cs_estate

Use this skybox -

sky_cs15_daylight01_hdr

Try these light_environment settings -

Brightness - 251 231 189 400

Ambient -

193 209 213 200

BrightnessScaleHDR - 1.2

AmbientScaleHDR - 1.2

Sun Spread Angle - 2

Recompile your map and let us know how it looks.

This is what I used for my cs_mansion remake, but I see that you did more progress than I, so I scrapped that project.

It should make your lighting look better and a bit brighter. It would also set a happy mood and not the sad mood that you have right now (it feels bland, in short).

I think it looks waaay better. In maps you generally want to keep the colors vivid but at the same time have good visibility.

The map looks a lot better, to be honest.

Also, as a note, if you are using that lighting compile method that I shown you, you can turn the prop shadows back on. The lighting compile method fixes the issues.

You should go to the prop settings on bushes (only the bright ones) and tweak the prop color a bit. You could make them a bit darker so they blend in with the rest of the foliage (thats how I did it).

The fountain statue should stand on some kind of platform, if it's in the water it doesn't make too much sense (in water metal gets rusty faster).

The back yard could use some hills, it looks a bit flat. The paint alpha should be used sparingly, cause it tends to look fake and blocky on larger displacements. Let me know when you start working on 3D skybox, I'll help you out with that (got some ideas that could work).

Honestly I think the difference is almost imperceptible. The colour is marginally warmer on the bricks and grass but it still looks a bit washed out...could very well be the colour correction.