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Thread: Continent Map, One more down, 3 to go...

  1. #1
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    Default Continent Map, One more down, 3 to go...

    Unlabeled version, any ideas on the best way to label this? Style, colour, font, program, ect? So far everything is in gimp, with a little help from wilbur

    http://lathorien.deviantart.com/#/d3231c9
    Last edited by Lathorien; 11-03-2010 at 06:57 PM.

  2. #2
    Guild Adept Troedel's Avatar
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    I think it depends on the mood you wish to create for your map. Put the fonts aside for a moment and try to figure out what kind of feeling should be transported. After you are sure of that things will get a little bit clearer. Be warned that I´m no expert in this matter. I faced the same problem recently and tried out many different versions until I got near enough for the time being.

  3. #3

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    Wow, man! That's awesome! Wish I could do something like that!

  4. #4
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    I always seem to stall at this stage, I was thinking of switching from doing the labels in Gimp to Inkscape as rastor is supposedly better for stuff like that, especially with the amount of zoom this map allows for. I want clean but not proffessional modern atlas, hmmm have to experment.

    Well hopefully after i finish this map, and a smaller paid one in the same style, I will have have time to do a tut for this.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lathorien View Post
    I always seem to stall at this stage, I was thinking of switching from doing the labels in Gimp to Inkscape as rastor is supposedly better for stuff like that, especially with the amount of zoom this map allows for. I want clean but not proffessional modern atlas, hmmm have to experment.

    Well hopefully after i finish this map, and a smaller paid one in the same style, I will have have time to do a tut for this.
    Definitely! Use inkscape for labelling. I find it much easier to use.

    -Rob A>

  6. #6
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    Any tutorials for using inkscape for labeling kicking around?

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lathorien View Post
    Any tutorials for using inkscape for labeling kicking around?
    Nothing specific but I can outline the procedure I use.

    - Create a new image in inkscape.
    - Import the finished, unlabeled map.
    - Set the image size to fir the selection (this will make the inkscape canvas the same size as the imported image)
    - open the layer palette, and lock the layer the map is on (Should be "Layer 1") Now you won;t keep selecting it, and you can easily turn its visibility off in the layer palette.
    - Create a new layer for each type of label (I tend to have layers like "town markers" "town labels" "regions" "rivers" "water bodies") that will have a different text style.
    - Add the labels. Work in a 1:1 view, and don;t make the text too small or it will be come illegible. You can check it easily by Alt-B (make bitmap copy) which will show you what an element will look like when exported as a bitmap.
    - Using the layer panel, turn off the visibility of the layers and export them one at a time as full image pngs. (I like to do effects like glow, shadow, etc in gimp, but you could also do them in inkscape)
    - import all those layers back into gimp and apply the effects you want (if doing them in gimp).

    -Rob A>

  8. #8
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    thanks Rob that will get me started, havent used inkscape before that should get me started.

  9. #9

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    Thanks, Rob!

  10. #10
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    Update hows it looking so far? http://lathorien.deviantart.com/#/d33o5pe

    Labeled in GIMP
    Last edited by Lathorien; 11-26-2010 at 08:02 PM.

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