Uma.v2 (WIP)

[fifty]

So had some more practice and now I want to redo one of my old maps for an RPG rules and setting I'm doing with a friend (http://facebook.com/Orbis.RPGame)

This is the old map:

which I've converted to land/sea B/W :

now I just need to decide if I want to do antique style or more photostyle... Generally I think I really like the hand drawn styles I've seen, but I don't know if I've the basic talent to do that format justice!

[fifty]

So been off doing some other things relating to the fantasy RPG which this map is going to be for, got back on it this week and have decided for a photo style map.

here's where I'm upto: Attachment 57270

Next step is going to be putting some forest texture on but I'm not really sure how to do it - I've seen Arsheesh's excelent Photo-realistic Forests in Gimp tut, and that's the style I'd like to achieve, but I'm using Photoshop so I'll have to see if I can work out how to do it in that!

[Chashio]

That latest picture is invalid... if you wouldn't mind uploading it again?

[fifty]

this work?

[Chashio]

Yep, that did it.

The colors are nice, but that style effect you have on the water makes it look like a living organism that's sending vein type feelers to explore over the surface of your landmass. It's generally better not to put any type of bevel on water because it can appear backward depending on how you view it.

[fifty]

Hmm.... yep I can see that now - what about this?

[Chashio]

Well it's still there, it's just a bit darker now. Did you put some sort of shadow on the water or land? because that would throw it off in a similar fashion.

[fifty]

Maybe... when I hide all the water layers there's a shadow following the rivers on the land layer...

I think I might have put some sort of shadow on an earlier layer and lost the layer adjustments when I merged it with another one.

I'll have to go back through earlier saves and see if i can find when it happened.

[Chashio]

Oh, is that one on the left an older version that you have available? You could flatten it if need be and put that above the problem layer, then add a new mask, invert it so it's black, then paint over with white on the mask just the side of the river with the shadow, and once done add a hue or color balance layer adjustment with a clipping mask to get the colors of the new old layer more in line with the post lighting effects layer.

[fifty]

OK - well I know how it happened at least.

When I applied lighting effects to the land layer (4 omni lights at the corners) it has also created a shadow following the rivers edge, you can't see the one that gets layered under the river itself, but the one on the land side stays with the land layer.



So it then gives the appearance of the river floating above the land...

I'm open to suggestions on how to resolve this!