[WIP] Home-brew Campaign Setting Map

[wthrasherb]

Words words words...

Added some type. Not sure if I'm going to keep some of the smaller text. Names are tentative for now. Hoping to get some feedback on the labels as far as font and legibility and such.

[ChickPea]

Some thoughts ...

I like the font you've used for ocean text, but I feel like it needs tweaking. When I zoom in, it looks OK, but at smaller resolutions, some of the finer parts of the letters are overwhelmed by the stroke. Also, I feel the hard edge of the light-coloured stroke doesn't quite fit. Maybe if you tried blurring the stroke, it would soften the edge yet still allow the letters to stand out from the background?

With the title, I love the design and I think it could work really well, but something nags at me and I can't quite put my finger on it. I think maybe it's the use of very similar colours to the land masses. I see your textured lands with lumpy bumpy bits, then I see the flat text and it feels disconnected. I'd maybe try some sort of bevel or shadow on the text, or simply try a solid colour. My vote would be for a solid colour or subtle gradient to contrast with the colours of the land.

Anyway, just my thoughts. No doubts others will have differing opinions!!

[wthrasherb]

Some thoughts ...

I like the font you've used for ocean text, but I feel like it needs tweaking. When I zoom in, it looks OK, but at smaller resolutions, some of the finer parts of the letters are overwhelmed by the stroke. Also, I feel the hard edge of the light-coloured stroke doesn't quite fit. Maybe if you tried blurring the stroke, it would soften the edge yet still allow the letters to stand out from the background?

With the title, I love the design and I think it could work really well, but something nags at me and I can't quite put my finger on it. I think maybe it's the use of very similar colours to the land masses. I see your textured lands with lumpy bumpy bits, then I see the flat text and it feels disconnected. I'd maybe try some sort of bevel or shadow on the text, or simply try a solid colour. My vote would be for a solid colour or subtle gradient to contrast with the colours of the land.

Anyway, just my thoughts. No doubts others will have differing opinions!!

ChickPea, thanks for the feedback. I was right there with you on feeling like the world name label just didn't look quite right.... good, but, didn't quite fit. I REALLY like the font. I think it complements this map well. I just need to figure out how to make it look best.

I got rid of all effects period on the text except for the world name label (it still has a small stroke). Also, I faded out the water a lot more, still going for a kind of old globe look.

Better? Worse? Text legibility???

[SteffenBrand]

I like this last version much more, looks kind of nostalgic and very beautiful! I'd try a perhaps 30% opacity 1px or 2px outline on the other text or probably 100% soft light 2px outline.

Also, I'd color a bit more land mass on the lower right side. You go much further to the border on the area in the south before you fade out. I'd even try to go very near the border, since it doesn't look less like an island there.

Rep!

Actually I'm quite impressed by the details of this... may I ask how you made the shore lines (especially the wobbly effect)?

[wthrasherb]

I like this last version much more, looks kind of nostalgic and very beautiful! I'd try a perhaps 30% opacity 1px or 2px outline on the other text or probably 100% soft light 2px outline.

Also, I'd color a bit more land mass on the lower right side. You go much further to the border on the area in the south before you fade out. I'd even try to go very near the border, since it doesn't look less like an island there.

Rep!

Actually I'm quite impressed by the details of this... may I ask how you made the shore lines (especially the wobbly effect)?

Hey SteffenBrand! Thanks for the Rep and the suggestions! I just adjusted the stroke on the text like you recommended. The 2px soft light 100% looks best I THINK.

As for the land in the bottom right fading out a little further from the border.... welllll.... the land actually stops abruptly right there. It has been bothering me a little bit too, mainly because that whole side just looks a little hard on the edge between the faded out part and the border. On this current version the actual image has been flattened for the sake of file size and RAM while I'm working, so I will have to go back to whatever previous version where I masked out that edge and play around with it some more. That whole corner has given me issues since I started this map, even from the very beginning when I was first generating the land mass shapes... ugh! So I will touch that up later.

I'm not sure what you mean exactly by "wobbly effect", but I initially generated the land masses/shore lines using Fractal Terrains 3. Then I do erosion effects in Fractal Terrains and another program called Wilbur. Once I've "shaped" the land masses and ocean floor to my liking, I out put black and white alpha channels essentially and some varying height maps for the terrain. Then I throw everything into Photoshop. In Photoshop I polished up the edges (thanks to a recommendation by chick) of the shore lines by selecting the outline and smoothing the selection a little just to cut off an ragged edges. That's about it for the shore lines I think. If you could explain what you mean by wobbly effect I will try to elaborate further.

Here's the touched up version based on SteffanBrand's recomendations. Also, I've put generic continent labels on this one, so if ya'll could maybe set me straight on how the continent labels look as well that would be great...



Oh and just for schitz and giggles, here's one version of the world name label I did... I found this font called "barbarian" that is supposed to resemble the Conan the Barbarian movie logo and it was just too neat to leave alone. The background is just for display purposes. This isn't going to be used. I was just for fun.



**EDIT**

And for the record, the positioning of the map labels are not final. I'm just trying to get the font and color and size, etc all correct first, THEN I'll go back and use a little more care in placement.

[SteffenBrand]

Nice one! What I mean is this, I marked the wobbly lines I mentioned on the map. Actually, I tried out the font settings I'd try, too. I don't have the one you used (I used Snell Roundhand [Black]), but my settings were 2px white outline with 30% opacity set on overlay. Then, the whole layer on 80% with overlay, too (black for the font, of cause). Maybe you like this setting more, it doesn't grips in that much and with 80% on opacity it fits in more by using a bit of the underlaying informations and adds at least a bit to the nostalgic feeling IMO. =)

Keep up the good work, I'd love to see this finished!

[J.Edward]

This looks quite nice wthrasherb. It has a really nice feel to it.

[wthrasherb]

Nice one! What I mean is this, I marked the wobbly lines I mentioned on the map. Actually, I tried out the font settings I'd try, too. I don't have the one you used (I used Snell Roundhand [Black]), but my settings were 2px white outline with 30% opacity set on overlay. Then, the whole layer on 80% with overlay, too (black for the font, of cause). Maybe you like this setting more, it doesn't grips in that much and with 80% on opacity it fits in more by using a bit of the underlaying informations and adds at least a bit to the nostalgic feeling IMO. =)

Keep up the good work, I'd love to see this finished!

Ok, SteffanBrand, the wobbly effect is just a layer style with some distortion applied, and obviously everything else that has happened to the image since adding that layer style You can find the layer style file here. Download and unzip and some where in there is a style file (whatever those are called) for Photoshop. I did not create any of that stuff. It is from the Genesis of Israh tutorial. I'm sorry but I don't know the screen name of the person that came up with that tutorial. As far as that layer style on my map, I'm sure I've adjusted it some from the tutorial version, but it's pretty close. For instructions on how to use the layer style according to the tutorial go here. On that page press Ctrl-F or (Cmd-F) to bring up the Find function in your web browser (at least in Chrome) and type "water_ripples" and press enter and it should take you right to the part that talks about implementing that layer style in a similar fashion to what I have here.

As for the font outline adjustments, your most recent suggestions look good for the Water text, but it's not quite working for all of the land labels. It looks ok, and better than the white outline I had, but it's not as legible for all of the labels. I'm in the process of trying some things out. I'll post and updated image later.

I really appreciate the feedback and input, especially the visual aid, that helps

@J.Edward - Thanks for the kind words! It really boosts my enthusiasm and motivation every time someone gives me feedback, especially when it's positive! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

Keep it coming folks!

[wthrasherb]

ok, how about this?

Text better?

I changed the stroke on the land text and the world name text to a BLACK stroke instead of white and that fixed it IMO.

Thoughts?

If this is good I'll start working on the actual continent names and better positioning of labels.

[J.Edward]

Yes. I think that looks better. It's easier to read at a distance.
I'm happy to leave a comment when I can.