Update: Making individual Trees
Hello Again. So there were a couple of things about this tutorial that bothered me, and in talking with at least one other person who had used this tutorial, it seems that he had the same concerns. The first point of concern was that the forests seem to cut off too abruptly. The second problem, related to the first, was the the forests seemed to "hover" above the ground rather than to appear like an integrated part of the landscape. I've recently been experimenting around with a new map and have come up with what I think is a nice solution to both problems. I have created some "Individual Trees" patterns that I have painted underneath the forests (that is, just under the "Tree Bumps" layer). The result seems to be a much more natural looking forest. While at some point I will update the tutorial here to demonstrate how to make your own tree patterns using the method I've discovered, in the mean time I have uploaded three different tree patterns (each of which is a different hue) for anyone to use. Here is what to do:
- Making the Pattern: after unzipping these files you will find that the images are all .png files. To use these as patterns within GIMP (or PS) you need to turn the .png files into .pat files (or, if you are using PS, whatever file is used for patterns), and then save them within the "Patterns" folder of your Gimp. Here's an easy way to do this. Right click on a .png and select "Edit with GIMP" (this will bring the image up in GIMP). Next, click on "File" and then select "Save As". Change the file type from .png to .pat. Click on your own user folder and double click on the "GIMP" folder. Once this opens, scroll down to the "Patterns" folder, double click it and hit Save. Now, close GIMP, and restart it again, and you should find the image has been added to your GIMP patterns.
- Using the Trees Patterns: to paint with a pattern, select the "Clone Tool" and adjust the scale of the brush to about .50 pix. Select "Apply Jitter" and set the amount to 5.00. Under "Source," select "Pattern" and then select one of the tree patterns. Now create a new transparent layer (named "Individual Trees") just below that of the tree bumps layer (see tutorial). Now paint within and and along the edges of the forests (you may find that you need to adjust either the scale of the brush or the amount of jitter to suit your needs). You should see dots of individual tree clumps spring up all over the place. Once you have finished creating the individual trees, simply give the "Individual Trees" layer a drop shadow (see tutorial) and you are done.
Below you will find a couple of "before and after" images showing what a difference painting with these tree patterns can make.
Cheers,
-Arsheesh
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Originally Posted by arsheesh
