Atlas Style Mountains in GIMP

[nolgroth]

I was tinkering with making mountains and there is a method that I used to create a "patch" for one of my mountain ranges. It involves using a Stone texture, the Cubism filter, and the Bump Map filter on two or three layers. Once this month's challenge is over, I want to go back and take a closer look at that method and see if I can get a little finer control on the end result.

Also, one of the fine tuning methods for Ascensions (and Gidde's adaptation) for mountains is to use the Lasso tool with a generous amount of feathering to move the mountains around. It isn't a perfect solution, but there is more control over the end result.

Both of your maps are pretty awesome. I prefer your adaptation of Ascension's tutorial better, but they are both fine maps. Keep up the good work.

[jturner]

Jaxilon: You may also want to check out some of the GIMP tutorials by RobA since those cover mountains in GIMP.

Will do, thanks. I'm working through all the tutorials I can get my hands on, and RobA's are definitely on my list. Time is the only limiting factor. It's great, though - I'm really learning a lot.

PaperAndPaychecks: Yeah, I couldn't make Wilbur create rivers using "Incise flow" either. I finished up making my rivers by using the Erosion Cycle option twice. Slightly more detailed description here.

I'll post over at your thread, but I'm interested to see your progress. Wilbur is completely new for me, but it looks really good. I can't believe people are willing to spend their time making these programs and then offer them for free. Just when I thought I'd lost faith in humanity...

nolgroth: I was tinkering with making mountains and there is a method that I used to create a "patch" for one of my mountain ranges. It involves using a Stone texture, the Cubism filter, and the Bump Map filter on two or three layers. Once this month's challenge is over, I want to go back and take a closer look at that method and see if I can get a little finer control on the end result.

I'd be interested in knowing more about your method when you have time.

Also, one of the fine tuning methods for Ascensions (and Gidde's adaptation) for mountains is to use the Lasso tool with a generous amount of feathering to move the mountains around. It isn't a perfect solution, but there is more control over the end result.

I'll try it!

Both of your maps are pretty awesome. I prefer your adaptation of Ascension's tutorial better, but they are both fine maps. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the encouragement. I agree about Ascension's method. I think it's because of the palette he recommends - I really like his desert colours. I wonder if I could use Ascension's palette in a gradient map for Arsheesh's Eriond method. Hmmm...

EDIT: I just noticed in Arsheesh's finished Eriond map he uses slightly different colours from the tutorial.

[jturner]

Had 1/2 hour free, so I added some more. Funny how a bit of fluff can make a big difference.

20130427 Astathel - Eriond Style_s.jpg

Must credit Jazzon for the parchment background and www.clker.com for the celtic knots.

[jturner]

So my mountains looked like bits of old chewing gum stuck to the sole of your shoe, and I had no rivers. Hence, I've gone back to the Wilbur height map stage in the Eriond tutorial and redone it. I still couldn't get Wilbur to add any significant rivers. So, after I followed Arsheesh's instructions for Wilbur, I selected Texture > Other Maps > River Flow and set it to about 0.1000 to show lots of small rivers. These don't show up when you save the file (any ideas???), so back in GIMP I drew them in manually, flicking between GIMP and Wilbur to get something approximately the same. Menial, but at least I've got some rivers now. I've read through some of the river threads in the forums, and I'm 90% happy that they follow real-world water flow rules (maybe some of the lakes are a bit unrealistic, but...that's magic). Any river-police observations welcome.

20130427 Astathel - Eriond Style - Wilbur Height Map.jpg

TO DO:

- Add colour. Maybe aim for a more Ascension-ised palette.
- Reorganise national borders and cities to match rivers.
- Re-add map elements. Any suggestions for prettifying would be welcome.

Open to any other suggestions. As well as what's in the tutorials, I've also learned that you need to leave some space for map elements such as the border, cartouche and compass rose. It's fairly elementary, but it saves a lot of hassle later.

[PapersAndPaychecks]

I think those mountains might be too blobby if you bump map it as-is. If you find it so then I'd suggest that on the mountains layer, you try colours --> curves and scoop out a little in the midrange, and/or reduce the whole layer's opacity, and/or increase the brightness/lower the contrast on the land clouds layer.