So my wife or SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) got me this wonderful backdrop of a sunset to put on my layout. It is near where the turntable and stuff will be. The problem with the backdrop is that it ends and then I have a mountain and I need a good way to transition between a sunset and a mountain backdrop. I am looking for any ideas that may help. I have put photos in the folder linked below so you can see my transition issues. Thank you for your help! - Andrew
Link to Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6ggx95n23c75nj2/AABRK3XoEw2dCHi48cjtactOa?dl=0
Hmmm. Any isolated chuck of backdrop is always going to create transition issues. One that portrays a particular time of day - as here -- is especially challenging. That is why I prefer pure generic sky with very imprecise clouds. It might be morning, noon or late afternoon.
Sometimes it is possible to use the same backdrop over and over. And of course when it is sunset in one place it is sunset right next to it. But there's only one sun at a time of course and just one sunset per day (even SWMBO should agree with that I'd hope).
Is the sunset backdrop still "loose" or is it already permanently mounted? If still loose I wonder if it is possible to take it to a place that can make large color copies. I'd try making multiple copies of the two far edges (that is, not the central sun) and maybe even have the copies reproduced ever so slightly darker so that it looks further away from the relatively bright sun. That should give you something to put behind the mountain (which should help hide the weird edges which is usually the problem with pre fab backdrops) and preserve the general idea and color tones.
The other possibility, which is way beyond my skills and paygrade, would be to take digital photos of the backdrop, even if it is already permanently mounted, or take it to a high resolution large format scanner, if it is still loose, and get something where using photoshop or similar editing tools you could create more or less seamless backdrops to match - again with the goal or retaining and matching the color tones at the edges. That is pretty central to believability.
Don't forget that at sunset the side of the hill or mountain facing you will be quite dark.
Dave Nelson
I think it is an easy fix. Extend the buildup of your mountain to meet up with the backdrop, it will look even better if you make the mountain just a little bit higher than the backdrop. I sort of did that and it is turning out better than I thought it would. Not a good pic and a long way from finished, but here is what I did in a gap in my backdrop.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Personally, I'd put the sunset picture in a nice frame and hang it somewhere so that it can be enjoyed by all.
For the layout...
dknelson...Any isolated chunk of backdrop is always going to create transition issues. One that portrays a particular time of day - as here -- is especially challenging. That is why I prefer pure generic sky with very imprecise clouds. It might be morning, noon or late afternoon.....
...I agree with Dave. A light blue sky provides an almost blank canvas for whatever you wish to place in the foreground...
Wayne
I'm in agreement with Wayne and Dave. The sunset pins you to a very specific time of day, and if you want it to look realistic your layout in front of the sunset will have to be in shadows with the light coming from behind the scene.
However, if you really want to have the sunset as a backdrop, I would first try moving and trimming the backdrop so that it appears to be partially behind the mountain (excellent mountain by the way). Then I would install a narrow beam spotlight which shines directly on the sun so that hopefully the background will reflect some of the light back onto the layout. That might give you the shadows that would be appropriate to the scene. The spotlight might have to be shrouded to focus the beam on the sun without illuminating the backdrop around it too much. This is pure speculation on my part. I could be totally out to lunch.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
For all unfortunately it is permanently mounted on the wall with outdoor extra strrength tape unless someone knows how to get that off.
Thank you for all of your comments I also recevied the following recommendation but wish I knew how to paint, gonna have to learn.
Looking at the first picture, the slope of the wing of rock next to your tunnel portal is pretty close to the dark slope at the bottom of the backdrop. Raise the backdrop up a little so that the slopes are aligned. Add some shading to the rock to lead the eye into the sunset, and add some trees to mask the transition from rock to darkness. Grab some craft paints (cheap at Walmart, fabric/craft stores, etc.) and some heavy paper and start mixing paint and slobbering it on the paper until you get a decent match for some of the colors in the picture. Extend the colors in the picture beyond the page, tapering the colored areas until they disappear into the sky near the portal. Paint the sky to match the color in the upper left portion of the picture, adding a little bit of black as you go to darken the sky as you move away from the sunset. Sounds complicated, but just take it one step at a time and be patient. Use foliage liberally to blend the backdrop into the scene. Smoke from a campfire curling vertically from a dying campfire can be used to mask the edge of the backdrop. Use your own imagination -- imagine what you would like the scene to look like, mix the colors, and put your imagination on the wall. Have fun !!!