[Award Winner] Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional RPG Map

[vincent052994]

I'd rather rate it 10 out of 5 due to an exaggeration of your great tutorial! It really helps me a lot especially to beginners like me! :-D

[m8adam]

Hey RobA,

This is a great tutorial and I love how my map is turning out. I had a question about the "sea shore" layer though. By using the displacement map, then inverting the signs on the displacement and repeating, don't you just move the "sea shore" out from under your land layer and then back underneath it? I can't quite figure this out, because it's not making any noticeable difference on my image.

Thanks,
Adam

[Arkaalis]

This is a great tutorial. I will name my children after it.

[Squiggoth]

This is an awesome tutorial. There is one problem I have sort of early on -- which is my "Land Mask" is waaaay too blobby and unrefines, so my further sea shapes and coastline shapes are blobby and unrealistic. How can I do the Wand tool in your steps to make a more accurate selection? The steps before have me blur so i'm not even sure thats possible! HALP!

[RobA]

Hey RobA,

This is a great tutorial and I love how my map is turning out. I had a question about the "sea shore" layer though. By using the displacement map, then inverting the signs on the displacement and repeating, don't you just move the "sea shore" out from under your land layer and then back underneath it? I can't quite figure this out, because it's not making any noticeable difference on my image.

Thanks,
Adam

The displacement uses the values "under" the pixel to calculate the displacement. it would only have no effect if your displacement map was all one colour or had value changes less than the displacement amount. You may need mor variation in your displacement map, or a larger displacement.

-Rob A>

[RobA]

This is an awesome tutorial. There is one problem I have sort of early on -- which is my "Land Mask" is waaaay too blobby and unrefines, so my further sea shapes and coastline shapes are blobby and unrealistic. How can I do the Wand tool in your steps to make a more accurate selection? The steps before have me blur so i'm not even sure thats possible! HALP!

It is hard to say without seeing your image. The typical issue is that you already had detail, and by blurring it out you've lost it. The second is that the blur isn't large enough for the Three-Layer-Sandwich technique to work - it only "creates" detail in the transition area, so if your blur is too small there is no area to work in.... There are a couple alternative techniques posted in the tutorial forums, OldGuy's works particularly well... http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?9056

-Rob A>

[Michael J. Parry]

Hi I get to this point and all I see is the mountians.. I am not sure why I can't see the rest of the map.

I don't suppose you would know what I am missing?

[callebe.gomes]

This is an awesome tutorial.

Following this tutorial, and others to make montains and trees, i got this map.


What is the bets image format to save the map? PNG, JPG or other?

[Korash]

I believe that .png is the best format for uploading images on this site. I might be wrong and am expecting a CL or Admin to smack me upside the head by way of correcting me. I think the PNG files are easily recognizable by most viewing progs, and editors.

callebe.gomes, I gave you some rep for putting a map in your first post.

Welcome to the Guild, the Mappiest Place on the Web.

[Niall Mackay]

First: Thanks a lot for the tutorial, RobA. It was some work, those forests made me mad... they just didn't want do get a nice colour. It always turned out way too green, but i think i got that now. But i should have used another texture also. And i'm not yet satisfied with the way my swampland turned out. The "rivers" in it are too visible.
Maybe i'll try and rework it somewhen...