Map Software that is novel friendly

[DarkAria]

Hello.
I am new to the site and I am sorry if this question is somewhere else on the site.
I am looking for map making software that can create black and white maps that are of a high quality and rather stylized. Dose anyone know of such a program?
I am looking at Campaign Cartographer 3 Map Making for Gamers on amazon.com but the tutorials I have seen on youtube are colored and not at all what I want.
I am not worried about the learning curve on the CC3 program, my sister has wicked skills in photoshop. I have asked her to help me, but I was wondering if there wasn't a program to make it easier on the both of us. Something not too expensive as we are both self -publishing and rather broke( i.e. $0-50.).
I am rather picky about what I want and what I like and I am afraid that I may just have to save up and commission someone. I am currently working on a series, with two of the eight books being written. Each will need its own map, so you can see how expensive that can get. I would like to say my drawing skill are above average, but no matter how hard I tired, the look and line quality just weren't equal to what a computer could provide.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I am willing to do some research into products but I don't know where to begin.
Amazon wasn't exactly helpful on this subject.

Thank You!
Sincerely,
DarkAria

[Chick]

Hello DarkAria, welcome to the Guild!

There is a great tutorial in the sticky section of Tutorials, called Quickstart Guide to Fantasy Mapping: http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=4276

From there, go to Hand Drawn Mapping for the Artistically Challenged: http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=10655

Once you have completed those two tutorials, you'll be well on your way!!

[Azélor]

1-Make your map with CC3 in colour.
2-Import it into photoshop and desaturate the colours. Or use Gimp, it's free.

[waldronate]

1-Make your map with CC3 in colour.
2-Import it into photoshop and desaturate the colours. Or use Gimp, it's free.

Or do step 2 right in CC3 by using a grayscale filter on the whole drawing. The CC3 annuals have many styles that could be useful (see the "Mercator Historical" style in Annual 1, for example; leaving off the colored elements gives a basic woodcut style).

[DarkAria]

Thank you for these ideas. I am looking into, both Gimp and CC3.

[Gamerprinter]

I use Xara Photo & Graphic Designer, which is vector drawing software, like Illustrator, but only costs $89, and could easily create B/W, grayscale, full color - whatever you need. I find Xara the easiest vector software I've ever used, meaning it has a fairly low learning curve. However, since you sister has mad skills with Photoshop, why not use Photoshop - its easier to create a map with software you know, than one you have to learn. I have CC3, and consider it much more difficult to learn than vector, and vector can do everything that CC3 does, and a lot more.

[Naima]

Isnt there also inkscape wich is free?

[Gamerprinter]

Isnt there also inkscape wich is free?

Inkscape, like GIMP certainly is free, but personally, I like software that is powerful and easy to use. I find Inkscape cumbersome and inefficient, despite not costing anything. If your wallet is the only decision making factor in software decisions, than GIMP and Inkscape are among the few ways to get around cost. However, if you're like me, and though cost is a significant decider, but not the primary decider, then I'd rather use affordable software (not free), that is powerful and easy to learn and use. In 30 years of using various vector applications, I've used Micrografx Designer, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape and Xara Photo & Graphics Designer, and only that last one is the only one I find easy to learn, easy to use, powerful enough to handle all my complex needs, and not cost a lot.

One example, I use bevels extensively in all my maps, yet the bevels created in Inkscape convert to raster format (as in an image), thus once you create a bevel in Inkscape, you have to remove it completely if you need to tweak or rework it (it cannot be undone otherwise once it becomes raster). Also I use various transparency operations in my maps, and Inkscape is very limited on transparency options - it can't do what I need it to do (and what most other vector applications can do). If your only need for vector might be to create and place labels, borders, rivers, and coastlines, then Inkscape can work for you, but if you plan to create your entire map in Inkscape, its very limited. I create my entire maps from start to finish in Xara, and have no needs for other software to get it completed.

Free isn't always "best".

[heruca]

Free isn't always "best".

I'd go even further, and say that free is practically never "best".

[johnvanvliet]

this thread is a year and a half old and the op has not been here for 18 months

I'd go even further, and say that free is practically never "best".

i beg to differ!!!!

99.999999% of the software i use is under the GPL , MIT, or BSD license
and is free

not all opensource programs are great ( some is crap but almost all "shareware" for windows is really CRAP)
most open software is very good

now the "free???? " prebuilt windows " exe" programs do tend to be CRAP
this is SO BAD on the windows platform that a name for it was created
Crapware and Bloatware