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

[Absinth]

I may be a bit off, but I believe that drop-down holds the answer you're looking for.

And you were right, good sir! Thank you for the help! Afterwards it seems clear, that the Grass layer is the key to create the bump map. It doesn't have any other function. Well, I guess I was blind but it's really good to know this great community that makes the blind see again! Thanks, Etriahn!

[Absinth]

Post 11:Let There be Mountains
Now the noise layer (I used detail 8 and size of and set the blend mode to multiply. Then add a third layer (remember the TLS) as a clipping layer, and use the levels dialog to bring it down to show the mountains you want Here is the screen showing the three layers
Attachment 1486

Okay, it's working up to this point, but then I'm experiencing problems.

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).

Does something happen to the three Mountain layers inbetween, that you didn't mention because it was explained in a previous step?

Now we want to create a heightfield from this. The easiest way I have found to do this is to copy the current visible image (Edit->Copy Visible) then paste it (CTRL-V) to a floating selection. Click the New Layer button to get it on its own layer rather than a floating layer. Now stretch the colour range out (Color->Auto->Normalize):
Attachment 1487

Rename this layer to “mountain colour”. Make a duplicate and call it “mountain bump map”. Now set the foreground colour to “lowest dirt” and the background colour to “highest dirt”, and on the “mountain colour” layer, do a Color->Map->Gradient Map.
Attachment 1488

Is it correct, that we, by now, have 6 mountain layers (from top: Mountain Bump Map, Mountain Colour, Mountain Mask, Mountain Clip, Mountain Noise and Mountain)? And is it right, that we Gradient Map the Mountain Colour layer?

Normalize the colours (Colors->Auto->Normalize) and add a layer mask, using the mountain mask channel. (Note, the Dirt layer was turned of in this image by accident).
Attachment 1489

Again, on which layer? When I have all my layers visible, the top layer is Mountain Bump Map and the current image is identical to Mountain Mask. What am I doing wrong here?

[Absinth]

Allright, I repeated the steps mentioned in my post above and now got to the point where I have to add the mountain mask. I only add it and don't apply it, right? Both methods don't result in an image as seen on Attachment 1489.
If someone could give an advice, that would be nice. I still think that there are too many mountain maps. Don't the TLS layers need merging, or something?

[etriahn]

The way I look at it is:
Does it look like you want it to? Did you learn how to make something like it again?

Because that's your point, right? The general techniques in this tutorial are awesome, but learning about how to apply them in different contexts is really the gem.

You're mountains look pretty solid to me, maybe add a bit of a spread and blur to the mask layer to blend them in, add a bump mask or two, and you're golden.

(Yes, by the way, there are an awful lot of mountain layers.)

[Absinth]

Sorry, I think my post was somewhat misunderstanding. The pic above is from RobA's tutorial. That's how it's supposed to look after following the instructions that I quoted above.
My problem is, that I added the mountain mask to the mountain colour layer, but the other layers (like the grass, dirt, sea and so on) don't show up! It still looks like in Attachement 1488!
Do I have to rearrange the layers in some way?

Edit:
Now I'm starting to blieve that it might have something to do with this section:

Now we want to create a heightfield from this. The easiest way I have found to do this is to copy the current visible image (Edit->Copy Visible) then paste it (CTRL-V) to a floating selection. Click the New Layer button to get it on its own layer rather than a floating layer.

In the PDF, Rob wrote, that you should not just add a new layer, but a new image, as I understood it. The screenshot indicates this, as the file is labeled "1 layer" (and not 19 or something, like in the other).
He then further instructs to "just drop it onto the real map file and it will shop up a new layer". What is this "real map file"? Is it the one that can be found in the journal?! And why did he mention this in the PDF and not in his original post? This indicates that you just add it as a new layer to all the others.
As you can see, I'm starting to get confused...

[Absinth]

Well, when I'm hiding the Mountains, Mountain Noise and Mountain Clip, I'm getting a result like in the image above! Is it supposed to work like that?

[RobA]

Sorry, I think my post was somewhat misunderstanding. The pic above is from RobA's tutorial. That's how it's supposed to look after following the instructions that I quoted above.
My problem is, that I added the mountain mask to the mountain colour layer, but the other layers (like the grass, dirt, sea and so on) don't show up! It still looks like in Attachement 1488!
Do I have to rearrange the layers in some way?

Edit:
Now I'm starting to blieve that it might have something to do with this section:


In the PDF, Rob wrote, that you should not just add a new layer, but a new image, as I understood it. The screenshot indicates this, as the file is labeled "1 layer" (and not 19 or something, like in the other).
He then further instructs to "just drop it onto the real map file and it will shop up a new layer". What is this "real map file"? Is it the one that can be found in the journal?! And why did he mention this in the PDF and not in his original post? This indicates that you just add it as a new layer to all the others.
As you can see, I'm starting to get confused...

I went and tried to clarify a few confusing things in the pdf. The other problem was that features in gimp keep changing. In 2.6.3 I have noticed a funny behaviour in the way layer masks interact.

Can yup upload a zip of your xcf file?

-Rob A>

[rjorge]

What an amazing tutorial! I don't done it until the end but for what I already done, it's 100% functional! I think I can think in do my own personal campaign setting... thanks to you I can do my maps Great job!

[etriahn]

Sorry, Absinth--I was in a hurry this morning and didn't read very carefully. Have you worked out how to make your mountains yet?

[methixsks]

Figure i'd take a page from everyone else and post my result. This is after about 6 hours of work. No labels yet, but I'll add them in time. Still fleshing out the game world as the campaign progresses. Still need to do rivers, too. Tried to go for an overall more subdued color scheme, and I like it. I Actually tripled up on the mountain bump map, and then even went over parts of one with a 70% opaque black fuzzy brush to get some higher mountainy bits. Just gotta go remove the wispy bits from the lake there, and I think that'll be golden as well. Thanks for the fantastic tutorial. It really gave me the nudge I needed to try drawing my own maps.