sure this cant be a limitation in the software, I've seen so many good clouds in your works!

Apart from that, it's seriously epic :)

Fri July 8, 2011 at 2:38 am

Andy
"Amazing!"
One of my favourites this year, very nice job!

Fri July 8, 2011 at 1:58 am

Labanimal
"Heliocentric"
Love this new design! There are two main problems with the design, Godzilla and the surface clouds to the middle right, and the mountain mid left. The surface clouds seems to become very choppy, not flowing too nicely... Godzilla is in the way I think, its very distracting!...



The way the sun comes up and shines over everything... You would think that the mountain to the mid left would be a lot brighter!...

Fri July 8, 2011 at 0:45 am

Max
"Has great potential"
I agree with what some others have said. The layout is badass, but the actual level of realism and detail is lacking.

Fri July 8, 2011 at 0:12 am

Kristin
"Serene"
Oh I'm in love with this! Even though it is still a "little rough around the edges" as you may say it is still fantastic. Leaves me with a "wow" feeling :)

Thu July 7, 2011 at 10:41 pm

Logan
"Crematoria"
Reminds me of the planet Crematoria, from Chronicles of Riddick. You know, with the big difference between night and the scorching sun.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 9:47 pm

RoninStorm
"Snap!"
... probably means the bloke on the hill is watching what Godzilla will do next. ;)



(Sorry, Ryan, just see what I see. :) Hopefully not broken the image for anyone!)

Thu July 7, 2011 at 9:40 pm

Brandi
"Liking it VERY much."
I agree about the area to the middle right looking odd (like a dinosaur), but I'm sure you'll clean that up.



You've put out so many great new and semi-new wallpapers lately, I'm having a hard time keeping them on my desktop (and laptop) for long!

Thu July 7, 2011 at 9:40 pm

celmendo
"definitely the best laugh I've ever had on your site"
:)

Thu July 7, 2011 at 9:38 pm

RoninStorm
"Godzilla?!"
Agree with phil on the black patch on the low-middle right, but to me it almost looks like Godzilla wading through the mist. Surely it's not... right?!



Would really like to see this in dual screen, with the sun way over to the right.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 9:37 pm

celmendo
"Like it but..."
the shadow/cloud/mountain area in the middle right looks like a dinosaur facing to his left with a penis tail. Am I the only one seeing this?

Thu July 7, 2011 at 9:34 pm

phil
"I really like it (especially the angle/prespective), but odd part of mountain on middle right?"
I really like this one. Especially the contrast of the intense color on the right with the nearly grayscale in the top left.



But, my eyes keep getting drawn to the mountain on the middle right as something doesn't seem quite right. Either the intense black shading or the way the clouds break around it on the right edge?

Thu July 7, 2011 at 8:47 pm

Paul M.
""Interesting""
Ryan,

Nice Picture...Is this supposesd to be on a different planet? Always a fan!

Thu July 7, 2011 at 7:23 pm

Benson
"Lovely"
This planet must have low gravity to support such sheer topography.



I really like this one, and can't wait to see the multiscreen renders.



And Ted S already took most of my thoughts and put them better, so I'll be brief: if the definition of Digital Blasphemy is to become the Creator of your own worlds, what a waste it would be if they all looked just like Earth!

Thu July 7, 2011 at 7:18 pm

Lidia
"Heliocentric"
I don't like it much. It's too bright and too dark at the same time.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 5:47 pm

Eneelia
"love it"
I love the tilted angle and the color and contrast to the night sky.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 5:07 pm

Jenanne
"@Ted S"
Ted, I agree with you 1000 percent. I want to see Ryan's imagination in his work, not photojournalism. That said, I love most of Ryan's work. :)

Thu July 7, 2011 at 4:01 pm

Brief
"The best neck strain I've had."
Well at first, perspective was a concern of mine. Not anymore though. But I would like to see a little bit more sky. All in all, another one of my favorites.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 3:45 pm

Ted S
"Too many calls for more "realism" recently"
I like that Ryan is willing to take creative liberties with his artwork regarding things like stars when the sun is shining and planets in strange orbits. The pieces may have some photo-realistic qualities, but they aren't photographs.



When his work has similarities to the beautiful environments here on Earth, that is fine since it makes them more recognizable. But the generally subtle "unrealistic" differences are often what make me really wish I could escape into the scenes; I can't just Google a picture of the place or buy a plane ticket to get there.



I personally don't come to Digital Blasphemy to see photos. I come to see the immensely imaginative fantasy worlds that Ryan is able to dream up and translate into works that he shares with us so that we can all enjoy them.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 3:43 pm

Brett
"Wow"
Ok looks like I have yet another favorite!



Once the dual screens are up this is my new wallpaper ;)... not sure what I am going to do soon.. upgrading to 4 monitors :D

Thu July 7, 2011 at 3:35 pm

Pete
"Lovely!"
The clouds in the valley look a bit off to me, but otherwise, this is really outstanding. Love your work, as always, Ryan!

Thu July 7, 2011 at 3:04 pm

Kromak
"my new favorite"
I think this is my new favorite, nuff said...

Thu July 7, 2011 at 3:03 pm

betsey
"enshrouded??"
is this the one you were talking about re-doing "Enshrouded"??? My brain just clicked on this when I read the comment about "red Sky....."

Thu July 7, 2011 at 2:57 pm

Skrit
"Stars"
Keep the moon/stars, I love the contrast between them and the blazing sun! Realism be darned!



I also agree with rdefores. Getting to see drafts and the process as they progress with your recent works has been fantastic.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 2:55 pm

Thunderbol
"me like"
I like the perspective. I also like the stars in in (although they are rather small).

I like it in general when the picture looks real world like for most of the time (or not too much out of this world), but then has this one (or really few) elements which create this out of this world feeling. it's a good combination, imho much better than pure out of this world stuff or abstracts (aside from the db mushrooms).

Thu July 7, 2011 at 2:29 pm

Ryan
"Re:Stars"
Thanks for the feedback so far. I know the stars are unrealistic but I like them here.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 2:19 pm

Tyler
"@Mr. Bliss"
Was this inspired by Red Sky at Night? The angle is fantastic and I guarantee once you touch it up it will become an instant classic!

Thu July 7, 2011 at 1:26 pm

rdefores
"Forgot to mention: thanks for including us in your creative process"
I like that you publish these drafts and solicit comments. It shows confidence in yourself and respect for us. It is one of the many reasons I promote your work to friends and co-workers.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 12:49 am

Chris
"Feels like I'm flying."
I personally enjoy the perspective. Has the feeling of flying over the cliff edge in something like a hang glider or wing suit.



I would also agree that the stars and moon seem to be a little out of place considering the proximity and intensity of the sun. While they might be partially visible in that amount of light, they seem too well defined. Might be worth experimenting along those lines.



Overall I like it. Looking forward to the final tweaks.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 12:47 am

rdefores
"more on perspective/angle"
I like the idea of a tilted/banked viewpoint, like from a turning airplane, but the rock and person (or is it people?) in the foreground don't seem to have the same tilt, so it looks like they're from a different scene. I think if there were things on the foreground rock which made it clear that 'up' is pointing at about 11 o'clock, the cognitive dissonance would give way to the feeling of motion implied by the rest of the scene. I think barren pine tree skeletons would suit the mood nicely for gravity compasses. :)

Thu July 7, 2011 at 12:46 am

jlpilkin
"I would loose the stars"
Overall, an excellent wallpaper. It goes well with my 'early morning' collection. I would loose the stars against the black sky near the top-left, as it goes against what could actually happen in a real atmosphere, especially given the presence of clouds and the proximity of the sun. Of course, this could also take place in a purely fantastical world, which is fine - I just can't convince my brain to believe it.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 12:36 am

dmackoy
"A great start"
Off to a great start. I like the color and feel but have to agree on the perspective, needs to be flat. Other than that I am looking forward to the completed render.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 12:36 am

FlareHeart
"Gorgeous!"
I love the color and the angle! I think it's something new that is a great twist. Maybe a flattened perspective in the pickle jar for those that prefer it, but I really like the angle in this one.

Thanks for the great wallpaper again Ryan!

Thu July 7, 2011 at 12:33 am

Kirk
"Thoughts on the perspective"
I like the perspective quite a bit... I'm just wondering how you're going to do the multi screens. It seems to me you'd have to adjust the perspective, but maybe I'm wrong.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 12:09 am

Ryan
"Perspective"
I love the perspective - feels exciting, adventurous - which I'm sure is how some people feel about inner ear infections.



Not real keen on the dude on the cliff - but he's not that important.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 11:57 am

Ryan
"@JoeC"
I had a feeling that opinions on the perspective would be mixed. I personally prefer it for this scene. What does everyone else think?

Thu July 7, 2011 at 11:51 am

JoeC
"Amazing and cool, but..."
the perspective makes me feel like I have an inner ear infection. Can we get one that's flat, please?

Thu July 7, 2011 at 11:30 am

Yanthor
"Wow!"
This is incredible! I hope when you finish polishing it that you provide several variants in the Pickle Jar. This feels like there could be other variants with other lighting angles and lighting colors that could be equally breathtaking in their own ways.



Your work just keeps getting better and better!

Thu July 7, 2011 at 10:42 am

JBumgarner
"Interesting"
Feels like I'm gonna teeter over the edge of the cliff.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 10:09 am

The Guru
"Like it, with a few reservations."
I love the mood and the setting, and the general layout, but as far as how you pulled it off, the whole thing seems a little like a draft. The clouds seem a little too choppy and the texture of the rocks seems a little off. Still a good wallpaper. I just think it needs a little work.

Thu July 7, 2011 at 9:33 am


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