Best program to redraw an existing map?

[Gamerprinter]

I'm sure you could fake it, but, for example, I've created a parchment background that I use over and over on many maps. I took a blank piece of copy paper, folded it into 16 folds, then with my pinched fingers distressed all the folds so it wasn't one clean fold, but with appearance of having been opened and refolded many times. Then I took cigarette ashes and rubbed it all over the paper. Then took a clean, dry rag and wiped it clean of loose ashes. Then I digitally scanned that. In Xara, I created a rectangle and given a sepia tone coloration. Then I applied a fractal cloud effect and used a darker tone of sepia to the other color, so I have a mixed sepia tone rectangle. I place the scanned folded paper image on top and give that a Transparency/Stained-Glass effect and saved that to JPG.

Now everytime I want to create an old world looking map, the above becomes the first layer of such a map.

[Madmaxneo]

Gamerprinter, That is a pretty complex process but I can see how cool the after effects look. . I am doing ok with the transparency effects I have for now. Except one problem. I am able to pretty much create the effects I need with transparencies but I need to soften the edges so the transparency blends in better with the background. For example I am creating a slight grass transparency over a dirt background. The grass is spotty as the land is pretty much dead. I use the free form tool to draw my shape then I apply a transparency effect, but I can clearly see the edges of the transparency. How do I eliminate the edges?

Bruce