Description
I really wanted to give Vue d’Esprit’s clouds a workout here. They had just come out with a new version which allowed clouds to cast shadows on each other (something which, believe it or not, wasn’t possible before). This image actually started out as clouds only but I added the forest late in the process to give everything a sense of scale. This image took an absurd amount of time to render (over 10 days) so I had to wait until I purchased a new workstation in May 2011 until I could devote the rendertime needed to produce the multiscreen. I finally finished it in Sept 2011 after a staggering 1000 hour render.
Enshrouded: enshrouded1
Brian
Even though it increased the render time dramatically, I really think having those high-res trees paid off! All of the trees have so much detail, it looks like a photograph.
It looks great with my 4 monitors! 🙂
Lawrence
Ryan, Thanks also for not stopping with this one. I was hoping you’d make a dual monitor render. I looks great. Good job.
Justin B
…for not giving up on this one. I’m thrilled to see the multi-screen render finally up, as this has got to be one of, if not the favorite of mine. I have already been asked several times where the picture was taken. Absolutely stunning.
Bill
Thanks to old friends like Hydra. Simply stunning and well worth the wait. 1000 hours, that’s like 40+ CPU-days! Smoly hokes!
Tyler
Now you need to get cracking on The Forest Citadel. I’m sure that will take 2000 hours so time to wake up the ole Hydra! Thanks in advance dear friend.
Daniel B
This is excellent, Im using 3 x 24inch monitors, and typically the distortion/stretching on the outer monitors annoys me, but this wallpaper doesn’t seem to have it. Awesome!
Chris B
This isn’t the first time I’ve thought about getting 2 more monitors, but definitely the most tempting!
This might be one of your best ever multi screen images, there doesn’t even seem to be any of the barrel distortion at all!
PS Congrats on your first 1,000 hr render. Thanks Hydra for sticking it out!
LisaB
This is beautiful! Thanks for taking the time.
Phillip D
1000 hours? I thought one of mine was bad for that render going over 60 hours to complete! Well it was well worth it going a 1,000 hour milestone becuase I love the trees
Phillip D
1000 hours? I thought one of mine was bad for that render going over 60 hours to complete! Well it was well worth it going a 1,000 hour milestone becuase I love the trees
Sleepy
Now I want triple monitors 🙁
xb0xwid0w
So happy that you were finally able to create a dual screen of this. I can’t wait to get to work and put it up to see what it really looks like. Thank you for all of the wonderful work you have done! I have enjoyed it for many years!
Miguell026
your old rig despite slow (nowdays) can still be a valuable aid to you! =)
definitely…
horcruxhp
Thanks for the dual screen version of Enshrouded! The single monitor version is set up as my login screen. Now I have one for the desktop as well.
Hmmm. Ryan, do you think you’ll ever do a dual or triple screen version of Shambhala? I think that would be fantastic!
Jenanne
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is one of my all-time favorites, and I’m so glad to have the multiscreens. WELL worth the wait, Ryan!
Rich A
Thank you, thank you, thank you. One last, easy nit to pick: “Ryan’s Notes” deserve an update.
Stupidude
Dude, where is it?
Tim
Well worth 1000 hours.
Outstanding Ryan. Thanks.
Big Dave
Totally worth the wait!
Jenanne
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is one of my all-time favorites, and I’m so glad to have the multiscreens. WELL worth the wait, Ryan!
Caleb
Looks absolutely amazing across my 3 monitors. Excellent work.
Ryan
Thanks for the heads up. The 480 x 800 link is working now.
Dennis M.
The 480 x 800 link is wrong!
Sebastian
… ought to be the single most photorealistic image I have ever seen in my feeble, insignificant life!
Do not *ever* stop doing this! 🙂
Ben
Looks wonderful. Any chance we’ll get to see a triple monitor version?
Thanks!
Rene
Speachless!!!!!
Barry
It looks very like a late Summer’s morning where I live in Oregon.
Eryn
I remeber this one from before, I recently went and saw Avatar, looks simular to the floating mountians. I really like the look.
Nick
This satiates my need for an AVATAR background
revolut10n
Is this one ever going to be done @7680×1600?
Wyatt
Reminds me of pictures I have seen of the rainforests. Borneo,Amazon,African highlands. Again a beautiful snapshot. Thank you
Neal
and where’s the triple-screen 7680×1600 love 🙂
Matt
Where’s the dual screen 3200×1200 love?
🙂
Keep up the good work!
Greg in KC
This is one of my favorite wallpapers, and I came back to the comment page to see if there was any update on the multiscreen versions… on hearing that it had been tabled, I thought, hey, let’s see if how the widescreen version would scale if I set that to my dual-screen wallpaper. It works out pretty well… hardly noticeable that the resolution isn’t quite right… so for all you dual-screeners who are waiting on this one, just use the 2560X1600 widescreen.
Thanks, Ryan for all of your amazing work.
Jenanne
for the update! This is a lovely render and it would be nice to have the dual screen version, but I’m not going to hope you’ll be laid up again so the thing can finish rendering. You’ve been a champ this year, putting out amazing work while going through surgery after surgery. Don’t worry about it — move on!
Ryan
I simply wasn’t progressing over many weeks so I ended up stopping it so I could work on other projects. I will try again in the future. So best not to hold your breath for this one. I simply made it too complex and the only reason the single-screen finished was because I was laid up in recovery.
Cybinary
Just checking on progress of the dual screen render…anytime soon hopefully?
Liggs
DUAL SCREEN! DUAL SCREEN! DUAL SCREEN! DUAL SCREEN!
Erik
Please dual screen version? Pretty please? I love this 🙂
-e
Justin
I have seen several post about a dual screen version of Enshrouded which I am eagerly awaiting… What’s the ETA???
Utoxin
Like everyone else, I’m eagerly awaiting the multiscreen versions of this. It’s one of your best pieces ever, and I can’t wait to get a version for my main desktop rig.
Jenanne
Any idea when the dual widescreen renders will be done? This has to be some kind of world render record, plus tying up your most powerful computer. Not rushing you — I know it can’t be rushed, but Wow.
Ryan
I think the problem with this one might be the hi-resolution objects I used for the vegetation. I thought it was the clouds, but this sucker renders slow even with the atmosphere settings turned down.
Maarten
Wow, incredible render times for those multiscreen versions. Well, I for one am sure they are worth the wait!
temp
Where is the dual screen version? It has been over a month!
JK
By my estimations the multi-screen should be ready by the middle of September. Might as well go ahead and make those leaves on the trees start turning colors for autumn! 🙂
I kid I kid!
byteful
Is there any chance that this beautiful ‘db’ picture is gonna be ‘released’ in a multi-screen format, any time soon?
JK
How many weeks left on the multi-monitor renders?
Norm
Where is the dual widescreen version?? It has been a long time.
Maelin
10 days to render on an eight core box, and we’ve gone down to four cores and up by a size of three.
So the multiscreens will be two months, then, huh 🙁
byteful
a 10 day rendering??? WOW!!! That is insane. Didnt know thqat it took that long, ever…..
Ryan
Still rendering the multi-screen version. I told you it would take a while. It’s rendering on my four-core machine (the single screen rendered on my eight-core main box) and it is three times larger than the single screen. The single screen took around 10 days to render.
JK
Last I heard this was in a world-record rendering on one of his workstations then allasudden his twitters seemed to stop mentioning it? I’m guessing to get all the different sizes it could take a couple weeks unless he gave up. Not sure I have the patience to wait for my machines to do stuff like that!
byteful
Is there any possibility of this one coming out so I can use it for my Dual monitors??
Greg in KC
Dennis, I like what you just said about this… what is the saying? Good things come to those who wait… given how awesome the single-screen version is, I think the multi-screen versions will be that much better.
Keep up the great work, Ryan!
Greg in KC
Dennis
As my wife used to say, before she was my wife, “Wait, wait, wait. Wait for the good thing.”
Given how long the original took to render, the extended version is bound to take more time.
Nyght
Where the heck is the dual widescreen??
Genj
Ryan,
What I find to be the best part of this membership experience is that you are so willing to listen to our worthless opinions. *grin* It’s almost as if we have our own personal artist making custom backgrounds for us.
You rock!
Barc
[Oops! Posted twice on Canopy Creek.]
Same thing here: I’d like portrait formatting for PDAs at 240×320, and 480×640.
Ryan
That’s the idea Genj. Glad you enjoy my work!!
Wolfe
I was just wondering why some of the images have dual and triple screen images, and others don’t. I happen to love the dual-screens because I constantly work on dual screens and love the fact that each of the backgrounds in recent history can split over my setup.
Ryan
I compose all of my images to fit a 16:10 frame. After I have them the way I like them (and have posted the single screen version) I widen the frame and fill in the sides. This becomes the multiple-screen version. If I did it the other way around I am afraid I wouldn’t have enough control over how the single screen version looked.There are a number of reasons why not every image has a multiple-screen version. In this case, the single screen version took 10 days to render so the multiple-screen version is going to take much longer. I am working on it though.
Backfist
stuff is so fun!
Backfist
That should be “your” stuff is so fun.
I am looking forward to your next piece!
Chris
I love this background. I have dual monitors at work and it looks like one giant forest. Keep up the great work!
Glenn
Nice redux Ryan. Thank you for allowing your fans input into your art–it really makes me feel more connected. Glad to hear you continue to be on the mend too!
Lextor
I think the remake is absolutely better than the first. Although their but great this one is much better.
Ann
Do I just happen to keep stumbling onto Ryan’s images that have been used without acknowledgement or credit, or are more being used? Here’s another I guess. Apparently someone called this woman on it before: http://www.google.com/ig/directory?hl=en&gl=us&type=themes&url=hawidu.com/themes/public/theme042709121231.xml
robk64
Ryan, congrats on one of the most realistic scenes you’ve created to date. I subscribe to your site because I frequently use your images as wallpaper background images on my computer. Unfortunately, I’m worried that brighter colors (or white) will burn up the little pixels in my screen more rapidly than darker colors. Any chance you’ll have a night version of this scene, or another night scene in the near future?
I’m a Vue Infinite user, also, but I stopped upgrading/updating at version 6 because 1) it’s only a hobby and the updates are getting expensive for what little is improved, and 2) I’m creating on an older MacBook Pro with only 4 GB Ram. I can’t afford to let it sit and render for several days (it really takes that long on some images).
When I take the plunge and buy a Mac Pro with 16 GB Ram, I’ll offer up some of my own images for your review.
Mengistuh
I did like the previous version, but this seems to be cleaned up a bit, and with more detail. The bird flying in the background was an excellent addition!
jedwards32
Hi Ryan,
Just a few words on Enshrouded. This revision is really cool. I have to say though, the original version really just blew me away. It will probably be my wallpaper for a long time to come. I personally think its one of the best works Ive seen of yours recently. Great concept, I love them both.
Atma
Improvements took much time to render but the final result is excellent.
I like both versions, I cannot say which one is the best.
Stewart
This one goes on the all-time classic list. Much improved (and I liked the original a lot).
Joy Barton
Thank you!
I pray you are feeling better.
Blessings,
Joy
Rearden
The light is very striking in this one. You’ve captured the interplay between the forest, clouds and sun perfectly, even though it took a long time to render, I think it was worth the wait.
Chris B
If you were rendering some clouds that weren’t as large a piece of the art work would it still take as long? Like say, Tropical Moon 07’s clouds. Would they still take almost 10 days to render?
Mike
It is too bad this took so long to render; the fog effect is quite stunning. It reminds me of time spent in the mountains. Thanks for another great piece of work!
hydr0
I absolutely love the new version of this. Liked the first one, but the change from clouds to fog/mist turned this into an utter masterpiece. It’s absolutely incredible.
Micro78
Please move the pictures back to the top of the page I don’t like them on the side! You can’t see the twitter all at once this way.
Sean
You managed to remind me of a particular morning on Oahu a couple years back when I was on vacation. This is a beautiful piece, and I thank you for the memories and fond feelings you’ve stirred up. I’m glad I took that membership.
John K.
This image is great, its quite calming yet a little eery. I love the bird.
Stijn
Looks absolutely gorgeous, but considering this took 10 days I presume a dual screen version is out of reach? Would be too bad….
Brent
If you like it put a triscreen on it!
I love this one as well as the first and will continue to wait not so patiently 🙂
Seeker
Yep…much better. The clouds look more real, and the shadows of the diffused sun are fantastic. Another beautiful job, and hope you feel better soon.
NMG
Your enshrouded series is absolutely beautiful. Way to go!
Walo
This is what I was imagining it was gonna be from the previous render. Great work as always Ryan.
Tim
Stunning re-render Ryan… 10 Days is more than epic!
Seems you need yourself a dedicated render farm mate!
Cracking work as ever.
Littlemom
I personally like both pictures and feel that each one creates a different feeling. And although they are the same picture, they look different so I have them both in my collection of 10K plus wallpapers. Beautiful job Ryan. Keep up the good work.
Eric
Ryan,
You have outdone yourself on this image! It looks like a photo I had when I was in the great smokey mountains years ago. Truly magnificent
Micro78
I liked the background. Bring it back!
bonesbro
While the clouds are great, it’s the trees that are really amazing. Your best yet.
Tuishimi
LOVE IT!
Aesir
The background disappeared. The trees in the upper left corner vanished in the light and yet the foreground is darker than the first version.
Although the clouds do looks much better in the new version, I like the overall feel of the first.
Russ
I believe I prefer the one in the pickle jar more. I “get” this version and the idea of the trees being “enshrouded” in mist. It also has a little more of a “dark” feel to it. I think with some tweeks the pickle jar version could classify as an arial view with the canopy poking out just above the cloud line.
I have enough things in my life that are sort of “downers”. The previous version seems to lift me up a little bit while the newest, kind of makes me feel “hot & sticky”. And not in a good way 😉 The summers here in Atlanta are humid enough. I don’t want to look at my monitor and start sweating. Maybe in the winter I will use it.
With that said, both versions are great, in their repective ways, and “keep on keeping on brother”!
P.S.
I know someone mentioned there should be some fauna (animals) in the pic but IMHO it wasn’t necessary. I see the little bird you added. Don’t give into the peer pressure man! It must have been the pain meds right 😉
Ryan
I actually made all these changes (including the bird) and was rendering for a day before I even posted the original. I posted the original because I knew this render was going to take forever.So while I enjoyed all the feedback, this image was created before I had read any of it.
Camazotz
Great job! This is now my new favorite! So realistic.
The Guru
I don’t have any nitpicks here. This one looks amazing. Good job!
Mirage
I definitely love this new render over the old one. The clouds in the foreground look much better (the trees on the right are still a bit dark, but oddly enough, with the clouds fixed, it’s not as distracting). And I *love* the bird! I’ve already put this on my laptop and I’m eagerly awaiting the dual screen render so I can put it on my work computer 🙂 Once again, excellent job.
Jenanne
I loved the original, but this is better in many ways. I particularly like the wispy look of the clouds and the additional trees in front. I like the bird, too. As others have said, however, the back left corner is really washed out and overly bright, and the front right corner is too dark; the trees are black in places. But overall I love the redux — thanks!
Chris B
The clouds look a little more realistic in this one, but at the same time the first one looked like a mountain top poking out above the tops of the clouds while this one looks more like a misty valley. Also accounts for the first being brighter & the second being a little darker… and the bird 😉
I had to bring them both up side by side to see if it was similar to the first one at all.
kody
yea ryan, even in your time of being down you are still bringin that irresistable bang of amazing pictures. i absolutely love the new pics no matter how long it takes, this sets the new standards. and just a quick thought… is there any chance that you can use this new program to create another motion picture wallpaper?
Marlowe
I really liked the first one but now that I have seen this new render I like it even more. It’s wicked! Also, hope your feeling better soon!
Ryan
The new version is almost ready!!
Pete
I love this new version. I think it looks much more like a cloud forest. I spent two weeks touring one in Costa Rica, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say this was a photo from my trip. Amazing work, Ryan!
William
The old version wasn’t bad, but I like the new one a lot more. The feel of the whole piece is much more natural, now with the progression of depth from the upper right corner on down to the lower left. The bird adds life and motion to the scene also!
SHv2
The new version is phenominal, def going onto my iPhone today.
Joe P
Looks great! The earlier version was flat, but this has the slope it needs, and the clouds/mist look phenominal!
Gilboron
The revised version looks far more realistic – the old version, though not bad, didn’t really live up to Digital Blasphemy qualities IMO. This one surpasses those quality demands (gives thumbs up)
Lidia
While the clouds certainly look much better in the new version, the light coming from behind looks brighter, which I don’t like; it kind of blinds me.
Dan
I know what you did! You made the first one and claimed the other was taking a long time when in reality you went to wherever this is and took a picture! Gotta wake up earlier than that to get by me!
Really though, amazing job. Hope you’re as happy with it as I am!
Jonathan L
Sorry to post again, but I really love what you’ve done… you show so much desire to improve the DB experience, and really, even though you’re laid up, you’re still doing a terrific job keeping your “customers” happy.
Great job, and I hope you feel better soon!
I love your latest render, even when the fog looked like foam (lol, teasing), it still looked amazing. 🙂
Chris
Just when I thought the previous Enshrouded was great, you come along and smack me in the face with this stunning rendition!
Absolutely epic and might I be bold to say that it even looks photo-realistic???
Great work Ryan, it just keeps getting better 🙂
Ryan
It had better look photorealistic. It took 10 days to render!
Getwired
😉 ‘Nuff said, dude!
Greg
And now that we can actually see some of the trees, I agree with what someone else said that a nighttime version with lights/people in the trees would look neat.
tim
its beautifil,my friend i love your work,the colors are awesome,i just got a knew g card for duel monitors,and two of the new 32 inch monitors and your work makes me have beautiful backgrounds joining your suit was the best money i’ve ever spent..thank you..tims.messy
Justin
I like this one a lot.. Are we going to get a dual screen version?
Adam
This one is beautiful! PLEASE do a dual widescreen version 🙂
Stormy
Wow! So powerful. Felt like my screen was moving with the action. Incredibly alive.
Genj
I think it’s looking pretty good. I would smooth the clouds a bit, as they carry a bit too much individual detail. I’ve seen an effect like this one time when taking off in a small plane in VA early in the AM; however, the cloud effect was a bit more like large cotton balls clumped together. Lots of individual clouds, but not much detail to each (low lying ground clouds).
Seth Allen
The pictures on this site always inspire me, this one especially.
I’ve been composing music to most of the recent art on this web site, and I can’t wait to start composing to this one.
Jason
This is so beautiful, I cannot wait until you have the Dual version done!
Ragnarök
Ryan,
Well done sir! I am sorry to hear you are back under the knife. Surgery sucks indeed. This image is perfect and I would not change a thing. So the clouds are not “realistic” enough they say? Well I am sure your subscribers are meteorologists right? In any case this is how clouds should look IMHO.
I will be praying for a hasty recovery my friend. Stay up and remember that God is faithful no matter what!
Peace,
Ragnarök
Autoclast
Mesmerizing clouds earn this a solid 9.
jim
you have done better
Jon H
I love the clouds, this is a cool pic!
Amber
There are just no words! I’ve been following your work for a few years and this is just absolutely amazing. Very glad we all have the pleasure of enjoying what you do!!
Spamesiter
I’d have to say that reading the comments on the “clouds”, I’d have to give you a pretty close on it. I’d just reduce the vertical aspect on the cloud formations to make it more “realistic” and slightly less poofy. Other than that just reduce the contrast between the crazy white and the uber dark and you’ve got another winner!
Glenn
Ryan: you did an older picture called Cloud Terrace where I think the quality of the clouds/fog was very pleasing. Was that the look you were going for here?
byteful
Well I can say this regarding the idea of fog and “Flat”, I have flown below, above and through fog arounr the San Francisco Bay Area, and the tops of the fog banks are flat. BUT!! They also are choppy, billowing(sp?), etc. It all depends of the winds. Are they blowing over a hill, have they warmed up for what ever reason and started to rise as warmer air is known to do?
All the being said…
GREAT JOB, RYAN.
Patrick
I stepped away from my computer for a minute at work and I came back to two co workers asking me “where did you take this picture?” Thinking they meant my screen saver I told them from my road trip during spring break. One said “I though you went to the desert” and the other said “Wait this is from that place you get all your wall papers I see the water mark now!”
This image seems so real, and it apparently has fooled a few people. GREAT JOB! cant wait for the dual scree version for my home computer!
Glenn
Hi Ryan,
I live in Pacifica, CA where I see this kind of picture fairly often with fog laying low in the areas that leave hilltops and trees peeping out in a truly magical way. (Let me see if I can find a picture of it to see if I can show you)
What I would suggest is to smooth out or reduce the number of cloud objects so that the overall effect is less “busy” and smoother. The effect of natural fog/clouds sitting low is a more blended and less grainy than your rendering has it–more like smoke at the edges than cumulus clouds which don’t appear to be settling in.
I hope I am being clear and helpful, not just critical. I am a huge fan of your work and I look forward to ALL your work.
Angelique
Enshrouded is my favorite this year.
Rich
I would just like to point out that having the members critique is likely a major part of how Ryan improves his images. No image is perfect and realizing that does nothing to diminish how fantastic his work is.
I do feel that fewer clouds and more trees would, along with decreasing the render time, make this feel more complete.
Great stuff!
Mike
I hiked up in the foothills of Southern Cal last weekend when it was (gasp) overcast. Turns out that the tops of clouds, when shrouded like this, can be really smooth – like a great big pillow of Charmin. Here’s a pic: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NFBhw8gB3-g/Sj2B3vKP5JI/AAAAAAAABBQ/_T6CB6RfugM/s1600-h/IMG_0812.JPG or http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NFBhw8gB3-g/Sj2B35f5glI/AAAAAAAABBY/BR_whBvPO6M/s400/IMG_0814.JPG
In any case – I love this. . .now, WHERE is the triple screen version???? Must Have It! LOL.
Matt
One of the best images ever.
Will
I am partial to your landscape scenes, especially those that involve clouds. This one is no different.
Thanks for another masterpiece.
Andy
ryan, curious as to if you got your inspiration for ‘enshrouded’ from the BBC’s Planet Earth?
here’s a screen-grab of what i’m talking about…
http://tinypic.com/r/2it244m/5
i love your image (as usual) and am truly only curious.
(pardon the quality of the screen-grab … i was watching a regular DVD on my full-HD monitor)
Pawan
You are amazing Ryan!
makip
Hi Ryan, first time comment poster, long time subscriber. I found this one breathtaking, just wanted to say every now and then you really inspire me. Thank you.
Maki
Adam
Awesome render, but i feel the clouds look a little too bumpy. I feel like you are going for a fog type look, and fog is generally flatter.
looks great tho!
dujeon
this is one of favourites you have done its fantastic
Anne
Ah, no wonder it didn’t seem to line up exactly with Springwood. Thanks, Kellzilla. I guess they thought no one would recognize that way. Easier to flip and crop it than ask for permission and include credit and a link. Grrr….
Jenanne
It’s not just that one article. Almost every World Science article I looked at uses a DB image as background. A few examples:
Roche Limit (2004) – http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090615_dog.htm
Children of the Night – http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/090607_germline.htm
Subterranean – http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090618_hemisphere-bias.htm
Arctica by Night – http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/090401_testosterone.htm
Anemones – http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/090323_outofafrica.htm
Starbirth – http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090617_energy.htm
If Ryan’s permission was not obtained, this is much more serious than a private individual making browser personas. A site like this would certainly know about the use of copyrighted material. I guess we’ll have to let you decide how to proceed on this one, Ryan, but it’s nice that your fans are protective of your work. 🙂
Mike
I’m waiting for the final render to see how the clouds will look then. In this version the trees are extremely realistic and I’d think it was a photograph and not a created image. However, I’d be wondering what the white stuff is because it has an unreal quality. Maybe because it’s too dense-looking so that you wouldn’t immediately think of fog or clouds. To be honest, it almost looks like the forest is covered in Polyfil or maybe an avalanche happened and it’s snow or perhaps it on fire and that is very dense smoke.
I’m not trying to be mean but just saying what I would think if I were looking at the image and if it were a photograph and trying to guess what the white stuff is.
Michael
Ryan’s work is amazing. Every time I get on here I see people complaining and making comments. Come on, you pay $99 for a life time membership and that’s it. He does the best art work out their for desktops and in my opinion is a astonishing and accomplished artist. Please be more kind on his work.
To note about this piece it is absolutely wonderful, I have been gone for a week and this is the first thing I did when I got home, and my jaw dropped open. It is amazing, breathtaking and makes me think of a perfect world frozen in time. Thank you so much!
Charles
This is absolutely amazing! I’ve been a member for quite awhile now, and aside from “Tropical Moon of Thetis”, which will probably always be my favorite, this is the most beautiful piece you have ever made. It’s so perfectly serene. I know that you love to use clouds in your work, and I’m so happy that there is FINALLY software that can keep up with your artistic talent. By the way; pay no mind to the naysayers. If they have a problem with YOUR work let them use the sample pictures that come with windows.
MONGLER
not knowing what is under the cloud is very mysterious…use your imagination
Phibster
I like this one, has a great depth to it, however as commented by others I believe it can be made better with the trees on the right being lightened (I realize the light source is coming from the other direction, but they are just black), the front clouds looking “weird” and the sunlight at the top is just a tad overbearing.
I disagree that this one needs a creature of some description.
Looking forward to the revised version.
Jenanne
I love this. The clouds are wonderful — the foreground clouds seem like a close-up version of the clouds farther back; they don’t seem plastic or unnatural to me. Great job!
I do agree about the dark area in the clump of trees to the right, however, and the top of the image does seem very washed out and therefore not terribly interesting.
I don’t think you need a monkey, bird, or even a pterodactyl in this one. 😉
sigmaman
Nice one one Ryan. Bet those clouds took awhile. Great work.
Mello
You never cease to amaze me and this is a new kind of wow! I can’t remember a cloud dedicated image to date from DB so this is really cool! After you make any changes you make I know it can only get better!
Aram
Just from a geeky point of view. I don’t think there can be fog above the cloud line. 🙂 Unless I guess it’s night, in that case we wouldn’t be able to see it.
Otherwise it’s fantastic.
Nate F
seems kind of mysterious to me, makes me want to ask “whats under the clouds”,
anyways overall a really neat scene
on a side note, im not sure if you are aware, but many new ultrathin notebooks (the new netbook) use a resolution of 1280×800, now i dont particularly need this resolution, my suggestion is simply this: that either beside your current resolutions or on a special new page you list the aspect ratios; this would make things easier when trying to find out which image to use. The windows image scaler does a good enough job as long as it is scaling 1:1 I find.
Walo
Great render, i think the clouds need a little tweaking but it is good enough to me. I give an 8 right now.
Littlemom
I would like to say Ryan that I don’t see why you don’t like your work in regards to this piece. It is so beautiful. I love the trees and clouds. You never disappoint. It’s completely amazing. Becoming a lifetime member was the best thing I ever did. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Liz
Thank you!!
Liz
Travis
Now that you’ve got such wonderful clouds, can we get a triple screen render of Moonlit Citadel?
Dave
Looks fantastic — I can’t wait to see the other version you’re working on.
David W
so I was wondering how the fuck you do all these amazing master pieces… I was wondering, could you like… make a video of you making a wallpaper? like time lapse fast video? that would be so interesting.
also 1 thing about this rendering I dont like… on the bottom right (I have the 1080 one) almost looks like an oil painting… Im not sure what you were trying to go for there…. could use some touching up in that area.. other than that, another beautiful masterpiece.
rubbercake
This image is incredible. It was well worth the wait. Job well done, sir.
Tim
Ryan, my wife and I love your newest picture. It looks beautiful as it is. Unfortunately I am unfamiliar with what the rendering process does, so I cannot comment on whether it would be better with further rendering.
Logical
This probably isn’t my favorite of your works. Both the separate elements (trees & clouds) look great, but I’m not sure I like the combination of the two in this way. The clouds would probably look better high above your head, in a position where you could see their edges and have some clear sky to contrast with them. Here they seem to obscure too much. (Although I guess that’s kinda the point of the wallpaper…)
But that’s just my opinion, and no matter how good you are, you can’t possibly make a wallpaper that would be everyone’s favorite. 🙂
Anne
I opened an article on the World Science site and noticed the background looked an awful lot like “Springwood.” Am I crazy or is this another ripoff of Ryan’s work?
http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/070206_resveratrol.htm
I love Enshrouded! It doesn’t need a thing.
Juan
I like it, I’m not sure what you are nto satisfied with the render, but if I had to improve anything, I would try to make the cloud cover a little more transparent so the viewer wouldn’t be confused about what the clouds are really hiding. Is it a forest, or a mountain? Right now it looks like the clouds cover something except the trees. I’m not sure what you were going for, but I like the concept and I like this image.
Terry
Firstly Anne, yes that looks like another cropped DB piece on use there!
As for the image I like it, I think the clouds may have looked better being a little more transparent as some other guy here has pointed out. I can imagine the crazy things you could do with lighting in this… and also how it’d take about 50 years to render lol. Really like it Ryan 9/10.
T
David
What would be super awesome is this at night, with a city ‘in the trees’, like the ewoks.. where there are a bunch of little lanterns or lights all over and you see them peeking out from the fog/clouds…
kellzilla
Not only is that Springwood at World Science, they didn’t even bother to crop it nicely.
http://www.world-science.net/imgs-sp/bg/sistermoon.jpg
It’s flipped horizontally, then they cropped a little off the left side (right side of the original picture). Look at the bottom left.
J P
This picture is freaking beautiful!!!
Rich A
‘Nuf said
macmage
Nice but not my cup of tea.
keep up the good work
macmage
Getwired
I feel miles high. 😉 Good work Ryan!!
Troels
Feels like im floating when im looking at that. The cluster of trees in the lower right corner is a bit too dark in my opinion. On both my monitors they appear almost like a big black spot.
But i like it a lot.
Torrey
Definately worth the wait! As it always is…
nag1e
…and that’s always a good thing.
Paul One
Pretty frickin cool Ryan!
I see what you mean by “work in progress” hard to know how much fog is too much, and the hue of the fog. Still, impressive as always. Your a creative genius! worth the wait.
Follow me on twitter.com/Paulone
Aeolwind
Living in East Tennessee this picture is a rather common sight here in the Smokies, you captured it very well Ryan!
Chris
Positively stunning artwork Ryan!
FlareHeart
If I didn’t know any better I would have mistaken this for an aerial photograph. Very well done!
The only thing that seems a little weird is the lower right corner. The fog and trees seem a little…off somehow.
Either way, this is a very beautiful wallpaper and it has made its way to my desktop.
Topherhead
always found cloud formations very cool to look at(low laying fog in this case)
rather fitting it should *finally* be posted on my birthday!
Topherhead
Greg in KC
Ryan,
I know everybody says this, but you continue to impress. Yeah, the technology is improving, but technology can only get you so far… your artwork is just gorgeous beyond words.
Great work!
Greg in KC
Alvaro
I think it looks very good, thanks.
Lireoec
This is definitely my cup of tea. I love taking photographs of clouds and would be overwhelmingly happy if I ever get to witness a view like this in real life. I love the detail and the way it makes me feel.
I think the level of detail and complexity of this piece of work would have been very difficult to achieve! Bravo! Thank you very much!
Hannah
I love it when you do nature scenes, this one is gorgeous. I love the contrast of the grey and green!
Arthur
Gorgeous rendering!
Ron
Great job, Ryan. This reminds me of a foggy morning on Tampa Bay fishing in my kayak. This one will last for at least a month. Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Jason
Absolutely Beautiful.
William
This is (again) amazing work! It seems to me like the clouds are undersized compared to the trees, though. Due to the many details of the cloud rendering, I would feel like I’m in an aircraft looking across a large cloud system, except that the trees are too big.
On the other hand, I’m not sure I would want the clouds to look any other way! Artistic imagination is usually more appealing than an ultra-realistic approach, and to me that’s the case here.
Oh, it does seem like there is a rough spot in the clouds in the lower right corner. It’s not much to complain about, but I wonder what caused it?
Eric G
This is some of the best work I’ve seen yet. Just looks amazing on my 46″ HDTV!
rdeforest
One of the things I love about your nature pieces is when you make Awesome take a back seat to EVEN MORE AWESOME. In this piece the trees alone would be enough, but with the roiling clouds tumbling over them the awesomeness is almost overwhelming.
Simply breathtaking.
david
love it.
good work!
Sam W
I would really like to see someone sort of strange silhouetted creature jumping from treetop to treetop in this one, other than that it’s amazing
Pete
This is amazing, Ryan. If I didn’t know better, I’d ask where this photo was taken. My only even slight criticism is that the clouds seem just a tad bit too bubbly. Maybe add a bit of wispy fluff and thin them out a bit? At any rate, even if you make no changes, this is just stunning. I love it.
Hawk
Yeah, nice. I like it. Very calming.
But it’s not quite as interesting as, say, Biodome. I think it’s lacking depth. I like how Biodome just keeps on going, with more things poking up through the clouds.
Keep up the good work!
Guido
This picture is plain awesome! I guess when your improved version is up I’ll have to find a way to give it a rating of ’11’ or even more 😉
And please keep up the good work with the Personas, I love the ‘Indian Summer’ one (even though I only really like this one, because the other ones are black or near black on the left side).
Tuishimi
…but something seems off at the bottom of the image. The clouds look too… plasticky, if that makes any sense. Not as “soft” as in other parts of the image.
Chase J
I really like the clouds. You’ve been dishing out some really awesome wallpapers lately.
Also, I just wanted to make you aware that Windows 7 has a new task bar that is by default taller than on XP — as the digitalblasphemy.com has always rested very nicely above my task bar before, but now the text is cut off. (I’ve noticed this at 1920×1200 res.) I like being able to refer people who ask about your wallpapers to the corner of the screen to let them know where they can get them. At least they’re not cut off on my Mac at work. 🙂
NOVA Guard
I especially like the lighting effects in the back on the trees and clouds.
As others have commented the trees on the right create a black spot on my screen. Also, the foreground clouds look as if they weren’t finished as they don’t have that cotton-ball look of the mid and background clouds yet they aren’t quite wispy either.
I think a dusk or dawn pickle-jar with blues and reds and pinks and rays shooting across the clouds would give it a different but still eye-catching feel to it.
Overall, fantastic and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
Khariel
I do like the idea behind this one; however, I agree that there needs to be a little object somewhere (A monkey sounds excellent, but potentially hard to render); I also agree that a dawn/dusk or alternate-light view would likely be wonderful.
Overall, though, another stunning piece.
John
Absolutely breathtaking. This has to be one of the best renders I’ve seen. Excellent job!
Lidia
Beautiful!
JeffK
Gee, doesnt anyone see that little monkey waving at us from under the clouds? LOL I think from this perspective any creature in the image will be too small to really know what it is.
My only complaint is at the top of the image. Its very washed out like an extremely overexposed photograph. Im not sure if this is the image or my monitor.
Keep up the great work Ryan!!
J
Dan
…to me the image doesn’t look that natural. I think if these clouds are made of water vapor, they wouldn’t obscure the jungle so completely. Sorry…
Mirage
It has me intrigued, wondering what might be just beneath the cloud/fog cover.
I’ll probably wait to put it on my desktop until you get up your final render of it though. My main issue is, like others have said, the clouds in the foreground look off and the trees on the right are a bit dark.
As for others suggestion of a monkey, I was actually thinking more along the lines of a bird (an eagle or something) perched at the top of one of the trees (or coming in for a landing onto a top branch).
But of course, I’m sure whatever the final render ends up being, it’ll be a work of art – as usual 🙂
celmendo
I can def. see why you’d want to tweak this a bit but it’s a 10 like it is and can only get better. If you feel like adding a monkey or whatever, make it a pickle jar thing please. It has no need of that and would only distract from the simplicity of the image. Can’t wait to see how you improve it.
Loren
Its cool, but I agree with the comment on how the clouds look plastic. I would have liked to see more of a fog then supper thick clouds. It is also lacking that certain spark. The last wallpaper was just amazing with all of those intense, high contrast colors. The colors in this just does not catch my eye like the last one. What I think would be cool is if you had the sun just coming up, that you you could get some color in there and you could get some light going through the clouds. Try to go for this effect: http://lesaintdessaints.org/sunray_cloud1.jpg
Micro78
This one is great! Thanks!
Gryphyn
I love this wallpaper. I can’t even pinpoint why…it just rocks.
Lireoec
It’s simple. The emphasis was placed on the sea of clouds and its details. Looking at it, it would be better if you added a few more trees a bit further back from the front.
I don’t think the clouds look plastic or tacky at all, they’re fluffy, just the way I like them. Maybe a sea of clouds like this doesn’t seem too realistic until you’ve seen one in real life…
anamnesis2
Not really sure. I keep looking for a focal point. Maybe too much texture in the clouds? Will anxiously await the finished product. Absolutely amazed by “In Full Bloom”.
Lireoec
The clouds probably look too ‘solid’ for some people. But when you think about it, it’s probably because of the way the clouds lock together. You did a good job Ryan. It must have been very difficult to get the right texture and everything. Well done.
Cougar
Hi Ryan,
Such a beautiful picture. You have outdone yourself yet again. Well done mate !
JamesRay
Not only does this picture look absolutely fantastic, it comes to life when my flames screen saver comes on. It literally looks like the entire forest is on fire. What an added bonus! (I’d never want to see a forest that beautiful burn for real though)
Erik
Love it…can’t wait until a larger one is up so I can put it on my dual monitor system.
-e