[Award Winner] Making mountains in Gimp using an overlay layer

[jfrazierjr]

Thanks Joe, I wanted to create a tutorial that shows both a hand drawn approach (I include smudging in this category) and an automated approach.

I really like your first example, but I have not been able to get something I like using that more hand drawn approach. Of course, when I try, it is usually at work during my lunch, so I don't have my tablet and probably forget to make multiple passes with the opacity dialed down. Will have to remember that next time I give it a whirl.

To be honest, re-reading the first steps, I am surprised you used the paintbrush instead of dodge/blur since you tend to use that so often when building up the shadows/highlights on the grey layer.

[torstan]

I've gone back to using paintbrushes for this rather than dodge and burn because it's faster. I find it quicker these days to get a result I like with the paintbrushes and smudge to take off hard edges rather than dodge and burn. I also like being able to lay in precise highlights and shadows directly rather than having to build them up. I guess it's just the result of having to do maps to deadline these days rather than working over them over a length of time. However, as with all things in this, the more care and attention you pay and the more detail you build up, the better the final product will look.