Uma.v2 (WIP)

[fifty]

So had some more practice and now I want to redo one of my old maps for an RPG rules and setting I'm doing with a friend (http://facebook.com/Orbis.RPGame)

This is the old map: got4web.jpg

which I've converted to land/sea B/W :newUma1.5.jpg

now I just need to decide if I want to do antique style or more photostyle... Generally I think I really like the hand drawn styles I've seen, but I don't know if I've the basic talent to do that format justice!

[fifty]

So been off doing some other things relating to the fantasy RPG which this map is going to be for, got back on it this week and have decided for a photo style map.

here's where I'm upto: Attachment 57270

Next step is going to be putting some forest texture on but I'm not really sure how to do it - I've seen Arsheesh's excelent Photo-realistic Forests in Gimp tut, and that's the style I'd like to achieve, but I'm using Photoshop so I'll have to see if I can work out how to do it in that!

[Chashio]

That latest picture is invalid... if you wouldn't mind uploading it again?

[fifty]

newUma6.3.jpg this work?

[Chashio]

Yep, that did it.

The colors are nice, but that style effect you have on the water makes it look like a living organism that's sending vein type feelers to explore over the surface of your landmass. It's generally better not to put any type of bevel on water because it can appear backward depending on how you view it.

[fifty]

Hmm.... yep I can see that now - what about this?

newUma6.4.jpg

[Chashio]

Well it's still there, it's just a bit darker now. Did you put some sort of shadow on the water or land? because that would throw it off in a similar fashion.

[fifty]

Maybe... when I hide all the water layers there's a shadow following the rivers on the land layer...

I think I might have put some sort of shadow on an earlier layer and lost the layer adjustments when I merged it with another one.

I'll have to go back through earlier saves and see if i can find when it happened.

[fifty]

OK - well I know how it happened at least.

When I applied lighting effects to the land layer (4 omni lights at the corners) it has also created a shadow following the rivers edge, you can't see the one that gets layered under the river itself, but the one on the land side stays with the land layer.

shadow.jpg

So it then gives the appearance of the river floating above the land...

I'm open to suggestions on how to resolve this!

[Chashio]

If you select the pixels (right-click on the layer preview, select pixels) then make a new layer over the land layer that's causing problems, create a new layer mask from the open selection, then paint or fill the new layer with a color similar to your land, refine the mask edge so it covers the shadows, and maybe play with layer blending a bit... that might fix it, or come close, if you can't or don't want to find an older saved version.

Edit: You beat me with a reply. Okay, lighting effects. Give me a minute.