[Award Winner] Making Not so Random Coastlines in GIMP - alternative method

[RobA]

I just posted this tutorial on making coastlines based on pre-defined shapes.

Two things I don't like are the slight blurriness in the coastline, and the inability to play with the effective water-level (like you can do with the threshold method).

SO to this end, I came up with a variation on the threshold level as an alternative to my other not-so random coastline tutorial, this time with clever use of multiplying levels, rather than differencing levels.

Here is the "Not So Random Coastline Tutorial - alternative method"

NOTE: There is a description by Juggernaut1981 on creating multiple islands an still maintaining detail that gets inserted after step 7. Jump over there for the details!

[RPMiller]

You do realize that if you keep this up, I'm going to be in rep debt to you don't you?

Good stuff! I have to spread some rep around before hitting you again, but I will. Perhaps someone else can rep you for me?

[RobA]

One more addition...

If you pick the "Turbulent" option in the cloud noise, this will have the effect of chopping up the shape much more. I used that to create an Atoll (attached) that shows the original white shape (outlined in yellow) and the resultant random coastline.

-Rob A>

[ravells]

Rob this is brilliant! The ability to have the coastlines made for you while you do the general shapes is invaluable. It's a like having a very controlled fractallisation command.

Rep? You can have my eye teeth!

Ravs

[RobA]

Gee Thanks! I just hope people find the techniques useful. I'd like to see what others end up doing with it!

-Rob A>

(p.s. what...no blush smiley?)

[pyrandon]

Wow--amazing. And although written for GIMP, I can so yoink this for Phosotshop as well. Great great great. Repped!

[ravells]

I tried this tutorial using Paintshop Pro last night and it worked like a charm. I'm going to try it again, but using different fills apart from noise to see if anything useful turns up. Thanks for the tut, Rob - very handy indeed.

Ravs

[ravells]

I keep telling RobA that he deserves Medals for this tutorial (I use this method pretty much all the time now)...but he's too modest to accept them!

[RobA]

-Rob A>

[absinthesparrow]

Wow, this tutorial is incredible. I've always drawn maps by hand (and not well; it's sort of a side-hobby to writing), but I tried my current continental layout with this technique and it came out beautifully. Makes me wish I hadn't spent all that time coloring my hand-drawn map!