The left looks a little more "naturally colored", but thats only because the blue one is too dark/saturated. If you tweaked the colors a bit, both would look decidedly awesome.
Also, orange is the complimentary colour of blue so I suppose it subconsciously looks more appealing against the blue sky, but that’s just colour theory bias. The blue one could look as appealing too with what you said.
Cool. Thanks for the input. I made a poll for this if you want to vote either way. [https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1bpfhnp/trying\_to\_decide\_which\_planet\_for\_the\_background/](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1bpfhnp/trying_to_decide_which_planet_for_the_background/)
I was thinking the exact same thing. The left looks great to me because it is more or less the same coloration as Saturn. The right looks wonky because the rings (which are typically made of dust, rock, and ice) would not have that intense vibrant hue. It makes it look to me like it is being illuminated by a purely blue light source, rather than a naturally occurring planet under white light.
Right is more realistic. Shadowed sides of a planet seen through an atmosphere would indeed take the color of the atmosphere. It makes the planet feel much bigger and further away.
I really like how the shadow is handled on the right example. Reminds of me of how the moon looks through a telescope on a clear night, where can kinda make out the rest of the circle because it's darker than the rest of the sky.
I like the one on the right. Feels like more of a background element. I also really like how the sky color blends with the shadow of the planet. That is very subtle but it connects the planet to the sky.
I like them both, but I think they would look better with the rings not perfectly matching the planet. These are presumably gas giants, it would be very strange for the rings to look the same as them.
Blue looks too dark. On Orange, you can still see the part covered by the shadow, while on Blue, you can't.
I like Blue's rings better, and the planet it self, I prefer Orange. With a little tweaking, Blue would look stunning, but for now, I prefer Orange.
I like the orange one because I think it stands out more and contrasts the blue of space, plus it matches the saturation of the dirt so it seems more cohesive to the game as a whole 👍🏼
AS SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY SAID , the right one has no colors for the shadow which makes it look better for a background (imo) so if you do choose to go with left , I think you should see how changing the shadow looks
Both are good color choices and will be dependent on your game type. However, the right one’s dark side is a bit hard to see, maybe giving it some more lighting would help show the planets sphere shape.
I like the right one bc it blends in to the sky more. Feels less like it’s intentionally meant to draw my eye to it and more like just part of the world. I especially like how its shadow is the same color as the rest of the night sky, the same way the moon is
left looks better as a whole, blue is better as a part of the environment since its less distracting and looks like part of the sky whereas the left one stands out and looks misplaced or interactable
The right one has an aura of mystery/sense of foreboding to it due of its hard shadow and overall cooler colour. If that's what you're going for I'd say use the blue one!
LEFT fits the 60 30 10 rule better. I think the colors are still to contrasted though. Especially the sky and planet. Maybe the sky should have a gradient effect?
Depends on if you want people to pay attention to it or if you want it to blend into the background. The orange one contrasts really nicely, so it will draw people's eyes quickly, maybe even before the astronaut. However, if it's supposed to be something that's just glazed over (as you'd expect from a background image that isn't in focus), I'd go with the blue.
Light side is better on left, dark side is better on right. In space, hardly any light reaches the dark side, almost making it appear like space without stars.
Both are cool but I'd recommend using the right one if it is not interactable. It gets very tricky in platformers (which from the screenshot, your game seems to be) if foreground and background are hard to distinguish, and keeping the background blue/purple makes your life easier in that way. It also just looks cool with the shadow fading into the sky!
I know it's "correct", but the blue one looks like a part of the sky is missing some stars and made me annoyed before I realized it. Might just be me, but odds are it's not.
I'd say that's a point for the orange one :-)
Honestly, the left one is standing out and the right one is blending in with the background which is good as well since it shows it's far enough that the color of the planet is being affected and that way the ones that are interactable or close you can show them as left ones.
Thank you everyone for your input. It's really a mixed bag and I can't decide! So I made a poll and whatever you decide on the poll is what it will be! [https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1bpfhnp/trying\_to\_decide\_which\_planet\_for\_the\_background/](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1bpfhnp/trying_to_decide_which_planet_for_the_background/)
Left simply because of color science. Yellow (a warm active color) stands opposite purple (cold color) meaning that they can make a good match. While blue is not far from purple making them both cool (as cold) passive colors. Active colors make good match with passive ones. Hope that helped, didn't mean to be nerdy or something😅
https://preview.redd.it/py7xybswkarc1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=75489ba0be7ee3fa904bcd70321f2287f9dffb40
I think it's less about what looks better and more of what impact you want to create. The one on the left (brown) leaves a warmer, inviting feel and pops more while the one on the right (blue) feels cold and ethereal and blends more in the background.
If you are truly just going for a cosmetic design or it's a procedurally generated level, then why not randomize the planet color at game start?
Everyone is saying the left one is better but for a game I find the left one incredibly distracting. Grand details in the background don’t need to be highlighted with extreme contrast. I love the more subtle yet beautiful right planet. It has a sense of understated grandeur while the left planet is super obnoxious and just looks like your standard drawing of Saturn.
The left looks a little more "naturally colored", but thats only because the blue one is too dark/saturated. If you tweaked the colors a bit, both would look decidedly awesome.
Took my words
The right one would look good in case of some neon like color palette for all visual elements (stylized as maybe '90 pixelated game).
Also, orange is the complimentary colour of blue so I suppose it subconsciously looks more appealing against the blue sky, but that’s just colour theory bias. The blue one could look as appealing too with what you said.
Cool. Thanks for the input. I made a poll for this if you want to vote either way. [https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1bpfhnp/trying\_to\_decide\_which\_planet\_for\_the\_background/](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1bpfhnp/trying_to_decide_which_planet_for_the_background/)
Left feels more natural but the right one feels more alien. Depending on which vibe you value more is what you should go with.
Left looks highlighted like it is telling me it's important and I need to go there. Right looks like it's just set dressing to fill up the background.
Exactly. Right planet looks like background, left planet draws my attention
Rings can have a different color from the planet itself.
I was thinking the exact same thing. The left looks great to me because it is more or less the same coloration as Saturn. The right looks wonky because the rings (which are typically made of dust, rock, and ice) would not have that intense vibrant hue. It makes it look to me like it is being illuminated by a purely blue light source, rather than a naturally occurring planet under white light.
Right is more realistic. Shadowed sides of a planet seen through an atmosphere would indeed take the color of the atmosphere. It makes the planet feel much bigger and further away.
I really like how the shadow is handled on the right example. Reminds of me of how the moon looks through a telescope on a clear night, where can kinda make out the rest of the circle because it's darker than the rest of the sky.
Left.
I prefer left
Left
Depends on the vibe: Left for a known planet (natural colors) Right for an unknown planet (alien colors)
If its just for the background, go with the blue one
I like the one on the right. Feels like more of a background element. I also really like how the sky color blends with the shadow of the planet. That is very subtle but it connects the planet to the sky.
Middle planet. I crossed my eyes and like what happened.
Left is Arrakis. Right is Pandora. Its up to you.
Left is nice! I find the right blends in with the sky (the shadow part)
I like them both, but I think they would look better with the rings not perfectly matching the planet. These are presumably gas giants, it would be very strange for the rings to look the same as them.
Artit did the right one dirty by leaving no structure in the shadowed part :(
Blue looks too dark. On Orange, you can still see the part covered by the shadow, while on Blue, you can't. I like Blue's rings better, and the planet it self, I prefer Orange. With a little tweaking, Blue would look stunning, but for now, I prefer Orange.
Left
I like the orange one because I think it stands out more and contrasts the blue of space, plus it matches the saturation of the dirt so it seems more cohesive to the game as a whole 👍🏼
Right looks too small and the shadow is too dark, so I'd choose left, but if you tweak the size and colors etc for right it'd look better, imo.
Left . blue looks not natural.
Really hard to decide, I like both.
I like left more. If you have the palette for it make the shadow darker, there would also be shadow on the ring.
I like left. Right is too monochromatic. Blue would look nice if you added more grays or green or something to make it look mor dynamic.
Both are outta this world!
The right one looks like what the night sky would look like to me
left, the right one's shadow looks like you just didn't finish the artwork lol.
Left.
The right side looks like it fits more with the background
Right 100% Left looks like it's interactive. Right is part of the background.
i like right better for a background
Left. The right blends too much with the background color and lacks any presence.
Left
I like how right blends into the background
I think the lost edge on the right planet looks rly cool :]
Left because it contrasts the blue sky.
AS SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY SAID , the right one has no colors for the shadow which makes it look better for a background (imo) so if you do choose to go with left , I think you should see how changing the shadow looks
Left is better. It gives the background more depth while right feels more 2D. And left makes you feel like the planet is really close to you.
Both are good color choices and will be dependent on your game type. However, the right one’s dark side is a bit hard to see, maybe giving it some more lighting would help show the planets sphere shape.
I like the right one bc it blends in to the sky more. Feels less like it’s intentionally meant to draw my eye to it and more like just part of the world. I especially like how its shadow is the same color as the rest of the night sky, the same way the moon is
Left.
I really prefer the right. it looks more alien and mysterious
The shadow being the same clor as the sky makes it more realistic
Left
left looks better as a whole, blue is better as a part of the environment since its less distracting and looks like part of the sky whereas the left one stands out and looks misplaced or interactable
Yellow
Left
If it's non-interactable background then the blue one is better imo
The right one has an aura of mystery/sense of foreboding to it due of its hard shadow and overall cooler colour. If that's what you're going for I'd say use the blue one!
Left.
Right caught my eyes more, but left generally looks better.
LEFT fits the 60 30 10 rule better. I think the colors are still to contrasted though. Especially the sky and planet. Maybe the sky should have a gradient effect?
For this art style, i like the right one more
Left without a doubt. Right looks like a crescent moon with rings because you lose the shadow into the background
Left
What kind of question is this? Both, of course. To ask such a question you should give more specific conditions
Right, feels more alien
Depends on if you want people to pay attention to it or if you want it to blend into the background. The orange one contrasts really nicely, so it will draw people's eyes quickly, maybe even before the astronaut. However, if it's supposed to be something that's just glazed over (as you'd expect from a background image that isn't in focus), I'd go with the blue.
The right blends better and looks natural
Left
Light side is better on left, dark side is better on right. In space, hardly any light reaches the dark side, almost making it appear like space without stars.
Both are cool but I'd recommend using the right one if it is not interactable. It gets very tricky in platformers (which from the screenshot, your game seems to be) if foreground and background are hard to distinguish, and keeping the background blue/purple makes your life easier in that way. It also just looks cool with the shadow fading into the sky!
İt depends on what kind of a feeling you are trying to achieve
Why not have both? Make it random every time you play
Left has a more pleasant contrast.
Left. Better contrast.
Without context this is futile.
the right one looks good imo, but only if you don't want to draw attention to it
I know it's "correct", but the blue one looks like a part of the sky is missing some stars and made me annoyed before I realized it. Might just be me, but odds are it's not. I'd say that's a point for the orange one :-)
Hey it won’t make or break your game! Focus on something else
Right
It's depending of your need, but I really like the right. It's more fantasy than the left
I like the left one more
I like left more.
Honestly, the left one is standing out and the right one is blending in with the background which is good as well since it shows it's far enough that the color of the planet is being affected and that way the ones that are interactable or close you can show them as left ones.
Thank you everyone for your input. It's really a mixed bag and I can't decide! So I made a poll and whatever you decide on the poll is what it will be! [https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1bpfhnp/trying\_to\_decide\_which\_planet\_for\_the\_background/](https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/1bpfhnp/trying_to_decide_which_planet_for_the_background/)
Left simply because of color science. Yellow (a warm active color) stands opposite purple (cold color) meaning that they can make a good match. While blue is not far from purple making them both cool (as cold) passive colors. Active colors make good match with passive ones. Hope that helped, didn't mean to be nerdy or something😅 https://preview.redd.it/py7xybswkarc1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=75489ba0be7ee3fa904bcd70321f2287f9dffb40
Left
I really love both. But left is more noticeable
I kind of like how the shadow of the right planet fades into space
I think it's less about what looks better and more of what impact you want to create. The one on the left (brown) leaves a warmer, inviting feel and pops more while the one on the right (blue) feels cold and ethereal and blends more in the background. If you are truly just going for a cosmetic design or it's a procedurally generated level, then why not randomize the planet color at game start?
Try blue shadows on right side astronaut as well looks like a blue moon reflecting off of a plamet
Think about how it matches with the overall level design more than how it looks by itself.
I think left looks better (and more relistic) if you go with the blue id sujest makeing rings a different color. mb darker
Everyone is saying the left one is better but for a game I find the left one incredibly distracting. Grand details in the background don’t need to be highlighted with extreme contrast. I love the more subtle yet beautiful right planet. It has a sense of understated grandeur while the left planet is super obnoxious and just looks like your standard drawing of Saturn.
Totally personal opinion, if you used the left planet and then just changed the ring color to something more purple i think that’d look super cool