A blur (or spread filter) on the mask would probably help the forest blend a bit better.
To change the mountain colour, go into the mountain colour layer and use Colours->Hue-Saturation. This will let you shift the colours (using the hue slider) around the spectrum and decrease the colour intensity with the saturation and lightness sliders. Getting a good brown is always hard on computer screens...(at least for me...)
Nice first effort, though! Glad you found the tutorial useful.
-Rob A>
My tutorials: Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional Map ~ All My Tutorials
My GIMP Scripts: Rotating Brush ~ Gradient from Image ~ Mosaic Tile Helper ~ Random Density Map ~ Subterranean Map Prettier ~ Tapered Stroke Path ~ Random Rotate Floating Layer ~ Batch Image to Pattern ~ Better Seamless Tiles ~ Tile Shuffle ~ Scale Pattern ~ Grid of Guides ~ Fractalize path ~ Label Points
My Maps: Finished Maps ~ Challenge Entries ~ My Portfolio: www.cartocopia.com
My Finished Maps
Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
My Tutorials:
Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
----------------------------------------------------------
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Skycast
Wild Die - a random die roll of a blog | Savage Septentrionalis - Savage Worlds play-by-post
After goofing around a bit more the only thing I see is that when setting the blend I only see a "LIGHTEN ONLY" option and not just a "LIGHTEN" option. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong there.
Skycast
Wild Die - a random die roll of a blog | Savage Septentrionalis - Savage Worlds play-by-post
Sorry to disappoint you Skycast, but the big issue is that your coastline already has as much "randomness" as you could expect to add with noise. The technique is designed to work with very smooth, general shapes, applying a large blur, and the noise gets added into the area of the blur. In your case, the blur is tiny (5 px or so) and the noise is just not fine enough to show up.
Beyond that, you missed setting the noise layer to overlay blend mode (but it doesn't really help here...)
You might be better off just getting a better detailed map of the area, alternately, Jump ahead to the shoreline section, and use that technique (a small positive, then negative displacement map using the same noise) to add some distortion to the shoreline.
Attached is an updated zip with the layer set how they should be (no real effect, for the reason's stated) along with a new layer I created by taking the blurred coast, thresholding it, then displacement mapping it twice so show what I meant.
My tutorials: Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional Map ~ All My Tutorials
My GIMP Scripts: Rotating Brush ~ Gradient from Image ~ Mosaic Tile Helper ~ Random Density Map ~ Subterranean Map Prettier ~ Tapered Stroke Path ~ Random Rotate Floating Layer ~ Batch Image to Pattern ~ Better Seamless Tiles ~ Tile Shuffle ~ Scale Pattern ~ Grid of Guides ~ Fractalize path ~ Label Points
My Maps: Finished Maps ~ Challenge Entries ~ My Portfolio: www.cartocopia.com
Thanks Rob, I'm a long time CC2/3 user, but GIMP is brand new to me; I'll get there eventually! What post number in your PDF would you suggest I start at then?
Skycast
Wild Die - a random die roll of a blog | Savage Septentrionalis - Savage Worlds play-by-post
I guess I'm not sure exactly what you want to do...
This whole tutorial is based on my efforts to make a nice looking map from a vague idea, without having to draw anything as opposed to mapping based on a well defined area....
What are you hoping to end up with, and what is it for?
-Rob A>
My tutorials: Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional Map ~ All My Tutorials
My GIMP Scripts: Rotating Brush ~ Gradient from Image ~ Mosaic Tile Helper ~ Random Density Map ~ Subterranean Map Prettier ~ Tapered Stroke Path ~ Random Rotate Floating Layer ~ Batch Image to Pattern ~ Better Seamless Tiles ~ Tile Shuffle ~ Scale Pattern ~ Grid of Guides ~ Fractalize path ~ Label Points
My Maps: Finished Maps ~ Challenge Entries ~ My Portfolio: www.cartocopia.com
I'm looking to produce a map similar to the one shown in the tutorial with the colors, textures, etc.
Skycast
Wild Die - a random die roll of a blog | Savage Septentrionalis - Savage Worlds play-by-post
First off, as everyone else has said, this guide is brilliant. I was a complete Gimp newb, and still probably am, when I started working on these. But now I at least feel comfortable with the software.
Now, Ive been living with this guide for awhile now, using it to work on my maps when Ive had the free time. And Im pretty happy with what Ive done so far. The more complete map isnt finished yet -- Im still goofing around with text, testing things out. But Id like to know what you all think, and if you have the time maybe throw out some suggestions.
The other map is me trying to use this method to produce a more tundra/snow region. So again Id like to hear any feedback, positive or negative. Two of my main concerns are to keep the snow from looking like water and if the tundra/more grassy border is too abrupt.
One thing that annoyed me was the pixelization when using the Noise->Spead filter on the mountains. I "just" last night found a solution that I prefer more that using this filter. Here is what I found and like: After adding the layer mask to the layers with the moutains on them, in the layers dialog box select the layer mask (right most icon) and run a G. Blur. I like somewhere around 100-200 px, but that depends quite a bit on the size/resolution of your original map. For a map with smaller height/width, smaller would probably be better, my map is like 3000x3600.
It really makes the mountain layer really blend into the underlying background (grass) much more smothly IMO and allows zooming in for more detail at a closer level before pixilization happens.
Thanin, if you have a layer mask for the tundra picture, you could try this technique to get a more natural looking blend from one layer to another, though I have no idea if it wil work or not.
My Finished Maps
Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
My Tutorials:
Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
----------------------------------------------------------
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.