Looking for a tutorial/advice on creating something similar to these two linked maps

[Aurimus]

Hi all. I hope this is posted in the right place as I’m new here. I’m wondering if anyone knows of any tutorials that’ll allow me to create a world map similar in style to the two attached images below. Thanks!

[Rochnan]

Hi Aurimus,

I'm mostly a photoshop guy, but this looks to me to be made with a lot of texture/pattern work for repeating things like the water and mountains.
Also, for the shorelines some clever use of the Stroke functions of photoshop or its equivalent in other programs. (I once used the magic wand tool to select the circumference of the landmasses, then expanded the selection and finally used a stroke function. Then repeated that a couple of times. I can't, for the life of me, find my drawing but it was very close to the maps you attached.)

I'd suggest you look into these techniques I highlighted. May they help you further

[Kellerica]

First of all, damn both of those maps are pretty af. I'll have to save them both for my inspiration folder, thanks for bringing them to my attention

I honestly don't think there is a tutorial to making a map exactly like these. You also don't mention what software you are interested in using and what your skill level is.

I'm going to say with pretty strong certainty that both of these are made with Photoshop. Both are most likely made with some pretty basic digital mapping techiques: you have your landshape masks, stroked coastline rings, your hand-drawn elements and very extensive texturework.


For Photoshop, I'd point you in the direction of these tutorials: the Jezelf series and Tear's Saderan tutorial. I make maps using very similar techniques as the examples you have posted, as far as I can tell, and these babies single-handledly helped me get started. The things you want to get familiar with, if you want to make maps like these, are the basics of working with masks and how to take full advantage of the Layer Styles panel. The Saderan tutorial is very helpful in teaching you the basic idea. Jezelf teaches you useful things about alpha channels and the basic idea of using hightmaps, but his earlier techiques are a bit dated as far as I'm concerned. For the life of me I can't figure out why he opted to make his landshapes by erasing and brushing the actual layer and not making it a mask. But even so, lots of useful bits in there still.

In the end, it all comes down to practice. Those maps are not overly complicated, and they are totally doable if you put your mind to it.