Faerûn+, Forgotten Realms

[fusblr]

About a month ago I started my most ambitious project to date, a full Faerûn continent map. It actually goes off into the Hordelands and Far East some too. My original intention was to style it similar to the 3rd edition map, however, to do it in the way I wanted I felt like I'd need a drawing tablet - those details with a mouse would be hard and tedious. So instead, I decided on a more realistic style. Hopefully, by the time I'm done with it I'll have a drawing tablet and I can do another version. The research and location placement is easily the most time consuming and after this first map it'll all be there already for the second map.

This is just a screen capture using Windows snipping tool. That's at 12.5% zoom. The document is 100" x 64"



After adding the main land areas, it eventually turned to this. All the terrain is done in this one file.



I then visial clone the terrain map and set it as the background in my second file where I place the locations. So far, everything is holding up okay, though the second map is over over 900 layers & 5b and I'm only 40% done with the locations. So it may take a third map to finish locations and a fourth to place terrain labels. This next map is at 50% zoom.



Once I'm done with labeling I'll detail the landscape. Who knows when it'll be done but it's a fun project. The research needed though takes forever! Especially with D&D, you have multiple editions so making sure your locations match the right time in history and are canon can take a really long time. This map is based on 3rd edition but uses 4E and 5E lore that would have existed at the 3E point in time.

This is at 100%.



There are a couple places I have some uncertainty. The first is that I like that the labels are visible zoomed out a bit, however, as you can see, in some places there are a lot of labels and reducing the size might be a good idea. As it is, I have reduced the label aize from normally being 10pt to 9pt in conjested areas. I'm not sure how easy it is to see. If you know to look for it, I know you can see it. Maybe I should just reduce everything to 9 or 8pt? I don't know yet.

Another are the mountains. I produced better mountains in my Trade Sea map though it was destructive and time consuming. So between not having the exact process to copy and the map being huge, I learned a new way. It's okay and it matches the 3E style of most ranges having a single spine, but I find myself wanting more. I'll probably leave them though and save a better mountains for the next one. Anyways! Here's my current project! Enjoy.

-Craig

[Gidde]

No kidding that's an ambitious project! Looking good sor far

Labels on a map that big are really tough. I printed my Belgariad map on 36x24 paper and the labels are still so tiny you have to get right up next to it to read them. For what it's worth I say make them as big as you possibly can without ruining the map. It'll really help if you ever print the monster.

[Will Phillips]

I then visial clone the terrain map and set it as the background in my second file where I place the locations.

I do the same thing with my large maps (such as the Low Countries one I've recently started). I end up with multiple Photoshop files that break down as follows:

1. Geography and Terrain
2. Borders
3. Labels
4. Legends and Insets
5. Texture

Only way I've figured out to avoid giant files!

[fusblr]

With about 1000 labels down, I'm still only at about 40% of just the site locations. The file is about 5gb but everything seems to be holding up fine so I've not started a third file yet.

Here is an actual export of the map, not just a screenshot. Its at 25% zoom.

[Azélor]

Wow, 5gb is really big just for labels, even with around 1000.
Assuming these are vectors.
For example, a pdf of 300 pages containing only text would weight only a few mb.
If you used raster on the other hand, that might be the issue.

[fusblr]

Wow, 5gb is really big just for labels, even with around 1000.
Assuming these are vectors.
For example, a pdf of 300 pages containing only text would weight only a few mb.
If you used raster on the other hand, that might be the issue.

I have the background which is about 10,000x6500, and layers for each: trails, roads, different sorts of symbols, a couple overlay maps. Then, yea, almost 1000 layers of text labels: each label on its own layer. Are there better ways to do it than each label on its own layer?

Edit: Since you brought up that this size seemed odd, I looked at the actual file, and you're right, its not that big. I guess I don't understand what the numbers Photoshop uses in the bottom left corner represent! The files are only 500mb or so. However, the 5gb number Photoshop uses seems to determine the file type I can save it as, because once that number breeched 2gb, I had to start saving the file as a .psb instead of the standard .psd.

[PaperGriffin]

I use a really old version of photoshop, so this may no longer be the case, but I think the numbers in the bottom left corner are the size of the file when open/being worked on, and the other is an indication of the file size when saved. I tend to be pretty layer heavy too and I've had some files close to 1gb when open, but they save to a much smaller file size (usually a few hundred mb).

[Azélor]

Indeed 500mb is much more reasonable. Still big considering you are working on a flattened version of the map.
I've been using PS for years and still have no idea what the numbers mean.

[Greason Wolfe]

Not sure about Photoshop, but I use an older version of paintshop pro and the working/editing size shown in the status bar is typically 5 to 6 times the saved file size in native format and upwards of 100 times the saved file size in jpeg format. Have always assumed that number in the status bar as being indicative of memory usage by file and program for what it is worth.

[fusblr]

It's slowly coming along. Research takes forever. Too many places to find lore! Currently in the Old Empires, in Unther and heading into Chessenta.

This is at 50%.

### Latest WIP ###