More apps

[Dppcountry]

On my Windows 10 computer,i have isntalled Adobe apps,anything else useful?

[Kellerica]

Depends entirely on what you want to do and how. As far as I'm concerned, Photoshop alone is a software that can pretty much serve almost any of your mapping needs if you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn how to best get it to produce the kind of results you need. We have a large collection of tutorials, many of them for Photoshop mapping, that can be amazingly helpful, if you're not completely sure where to start.

In addition to the Adobe apps, there are some alternatives you might want to consider should you think they could work for you. Campaign Cartographer, Fractal Terrains, Wilbur, just to name a few. Like I said, depends entirely on what you're after.

[Gamerprinter]

It depends on what kind of software you want to use. I'm a professional cartographer with over 1000 published maps, and I don't use any software from Adobe. I use Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 365 ($49), though recently I've been experimenting and doing commissions using 3D software - Wings 3D, Blender 2.8 and Vue Creator. Nothing wrong with Adobe software, except for price, but it's certainly not the end all - be all for creating maps, it's just one other option to use.

[ChrisCB]

I'm pretty new as a cartographer but I'm professional photographer and for my every day job, I use Photoshop. For my maps, I used to first draw them with blue pen for the sketch and Rotring Isograph for the final black lines. I use photoshop only to add colors and textures.

[Fanssenty]

Too many useful apps.
Audacity
Telegram Desktop
https://desktop.telegram.org/
Notepad3
Windows password recovery
https://www.windows10passwordreset.com/
Examdiff Pro
GoodSync
https://www.goodsync.com/
Adobe Photoshop Express

[Tiana]

On my Windows 10 machine for the purpose of mapping, I have been using Clip Studio Paint (often goes on sale at Black Friday for cheap). I also have Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer (they're acceptable Adobe alternatives with a few aspects I find annoying), Krita (I don't really like this one except for a couple of specialty brushes, anyway it's free). More recently I've installed World Creator (NOT CHEAP!) and Other World Mapper (very reasonable!) both of which seem to be quite useful, though I'm not sure what wizard magic is required to get textures into World Creator (it's 3D). I also have Blender and SketchUp (free), Wilbur (free).

While I've used Adobe's software for my maps, over the last year I found my attachment to Photoshop waning as I began moving from stamp brushes to freehand illustration. Clip Studio Paint/Manga Studio does have extensively powerful brush controls which Photoshop does not compare. I just wish it had a flood fill texture and fx for text layers.

Another alternative is Photopea, an in browser Photoshop clone which does the job shockingly well and I think for a non-professional, may really be all you need to take a drawing and add text.

Also, I have TinyTask, which is a macro recorder which is periodically useful to repeat grunt-work tasks.

[Gamerprinter]

I use Wings 3D for my 3D modeling which is free. While I use Vue Creator ($20/mo. subscription), I should learn Blender 2.8 its free but quite complex, though more intuitive with this release - there are free plugins for Blender that are better yet work similar to Wings 3D. Regarding Blender, I saw a video interview where the Lead Designer at Pixar Studios, who use their own proprietary 3D software, said Blender can do anything Pixar's software can do. Since I use Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 365, a vector program, it can actually use many Photoshop plugins, so I don't have to use Photoshop to use Photoshop plugins.

Another software package I don't use, but may experiment with is Serif Affinity which works with both Mac and PC, much cheaper than photoshop, but lots photoshop users are moving to Affinity.

GP

[Gala]

I use both Photoshop and just discovered that Illustrator makes things a lot easier for borders and icons and things like that. I agree with Kellerica, that photoshop lets you do worlds more if you're willing to do from scratch.

[KMAlexander]

Like Gala, I also use a combo of Illustrator and Photoshop.

[HandsomeJack_]

Any tips on apps for a Samsung tab A for mapmaking beginners?