continent map

[andris]

Hello everyone!

This is my first post here, and i'm also just began to use computer for map-making purposes.

I draw this map with winXP's paint program Sometimes pixel by pixel. I can't use any other computer graphic programs yet.
What do you think? Does its style looks bad, or fine? What should i change?
I attach two versions.

Technical question:
How could i make hexmaps from this map in A4 format?
I would like to make printable hexmaps for each region of the map, maybe 9 or more for the whole continent.
Recommend me a program, please!
and sorry if my englis wasn't without mistakes...

[Hoel]

for paint it looks pretty good.
I recommend photoshop or GIMP.

[Steel General]

Welcome Aboard!

WinXP Paint? Wow! You have more patience than I ever would, and these are pretty darn good. I like the second one better.

I would suggest you try GIMP..First off can't beat the price - it's free! Second, there are lots of excellent tutorials here where you can learn different techniques for creating great looking maps. I started with GIMP myself (but have switched to Photoshop), it takes a bit of getting used to but I think you'll be quite happy with it.

Also since you posted a map in your introductory post I gave you a bit of 'reputation' - something used on this board when something really cool, useful, etc. is posted.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work in the future.

[joão paulo]

you have my ad rep+
becouse I luv pixelart

[andris]

Thank you all for your kind comments! I'm glad you liked my work

@Steel General:
I didn't make the map at once, after the very first draft was ready, I updated it step-by step, about ten minutes a day for a couple of weeks... I had the patience because it's not just a map, but a map of an rpg campaign setting which I currently develop.

Somewhere in the process the map started to live its own life, and became a piece of "pixel art" as joão paulo said. Now I want to make usable hex-maps from it somehow, I have no plans for making other maps, but regional hex-maps for my campaign... Not a pure cartographer attitude, I think .

Howewer, I download GIMP and see what can I do with it.

[sambrookjm]

If you are going to get GIMP (and I'd also recommend it. You can't beat free!), you can create a Hex grid of just about any size you want to by doing the following steps:

Open a new picture in GIMP with a white background. Make sure this new picture is the same size as your original map, and choose black as your foreground color.

Go into Filters --> Distorts --> Mosaic. Choose the following parameters:

• Tiling Primitives - Hexagons
• Tile Size - Whatever you need it to be (up to 100 max in my version)
• Tile Height - 1.0
• Tile Spacing - The thickness of your lines. Depends on the size of your original map and your preference
• Tile Neatness - 1.0
• Light direction - doesn't matter for this case, since the tiles have no height.
• Color Variation - 0.00

You should get a nice hexagonal grid in your new image. Once you have that, go to the Colors menu, and choose Color to Alpha. Choose white (it should default to white). This makes all of the white in your picture transparent, which will leave you with only the black hex grid.

Select all (Control-A) and copy (Control-C)

Now open up your original map. Go into the Edit Menu, and select "Paste as New Layer." That will create the hex layer over your original map. Save it down as a jpg, and you'll have your map with a hex grid. Save it as a default gimp file (.xcf extension), and you will be able to play with your map underneath the hex grid.

Hope this was simple enough, and that it helps you out!

[sambrookjm]

I ran through the steps I mentioned above, and I ended up with something that looks like this for your second map:



The full size picture is here These were done with a size 1 thickness grid.

For paint, that is a very nice map!!