Lightning: Color Scheme (for "a room" / "whole map") - how to get it...

JoseppeJoseppe Join Date: 2012-01-21 Member: 141497Members
edited June 2013 in Mapping
often i dont know what colors i should use for a room, but yesterday i had an idea...

idea:
you have a location title for your room (edit: room title is more fitting than a map title).
with this title you could find a picture which fits your lightning settings (google images).
with the image you can get the color palette of it.

how to:
1. take / get the title of your location in the map
2. enter it http://images.google.com/ and find an image you like
2.1. left click on the image and right click on the "show original image" button and copy the image link (of the original image)
3. use this website to get the color palette: degraeve.com/color-palette/index.php (in "URL of image")

btw:
* the color-palette website gets you the hex-values (not the rgb-values). the editor uses rgb-values for lightning, so you need to convert them.
* you can save color in the color-chooser in the spark editor (light -> color -> userdefined colors)

examples: (of title -> image -> color palette, but NOT ingame... to lazy right now, didnt changed my lightning ingame yet)
1. sewer (ressource point) (theme: yellow - green - brown)
2. storage (ressource point) (theme: yellow - orange - brown)
3. lounge (techpoint) #1 (theme: yellow - orange - brown)
4. lounge (techpoint) #2 (theme: completly different)

Comments

  • killer monkeykiller monkey Join Date: 2010-02-26 Member: 70743Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    That's rather clever, I usually go with a cold blue warm orange scheme
  • Rudy.czRudy.cz Join Date: 2012-02-13 Member: 145410Members
    I agree, it is very clever, although I am not sure if different color scheme for every room its the best way to go - unified color palette trough all the map creates the feeling of consistency.

    Lighting is the bread and butter of level design, I can really recommend the book from Hourences (example this link refers to is about lighting).
  • JoseppeJoseppe Join Date: 2012-01-21 Member: 141497Members
    edited June 2013
    Rudy.cz wrote: »
    ...not... different color scheme for every room... best way...

    it doesnt mean completly different colors on every room - its more like, a little bit of difference but noticeable
    (yellow - brown - green with smooth transition for a whole map maybe).
    opposite are special locations like: descent -> club location.

    all in all it should just fit the setting.

    but nonetheless you can find a proper color scheme with an image depending on a single word for the setting.

    btw: thx for the book link!
  • DarkSeraphDarkSeraph Join Date: 2004-06-07 Member: 29174Members
    I've been using this tool to find complimentary colors: http://colorschemedesigner.com/

    If you avoid using too much purple or green it's quite helpful. You can also use it to transition from the previous room by lightening or darkening the prior color scheme.

    I also see a lot of new mappers neglect using the ambient light as a very dim background lighting and then using the lights as accents on top to emphasize depth.

    That's a great link @Rudy!
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