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Thread: Greyscale non-destructive experiment

  1. #1

    Post Greyscale non-destructive experiment

    I was going for a non destructive greyscale map...it's a bit rough and ready and very generic...something about it really offends me, but I'm sick of it now...anyway here it is (not going to label it)....was going for a pencil / pen drawing look.

    C&Cs welcomed....I started it this morning and now can't see what it is about the map which I don't think works...the mountains maybe...not sure.
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  2. #2
    Community Leader Gandwarf's Avatar
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    I think your mountains are too realistic for a greyscale and handdrawn map. These are mountains I would expect in a sattelite image. Also, the style doesn't mix with the forests. They do have more of a handdrawn feel.

    Still, I don't really like the forests either. They have some 3D thing going on, except near the coast... then they are flat (check out the small northeastern island for example).

    At the moment you created a bit of a Frankenstein I think... this is the way to learn new stuff of course and I applaud you for experimenting.
    I do like the landmasses and how they look.
    Check out my City Designer 3 tutorials. See my fantasy (city) maps in this thread.

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  3. #3

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    Good eyes, Gandwarf...I bevelled the forests to give them more of a 'curvy feel' . I think you're right about the Frankenstein thing...guess making the mountains look handdrrawn didn't really work.

    The coastlines were done with my favourite 'jiggle' filter...man I love that one. I'm going to have to make a map without using it one day!

    Thanks Gandwarf, very helpful and repped.

  4. #4

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    I've just popped some colours and textures on it, and think it suits the map better...but it really shows up the mountains on the bottom right continent. In this style the mountains aren't meant to be clumped together in a big mass, I guess. Replaced the bevel on the forests with an inner glow which looks a bit better I think.

    Actually...the mountains look horrific!
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  5. #5
    Administrator waldronate's Avatar
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    One thing you can try to eliminate or reduce the lace-like appearance of the coastline is Filter>>Other>>Maximum followed by Filter>>Other Minimum with the same settings (assuming sea is black and peaks are white). The maximum will spread the terrain and fill in 2 pixels areas; minimum will open the terrain edges back up but leave the small holes filled. This is the equivalent of a trivial morphological closing operation, if I recall.

  6. #6
    Community Leader Gandwarf's Avatar
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    Wow, that was a quickie. I definitely like the colored version better. Especially the forests are better off. And the mountains... yes, well, they still don't look too great. Maybe some coloring would benefit them.
    Check out my City Designer 3 tutorials. See my fantasy (city) maps in this thread.

    Gandwarf has fallen into shadow...

  7. #7
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Ascension's Avatar
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    The forests on the center continent look pretty good but the other ones need a more jaggy edge. The mountains might look better with a pattern fill like the forests (but use mtns instead of trees). The colors look nice and the overall effect of both is nice, just them mtns.
    If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
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  8. #8

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    Wow Waldronate...never knew that and that's what I was struggling with on the coastline...I was using expand/contract selections but that just leaves you with the same problem.

    Cheers Gand, the advantage with this non-destructive thing is that you can just layer style the colour and textures.

    Putting a texture on the mountains just feels like a defeat to me....don't ask me why!

  9. #9

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    I think that filter>other is wonderful in conjuntion with the jiggle filter...thanks Waldronate...made the forests more jiggly too...best move this thread to the WIP thanks to the improvements going on here.
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  10. #10
    Administrator waldronate's Avatar
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    And the negative of the technique is that it tends to leave square spots where things got down to one pixel in size.

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