Backdrop opinions?

[Chris333]

So on my Nn3 mini layout I used a photo backdrop. I found a pic online and David cropped out a few extra mountains. I printed it out and it looks a little dark to me:


I tried to lighten it up a little and basically make it look more like the model scenery. Then printed it out:


A close-up of the new colors:


What do you guys think?
Keep the new one?
Did I get the color all wrong?
Would it fit the scene better if I flipped the image?

[DKS]

It's hard to judge based on a photo of a photo, but I'd say the lighter version looks better. That said, things will probably change when you start adding trees to the layout, so it might have to change again. Fortunately it's just a print, and you can keep printing them until you get one that works.

[up1950s]

Looks great Chris and David .

[conrail98]

I don't know. It looks like different mountains from different parts of the country. What area are you going for with the backdrop and the layout's scenery?

Phil

[Chris333]

OH, PA, VA coal mining areas. I don't do Western.

[conrail98]

OH, PA, VA coal mining areas. I don't do Western.

In that case the distant mountains look too western. Appalachian mountains are usually the same height and don't look rocky, almost at uniform heights,

Phil

[wazzou]

To me, if you look closely enough, the distant ones look tree covered much the same as the nearest ones, just more faint.  I think it looks really nice Chris.  My vote is for the lighter of the two, so far.

[Chris333]

Here is the original photo to compare:

I lifted it off the internet and it was labeled Southern Appalachians.

[davefoxx]

I also vote for the lightened picture, and I'll add that I don't believe that you should reverse the image.  The "hills and dales" all seem to line up better with the profile of your scenery where it meets the backdrop as you have it now.

Dave Foxx

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I like the lightened one, but I think there's a bigger issue: perspective.

It looks like this was taken from the top of a mountain, as opposed to lower down where you'd expect to find some railroad stuff. Now, granted, this is a mine road, so it'd probably be higher up in the hills, but it still feels "strange" to be on the peak of the highest mountain around.

[Chris333]

Yeah the view is a little off, that is why I asked David to crop out some hills. But I knew the layout would dip down in the center and I wanted a valley off in the distance.

Can anyone find a better photo?

[conrail98]

I would suggest doing a Google search on images for Appalachian Mountains or something like that but adjust the size of images returned to as large as you want so you can put up and print-out and have it look good,

Phil

[Scottl]

The lighter version looks very good to me.  Can you add (or crop less) forest at the base of the image so that more foreground shows?  This would alter the perspective and make the scene appear to be relatively lower.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paytonc/5080941317/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ameenahmed/106285955/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78428166@N00/4524915074/ - Crop out the highway?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timboduke/5154266696/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ojojunkie/3016406471/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mommylolly/4583983810/

More? http://www.flickr.com/groups/wv/

[Chris333]

A few of those links just look grey and gloomy. 2 or 3 are OK, but when I crop them it doesn't look like it would be clear at 16" wide. The pic I used was like 3000 pix wide.

I like this one because it has rock cuts that match what I modeled.


Another that is OK: