[WIP] Pashaîla - New software test with Affinity Designer

[Mouse]

The contrast in the very first image is minimum, not maximum. At least, that's what it looks like to me. Nothing is anything but the same grey, just different colours of the same grey level, which is minimal contrast.

Of the last two I also prefer the second one. I would leave the light setting at maximum and slide the saturation up just the tiniest amount more impact with the colour, and try again for better contrast. Its so very difficult trying to explain what I mean, so I hope you don't mind but I have messed with the settings on a mini version of that last image you uploaded to show you what I mean by contrast and saturation. This may be a bit too much by your standards, but I all I did was hit the autoequalize button in Corel (something I've never seen in any other piece of software).

pashaila_shadowex.jpg

[Lyrillies]

We're talking about different things again xD
So the first image was my latest WIP, the one I liked best until I had a closer look at the effects comparison again. In this image I did not change the contrast at all, it's neither minimum nor maximum. Only image nr 2 and 3 were meant to show what the different effects look like. In any case, I do agree there is too much grey and I will have to find a way to change that without ending up with a way too flashy map. My perfect outcome would be a map with beautiful, bright colours but also a little faded look, just a hint of something old.

As for your example: Thanks a lot, I am very grateful for any and all comments that help me make better maps, so it is greatly appreciated. You are right in assuming that it is a bit much for my personal taste, but it's definitely the right direction!

edit:
To be completely honest I think I will have to stop working on the map for tonight, I lost my sense for judging colours correctly due to working too much on the same thing for too long...
BUT I had a last go at it, here's a comparison between the "old" version posted earlier and new, what I did just now (please ignore the boxes)

new:
pashailacolours.jpg
old:
pashaila_new.jpg

[Mouse]

I always hesitate to borrow a map like that, but I couldn't think of how to explain it without borrowing it - not without writing at least a page of text.

If Affinity has some kind of tone curve manipulator (which is the closest I've seen to Corel's autoequalize button), you could try playing around with that?

As far as aging something goes - you may be right about trying to get the colours and tones set already faded, but it has occurred to me that it might be easier to make the map 'freshly printed' first, and then age it with a few colour and tone adjustments at the end?

Mind - if you are anything like me, I change the colours and tones of my maps all the way through - back and forth between 'bright and fresh' and 'dull and grey'

At any rate, the arrangement is much much better now than it was before, even if you continue to play around with the exact position of everything

[Ilanthar]

Don't worry about my previous comment, since you solved it anyway. It's looking nice, I like this version (with a slight preference for the first picture, I think).

[Mouse]

Yep - I agree with Ilanthar - the first one is definitely better

(forgot to say it before!)