Rob, That changing of the skydome position (I'll have to go look for it, thanks for the lead!)and upping the ambiance would help lighten the entire scene, but then you'd have to brighten the dragon, or make Smaug much darker so that there would be enough contrast to pick him out of the murk. That's a tricky judgement call. Part of what makes the image so effective is the mystery. Hmmm.. the lighting on the buildings suggests a moon off to the right, and you might be able to use that sideways lighting on the dragon, too. OK, I just maxed the brightness on the monitor so that I could see what you had in there. I would try to get a dark swirl right behind Smaug's body (right now the brown and purple are almost the same value), so, yes, moving the skydome slightly rightwards is a good idea, but I'd suggest leaving it dark. Then maybe delineate Smaug himself (diamond waistcoat and a touch of moonlight on wings) just enough so that he clearly is a dragon. The basic composition with the angled light is so strong, that you don't want to lose it by making the scene so light that it is bland. Hmmm... have you thought of bringing some of that same purple from the sky lower into the picture? The planks that Bard is standing on, for instance, might reflect some of the sky color, especially if they are damp from humidity (hanging over a lake at night). Just a thought. Carolly