First Map: Ascension(ish) Style!

[arsheesh]

Hello all,

I am nearing the final stages of my first map (still have to add town/region names etc.). This is a map of Eriond, a world I created to use as a campaign setting for D&D. The map was done completely using GIMP. Save for a few stylized deviations, I followed Gidde's GIMP conversion tutorial of Ascension's Atlas Style (a link to which may be found here:

http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?4084-[Award-Winner]-My-atlas-style-in-PS/page15

I owe allot of gratitude to both Ascension and Gidde. Before beginning this project, I had exactly 0 knowledge of GIMP, Photoshop, or any other map-making software for that matter. Yet due to their excellent tutorials, GIMP's user manual, and allot of trial and error, I managed to learn enough to create this map. Thanks you guys.

Cheers,

Arsheesh

P.S. Corrective feedback is appreciated.

[Ascension]

Pretty good. I think the Gimp clouds might make nicer mountains than PS clouds...maybe, but I'm biased Your forests could use a bit of darker green to help differentiate them from the ground a bit more but otherwise it looks great.

[Nokomys]

Oh I like that map... it turned out really nice. I think I might agree with Ascension the gimp clouds add something that is not there on the PS ones.. I wonder if there is something that can be blended to get that look....

[Gidde]

This looks cool! Glad you found the translation useful The only thing I'd suggest is maybe toning down the bumps a bit in your ocean, it's a tad overpowering. All in all though, great job!

[arsheesh]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Ascension, Gidde, as per your advice I have darkened both the forests and the oceans a bit, whilst simultaneously lightening up some of the darker spots within the land. I've also tried to blend the rivers into the oceans, so as to make for a smooth transition. It might be a day or two before I'm able to add city, town and topographical names. Here are the two versions compared side by side:

[Steel General]

There are some other Cloud Generators you can download for PS. I have one but I can't remember where I got it

Not sure if the clouds it creates are any better than the default tho...

[Ascension]

I like the one on the right with darker forests.

[Gidde]

Agreed, those forests look great. The sea bed still looks a little too defined for me, but that's a pretty minor nitpick. Lookin good!

[Steel General]

I'm with Ascension & Gidde on the forests - looks good so far.

[scarcow]

arsheesh, very nice looking map. May i ask you how you did those forests? I checked the tuts by Ascension and the GIMP translation by Gidde, but there was no mention of forests.

Thanks,
-sc