Thread: [Region 1][Map 25] - The Witchlight Strand

Sending now..

Hi IG,

I've followed this tutorial to do the landscaping.

The steps I took were:

1. Making a duplicate of the bump map and using the Image/levels adjustment to blow up the whites a bit.

2. (using the tutorial) Make your colour background by setting colours to your altitudes (white is high) by using a gradient map adjustment layer on the bump map which you've just adjusted.

3. (using the tutorial) Make your relief shading by making a new layer and copying your adjusted bump map to it and then using the 'render / lighting' filter. Make sure that layer is on top of your height colour layer and then multiply it and bring the opacity down to about 75%.

The great thing about this method is that because your colour map is on an adjustment layer you can fiddle with the colours to your heart's content.

.psd file back on its way to you but here is a jpg of the result.

I tried this a couple of times. It worked well the first time, not so much on the others. I'll get it, though - not worried about that.

What's got me a bit concerned is that mine still looks hard and chiseled, while yours is a bit softer. I've got what look like cliffs near the coast, and can't seem to get rid of them.

Did you try doing the a small 1 px gaussian blur on the heightmap? I blurred it about 3 times (sorry forgot to mention) following the tutorial.

That helped some, though it still looks a bit different.

you can play with the colours on the gradient map, but it's looking pretty good to me.

I think I like this one better. I fixed up the water and changed the gradient a little. It's all starting to look a bit like a jungle to me.

Once you start slapping the other stuff on top the topographical details shouldn't matter so much. This is the first time I've used the tutorial but I think one gets a better mountain effect using bryce .... still it looks good enough and we should go on to the river stage next or we'll be fiddling with this until the Centaurs come home. I hope at least you're getting a better feel for what photoshop can do.

p.s. the rivers are going to be tough without a tablet

I think I've got the hang of it so far.

I guess I didn't tell you: I knew you used Bryce, so I downloaded 5.5 the other day. I have no earthly clue how to use it, but it's yet one more tool at our disposal if you're up to it.