To All Aspiring Mapmakers!

[unmerged(5110)]

Hi Everybody, Hive, Birger, MKJ, King Skjold and everybody else!

I was just thinking... right now we are making a whole bunch of maps, but each of us has our own different style!

Maybe we should get in this thread and try to get our styles together, conformed with one another, and share our techniques so that we can get a consistent style of drawing the maps all around --

That way for the huge amount of requests that will undoubtedly come through, we can split up work and then the players won't be able to tell like "Oh well that section is clearly MKJ's work" or "well, you can tell that so-and-so did that section of the map, because the ocean provinces don't look very good" and so on.

What do you guys think?

Once I get some time I'll post a bit more on the techniques and methods that I use, and you can all give our input as to what I can improve, and how I can improve it, etc.

For example, I make it a rule when I'm editing a section of the map to make sure that I get the entire ocean province touching the coastline that I want to edit, otherwise my shading leaves lines in the middle of the province.

 

[kurtbrian]

I think thats an excellent idea!

I also think it would be smart if you map people made some sort of meta thread to keep links to all the different discussion threads there is abound to pop up.

As it might be obvious to you, all map threads are now supposed to be started (or end up) in the graphics editing forum.

normal forum rules off course apply so play nice and have fun!

 

[Birger]

Sounds like a great idea, we just need to agree what style everybody should use.

 

[unmerged(5110)]

OK, looking at Birger's wonderful arch (it's beautiful, you're a pro, Birger):

http://www.europa-universalis.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3801812&postcount=70

We'll look at the arch settings. First you put spaces on the beginning and end of your word. Then,

I can calculate, per 6 percent of arch:

add 1% of vertical stretch
subtract 2% of horizontal stretch

Then use the layer settings outlined by Birger.

 

[Hive]

Heh. I'm terrible with this shading stuff... absolutely terrible... it won't be easy for me to get it as good looking as Birger's... o

 

[Birger]

Thanks XieChengnuo.

Don't worry Hive, I can make you templates.

 

[Hive]

Don't worry Hive, I can make you templates.

You're a sweetheart.

Though wouldn't actions be better? Vricklund already made me some nice actions - but he have problems with the bevel function...

EDIT: Btw, here's a sample *.psd of an ID map from Inferis' editor, for those who doesn't have his tools but want to start editing.

 

[Birger]

You're a sweetheart.

Though wouldn't actions be better? Vricklund already made me some nice actions - but he have problems with the bevel function...

EDIT: Btw, here's a sample *.psd of an ID map from Inferis' editor, for those who doesn't have his tools but want to start editing.

Do you want a action to create the layes style settings I e-mailed you?

 

[Hive]

Do you want a action to create the layes style settings I e-mailed you?

That would be great, if it's not too much trouble.

Btw, how will you tackle rivers? What kind of shading?

 

[Birger]

That would be great, if it's not too much trouble.

Btw, how will you tackle rivers? What kind of shading?

Not at all, installing photoshop as we speak.
Oh I haven't worked on the rivers yet, I'll give it a try asap.

 

[unmerged(5110)]

Really? What program do you usually use, Birger?

Oh also, I found out that you can do proper curved text on Photoshop CS and Illustrator. I don't have Photoshop CS, but I figured out how to do it on Illustrator and I'm trying to figure out an easy way to merge the two images.

 

[Birger]

I'm using the CS family, got a workcomputer with plenty of goodies at home.

 

[unmerged(5110)]

Rivers are ocean shading.

 

[Owen]

This seems an appropriate thread to put some advice for those drawing the maps:

Irrespective of the true geographic point where rivers become narrower and easy to cross, rivers should terminate at a corner between provinces on the map. If this does not happen, it will not be clear whether two adjoining provinces are separated by a river or not. In case you're wondering, I was prompted to make this post by XieChengnuo's otherwise excellent Iberia map, where I can't work out whether there is a river south of Cantabria or not.

 

[unmerged(19226)]

XieChengnuo,

Hi,

We're making new map for EU2 to support our mod "Early Ancient Empires" on polish forum community eufi.org. I downloaded your tasks for EU2 which make it easier to achieve, but I have Photoshop ver. 5.0 and when I load in task manager your tasks "Map Action" it says "I can't load this task, because this is not compatible with this version of Photoshop". Is there a possibility to using your EU2 tasks under 5.0 version, we really need it for our new map.

PS Sorry for description of commands but I have Polish version of Photoshop.

 

[TheMaster]

Xie - after i use your action i have many layers, how to make one (shading) with they?

 

[Inferis]

Xie - after i use your action i have many layers, how to make one (shading) with they?

Merge them down one by one (start with the top one) using ctrl-E. Make sure that the final resulting layer is called "Shading".

 

[unmerged(5110)]

I tend to use a CTRL+A "Copy Merged" method (after hiding the unneccesary layers) as it takes less steps and so I can undo more steps ^_^

 

[TheMaster]

Merge them down one by one (start with the top one) using ctrl-E. Make sure that the final resulting layer is called "Shading".

OK, but what to do with "new shading" - i can't merge it with other layers.

 

[unmerged(5110)]

OK, but what to do with "new shading" - i can't merge it with other layers.

The "New Shading" Layer set would be my layer... use my Copy Merged method and it will eliminate this as a problem.