I agree that the lighting seems to be a big part of it, I'm not sure a sunset would be appropriate if you want to see the detail in the dinosaurs, it's usually only a good idea if you're highlighting the shape of the objects rather than the details. Also, definately get rid of the camera flare, I never use it because it ends up just being annoying most of the time.

For the lighting I would suggest either changing it to a daylight scene and / or adding some softness to the sunlight (I usually use 50%), and bump the ambient level to about 85-90% toward sunlight. Also, if you're looking for ways of filling in dead space you can use cherry trees and maple trees and lower them down to the ground so the trunks don't show, this easily simulates bushes.

On to textures, I'm seeing quite a bit of tiling on the hills in the back, try to use multiple terrains to form the terrains around the dinosaurs and use different scales on the textures (for example, the terrains closest to the camera should have a smaller scaled texture than the mountains in the background) Also try mixing textures on the terrains and experimenting with the procedural terrains a little more to get more variation in the textures, photo textures are nice but are especially susceptible to tiling.

The last thing I would suggest is not to overdo any spot or point lights you do add, you risk making the whole image flat and uninteresting, use them sparingly and don't make them too bright unless they're source is supposed to be the sun object itself.

So, that's my two cents (and them some) good luck, you've got a nice start (the rock terrains on either side are great!) that with a few minor tweaks should look much better.

Message edited on: 10/25/2004 20:12