[Award Winner] Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional RPG Map

[angellus00]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I've been looking for a step by step to do something like this for AGES!! Thank you x100000

Here is the first map I made using this tutorial.

[JadeEliott]

Rob,

Awesome tute. I, like others are completely new to Gimp and was using Microsoft Publisher before this! (Don't laugh.)

I have gotten to the mountains stage and the directions are becomig a bit "ragged" so that I am having a hard time keeping up. I am stuck here:

Use the magic wand again to select the non-mountain area (like with the land) and create a new layer called “Mountains Mask” with a white on black. (Also the white colour selection as a new selection mask using Select->Save to Channel).

What does "with a white on black" mean?

What does the second sentence mean? How specifically do I do this?

In the land mask step, you selected then inverted the selection. Do I do the same here? Otherwise, my mask ends up with the mountains black instead of white like the land mass was?

I have repped you for this tute, it is very helpful!

My only complaint is how your directions started out very clear and step by step and then degraded, skipping key points or assuming the reader would know what you meant. Like you just wanted to be finished and rushed (which you probably did just want to be finished after all that work!)

Thanks for any help you can give.

[jfrazierjr]

Rob,

Awesome tute. I, like others are completely new to Gimp and was using Microsoft Publisher before this! (Don't laugh.)

I have gotten to the mountains stage and the directions are becomig a bit "ragged" so that I am having a hard time keeping up. I am stuck here:



What does "with a white on black" mean?

Create a new layer. Make it black. reduce the opacity down enough so you can see the underlying land shape. This will allow you to know where you need to make your mountains (so you don't put any into the ocean for example.) Where you want the mountains to be, you draw in some white, making sure to fill the entire "insides".

Se second part, just like with the land is to invert the selection and the do the save to Channel under the "Selection" menu. This should switch you over to the "Channels" tab (you will need to switch back to the layer tab) Make SURE that the areas that are white are in the correct locations on the little thumbnail icon. If not , you forgot to invert the selection.

Joe

[RobA]

My only complaint is how your directions started out very clear and step by step and then degraded, skipping key points or assuming the reader would know what you meant. Like you just wanted to be finished and rushed (which you probably did just want to be finished after all that work!)

Somewhat guilty as charged. I intentionally decided NOT repeat the details whenever I used a similar technique, figuring people could just reference back.

I believe jfrazierjr provided a great answer... hopefully that will get you through the step.

Alternatively, there is a somewhat nicer mountain technique described here (and stf for more) that I would suggest using in place. (There is also a link to a video tutorial).

-Rob A>

-Rob A>

[Carto]

I just love your tutorial!!! It´s amazing!!!!

Here is the map I created (hope you like it)

[jfrazierjr]

I just love your tutorial!!! It´s amazing!!!!

Here is the map I created (hope you like it)

Welcome to the Guild Carto! Not bad for your first attempt. I know Rob has a few updates (or a new one) for this since he and others have come up with several new techniques since this was first created 8 months ago. You may want to search the forums in the past 3 months as there have been a lot of attempts by various people who have used this as a base and made some really nice results.

Also, feel free to post up your works in progress in the future!

Joe

[nolgroth]

I just love your tutorial!!! It´s amazing!!!!

Here is the map I created (hope you like it)

I like it. Not that I'm RobA, but I still felt compelled to answer.

[RobA]

Nice job Carto! You managed the forest exactly as I tried to explain, something a lot of people seem to trip over.

Thanks for sharing the results!

-Rob A>

[Phynix]

Im having one major problem on the step that first tells you to apply a Gradient Map to the Sea layer, to color it blue. I have the correct two blue colors chosen, but when I tell it to apply the map, it turns into a red>green>blue gradient, instead of dark blue>light blue. I cant seem to resolve this myself... did I change some option somewhere?

I also tested this on a new file by making one, adding clouds, and trying the gradient map there, to see if some odd combination of layering was throwing my colors off, but I still got the wacky unintended color scheme from the gradient : /

[nolgroth]

I was just playing around with using Channels as Masks and I noticed a couple of things. One, if all of the Channels are not activated or selected, it does some weird stuff with Gradient Maps. Also, if you used existing Channels to create new ones, it does some weird stuff.

Try just to have a "virgin" RGB channel set up to see what Happens. Make sure the Red Green and Blue Channels are all active and highlighted. Don't worry about the Land Mask. It shouldn't be causing any problems. If that isn't the problem, I don't know what is wrong. You may try checking the Layer Mode to make sure it isn't set to something weird.

Here is what mine looks like.