The Phemosos Isles

[Jeremy]

5CD84964-0430-4493-9776-B34132833069.jpeg

Hi Everyone, just wanted to show you my most recent map. Could still do with some adjustments, such as the labels standing out more, but don’t know when I will be able to find time again. Please leave any constructive comments, and perhaps I will find the time to apply them. Again thanks for all your support.

[Ghostman]

That's an impressive map. The red dotted borders kind of stand out in being flat color when everything else looks natural/rough. Maybe apply a subtle bevel and/or drop shadow on them, reduce the saturation of the color?

[Gidde]

The labels might stand out a bit more if you desaturate the terrain a little; the colors really run the gamut and are very bold, so it's hard to get good contrast that works everywhere.

[Jeremy]

The labels might stand out a bit more if you desaturate the terrain a little; the colors really run the gamut and are very bold, so it's hard to get good contrast that works everywhere.

Many thanks for your comments Gidde and Ghostman. Yeah it’s difficult trying to get the text and the border lines to stand out, but really enjoy working into those mountains and get them painted in, making them look as convincing as I can. Will try what you have both suggested, in the hope that this works. Still learing here I’m afraid, so any comments that put a new technique into my arsenal is always gratefully received (priceless infact). Many thanks both for your kind and constructive comments, I will post the improvements when I get chance to apply them.

Jeremy

[Kellerica]

Pretty nice map! I personally really like the vibrant colors used here. The only place where I feel like they could still be improved is the area around The Bone Cold Sea, the white of the land is so extreme that is clashes a bit with the ocean blue surrounding it. The mountains look great at a distance, but the whole map is a bit blurry and suffers a tad when zoomed in at a 100%.

Good work on this, keep at it!

[Jeremy]

Pretty nice map! I personally really like the vibrant colors used here. The only place where I feel like they could still be improved is the area around The Bone Cold Sea, the white of the land is so extreme that is clashes a bit with the ocean blue surrounding it. The mountains look great at a distance, but the whole map is a bit blurry and suffers a tad when zoomed in at a 100%.

Good work on this, keep at it!

Many thanks for your kind comments Kellerica. I also thought that about the empty lands, almost to bright, but have tried everything (changing blending modes etc), but still can't get it to work. I would ideally like to see the texture of the land come through here as well, ut was one of the reasons I gave it the name of the empty lands, you know unchartered. Do you have any suggestions for technique to make both your points on zooming in and the bright white? I really want to be able to make maps as good as you guys.

Again many thanks for the help, its gratefully received.

[Kellerica]

Many thanks for your kind comments Kellerica. I also thought that about the empty lands, almost to bright, but have tried everything (changing blending modes etc), but still can't get it to work. I would ideally like to see the texture of the land come through here as well, ut was one of the reasons I gave it the name of the empty lands, you know unchartered. Do you have any suggestions for technique to make both your points on zooming in and the bright white? I really want to be able to make maps as good as you guys.

Again many thanks for the help, its gratefully received.

I'd have to know a bit more about the kind of layers your map is built from and the way they are structured, before I could say anything - you most likely make maps in a vastly different way than I do. And also, if you are using Gimp, I'm afraid I'm even more useless to give advice, I just recently proved that I'm so lost with Gimp that it's not even funny...

[Jeremy]

I'd have to know a bit more about the kind of layers your map is built from and the way they are structured, before I could say anything - you most likely make maps in a vastly different way than I do. And also, if you are using Gimp, I'm afraid I'm even more useless to give advice, I just recently proved that I'm so lost with Gimp that it's not even funny...

First of all many thanks to you all for taking the effort to help me out. I am using Photoshop to create my Maps. I have heard of Gimp, but have never used it. I have the benefit that I get to use Photoshop through my work, so just as cheap as Gimp for me.

Kellerica, I appreciate you even taking the time to reply to my questions, and as for you being useless at giving advice, I beg to differ. You have already given me a plenty to think about just like everyone else here, about map making. As you suggest, there must be a million and one ways to do this, and I suppose, I’m asking a lot, for all of your help, especially when there are many ways of making maps. I’m just grateful that I have found a place where I can discuss my creative past times with like minded people. This is something which is hard to come by on your own. God bless the internet, and the Cartographers Guild.

Thanks everyone again

Jeremy

[Gidde]

You know, another way you could get the text to stand out, while keeping the vibrancy, would be to change the label layer to something like multiply. Then the color of the labels slightly changes based on the color beneath it.

[Jeremy]

Thiozan-Map.jpg

Well I have made some of the adjustments suggested, and think the labels read better now (thanks for the multiply trick Gidde). I am really enjoying making these maps, and really like the way they are going, I suppose its just practise, but really want to be as good as you guys some day. So any suggestions on what to improve are always received with feeling of warm gratitude and something to I will promise to try and implement next time.

Many thanks again

Jeremy