Yes, these pictures are just amazing. When you look up into the sky, the planets are just tiny pinpricks of light that can hardly be recognized as the gaseous monstrosities they are. Ergo, it is amazing to be able to see planets so close that they seem to be reachable, touchable. This is what I'd love to see when looking over the night sky, rather than little points of light...



Beautiful. Keep the great ones coming!

All of your surreal pictures have always attracted me the most; real life is just so limited! The blue in this one is perfect.

I am a late bloomer so forgive me for taking so long to comment, but this continues to be one of my most favorite scenes. The color invokes feelings of both peace and wonderment. I love it and hope to see more surrealistic and inspiring sceneries such as this.

Any world of this sort would have much variety. I would like to see this in daylight, or during a storm. I would like to see other places on this moon, such as a city or village. How does the sky look when the moon is in the Shadow of Thetis? How large is the moon's shadow when it transits?



Yes, More please!

I'd love to have some of your newer images as backgrounds on my PSP. Are you planning on updating the PSP collection?

really awesome background, such a vibrant blue, i feel like i enter another dimension when i look at this.

Nice blue. Definitely a nice blue.

I have loved your work for a long time and "Tropical Moon of Thetis" has always been my favorite. Any time I looked at it I was transported to a dreamy tropical night beneath a far away star. When I saw this updated version though, it simply took my breath away. This is a place so vivid to me it feels more like a memory than a daydream. Beautiful, transcendent work, I thank you.

My 10 year-old son termed this work as "splendid" from over my shoulder.



I have to agree. As I sat looking at this image, I could almost feel the water drying on my skin from a late night swim. The feel is of contentment. Sitting quietly on some far away world looking at the moon and thinking without really thinking any one thing.



Thanks

Safire

I JUST WANNA SAY: WHOOOAA

your planetscapes, especially in light of the beach. i want to live there. :)well done



woot woot!

Well give me a pina colada and call me on vacation. Tropical moon of thetis is one of my favorites and this is right up there. Another great one reminding me why I love this site!

This is an excellent reworking of the original for certain. The other reworking (in the pickle jar) definitely doesn't hold a candle to this one. The colors in this are richer and more vibrant ... the pickle jar version seemed rather washed out.



There were a couple of things that I didn't care for here though. Like a couple of other folks, I would have liked a tad more light on the foreground ... but the darkness does give it a tad more of a ... "spooky" feeling I guess. Makes me wonder what's there, is it safe to step to the water's edge?



The other thing is the almost perfect calmness of the water. It appears that this is a very large body of water (lake, sea or ocean) - very large bodies of water are seldomly so calm. Also, the clouds on the horizon portend an incoming storm (or perhaps one that has recently passed). Storms rather tend to cause at least some surf. I would suppose, though, that adding even a little bit of surf would be pretty difficult - probably causing the render to take a few extra weeks. :)



Still, all-in-all, one of your best and now one of my favorites.

It was/is a spectacular vision...the multiple screen mode defies superlatives...jsw

A fantastic reworking of the original - I think the blues work much much better with the image. Gorgeous.

Whilst everyone else is lauding this image I'm afraid to say that it really doesn't work for me. I think it's because in my mind I think that an object that big in the sky should cause massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Which is probably my fault for spending too much of my working time as a scientist. That said, the colours are lovely and I like the silhouette effect.

I must say I love this one; I actually like your darker images more since they are less distracting. The brighter ones I find I can not set as a background since they are hard to look at for an extended amount of time.

I'd like to see something in the water. Anything from a person in a small row-boat to a large sailing ship. Other than that, this is excellent work.

Much better, rings better and clouds better. Well Done!



Oh, and if you hadn't already found out the iPhones screen size the pictures need to be 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 160 dpi (screen size) and be in a portrait postion. The image is sadly only displayed when the phone gets turned on and when making a call.

... i use the same wallpaper for more than 1 day. In fact, Tropical Moon 2007 has been on my desktop since I downloaded it last week. What a beauty on my 22" widescreen!! I withdraw my earlier commentary that the planet should have more details.



Therefore I wish I could change my earlier rating from 9 to 10. It's worth it!

love the mood especially in the blueish version, absolutely over the top!

One of the best.

Great update to one of my favorite images!

The regular widescreen is an 8 for me but the dual widescreen is a solid 10!

Yes, this is even better than the last one!



The original of this has always been my favorite of your works, but more than once I wished it were in blue. Thank you for updating, and for not changing it too much!

This is a very beautiful image. I like your space-based images the best. Super images!

If I ever needed more of a reason to invest i na bigger and preferably widescreen monitor it is your work Ryan, recently I have noticed that your work is clearly designed now for a wider aspect as the triple screen version of this is amazing.



Keep up the good work!



T.

My first reaction was dropping my jaw and thinking "Oh my gosh this is so beautiful." I especially like how the planet seems to rise out of the clouds. I also like it because it gives me a fairytale-esque feeling. My only request is to get the dual widescreen version ;)



In any case this is a clear keeper for my desktop for a long time.

Just download the 1920x1200 version, dude. It has the same aspect ratio. A free desktop utility like Webshots will resize it automatically.

I love these scenic tropical type space scenes - they're awe inspiring and I love it! Keep up the great work!



On a thought, have you thought of combining the scale of a scenic picture with something like your older one entitled "Brink"? The first time I saw Brink - I thought I was going to fall off the land as it portrayed surprising scale.



Good job!



- Gabe

I absolutely love this!



Is there anyway to get some of these in 1680x1050?

This is one of many where I lose a large part of the bottom and it changes the whole look!



Keep up the good work Ryan!

no comments

- a beautiful construction | collage | of blue and black color tones, an object, background and foreground | nice balance



- nice placement of an object | the planet | that drew my eye to the center of the DI



- I give this DI 8 out of 10 because the artistry and organization of this DI grabbed my attention, begged the question, What if . . . , and took me beyond

This is excellent but would like to see a dual monitor version 3840 x 1200. I like most of your work but only use those versions for my desktop.

Perfect. Simply perfect. I don't know what else to say.



10/10.

This one doesn't surpass my love of the original one, but it's beautiful in its own right. A lovely rendition and a huge improvement over your first version that I'm happy to add to my collection. :)

I have to hand it to you Ryan, you incorporate our advice very well and always do a nice job revising your images!



This one looks great, thank you!

I still can't say that this will ever replace the original, but this version definitely gives it solid competition. Kudos on the improvements.



On a side note, I really respect the fact that you are willing to make alterations to your work based on user input. I'd imagine that, as an artist, it takes a bit of humility to open yourself up to criticism like you do in these comments, so kudos for that as well.

Woah, that latest update looks great. Just wanted to stop by and let you know how much I like it. Keep it up!

better then the last and better then the very first one



8/10

I like this version alot better than the 1st. The color is much more fitting and the world size is more appropriate, great job.

there we go. I'm at peace now.

The original was always one that I considered very good - but not great - and never spent much more than a day on my desktop. The first remake was a great improvement, but the second revision is absolutely gorgeous. I don't want to use my computer anymore - I just want to look at it!

Quite possibly my favorite desktop yet. The blue is now just the right intensity, the clouds look exactly as I see them over the lake at night here in Michigan all the time, and the rings look like they belong with the planet in a way they didn't before. The other versions seemed a bit muted and that was fine because it is a night seen; however, now that I've seen this brighter version, I think the others belong in the pickle jar.

I didn't think it would be possible to improve on the previous version of this piece but you never cease to amaze me, Ryan. Again, another solid 10 in my book. I would've given it an 11 if I could.

Absolutely Beautiful!!! Anyone who makes even the slightest negative comment is an idiot. Keep up the good, no GREAT work.

I like the new darkend color to it, better than the old one. Also the clouds look to much like som sort of thik smoke, the one cloud to the far right looks ''normal'', the rest well no.



Besides the clouds i think its GREAT! Love sea, perhaps more refleaction in the water aswell? Also the planet could use some more detail like small holes and rifts and that sort of stuffy detail.



Great job! 8/10!

I really hate to be negative about your work Ryan, you do such fabulous stuff. The 'update' posted a few days ago was a work of genius that did need a few minor fixes that were fixed in this one.



However, I really feel, this is not so much as an update to the original 'Thetis' as a new image completely. I do like the original Thetis because it had an unreal feel to it, it looked rather fake (sorry) and that was what was good about it. This 'update' looks so darn realisitic, in your unreal way, it is hardly an update from the original.



My main complaint is that this is being pushed by you and the other members as an update to the original 'Thetis moon'. However is is so radically different, I feel it should really be given a new name all together.



OK, that's just my naming issues.



My other issues are with the;



- The clouds look slightly better in this update, but not perfect.



- The 'mist' that looks like a horizontal plane that streak out over the volume clouds



- It also doesn't feel right, for some reason.



So there you have it.



My complaints with this one, I look forward to a new image entirely.



6/10

I like this new version better than the one posted the other day. After flipping back and forth between my background and browser, I can say that the adjustments make the picture seem more detailed and richer. Looking forward to the next wallpaper. A 10!

it was hard to put a finger on, but there was just something wrong with the last version. you fixed it completely. this one is much better. i agree that brightening the foreground would have been lame, after all, in the original thetis the foreground was completely black, and no one had a problem with that. i agree that the fern thing in the middle looks fake and should be removed or redone.

Wow! This has been the BEST year to be a DB member =)



I LOVE the new colors and the new detailing. It's so very very delicate, wispy, ethereal... completely otherworldly.



And I adore "Saturn" so... :)



Liz



1st Saturn Birthday is August 19th.

I like the colours! I love the combination! It's great! I took a look at the original and yes, I agree the clouds needed more detail. It looks soo real. Very smooth and the wisps with the clouds make me speechless.

I think this might be the best pic you've made yet. Thetis was already one of my favorites, if not THE favorite, and this upgrades it in every way, shape, or form. Also helps that I love anything in blue. But the horizon line looks great, the slight blue hue on the foliage also looks good, and the rings look much better. Wish they were tilted just a little less, but hey that's a really minor gripe. I give this one a big fat 10.

I really like the vibrant colors in this one vs. the grayish clouds of the first revision.

Ryan, definitely an upgrade of an already amazing image. Somehow you took all the suggestions and turned them into something unbelievable. KUDOS to you my man. Keep up the great work.

Yep, I definitely like this one better than the original rework, but I still think the first Tropical Moon of Thetis is awe-inspiring.



The clouds on this look very photo-realistic, and the reworked rings around the planet look a lot better, more like the rings on Saturn. Given how big the planet is, I'd say throw a couple more palm trees in the foreground to give more of a sense of sizing scale, [i.e. planet is HUGE] but that's me.



At any rate, I love how peaceful this image is too with all the blue tones. =)

I would love to see this in a 4800x1200

I think the plant in the middle of the foreground really has to go. It's the only part of the image that doesn't look real.

I didnt really know how to suggest improvements but comparing this tothe one you posed a couple of days ago I prefer this one. I expect you get lots of requests ofr remakes, so I'll join in and make my request but could you consider a remake of Song of the Sky, the original is in your top ten and I feel if this was reworked it would look even more amazing.



T.

Quite an improvement over the other versions. Foliage looks better and the ring shadows feel right. I really like the clouds. A wonderful reimagining of the original.

WOW!!! This one looks great!!

I happen to like the high contrast between the foreground and the moon. It adds some nice visual tension to the piece.



The clouds are over all much improved as well.

Absolutely a big improvement compared to the first version! But I still think the planet should have more details, like in the original 'Tropical Moon'. Then I possibly would give a 10 - now i'll raise from 7 to



9*



(maybe a piclejar version in red/orange, like you did with 'Vigil'?)

Love the deeper, richer blue and the more prominent rings. A much-improved version of a great picture!

This version is much better than the original. I particularly like the abundance of blue, the much improved clouds, and the fact that the planet is smaller (or farther away, whichever viewpoint you prefer) and so doesn't completely over-dominate the field of view like the first version.



I wonder, though, what this view might look like if there was another moon orbiting the planet, perhaps casting a small shadow that's visible, but not so large (either the moon or moon shadow) as to shift too much focus away from the planet itself.



Not sure where I'd position it. Either between the rings and the planet (low-orbit moon), within one of the dark empty bands within the rings themselves, or perhaps simply between the viewer and the planet, positioned just to the right of the rings on the left side of the planet, within the left most 25% of the medium blue lit area.



I don't know if any of that would work or not, it's just a random thought I had for a potential alternate version.

Wow, the update to the _new_ Tropical Moon is like night and day, worlds better, but still I like the original. I fall in the same category as some of the others who had posted comments on the first "Tropical Moon (2007)" now in the pickle jar, and that its my all time favorite DB render to date, minus the lack of a 4800 x 1600 version. In fact the first tropical moon is the whole reason I got my DB account. I also know that its near impossible to rework someone's all time favorite piece of artwork and have them still love it as much, and in this case even more, but I feel that this is so close to doing just that; expect the foreground being so darken that it makes my mind work overtime trying to focus on objects that really don't have any defining depth. It keeps my eyes and mind in a constant state like that of entering a room at night that you have just turned the lights off and now must navigate with out tripping over items or bumping into things. I relate it to heading off to bed, late at night when someone is already sleeping and you don't want to wake them. You have to strain your eyes to see in the dark, and thats how I feel while looking at this render, like I'm constantly straining to see detail that I will never be able to see, because the detail just isn't there. I think a soft light, like the original tropical moon that gives it a very late twilight feel on the beach would seal the deal on this revisit as the all time best, but until then, and I know that as an artist you only ever want to redo your work so many times, it rates somewhere behind the original. At the end of the day, I still give it a 7, I'd love to give it a 10, but with with the foreground bugging me I can't. In fact if the foreground was removed and it was just the waterfront, cloud ring and the moon, I'd say that it would be able to stand on its own as a 9.

ever so much better to me. Thanks Ryan

I completely agree with Timothy, this version is much better than the previous one and more like the original Thetis Moon. I especially like the deeper blue background and the more prominent rings and horizon.



While I'd love to give it a 10 I gave it a 9 just because I loved the green in the original Thetis Moon and I think it would add more to the picture.

Now this is much better than the first one! And it looks more like the original Thetis Moon. The rings and planet are prominent which makes it more eye catching...

I see a horizon now which adds a lot more depth to the scene and the blue of the image is a lot bolder.



Overall great work Ryan a fine update!





I will rate this a 10 because I can't find a fault with this one.