So, this was in a WIP thread. Now I’m putting it here to get some more critique on it.
This is still being worked on (hopefully :D).
Preview (Much Lower Res):
Grass feels very solid, try using some translucency. Maybe put some variations of grass in it (brown grass, maybe some moss).
The complete picture looks a bit too clean and solid.
Good starting point though, good job.
Hi. I agree with teh last critics. The grass looks solid and misses variations. What i do with grass is usualy mixing sevral particle systems: mesh duplis, hair strands, long grasses and short ones. Try using texture maps to add more randomness, like for density and clamping.
The best advice is to look closely at real grass outside. chose one type (clean lawn/ street grass or wild tall grasses) and try to mimic the components and specificities of it.
Thanks! I’ve been looking for some good critique like that :yes:!
I will work on it later.
Next render (improving the shorter grass/moss):
I would probably add a sun lamp since it is an outdoor scene. Set the scale to 0.005 - 0.004 for a realistic scale and make the color slightly yellow.
I have a sun lamp, but I will try your suggestions!
Okey Dokey, I have tried to improve the entire scene with this render (down to the lighting):
Hi terrainer. Nice changes but there is still a problem of scale between your different components. The mesh duplis are WAY too big and wide compared to your strand grasses. Long strands of grass are usually very thin, almost like thin straw. A closer look at real grass would definitely help. You could even make a photo and try to mimic it. It’s a good exercice.
anyway your work improved a lot since the first render. Realistic grass in blender isn’t that easy. Hold on;)
Never thought I’d have to do this for a Blender project, but I’m gonna go outside and get some photos!
My scene will probably change to be something completely different.
I have started from almost scratch, and have gotten MUCH better results. Do any of you guys know how to fix the black patches I’m getting (I have a dirt texture mapped to it, so it’s not the colour of the plane).
Nevermind, fixed the black dirt. Normal mapping was too powerful (I forgot to tweak it).
Alright, the next render is looking good:
Hey man, I saw the four attempts together one by one and I can really see the progress…
I would definitely work on the material…
If you use the hair info node and conect the Intercept with a diffuse or a glossy shader, then you can get some variation on each particle modifiying it with a color ramp…
I hope I could be helpful
If that is going to do what I think it is, that is just what I was looking for!
If what you want is to give the grass color variation from the root to the tip, well, then you found what you were looking for… 
Yes, thanks!
I attempted your suggestion, added some subtle DoF to the image, and altered the dirt texture:
Nice render…
Anything else? Or should I call this one finished and work on another project?
I think it’s pretty well done, but I am willing to continue it until it’s perfect!
I await suggestions.
Keep going until you get bored. You shouldn’t work on something that doesn’t interest you. The important part is the experience you gained from this.