Photoshop Map (Any other designers around?)

[mroedesigns]

I started working on the map for the alpha/beta testing area today. here's what I have so far.

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The design is fine, I like it a lot actually. The problem is that I've tried coloring / detailing it multiple different ways and I can't find that one thing that's 'just right'. Not that what I was doing before was 'wrong' or anything, just not what I was looking for. Ive read a lot of photoshop cartography tutorials, but nothing seems right.

Any other designers / mappers / anyone that can help me out with this?

[Starrodkirby86]

Isn't it more like being an artist now? I mean, using Photoshop more like an artist's canvas... For instance, have a palette of colors (Swatches work wonders here), set the opacity to something low (50% I guess?) and try using one of the brushes meant for stroking, then continuously stroke a few bits here and there. I'm not really sure.

You can also use Burn tools to create some shading, or you can simply brush more.

Hn...Wait, what kind of design you're going for? A physical sort of map, with all the visible landscape types there and whatnot? Or some political map (i.e. only the country borders and maybe some mountains)? Eh, I guess you're probably leaning towards the former huh? I really do feel like this is more art than anything else...Sorry. @_@

What tutorials have you tried? A search yielded this one, but chances are you already did it.

http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?2557-Award-Winner-Making-maps-in-Photoshop

Wish I can help you anymore mate, but I'm not thinking right at this moment.   

[mroedesigns]

Hn...Wait, what kind of design you're going for? A physical sort of map, with all the visible landscape types there and whatnot? Or some political map (i.e. only the country borders and maybe some mountains)? Eh, I guess you're probably leaning towards the former huh? I really do feel like this is more art than anything else...Sorry. @_@

You'd be correct. A physical map showing mountains and all that other world-stuff. xD

What tutorials have you tried? A search yielded this one, but chances are you already did it.

http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?2557-Award-Winner-Making-maps-in-Photoshop

Been there, done that :p

If it helps I'm looking for a style ( / texture I guess? ) similar to that of the old WoW world map.

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( Oh great, now everyones gonna think I'm trying to remake WoW. /facepalm )

Not the style background obviously, but the land. I've already have brushes and such for physical features, so that's not an issue either.

[Starrodkirby86]

Did you download those brushes somewhere? If it doesn't bother you, would you care to give a link?

Maybe I can give this a shot...I don't know about the results, but perhaps I playing here and there will cause something magical to happen, haha. In the meantime, perhaps you should do that too. :p Just use all the tools in your arsenal~

Of course, I'd be more enthused for this tomorrow. Gotta sleep now. xD

[mroedesigns]

Did you download those brushes somewhere? If it doesn't bother you, would you care to give a link?

I can try to find them, but I've had them for a while. I'm pretty sure some of them were on DeviantArt at one point or another. I'll see what I can do for sure.

Maybe I can give this a shot...I don't know about the results, but perhaps I playing here and there will cause something magical to happen, haha. In the meantime, perhaps you should do that too. :p Just use all the tools in your arsenal~

Of course, I'd be more enthused for this tomorrow. Gotta sleep now. xD

haha alright, well let me know :]

[Starrodkirby86]

Hmm...

If you're going for something hardcore, I'm honestly thinking that you need to know a little bit about digital painting. It sure seems like that now. Whatever cartographers do on paper with their coloring you got to emulate on Photoshop. Unfortunately, I suck at that. All I know is that there's special brushes meant for painting, but painting on the computer screen with mouse is way different than doing the real thing. 

Looking at the WoW styled map though... I hope this isn't an understatement or an underestimate, but it seems that the all the land masses are a good blend of coloring, a pattern overlay, and the shores themselves. The blend of coloring seems to be as you reach to the center of the land mass the shading is brighter while going out to the shores makes the colors darker.

Err...Don't know if this will help you, sorry. 

[mroedesigns]

The thing that sucks is that I used to have this really awesome photoshop cartography tutorial.. but now I cant seem to find it anywhere. Ugh this stinks haha. I hate being so picky about how these things look :p

[The Niche]

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Hgnn...this are annoying. Ok, what I think is a definitive feature of this cartography style is the borders between land and sea. Those real thick brown lines. Also, if you look at Northrend, there's a sort of trail of shading, focus on that, it kinda seems important, not really sure why. Also, the simple gradient...not sure it works, honestly. If you were to start at the center of the water area and move towards a landmass, you'd now you were approaching land a long time before you actually got there, because of the change in shading. Also, sticking a compass and a sea monster or two in there wouldn't hurt, though it may overcomplicate your map. That said, basically everything I've suggested would and I think that the strong point of this picture, that makes it work well, is its simplicity. So, try making the water one colour. I'm probably wrong about this, but you never know.

Hope this helps you.

[Futendra]

If you want me to, I can draw one in black and white, upload it here and leave it to you guys to color in photoshop?

[mroedesigns]

Here's what I have so far  

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I like how it's turning out so far. Now all I gotta do is add the features and such, which isn't too difficult.

Also, the background isn't supposed to represent water necessarily, it's just a background for the map. So the gradient isn't supposed to match the coasts really, though I may play around with that and see how it looks.

Edit :: Fixed the image url ^.^

[Starrodkirby86]

Looking good. I was also expecting a parchment sort of look with the map, so this fits just right into my bill, haha.

I'm not sure what to comment on the burns. It's probably all right in the long run, and I can't say anything until you add in more physical features, I guess. I would say it looks kind of haphazard, but that's natural...

[mroedesigns]

How bout now?
Also, I had a creature in the 'water' too but it looked way too cluttered.

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[The Niche]

How bout now?
Also, I had a creature in the 'water' too but it looked way too cluttered.

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That is very beautiful, well done.

[Starrodkirby86]

Do those mountains look a little...unfitting to you? Maybe if they felt more painted on rather than just another layer with a low opacity... Not sure. >.<

Are you planning to add more features? The location bits look pretty nice, and I dig the compass (Though, once you use Photoshop's Blending Effects, an Outer Glow effect can get really obvious miles away )

Well done overall though.

[mroedesigns]

I changed up the way the features were placed on the map, as well as putting in the actual names of the locations. Also, the sea creature is back! hah
This is most likely the final version of the map, unless there's something obvious I've missed.

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[Starrodkirby86]

Niiice. Really smooth now.

Not sure what else to say... Except kudos to you for a good job's work.

Haha, would you look at that, earlier in the topic you were struggling to get something, and now you have a completed work done.

[mroedesigns]

Niiice. Really smooth now.

Not sure what else to say... Except kudos to you for a good job's work.

Thanks

Haha, would you look at that, earlier in the topic you were struggling to get something, and now you have a completed work done.

Funny how that works out, huh?

[The Niche]

I changed up the way the features were placed on the map, as well as putting in the actual names of the locations. Also, the sea creature is back! hah
This is most likely the final version of the map, unless there's something obvious I've missed.

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That...is impressive. Yeah, Kirby was right about the mountains opacity, it looks much better. I'm not sure about the sea monster/compass, it makes the map a bit too crowded.

Edit: Wait, no it doesn't. You're good.

[mroedesigns]

That...is impressive. Yeah, Kirby was right about the mountains opacity, it looks much better. I'm not sure about the sea monster/compass, it makes the map a bit too crowded.

Edit: Wait, no it doesn't. You're good.

Haha. I was worried about it before, but I shrunk the compass down and moved it around a bit

[Futendra]

Very nice, it came out very good, but maybe a little more detail on the map itself? all you have now is mountains, maybe add llike trees or anythign that sort?