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I used a 100% black background for a portrait and everyone said it was wrong
For a recent piece, I decided to use pure black, #000000, for the whole background behind a character. I thought it would make the colors pop. Instead, three different artist friends told me it 'flattened' the image and looked cheap, like a bad green screen. I went back and tried a very dark blue with a hint of texture, and the depth improved a lot. It made me question if pure black is ever right for digital art backgrounds. Has anyone else found a color that works better than true black for making a subject stand out?
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finleycooper19d ago
Came here to say the same thing. I did a series of sci fi portraits last year and went with pure black for the void behind a character. It looked terrible. Flat and dead, like the character was floating in nothing. Switched to a very dark charcoal gray with a slight blue tint, almost like a deep night sky, and it made a world of difference. The colors popped just as much but the whole image felt grounded.
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Ever try a super dark gray instead? It keeps the contrast without that flat, cut-out look.
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ericb661mo ago
Oh man, my friend did the exact same thing with a comic panel! That pure black just sucked all the life out of her character, made it look pasted on. She switched to a dark, stormy gray with some faint noise, and boom, instant depth. Totally agree with @foster.patricia about dark gray, it's a game changer.
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