Looking for Help creating a heightmap/terrain using GIMP/Wilbur

[DJ995]

Ok so i've been following the Eriond tutorial and a few others to try and create a good looking hieghtmap and the terrain for it. However i'm just not good enough with these tools to create the needed effect.

In my world, i need the land layer to be 96+ and the sea to be 95 and below. But following the difference cloud method of creating this seems quite unreasonable, as it still tends to generate darkpatches. This heightmap is for a game, so there's no bending of the rules and i'm completely dumbfounded. Further, this map also has quite extensive mountains within it, and i cant seem to produce them without them looking too 'skinny' looking in GIMP or Wilbur. Another issue i've found in Wilbur, is that once i've imported my 2048X2048 image in, worked on it and re-exported it back to gimp, the image seems 'smaller', i think at some point of the export it was cropped or scaled down slightly, meaning it doesn't line up with the other files anymore, which i need it to. This could be alot easier if i knew the tools needed to do this but i don't, hence why i'm posting here.

The world i'm creating is a far more in detail, realistic and pretty version of the M&B: Warband world.
Here's a link to a google image of what im trying to replicate: http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...f_Calradia.jpg

I already have a outline of my map. And i know where mountains need to be, and plateau's, and there is also supposed to be a mountainous/highlander feel to the Yalen/Jelkala/Veluca area towards the SW.

So guys, any ideas? I got tired of lurking and figured the experts could help me out.

[johnvanvliet]

In my world, i need the land layer to be 96+ and the sea to be 95 and below.

sounds like you need to use a image format that can use 16 bit SIGNED data ( -32767 to +32768 )

of creating this seems quite unreasonable, as it still tends to generate darkpatches.

singed data can NOT be viewed in a editor that can not use it ( gimp 2.8 is 8bit uchar ONLY )
2.9 DEVELOPMENT and the soon to be released 3.0 will support 16 and 32 bit data

Another issue i've found in Wilbur, is that once i've imported my 2048X2048 image in, worked on it and re-exported it back to gimp, the image seems 'smaller',

HOW are you doing this ?
EXACTLY!!!!
wilbur will default to a 16 bit UNSIGNED( 0 to +65536) png

i import and export using the 32 bit floating point data format ""bt" for wilbur
-- GDAL_translate can convert a 32 bit tiff to a bt and wilbur can use it and export to bt where gdal can convert it to a tiff fo other software to use

" 2048X2048 image "
a bit small for a modern computer
big for the year 2001 -- small for 2015 with 8 gig of ram in even very cheep bargain computers

hink at some point of the export it was cropped or scaled down slightly,

more likely what you saved WAS a screenshot of the open window and NOT the data

Here's a link to a google image of what im trying to replicate:

it is nearly imposable to see any detail on such a SMALL thumbnail image about 100x100 px


i am guessing ( you have not informed us at to this ) you are using some version of Microsoft
if so using the development 2.9 version of the Gimp is out
-- you need to build it from the source code
but Krita is a FREE image editor and it sort of handles some 16 bit and 32 bit data ( NON scientific types of images )



as for Wilbur
RTM - Read The Manual