Reply With QuoteWelcome to the Guild! Also, you may want to give the GIMP a try. It's free, and I find that having and using both programs is sometimes really beneficial.
Photoshop
Hello All,
At present, I am using Photoshop 7 and Photoshop CS. I look forward to buying CS 5 or whatever is current when I can afford it. I will definitely investigate the programs suggested on this forum. I really don't get into wargaming or RPG, but have done so when younger. I am 64 now, and am more interested in what I guess I'd call "reality" mapping or cartography. But I think that the techniques and software used would be useful in both cases. Actually, I'm a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien both in his fantasy writing and in his non-fiction work. We have a woodworking business and have named it, Middle Earth Turnings after his usage from Middangeard" which was a ancient expression for the everyday world between Heaven above and Hell below.) So our usage is not a copyright infringement as some have tried to say, since he copied it from the above reference, which could be said to be in the public domain for several hundred years! Enough of that...I really love maps of all types and have found that many on this forum are quite beautiful. I know I'll learn a lot from you folks, and hope I will be able to contribute something of use also.
Unkei
Last edited by Unkei; 07-04-2016 at 08:18 PM.
Welcome to the Guild! Also, you may want to give the GIMP a try. It's free, and I find that having and using both programs is sometimes really beneficial.
Gidde's just zis girl, you know?
My finished maps | My deviantART gallery
My tutorials: Textured forests in GIMP, Hand-Drawn Mapping for the Artistically Challenged
Gimp
Hello Gidde,Originally Posted by Gidde
I'll certainly look into GIMP. Free is good, next to the price of Photoshop.
Unkei
Gimp is definitely worth a try because it's free and there's a lot of support for it here in the Guild.
Photoshop CS6 is also in open beta for the next couple months, so you can download and try that for free. (Yes, it will expire at the end of the beta.)
Depending on what you mean by reality mapping, you might find that either Inkscape(free vector based analog to Illustrator) or Illustrator itself to be a better fit vs GIMP/PS. If you don't plan to do much advanced shading or photo realistic mapping, those would likely be a better approach. Things such as street maps, topographical maps, simple line drawings, etc would be more in line with Vector programs. Also, if you plan to do much in way of actual drawing, I would highly suggest investing in at least a low end(Wacom brand would be the only recommendation I would make) tablet. You will find it makes things far easier than a mouse depending on how much "drawing" you plan to do.
My Finished Maps
Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
My Tutorials:
Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
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Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
welcome to the guild - I'm a photoshop user myself, but pretty tired of paying for way to expensive upgrades (the prices in Denmark is just about double of the US prices eventhough its the same program (I buy the english version).
regs tilt
:: My DnD page Encounter Depot free stuff for your game :: My work page Catapult ::
:: Finished Maps :: Competion maps - The Island of Dr. Rorshach ::
:: FREE Tiles - Compasses :: Other Taking a commision - Copyright & Creative Commons ::
Works under CC licence unless mentioned otherwise
Thanks for all the replies! I've been somewhat busy with family members and the hospital, so have not re visited this forum for a long time. I have, since my original post here, purchased Photoshop CS 6, the stand alone version, as I think their subscription program is in my humble opinion, a lousy deal! I can deal with having no updates so my version of CS6 will serve nicely! After all..it is a heck of an improvement over my ancient PS7 version, and I managed to get it at my Best Buy for less than half of retail, saving almost $400! I have Gimp..but have a lot of time invested in Photoshop.
I also have a medium size Wacom Tablet. Had the full size Intuis 4, but found it was too large to handle working with my laptop in my recliner. LOL! Besides..the 12x12 also has wireless capability which untethers me from the USB.
Look forward to getting back to the forum now!
Cheers,
Unkei
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