Monday, June 27, 2011

How to make your own map (just some basics)

Ok, folks have asked how I did my map, so here's a little photo tutorial I put together. These are some real basic tips, and you'll need a somewhat general knowledge of Photoshop (or your own photo/art software) as well as a little bit of artistic skill. Here goes:













8 comments:

  1. The Big JBJune 27, 2011 at 5:21 PM

    This was SUPER helpful. I have an old copy of Photoshop 7 which I've used for a lot of basic work, but I've been wanting some easy instructions to make a map for a LONG time. Thanks for posting this.

    You mention for trees to add a ground shadow - is there an easy way to do this for those of us that aren't artists and don't have a steady hand?

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  2. EvilcartoonistJune 27, 2011 at 5:49 PM

    The shadow doesn't need to look like much; a fat line that quickly fades off is about all you need to suggest a ground shadow. You can do this by painting a short brush stroke and then erasing (use the brush setting) a bit of the end of the stoke; or you can put a spot of paint at the bottom of your tree and use the smudge tool to pull the color in the direction you want your shadow to fall.

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  3. LasgunpackerJune 28, 2011 at 11:17 AM

    Very nice looking maps, and seemingly easy to do as well.

    The only pity is that I struggle with the various open source versions of programs instead of coughing up for the real thing.

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  4. The Big JBJune 28, 2011 at 11:20 AM

    Evilcartoonist - Thanks! That's very helpful.

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  5. EvilcartoonistJune 28, 2011 at 12:03 PM

    You can get Photoshop Elements on Amazon for around $70, or at any electronics store for around $100.
    So it's still a small investment, but it's not as expensive as its $700 big brother.

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  6. AnonymousJune 28, 2011 at 12:37 PM

    Carmen let me say something... Dude, that was AWESOME!!! I really find this kind of explanations not only useful but trully helpful. I see many friends of mine that make pieces of art from this program and I allways wondered how the did those things.
    Maybe I could try to read some manual but to be honest, I have one or two and I wasn't capable of just reading 2 pages.
    But you made it really easy to learn, so thank you very much for taking your time and making this tutorial.
    ;)

    Hoplon

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  7. TonyJuly 3, 2011 at 2:39 PM

    Interesting post. Thank you for sharing.

    Tony
    http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/

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  8. Peter DarleyJuly 7, 2011 at 3:44 PM

    Very helpful. Thanks!

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