Province shading techniques

[Kaigon]

This thread aims to collect the different ways of doing provinces shading as well as other techniques during the map making process.

From what I've read, the community seems to have agreed on that the font used to simulate the original map is Bernhard Modern, Std or BT. Bernhard Modern BT

Also, XieChengnuo's site seems to be up and running again. So you can find this here:
Xie's Unprofessional and Incomplete Map Making Tutorial

 

[Kaigon]

XieChengnuo

Link
Posted: 13-02-2005

Basically, first you do your ID layers to your satisfaction.

Then you can duplicate the ID layer use smart blur, 0.1 radius, 0.1 threshold and overlay only to get the edges. Then you can put it into an alpha layer and expand the selection by 1 pixel to get borders thick enough for your "Borders" layer.

OR you could duplicate the ID layer. Use "accented edges" on the copy , with settings (edge width = 3, edge brightness = 50 , smoothness = 1). Then set blending on the copy layer to difference, magic wand (no anti-aliasing, 0 tolerance and non-contiguous) the black, invert selection to get the borders layer.

I'm experimenting on which way is fastest easiest or produces the best results.

After that's done, you can use the selection, with a red, do a foreground fill (alt+backspace) to get a new Borders layer.

Then get a new layer (I name it "lines"), and do a foreground fill on that layer with the colour: #AFAFAF.

Then I use these layer effects:

OUTER　GLOW

Blend Mode: Multiply
Opacity: 26
Noise: 0
Colour: Flat Black (#000000)

Technique: Softer
Spread: 13
Size: 49

Contour: Default
Anti-aliased: Yes
Range: 50%
Jitter: 0

BEVEL AND EMBOSS

Style: Inner Bevel
Technique: Smooth
Depth: 171
Direction: Down
Size: 1 px
Soften: 2 px

Angle: 139
(don't use global light)
Altitude: 39

Gloss Contour: use the curved one that's on the very top-right, looks kind of like part of a sine curve. Not anti-aliased.
Highlight Mode: normal, white, 100% opacity
Shadow Mode: Linear Burn, Black, 8% opacity

CONTOUR
Use the one right below the default one. It should look like half a hump.
Anti-aliased: Yes
Range: 67%

COLOUR OVERLAY
Blend Mode: Normal
Colour: #424242
Opacity: 100%

Then you make two more layers, one for Lands, and one for Oceans. Use the magic wand on the ID map to get a selection, and then on your Ocean layer, foreground fill it to white. Make sure it's on top of the Lands layer. Also make sure this layer is on Lighten, with opacity set to 45%

For the Lands layer, you can pretty much foreground fill everything, to #C0C0C0

For the font, I use Bernhard Modern, and when I curve it I find I have to use all sorts of nasty tricks to get it looking just right. I think this is because the actual map was done in Illustrator, not Photoshop (where you can do curved text). Also I don't have Photoshop CS, which can do curved text pretty easily.

 

[Kaigon]

Mad King James

Link (also the following post)
Posted: 05-02-2005

Drop Shadow:
Angle: 120 degrees
Colour: white, blending: screen, opacity: 75%
distance: 1, spread: 2, size: 2

Outer Glow:
color: #404040
blending: color burn
opacity: 55%
spread: 20
size: 40
technique: softer

Bevel and Emboss:
Size: 2
depth:100%
angle: -60
altitude: 40
default settings for rest

Colour overlay:
color: #404040

The underlying land colour is then #B2B2B2 and sea colour is #C7C7C7

 

[niceta]

gREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Birger]

And the font.

http://www.webpagepublicity.com/free-fonts/b/Bernhard Modern BT.ttf

 

[Kaigon]

Arched text by XieChengnuo

Link
Posted: 05-02-2005

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.

 

[Kaigon]

Better looking river-meets-ocean by Mad King James

Link

These are all the hard way, the EASY way is this: (this is how I made my rivers)

Make a layer above all the other layers
Select the same shade of grey as your rivers
Paint above where the river meets the sea until the black line is covered
Select the smudge tool and smudge the edge of the blob you just made in motions the way the river would flow out to sea (in this way you can even go around corners and flow out into a cone)

 

[unmerged(12680)]

Humm, the link to that nifty font does appear to be dead, yes indeed...

 

[Birger]

Humm, the link to that nifty font does appear to be dead, yes indeed...

Fixed the url.
Btw, I did find you the Crusader King map font as well a while back.

http://www.europa-universalis.com/forum/showthread.php?t=194433

 

[unmerged(12680)]

w00t! Fantastic!