Originally Posted by Falconius
The pens I am using also say waterproof but since I am most likely going to use tea to stain the map I also want to ensure that for some reason that doesnt cause its own problem.
Definitely run the tests. Ink containers usually say if they are waterproof. I've got three different brands of india ink on my desk and every one of them is labeled waterproof, and I've found that to be true for two of them, and have not tried with the third yet.
The pens I am using also say waterproof but since I am most likely going to use tea to stain the map I also want to ensure that for some reason that doesnt cause its own problem.
Another update is here. I have managed to make it to a scanner and here is the result. It is not yet the finished version but it should have everything it needs to qualify for the challenge now. I still plan to add a compass, pirate ship, and the actual clues for where the treasure is hidden but there is no way I will complete it all on time for the challenge. I will try to keep my improvements posted though until the challenge ends.
### Latest WIP ###
Sabre-bone Island Draft 5.png
Also, does anyone know how to convert PDFs into JPG or another file type that can be uploaded here? Everytime I scan my maps I get a PDF, take a screenshot, and then upload that. It blurs the image a bit.
Last edited by Arimel; 03-03-2018 at 04:05 PM.
I don't know what operating system or software you have so this will be general.
1. Step one, see if your scanning software can scan to Jpeg instead of PDF, our copier at work can be changed as can my scanning software on my Mac.
2. Next check your PDF software. Preview on a Mac can open a PDF and save it as a JPG but Adobe Reader can't. If you are on Windows you can likely find a free PDF reader that can save it as JPG, though I don't know specifically.
3. Check your graphic software if you have any. Photoshop will open a PDF to save as a JPG. I don't know if GIMP will, but it is free and a quick Google search may tell you the answer. Other graphic software may do the same.
I don't know how helpful this was but good luck, the map is looking very nice.
Thanks for the advice elboe. I will check the scanner next time I can and see. I do seem to remember now that PDF was an option autoselected that I just skimmed over. I have been able to convert the image from a PDF to a Jpg in GIMP, although still not at the PDF quality. This could (and most likely is) simply be my inexperience with the program though.
My scanner will output in JPG format directly to a USB flash drive (i.e. the USB connector on the front of the printer/scanner).
The manufacturer's scanner program that runs on my computer also has output options. But...
I use GIMP and it gets the scan directly from the scanner. (I don't use the program that came with the printer/scanner).
And from GIMP, you can export the image as a JPG or PNG.
(And you can scale it, and tweak it and spend way too much time playing with the image.)
Keep in mind JPG is a lossy format but PNG is not, meaning that Jpeg actually throws away pixels every time you save it and guesses what they were when you open it. This is controlled by the quality setting, usually low to very high or 1-12. I save mine at the highest setting but then I have to have the file dimensions scaled down by 75% to get a 9mb file. PNGs end up being larger than that even when scaled down to 75%. The best things about PNGs is you don't lose data and it will keep any transparencies, though for this case you won't have transparency.
Also, don't work in a JPG file, only use it as an export format to save to for uploading here. Always save and work in your GIMP file if you are planning on doing any work on the digital file and export to JPG when you have updates to share. I hope this helps.
Thanks for all of the advice everyone. I went back to the scanner today and saw that there was an option to scan into different types of files. I was just keeping the auto-selected PDF everytime. Here is a jpg file instead and it has a lot more detail than the other images.
### Latest WIP ###
Sabre-Bone Island, Draft 5.jpg
Nice work, glad you got that sorted out.
My Battlemaps Gallery http://www.cartographersguild.com/al...p?albumid=3407
Here is what my final version of the map for the challenge should look like.
### Latest WIP ###
Sabre-Bone Island Draft 6.jpg
I will be rescanning this on Friday in a scanner that actually works to remove the blue line halfway through the page.
Also, when I originally started this project I had planned to create a hint to where Sabre-Bone actually hid his treasure in the border (which there is not yet, despite the fact the scroll suggests there is). I was going to draw images relating to different points on the map so the observer could follow the path to the treasure itself. While I think this may look cool, I am starting to wonder if that would make the map look overly crowded. Opinions on this matter would be greatly accepted.
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