Description
I created this piece after reading George R.R. Martin’s “Dying of the Light” in 2009 and I was honestly a bit surprised that it shot to the top of my most highly rated images. The process might sound complicated by it was actually pretty simple and the whole project only took a few days. The nova was rendered first as a series of Apophysis plates, then imported into Lightwave and arranged to form a pleasing supernova. The planets were added and the whole thing rendered to another plate which I used as a sky-spanning “planet” object in Vue d’Esprit. The landscape is pretty old-school for me (with no crazy Ecosystems). It all came together very nicely however and I hope to have a print version up as soon as I can figure out how to render the clouds convincingly at high-res.
Greg Mathews [nonmonthly]
Hi! Soooooo pleased I could find this multi-screen! But it took me some time, as most pages have multi-screen downloads under single-screen downloads, whereas for this one, multi-screen downloads are on the right.
But this is still my favorite, of all you’ve done over all the years…
Rick (Horseman) [basicmember]
The title of this work could also read ‘Good Morning’, or “New Beginning’ or ‘”A New Day”.
Shannon [lifer]
Any chance you can render this in 3440×1440 for an old member? This happens to be my favorite and I was bummed when I got a new monitor and couldn’t get this image in that resolution.
Holly [basicmember]
love the deep color.
R
Man I love this peace. If you ever had time would you ever consider doing a “Before The End’ version. Showing what it was like before the Supernova?
Daniel
The blue shockwave is missing on some of the dual screen files, even though it appears on the thumbnail. Is it an older version?
UnsungHero
My absolute favorite piece and the reason I became a member.
Sean
This is on every computer I use or own for my Wallpaper I love it
Vinotamu
This is by far the best of all your best that I have seen. When it pops up on my desktop I could swear the water is rippling and that I can actually see birds really flying.
BanG
Breathtaking and really something to imagine in the minds eye
BanG
Breathtaking and really something to imagine in the minds eye
Walo
I’ve always felt that this image was somehow familiar to me, and now I discovered why. There’s a very similar scenario on the book “The Time Machine” by H. G. Wells. On one of the final chapters the time traveler goes forward in time and finds himself looking at a dying Earth where the sky is no longer blue, the sun has become a red giant that dominates the sky, the ground is a reddish color and the few vegetation that’s left lives on the shadows where the sunlight can’t reach directly as the Earth is on a tidal lock with the sun.
Dan
Fits perfectly with my very dark desktop theme and black-with-orange-accent desktop (Logitech G15 keyboard and 2x ASUS VH226H monitors). I keep a Compiz cube face clean at all times so that I can flip over and just gaze at this. You have put a serious dent in my productivity, Ryan! 😛 10/10.
Max
I had this as my background since it came out. I recently just replaced my old 19″ widescreen w/ two new 22″ widescreens. I love the dual screen versions of most of your art because I think the one-sidedness of most of them makes them all the more interesting and artistic. However, this one you left the focus of the image in the center which is fine except the star – when viewed on dual monitors – is on both screens and the curve looks very awkward as it’s broken across the screens by an inch gap. Idk if I’m the only one this bugs but I just thought I’d mention it for consideration in future works.
P.S. As usual this is strictly meant as constructive and I LOVE your work! Keep the beauty coming.
Ryan
Thanks for signing up Oliver! The title for this project is meant to depict the end of this particular world (from an impending supernova). I have no plans to stop making new artwork though 😉
Oliver
hiya, ive signed up recently to digital blasphemy and noticed it on bbc click. i would like to ask will you be making any more art or this is this the end?
hEADcRASH
…didn’t think I would be replacing the beautiful underwater scene so soon .. but this is just amazing. Thank you!
Ryan
I hope to have a poster of this one up on Zazzle soon!
Kempeth
I love it.
Hope there will be a poster version someday…
johnMdean
this is now the default logon screen (and ctrl+alt+delete screen) on my Win7 box, I absolutely love it 🙂
not usually a fan of the “planet / moon” scenes, more of a landscape kinda guy, but there’s something about this one that blends the ‘best of both worlds’ and i guess that’s why it stands out for me
excellent piece, just renewed my membership for more like this. no pressure 😀
Andrew
PLEASE make a poster of this soon…because, wow.
Mark
As soon as I saw this piece my jaw dropped. Excellent work, Ryan.
Chris
Pictures like this are what make this place special. I renewed my membership again….this time for life ^_^
Kain
Love this one!
Ryan
Perhaps you could cover the flare with a widget or small window of some kind?
jlegault
Hi there- I think this picture is absolutely beautiful but the contrast is so freat that I can’t look at it for long. I can’t use it as a desktop. Does anyone else have this problem and can it be muted a little somehow?
Stormy
I can stare at this four or five times a day and have a different, deep thought every time. What a great added bonus.
Dimitri
This picture inspired me to write a music piece called “The Eclipse.” I lost myself in the picture and found myself writing music!
Anderson
I’ve hugely enjoyed your work for a while now, but this is by far the most *interesting* piece you’ve ever done.
I have this on my dual 1920×1200 setup at work, and sometimes I find myself lost in the minute detail in the mountains in the distance. 😉
This (and Niflheim!) demands a quality poster treatment. What resolution is used in rendering the largest print sizes?
lotu
Just stunning. I love it. It feels like it burns my retinas but I love it.
But in the multi-screen versions the “shock-wave” annoyed because: it is visually distracting from the center, it looked like some kind of force field at first, on close inspection it looks pixilated and jagged. Other than that I love this and will have to find a screen to put it on.
DiM
Picture of the year for me…
It was a reason to renew my membership on DB.
Looks great on my new FullHD monitor. =)
Hologram
WOW!! I like this one.
One thing.
I noticed between work and home.
The dual screen 3200 by 1200 has the shock wave in it and the dual screen 3840 by 1200 does not.
I thought I was going crazy for a second then I RDPed into my work computer hit the show background and pow.
Also this may sound nuts but any chance of a 3840 by 2400 version of this?
Amoril
Maybe it’s just me, but the dualscreen (3200×1200) images seem to have some sort of artifacting near the left & right sides of the images. Is there anyway to correct this?
Caleb
This is absolutely amazing Ryan. I stand in awe of your work and bow at your feet.
Feedback: the lightning on the left and right panels for the triple wide screen is a little pixelated. Other than that, AMAZING.
Eugenio
Anyway this can be available to print any time soon? i would LOVE to make a huge poster out of it 🙂 absolutely AMAZING.
keep up your amazing work Ryan!!!! 12/10 like usual.
Eric
I’ve been looking at it on my desktop and I am starting to clear off all my icons. I joined because this is the best site on the net for wallpapers. Your work is amazing and I will soon upgrade to a lifetime membership. I love the colors and the effects blow my mind. Great job!
Gail
Truly Amazing! I love this one, bleak and all. You have a way with light. I have it on my desktop at work and people exclaim over it (positively) when they see it. I’d be curious to see a “stormy” version of this one, too – with thunderstorm light.
mark
wow
that is absolutely fantastic
definitely a 10, up there with my favourites as soon as i saw it
Corbey
Hi, Ryan. I’ve always been a big fan of your planetscapes, and with this one, you’ve really moved on to the next level. The mountains, the rocks, the tree, the clouds, the colors: they’re all breathtaking. Every time I turn on my PC, I just have to stop and look at it. Maybe the best compliment I can give you, is to say that I’ve cleared every other item off my PC desktop. I’ve hidden all the icons and widgets and gadgets, so there’s nothing to detract from your work.
BIBLEfreak
Looks great! Once again appreciate the art, the effort and the time!
Vision
Like most things you make I like it, but the sun in the background is way to bright, can you tone it down some?
Chad
A little on the dark side for me, but still a great render. I’m more a fan of your landscapes. Some of my favorites are the ones that show rolling hills and ruins…
Still, this one is a 9 on a scale of 10.
Mick
The contrast between light and shadow is incredible.
The clouds in the middle of the image are particularly striking.
If there were mountains in the background instead of the planet, I’d have this as one of the best photographs I’d every seen.
This is by far my favourite of all your work (and I’ve been visiting this website for over 11 years now).
jeb
this looks bad ass!!!
Bobbie
I have been looking at your website for several years and finally became a member. There is absolutely nothing else on the web that can compare with what you have. Anytime I see someone with a “blah” wallpaper, I tell them they MUST go to Digital Blasphemy and get something worth looking at. Your stuff is AWESOME. When I was working, I never got to see my desktop. But now that I have lost my job (after 24 years with the same company), I spend a lot of time on my own computer and really enjoy looking at these incredible pics. Keep up the good work!
Silverfox
This is a brilliant piece of work,just looking at it makes me think of all the possibilities which it invokes.
Is it the Beginning or the End? Can’t make my mind up but either way it is stunning.
Thanks for sharing it.
Jenanne
I, too, have read some of the comments and rolled my eyes or muttered, “Get a life!” But really, the fact that Ryan’s fans care enough to comment, suggest and, yes, complain, means that we are passionate about his work. If we didn’t love Ryan’s work and care deeply about it, we wouldn’t bother to comment. In a way, it’s a compliment.
Love your work, Ryan. I’m delighted that your art is not a democracy. Now, there’s this blurry section on the left hand side…. 😉
Jenanne
…and then I’ll shut my yap. Did you ever (or would you ever) consider putting a “general comments” section somewhere on the DB homepage? Just a place where members can post comments that don’t fit the current image or blog subject. Several times I’ve had comments that were relevant to your art in general but seemed off topic or disruptive to the current thread. It might be useful. It MIGHT also be a problem to police, but as commenters go your fans are usually polite and intelligent.
Just a thought.
Sean Overb
The absence of normal color screams ‘something is wrong here’. It reminds me of the old intro to the ‘Tales from the Darkside’ TV show (I’m dating myself now) that panned over a bucolic farmland scene then changed to an inverted black and white view of it that was incredibly spooky. Excellent work.
Aeolwind
Indescribable.
Greg in KC
Ryan,
I’ve had the dual-screen version of this new wallpaper on my work compy for a couple of days now and just continue to be amazed by it. You are truly reaching new heights in your artwork.
I’ve been following your work now for a couple of years and will definitely continue.
Thanks again for all your hard work to put out such a quality product!
Greg in KC
MR
After comparing the two I’m liking the triple screen version (3840×1024) on my dual widescreen (3360×1050 overall) setup. You get to see more of the blast wave and it scales better then the version meant for dual wides, at least at my size. Not true for every image but works nicely for this one.
Beautiful work, Ryan.
DaveSp
Works if the hemisphere in the mid-ground is a “local” structure.
Otherwise (and yeah, I know, it’s fiction) it’s unlikely a planet would exist long enough to develop plant life (the tree) before being killed by a nova, or by being influenced by a close planetary body (or by whatever energetic phenomenon is occurring in the background).
For me, a beginning to the end would start with a sun-lit, mostly-sunny day, some clouds, and a hell-raising fireball off in the distance coming toward me, with no time to react except to appreciate the artistic placement of the scene.
Natalia
Simply beautiful!
Gary
This dual screen version is excellent… I know it must have been difficult to determine where the center focus was and where to split this image, but I think you make a great choice… I think you could have done without the outer White blast line, or whatever you might call it, but even that is a minimal issue… I really like the mountain range butting up to the very large body of water.
Alex
I had been waiting to renew my membership, as I wasn’t a huge fan of “In Full Bloom”, but I couldn’t wait any longer when you put this up.
Simply Amazing.
Cat
Thanks Ryan. I’m one of the members who said they didn’t like the key element/s of the picture being at the “split” in the duals.
Personally I’d have been disappointed if the tree on the island had been at the split so wouldn’t have used this wallpaper. It isn’t, so I will use it & appreciate it. To me if the tree was at the split I’d have found it distracting, but the planet arc being split isn’t.
I get the feeling that the only one winning any “argument” we have had is Ryan. As it should be. He’s the artist and has to go with what he feels is right, however I’m very appreciative of the fact that he is trying to please as many of us as possible.
The difficult thing is that, unlike conventional art where we can admire the whole thing uninterrupted, wallpapers have to work alongside our work habits and what we use/have on our computer desktops. Personally I think Ryan does an admirable job of moving forward artistically but still providing wallpapers that are liveable with. Plus if we really love one and it doesn’t “work” for us as wallpaper we can always buy the poster 🙂
Jen
Ryan, I like the new triple-widescreen render, but one thing sticks out like a sore thumb.
The shockwave on the left panel has a visible crease in it, like the junction of two polygon faces. The right hand side looks a little better, but something still seems wrong about the shockwave’s geometry.
The new render is very pretty otherwise. I like the purple area revealed by moving the cloud.
slider
I know in the past you’ve let us know where you get your ideas from. “Beginning of the End” is stunning and I’m sure I am not the only one who would like to know where the inspiration came from for it. Cheers Ryan. As always, you are the man.
Dave
In comparing the images, the coloring is the same, and you can pretty much tell that it is the same ‘picture’ of the solar event in the background. The only difference is the cloud cover, which reveals and hides different parts of the solar event.
Jay5gen
“I chose to split the dual-screen version down the middle because it just didn’t look right all shoved over onto one side.”
—WE WON—
Thanks Ryan,
this is exactly what we needed.
The image looks great.
asterismW
Very nice render, and I like (what I assume is) the shockwave on the multi-screen renders. But it’s not there on the dual-wide. Any particular reason why?
slider
Not sure what it is you disagree with me about Mike. Nothing you posted is in conflict with anything I posted. As Ryan posted here recently he reads the comments just as we all do and then he decides what to use and what not to. Which is as it should be. Yes of course we all pay our money for the art. I doubt even the wallpaper critics would dispute that.Ryan is gracious and far sighted enough to give them this forum to critique until the cows come home. For them I guess it’s part of the enjoyment of art itself. For me, I just right click and press “set as desktop background.”
Trystan
Noah, it is due to the resolution size, is how much you see.
Also, Ryan. Perfect 10! I had the idea on how you could revamp this into a summer theme with the full blossomed tree with blue waters, the dawning sun, and grassy mountains on the sides. it would be a really amazing rework fitting a completely different theme while preserving awesomeness!
Michael
This is my favorite thus far…
Tim
This is probably by far my most favorite. I can’t wait for the dual-screen version. I really love the monochrome feel and the lighting.
Labanimal
Have any of you realized that this image is the highest rated wallpaper on DB! 9.11 is the highest score I’ve seen on here!! I recon there will be another 200 odd votes before the score will settle down, but still quite an accomplishment!
SlyV.
This is truly amazing. Planetscapes have always been my favorite and this doesn’t disappoint. Far from it in fact. This is on par with my previous favorite, Cosmos. I know blue is one of you favorite colors to use and although green is my personal favorite I have always felt you do best with planetscapes in warm colors. You have truly expressed your skills on this one.
Hats off to the high ratings and hopefully they keep coming labanimal 😉 I wouldn’t add a thing or change a thing. The only thing I can conceivable see from those “critics” point of view is the moons being a tad bit too sharp. Mind you only a ‘tad’. This truly is a perfect ten. Keep up the good work Ryan!
Josh
Keep up the amazing work. Hope to see a dual widescreen version :D) (3840×1200)
Noah
Look at the 1440×900 and then at the 2560 dual-screen…
Those are two completely different images. The coloring is different, the clouds are different. Is one supposed to be in the PIckle Jar?
Just curious.
Ryan
I guess I should chime in here and say that I did indeed add the comments section to get feedback from folks. That being said, I will steal a line from one of my favorite authors and say that “Art is not a democracy”.Don’t get me wrong. I get a kick out of reading all of the cool ideas that people come up with and I am happy to incorporate a few of them if they make sense to me. My wife Jessica is fond of making suggestions as well (though I give these a little more weight than the web comments). Even Ian has started adding his input.I’m happy to listen to everyone’s ideas, but the final decision will always rest with me. Please keep the feedback coming!
Ben
I really like this one, but my eyes are drawn to the color banding on the darker parts of the nearest (largest) moon/planet. Fantastic, nonetheless.
Jason
Can’t wait for the dual-screen renders so I can put this on my monitors at work!
Ryan
This is one of the best new ones I have seen.
The only thing: can ask for is 2560×1024.
tim smith
This one is wonderful! It’s bold and dramatic, yet somehow subtle/poetic at the same time. I don’t know how you do it.
On another note, I just bought a few of your posters but was disappointed to find that Arctica (2004) wasn’t on there! I know it’d be weird to upload it and have people think it was a recent creation, but do you think there’d be any possibility to add it to your poster collection? (I love both but prefer the day one by a hair.) I’d be psyched – I love that picture!!
Spartan029
I love this image, but I would really love to see a dual-screen set-up with the main image on the left-screen instead of the default right-screen, as my main monitor is on the left…
Corbey
I hope 1900×1200 is on the way!
Tril
“We pay the fees in order to enjoy his art, not influence it.”
I am getting really sick and tired of this.
No one gets to dictate what is and isn’t welcome in the comments section but Ryan. And Ryan has said repeatedly that he welcomes comments, criticism and suggestions, and that sometimes he chooses to act on them. That’s why the comments section is here–if it were just a “praise Ryan” section he would say so!
And no, of course the critics aren’t *demanding* that he act on their suggestions. Demanding would be saying, “do this or I cancel my subscription.”
Septic
Just love this one!
Not much else to add but hell yeah!! 🙂
alexM
I agree with Mike. He puts up a comment section because for one, his revenue comes from people liking his wallpapers and two, he wants to be able to adapt to what people like. Picasso did not put his pictures on an open forum where people could make comments on his paintings that he could see.
Also, having a comments section lets people tell Ryan what people like and don’t like so that he can attract more customers by making images that appeal to a larger section of the market. And say what you will about that since you may say that he is not an artist if he does that, but he has a wife and kids who I’m sure don’t want to live off of only the income of his wife if he just made these wallpapers however he wanted to and didn’t care if no one liked them enough to pay money to get them.
slider
I rarely post any suggestions hear for Ryan. Many people do. I’ve been hear for years and their’s always someone complaining about the wallpaper critics. Bottom line. They paid the money and Ryan welcomes the comments. Ryan is unique in the fact he welcomes constructive criticism and will actually use it to better his art. I have never seen another artist who does this. For sure he is the only one on the internet who does. My hats off to you Ryan. love your work and always have.
RDevil63
Many thanks for that great work.
Im a member since years and this is on my Top 10 List.
littlemom
Wow!!! what a stunning picture. I don’t think it’s bleak in the least. I love the colors, and the lighting. and the planet and clouds. Completely amazing and beautiful. Keep up the good work.
Mike W
I have to partially disagree with you slider…
I pay for membership of this site for Ryan’s artwork, not the other members’ vision of what it should be. Usually the stuff people nick-pick about is stuff that makes his art unique.
I think it is wonderful that he accepts feedback on his art. It just seems from reading some of the comments that there is a sense of people expecting him to change his images to suite their vision of what they think the images should look like. If Ryan agrees with members’ assessment and decides to change the images, that is his prerogative.
Benjamin
I’m gonna have to agree with Mike W on this. We pay the fees in order to enjoy his art, not influence it.
Marcel
It’s brilliant and I like it a lot. Thanks for the wonderful work…
masterfgee
hi
congratulations for this pasterpiece. its the best desktop bg i ever had 🙂
is it possible to render a 16:9 version? i have a 16:9 screen (2048*1152) so i have to stretch it. a 1080p or 1152p version would be perfect 😀
thx
masterfgee
i have just noticed the HDTV version. YAY! 😀
Ryan
My new favorite!!! For 10 years I’ve been going to your site, and it seems I am constantly finding a new favorite. I love the contrast, lighting and color for this piece.
Great job!!! Thank you!
spammeiste
When ya do the dual/tri screen versions (which is the reason I paid for access) try to tone down that gigantic white spot in the middle. I mean yes it’s an exploding sun, but I have to wear sunglasses to look at this properly.
Markus
i do really seldom rate 10 – but this one has really deserved it. i’m still stunned…
Pitypot
I am always amazed at people telling Ryan to change this or that on HIS creations. Would they have all these helpful suggestions to Picasso? Maybe use less blue or try to make them less abstract?
Mike
i really like how sharp and realistic this looks but I kinda wish the top half of the photo was just a normal sunset or something over that beautiful expanse of water and the teeny island with it’s lone tree.
Mike
Sometime in the future if you wanted to reuse the bottom half of the scene, I think it would look cool if maybe the top half was a sunrise of a small sun just peeking up over the edge of that large planet there on the horizon. Just an idea….
It almost kinda looks like that already, the way the light spills over on the right side of the silhouetted planet.
I’m glad that most of your work does not depict scenes of apocolyptic destruction. It’s a depressing theme.
Mike
If he didn’t want to hear people’s opinions, he wouldn’t have put the “feedback” feature in here. Just sayin’…
I do try to be polite and tactful though.
Thad
This is the coolest wallpaper I have ever seen you do. I love the orange coloring, its epic, totally epic.
Ricky
OMG. This is the first time i have left a comment but you have REALLY surpassed yourself this time. This is amazing. This is DEFINITELY going on the Big screen the next chill out i have at mine.
Well done champ. More like this PLEASE!
CT
I saw the post and was intrigued…
I clicked the link and couldn’t take my eyes away…
I saw it in it’s full glory and it is simply breathtaking…
It really made me stop breathing for a bit so I could take in this amazing, cohesive, simply stunning piece of art.
Don’t change it Ryan.
ps: where did you get the inspiration for the title?
drow
Adam
I’ll follow the previous comments in agreeing with the brightness concern.
I LOVE the image itself, but my eye’s almost hurt looking at the picture, so unfortunately I won’t be using it as a wallpaper.
If a SLIGHTLY toned down version becomes available, it will be a gimme for my next wallpaper.
slider
You always outdo yourself Ryan. My dual screens are screeming with envy because my laptop already has this image up and running. I know you are already working on the dual and triple screen versions but give us a little surprize in those versions will ya? You know just something subtle to catch the eye on the second or third look. 😉
Chuck
In response to what Ryan mentioned about shifting the hue to change the color of the wallpaper, Apple has a program called ColorSync Utility built in to their OS, allowing you to change colors, brightness, etc for your own personal enjoyment. This is probably old news to many, but Ryan’s post inspired me to explore something I had no idea was on my computer. Thanks Ryan!
J Brodie
Mesmerizing and brilliant are the only words that come to mind. usually I keep your desktops and change every week or so, but this one will remain for awhile. Superb work!
slider
Liggs is right. A night version would make no sense at all because it appears Ryan is depicting a star exploding and in minutes there would be nothing left of the scene. Our sun is to small to explode like this. Once it has burned all of its hydrogen in 5-6 billion years from now it will start to expand far enough out to engulf the earth and then when the outer layers disipate into space the only thing left will be the core. Hey Ryan, will my lifetime membership still be good then?
Matthew
The detail in this wallpaper is amazing. The clouds really look life like and that’s a comment from someone who studies them professionally. Furthermore, the details emanating from the star are fantastic.
Shane
That’s the best lighting I’ve seen you do with clouds ever. And the color scheme is spot on, well done indeed.
Cougar
I must say I love the darker theme to this wallpaper. The impending doom is fantastic. I do have a preference for your dark themed images, and this one just tops the lot. Cheers mate, well done.
The Guru
First things first. This wallpaper is fantastic. No question about that. Now for a couple of aesthetic nitpicks that I leave to your discretion.
Those two small moons to the upper right of the sun seem a little too sharp, if you know what I mean. The edges are too defined, especially with the blurred edge of the much larger moon that the sun is behind. Perhaps try blurring them a bit.
One tiny thing about the tree. Perhaps to make it look more dead (which I’m not sure is what you’re going for, so I could be wrong) you could end some of the limbs in stumps and just give it a beating in general.
Before I go, I was wondering if you might give a certain type of scenery a try. You know those types of waterfalls that, rather than tumble over a cliff into a pool, trickle over a series of smaller drops in dozens of smaller rivulets? I was wondering if that sort of thing is feasable and would love to see what you could do with that sort of setting. Perhaps a temperate rainforest kind of look.
Keep up the amazing work.
Matt
I have been a big fan of your work for a long time now but, until now, hadn’t subscribed. When I saw this I just had to become a member! Truly Awesome picture!
Seekerpilgrim
Another fantastic job…almost makes loosing one’s life worth it to be close enough to see this kind of cosmic destruction.
Gary
You love including a lone tree in almost all of your art work… I think this one could have done with out one… it’s been a while, but now I can say that this my favorite… I actually did not give this a 10, but it was very close to getting one.
jmpond
One word: Spectacular!
Jen
This image is too beautiful for words. I love the “planet-moon-sky” pictures that Ryan is so fond of making, and the celestial cataclysms. This is like both in one image!
This will be going on my desktop as soon as a triple widescreen version is available.
shaunathan
My friends at work will be jealous when I have this on my background, will there be a dual monitor version of this? Great work as always Ryan 😀
Gilboron
As usual, Ryan’s wallpapers are awesome in both the original and the more recent meaning of the word. If inspiration was a liquid, I would get a waterfall from this one.
Caleb
sure would be nice! 🙂
Rick
What’s with the black dots, where’s the triple widescreen, can you lose the tree, add some dead fish, give us a night version, do one just like this but without the apocalypse, add a pterodactyl, make the tree deader, give it a rainforest look, and GET THAT WIDESCREEN DONE NOWWWW!!!
I know this is for comments, but for pity’s sake. Give the guy a break.
BIll
Long time member and i rarely comment but man you out did yourself with this one. I love it keep this up.
zlynt
I personally like adjusting the hue making it blue
Jon
This wallpaper is stunning. I know others have recommended making a night version, but this scene doesn’t resemble either day or night- the only light source is a cosmic disaster. It’s fine already.
I like the foreground too. The way the tree is old and withered makes me feel like the planet is also decaying. This strengthens the apocalyptic theme of the picture.
To top it off, the colors in this picture are just wonderful. This will be on my desktop for a while!
Ramon
Awesome, always loved your monochrome scenes!!!
Rick, totally agree with you on the gimme list attitude. I can imagine a guru sitting below the dead tree thinking what else can he can further suck out from a dying planet.
Matt
This is absolutely amazing. I love the impending cosmic storm, all of the elements were well-organized and thought out.
Thank you, Ryan! Don’t change a thing!
Desert_rat
While there are several aspects to comment on, but I specifically like how the clouds came out. Whatever you used to render the clouds this time worked great!
SH
Thanks!
Jenanne
I *think* that to properly have a night version, the solar event would have to have waned, so the piece would be a jump forward in time. I don’t see it in blues, though, but perhaps in deep reds and maybe purples to indicate the sun is dying (if that’s what you had in mind), and has done its damage, leaving a bleak dead planet behind. I can dream, can’t I? 😉
Jenanne
If you added the suggested pterodactyl, that would firmly place the event in the past. I didn’t get that sense from the image. I imagined a future event, one we have yet to witness, so even though I really dislike little people in your images, instead of the pterodactyl how about some slumped human corpses here and there or skeletons artistically slung over the tree?
I’m kidding, of course. The image is PERFECT as is, and by not adding such identifiers the viewer can imagine any time, place, or planet he or she wants. That’s one of the many things I love about it.
B0bb1ns
Stunning – Not a lot else to say really (other than that I don’t think it needs a Pterodactyl ;))
Labanimal
I Absolutely love this image!!!
The image gives me the feel that the planet is being cooked slowly! It would be a nice touch to have some bubbles and steam rising from the water (not too much).
The cloud on the top Left seems a little heavy, but would be nice to see more stars showing through!
I wondered what a wave crashing against the rocks by the dead tree would look like, but have never seen you do something like that. I guess like the waterfall you did some time back, would be a difficult challenge perhaps left for another wallpaper.
This image as is gets my vote 8/10!
Truly Brilliant!
sigmaman
Spectacular!
Mike
Alright Ryan, I say this without reservation: this is the best image you’ve ever done. My all-time favorite!!!
Joss
Whoa, I almost went to cover my eyes when I opened this up full screen.
It is pretty cool…or should I say hot!
I must say, I particularly like the effect of the explosion. That’s pretty swish.
Thanks Ryan, enjoy your Memorial Day and your family!
Terry
Your work is starting to take on an identity of its own Ryan. There was a time when people tried to make things look as close to reality as they could but this almost looks like its not been created digitally at all & has instead been painted. Very impressive.
zach
love it!
Walo
This wallpaper is really striking, I love it. Its one of my favorites.
Also I wanted to say that the e-mail updates about new works is a little slow by almost a day.
Tim
The Beginning of the End is awesome.
Sort of reminds me of the end of the book The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, when the traveller finds himself literally at the end of the Earth.
Thankyou.
Chris
The fire/flame effects in the sky are drop-dead gorgeous, and when coupled with a great concept and beautiful presentation … an image that really draws in the mind.
I have to admit, this image sparks my imagination in a way few of your previous works have. Your previous works are also beautiful, thoughtful in their own right – this one leaves a lot of room for the viewer to fill in the gaps and imagine what’s actually happening.
Great piece, I look forward to seeing your dual-monitor renders so I can make this my background.
Keep up the good work!
C-
Greg
And I feel fine…
Awesome.
Tim
A truly apocalyptic image. I especially love the way the lower level clouds are illuminated.
Great stuff. Thank-you.
Daanoz
Damn, nice, can’t wait for the multimonitor 😀
Rodney
I think I have a new favorite. Awesome awesome job on this one! 😀
Mike
Second: Something about the Moons and Planets in the sky seems familiar(albeit perhaps in different orbital positions), and I was left wondering if perhaps this is the same planet we’ve seen before?
When I look at your planet scape/space pictures my imagination starts to run and play and I wonder if a story could be strung together about a particular world or if I’m simply mashing together coincidental celestial bodies.
John N.
This is just a terrific rendering! I’ve always liked the planetscapes (not sure I would classify this as a planetscape since it has landscape scenery). I like how it is dark, but yet it has high detail in the scenery. This is definitely my new desktop. As a side note, this makes me glad that I got the “sale” price on the lifetime membership that Ryan has been offering! Worth the price of admission! Well done!
Owen
I really, really like the use of the foreground for contrast in this rendering. My only complaint is that the highlight is _almost_ too bright for use as a desktop, but not quite.
Will
this is absolutely incredible. this is one of my all time favorites, put it up on zazzle quick!
the depth and the colors and the sharpness is mind blowing.
ChrisSpera
Just an awesome render! a couple of questions though…
1. atmospheric moisture: if this is a nova/super nova just starting, then I would think that the amount of moisture in the planet’s atmosphere would be next to zero. The heat from the sung would have been buidling up over time, and would likely have made the air so dry that there wouldn’t be any clouds.
2. planetary moisture: Ditto. the tree is next to dead, I’d expect to see the lake/body of water dried up/cracked to smithereens or nearly dried up.
3. Plant and animal life: where are the dead fish? why isn’t the tree at least smoldering/smoking?
Just a couple of thoughts… This is awesome work, Ryan! You did an awesome job!!
Carl
Will this one get a triple widescreen version? It’ll definitely be on my desktop for a long time if so. Looks awesome!
Mark
I know it was stated that the black dots are moons but I find them to be very distracting from the overall scene of fiery in the sky. I can’t help but looking at them and thinking it was a glitch in the final rendering. Maybe a rendering without the black dots would be appreciated by some of us. Thanks and great job as usual.
Tim H
This is absolutely amazing. You have really outdone yourself on this one. Love it !
Mike W
Your planetscapes > *
Please don’t listen to the people wanting you to change your images (i.e. removing the moons on this one & changing backgrounds on In Full Bloom). I trust your vision of what the picture should look like over any of your customers. You are the artist, so I hope you stay true to your art and ignore the people that are in my opinion, over-critical of your work.
Thank you and keep up the excellent work!
Getwired
…a night version suggestion.
Hey Ryan — thanks for another phenomenally phantastic blasphemous “photo” of an alien end! I love it, and it’s an instant favorite of mine. 😉
I would think that were you to do a “night version”, it would involve some (minor?) re-composition to put the solar event behind us (i.e. isn’t that what “night” is?). Also, some dark crimson illumination on the larger moon from the solar event (placed lower in the sky but still visible), fewer atmospherics, and a sparse pin-point starfield background, with the foreground bathed in pale silvery blue light illuminated by the neighboring white drawf “sun” that is currently at our backs (leave it to the reader to use your imagination).
Clearly this picture takes me to another world. Well done!
Skulldude
Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. This hit my desktop about 13.6 seconds after I saw it. Thanx, Ryan, for your continued creative magic.
Liggs
The folks asking for a night version of this image obviously don’t understand what Ryan is trying to depict here. The clue is in the title: Beginning of the End. What we are seeing are the precious few minutes between the time it takes for a star to explode and the devastating shock wave that will destroy this planet/moon we appear to be standing on. My facts may be a little fuzzy considering how long ago I took an Astronomy class, but Ill attempt to explain.
Every star in the universe goes through a cycle. Once formed, a star will strike a balance between the forces pushing in and the forces pushing out. The weight of its own matter determines the gravitational pull (force pushing inward) and the intense pressure in the core generates extreme heat (force pushing outward). The star needs fuel to burn, so the inward force will prevail until the core becomes hot enough to burn an available substance, typically Hydrogen. However, when it runs out of Hydrogen it begins to collapse again looking to generate enough heat to burn something different. This causes the outer shell of the star to blow off creating a Supernova. Unfortunately for the planets and moons circling this star they will be enveloped and destroyed by the explosion. According to scientists, our Sun will hit this stage in approximately 5 billion years.
So, its not about day versions and night versions. This is a depiction of one of the most devastating astrological events in the universe! Keep up the great work, Ryan!
Pawan
I am speechless…
jcarlson10
I just love the clarity of this render. I’m already having problems waiting for the multi-monitor versions. Are they done yet? … How about now?
😉
Maryann
So, apparently I just posted this under “Full Bloom” when I meant to post it here.
And I have just told the family that after almost never using a cell phone over the last ten years, I’m going for an iPhone. I guess this means be very afraid….
Sorry DB Folks…
Hi Ryan:
Not my thing. I’m really hoping for positive stuff right now (in life, on the planet and in the universe), but, as usual, you’ve done something amazing. So tho I wouldn’t put it up on my own screen, I gave it a 9.
TTFN,
M.
Tril
That is just absolutely stunning. Instant, no-contest 10/10. And I’m picky.
And yes, it is kind of apocalyptic, but I’m not complaining 🙂 I’d love to see variations on the theme if you care to do them. Maybe the same landscape by day, sans apocalypse?
Tril
This picture, in combination with the sale price on lifetime memberships, has convinced me to buy one.
DJWoody
Looks great Ryan. Keep up the great work!
Chris B
First off, the Pterodactyl would look cool, but not fit in the pic at all.
If the sun started expanding, the temp would go up & kill things off before all of the water was boiled away. Also, as the temp goes up & more water is evaporated, there would be an increase in cloud cover until the temp goes up even higher & it all burns away… which would be more towards the middle of the end 😉
A dreamscape version of this would be awesome. a ‘twinkling’ of the edges of the explosion & some rippling in the water. I imagine that it would be a lot more work & don’t expect it. Just think it would be pretty cool, esp for this image.
Spike
Ok, admittedly I’m being picky – I really love the visual impact of this one, but I just find the tree itself a little distracting visually. I’m splitting hairs; the tree makes the difference to me between what I’d call a 9.5 and a 10 in my book… but when Ryan creates such a masterpiece, the little flaw in my book stands out.
William
Enough said! The image is just a little too monochromatic for my tastes, but the amazing power of the piece more than makes up for it. My desktop has been updated!
Hunter
Best – wallpaper – ever!
Definatly one of my favourite, nice work! No improvements needed =D
Pete
I just love it so different good work
anastasia
I’m always partial to the planetscapes, but this one is just amazing
Josh
This is great! It looks like the view from the moon of some planet. Love the lighting effect in the background.
Now, we just need “End of the Beginning”!
Alex
This is definitely one of your best wallpapers ever!
The setting, the colors, the lighting, the clouds – everything is perfect!
Sniper_x5
This makes me think of the death of your previous image “Lone tree”. I love the atmosphere it really gives the impression that something bad is going to happen. This is definitely one of my favorite pieces. As always great work!!!
Maelin
Oh wow, it’s spectacular. Can’t wait for the dualscreen!
Jonathan L
I absolutely LOVE it!
THANKS so much!!!
I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed for another wallpaper to take my breath away, and when I saw this, I was like, “Eeeee-amazing background!!!” lol…
My girlfriend thought I had a small mental lapse, but… >.> lol
Lidia
I don’t like this one very much. I find bright lights in wallpapers to be very annoying. It blinds me when I look at the screen and it impedes me from appreciating the rest of the wallpaper.
Matt
This one is a really nice change… I love it! Great work!
Faile
My first comment ever despite being a customer/member for years, but this picture is just insane.
Love it, one of the most stunning I have yet seen.
RSA
Oh man……oh man….oh man…..Render, Render, Render…..
Can’t wait for Multi-Mon’s to be posted up!
This is just…..wicked looking!!
Chris
This is an awesome render, highly realistic, which I love. But it’s waaaaaay too bright for me to use as a wallpaper, unfortunately. Hopefully others don’t feel that way, would hate to see such an insanely awesome piece of art go unused =)
On another note, I FINALLY got a Zazzle print of my favorite DB piece, Song of the Sky. Guess it took that 70% off to finally entice me lol. I wish the frames were 70% off as well, but oh well, I guess I can frame it myself =)
Thanks for the continued excellence Ryan.
-Chris
Jenanne
Love it, love it, love it! This is my kind of image. Way prefer it to peaceful gardens and such. Wow, what a great piece! A 10 all the way!
Chase
Instantly my favorite. You seem to have incorporated multiple facets of your art into one project, and it turned out great. Everything in this image seems like it belongs. I hope to see more like this. I love the sky and the overall color.
Mike
Every year there are 1 or 2 of your images that just make me stop what im doing and stare at my monitor, and this is definitely one of them. Amazing job!
Stewart
… Richard B Riddick to come screaming across the horizon, chased by someone or something unpleasant.
Incredibly evocative scene.
Mike
Don’t get me wrong, I love you work, but overall I feel that there is a bit of a rating bias here in that pretty much everything gets above an 8, so really the scale is from 8 to 10, and I tend to try to vote more from 5 to 10, but this is such an amazing background that it easily gets my first 10 rating.
Kyle
Been waiting on a work like this for a long time. Love it.
Kody
this has to be one of your greatest works yet(10 out of 10)! love the contrast between going from all happy and giddy to the dark side of things. very nice. Keep it up! cant wait for the next one.
Dave
Another great DB wallpaper that will stand time.
Great work sir!
Mark
I realize this may not make much sense but I do agree that this is too bright for a wallpaper… a “night” version (nice deep blues) would be amazing.
John
Absolutely stunning, possibly my favorite piece so far. However, the one thing I noticed that detracts slightly is the dark cloud in the upper left foreground is rather bland and undetailed compared to the rest of the work. All the other tings are gorgeous though.
Dwayne
Good quality on this one. love the shadowing and overall look of this. Yeah is rather bleak, but its very interesting. Wonder what a night verson would be like? And yes it does look like the death of the “Lonely Tree” lol!
Rob
The title sums up the sense of impending fury perfectly.
William
I just had a thought: wouldn’t a Pterodactyl silhouette flying way out there greatly add to this image?
finger
This is really, really good!
bart
Absolutely wonderful! I was hoping for some apocalyptic stuff from you.
And here’s my usual request for Tendrils tri-screen.
dejerdejer
I love it! It’s crazy!
Ragnärok
Ryan,
I agree with everyone that this image is brilliant. However, I cannot seem to reconcile the 2 black dots in the sky. Are these the silhouettes of distant planets or moons? It almost looks like after you completed this wallpaper, 2 accidental drops of black paint dripped onto the canvas! Besides from the black dots… this is perhaps your greatest work. The epic scale of post-apocalypse and magnitude achieved here requires insane talent from the artist; talent that you fortunately possess. Thank you for this masterpiece!
Ragnärok
Ryan,
I agree with everyone that this image is brilliant. However, I cannot seem to reconcile the 2 black dots in the sky. Are these the silhouettes of distant planets or moons? It almost looks like after you completed this wallpaper, 2 accidental drops of black paint dripped onto the canvas! Besides from the black dots… this is perhaps your greatest work. The epic scale of post-apocalypse and magnitude achieved here requires insane talent from the artist; talent that you fortunately possess. Thank you for this masterpiece!
Dennis
That is awesome. I love the silhouettes. I’m on pins and needles waiting for the triscreen version 😀
jgargone
Seems somewhat prophetic. News of the present have any influence on it? 😉
Luis Garza
so… I´ve been a fan for many years now, but this one is absolutely amazing, many of my favorite colors and right now matches perfectly my mood. Congrats.
lgarza
Norm
No dual widscreen?
Mike
I feel as if I have lived this moment before!
Mike
I read the “Black Dots” as moons. I could be wrong.
Ryan
The dots are smaller moons. Thanks for all the great comments everyone!
Devin
Absolutely stunning, one of your best works ever. Now I’d really like to see some sort of night variation. Setting the scene at night could make for a whole new interpretation!
Ryan
By night version do you mean the solar “phenomena” is absent from the sky? Or do you mean shifting the colors to blue? Anyone with an image editor is welcome to shift the hue to their liking (as long as you aren’t posting the result for others to download).It would make my life easier if everyone had wallpaper hue shifting built into their OSs. Any Microsoft/Apple/Linux OS developers reading this? Hint hint 🙂
Pitypot
It’s moody, and I like the certain mystique this picture has working for it.
Dan
You never cease to amaze me Ryan! This is simply awesome! The detail and crispness is superb and the realistic look is spot on!
Chris B
Seems like the sun is in the process of turning into a red giant or something & the planet is dying.
I don’t think it’s too bright. I try to keep my icons to a minimum and the ones I do have are on the far left. The bright spot in the middle makes everything else seem much more dark, I like it.
Silver
The sky is amazing loving it. Just don’t like the tree in middle .. I think it takes away from the sky. Otherwise perfect, can’t wait for tri-monitor version!
Reza
This is easily one of my favorites so far…and that’s really saying something at this point. The clouds, the tree and the sea hint at the vibrant past of the planet, while something cataclysmic is clearly going on in the skies above. It’s rare that a single dead tree can give such a palpable sense of tragedy in an image. Well done!
Max
This piece resembles some of your other works in setup. Colors and minor variations aside this piece stands out to me because the flare from whatever source is mind blowing. I’m in love with how abstract but surprisingly real it seems.
Matt
This is one of my favorite images you’ve done. I’ve always been a fan of your planetscapes.
I’d love to see what this alien world looked like before the beginning of the end began. What if you did a series similar to your Au/Wi/Sp/Su images, but instead was various times in the history of a scene? I.E. Lush/Temperate/Arid/Apocalypse.