Seeking advice/inspiration

[jfrazierjr]

Don't go over to the darkside of Gimp My Photoshop version is CS which is like 6 to 8 years old and I don't know what 3 and 4 can do that mine can't (for mapping that is).

Well... she did say that her Illustrator did not do png's or something to that effect, so it really would be nice to not be hobbled like that. Besides....GIMP will one day rule the world, so the sooner you accept this, the less it will hurt in the end.

[Sigurd]

The 'cartoonyness' of campaign cartographer is really a function of the chosen images used in the maps you've seen. Other choices, especially more recent stuff with PNGs greatly improve maps. (An over-riding problem is CC2 is a lack of the transparency pngs provide.) There's no getting around the affects of using someone else's art in your work - its going to look like your sources. In exchange you get shorter production time and a reliable quality of components.

CC3 is a distinct improvement on many levels.

I'm not a CC user but I was impressed with the latest version.


Sigurd

[Girltron]

Haha on the GIMP/Inkscape vs. PS/Illustrator tussle. We've got Inkscape too, but I never checked out GIMP. Our version of PS does allow PNG so I'm fine with it; to be honest, though I've played with newer versions, I cannot see that they offer anything new I really need. I'm relatively snobby about not using filters and so on, and so the basic tools remain pretty much good enough for me. I don't work in an industry that makes me be a power user or anything.

As for Inkscape, it's a reasonable suggestion. I know Illustrator better, but I'll try both. I'll also do a search for HandsomeRob's tutorials, because that sounds awesome.

I loved what Vandy's doing. I'd rather draw them myself in vector format than scan and retouch, though; just a preference, because it's line art.

And heck yea! I use ooooold versions because who can afford latest and greatest Adobe products? Yikes!

[jfrazierjr]

Haha on the GIMP/Inkscape vs. PS/Illustrator tussle. We've got Inkscape too, but I never checked out GIMP. Our version of PS does allow PNG so I'm fine with it; to be honest, though I've played with newer versions, I cannot see that they offer anything new I really need. I'm relatively snobby about not using filters and so on, and so the basic tools remain pretty much good enough for me. I don't work in an industry that makes me be a power user or anything.

As for Inkscape, it's a reasonable suggestion. I know Illustrator better, but I'll try both. I'll also do a search for HandsomeRob's tutorials, because that sounds awesome.

I loved what Vandy's doing. I'd rather draw them myself in vector format than scan and retouch, though; just a preference, because it's line art.

And heck yea! I use ooooold versions because who can afford latest and greatest Adobe products? Yikes!

You may want to give the latest version of GIMP a try anyway. Even for things like straight up line art, there may be some things GIMP does well that PS does not(or perhaps not in the version you have). Yea, the filters are were most of the love is put in when a new version of PS/GIMP is released.

[Girltron]

I actually downloaded the latest and greatest of GIMP and Inkscape this morning. It's worth a look, and I like the idea of open-source software anyway. GIMP looked quite promising. I seem to recall Inkscape wasn't totally a replacement for Illustrator yet, but it's been some time since I used it.

[RobA]

I actually downloaded the latest and greatest of GIMP and Inkscape this morning. It's worth a look, and I like the idea of open-source software anyway. GIMP looked quite promising. I seem to recall Inkscape wasn't totally a replacement for Illustrator yet, but it's been some time since I used it.

If you have the bandwidth to spair, try http://screencasters.heathenx.org/ for general purpose inkscape video tutorials.

That will give you a good feel for where the program is.

-Rob A>