Big Castle

Your latest edit looks really nice. Maybe try shrinking the scale of the pavement?

Smaller pavement:

Attachment 49221

I think the problem is that the pavement in the sun looks so faded out and lacking of contrast and detail, while the shadows should darken the pavement without adding contrast and detail. In your examples, the pavement in the shadows appears far more sharp of an image than the pavement in the light.

Someone more skilled in Photoshop will need to suggest a technical fix, but visually, darkness should not add detail - it should remove it.

I hope that helps ... PS, great work.
Arthur

Perhaps Atpollard - I'm not so sure; I think its ok to have less detail represented by sunlight glare. In any case I have started working on the second of the courtyard maps - this is the first pass - I still have to go back and add proper shading. I will be making two of these: one external view (like this) and a second one showing the interior of the two houselike structures (one is a stables) and the central mural tower, with a staircase up the battlements.

House roofs by Aegean 2007 (Dundjinni Mapping Software - Forums: House, roof, tavern - variations).

Attachment 49249

Fixed shadows - reasonably happy with this one.

Attachment 49251

WOW.... that really looks amazing. I really have to re-think my castle now. I personally like the shadows as a way of representing the flags and turrets as well. :)

Added a fountain and some muddy tracks in the first courtyard; and I discovered what I hate about the map! It's the gate. I need to completely redo (well, do) the gate into the complex.

Attachment 49262

Again that looks great. Maybe the shadows over the water in the fountain could be a bit lighter or possibly more distorted to account for the "movement" of the water? This is really amazing and I am getting SO much inspiration from this project. :)

Thanks JT. I rippled the water shadow and lightened it, and also started changing the gate. Obviously I'll have to get rid of those crenellation shadows.

Attachment 49263

That looks perfect. I'm running out of adjectives to describe how much I'm enjoying this. :)

An outstanding project and I am very much looking forward to how this turns out.

I really like the idea of the shadows of the flags and turrets to give the feeling of height around the encounter area.

BOB