# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > Virtual Tabletop/Battlemap Mapping >  Some Creek thing

## jfrazierjr

So.. I was just screwing around in GIMP working with Masks (and dodge/burn) and ended up making something I thought was kind of neat.   Not really going to do much(I really mean any) more with this than what I have done, but hopefully, someone can find some use out of it.

Joe

*EDIT:* added a version without the grid....

*EDIT 2:  grrrrr... I am such a dufus.   Contrary to what I say below, the textures used are NOT stock GIMP textures.   Rather they are from the CSUAC.   Sorry for any confusion!!!*

----------


## Gandwarf

I like the vegetation a lot. The rocky shores and water look too "clipart" for me (especially compared with the vegetation - this is just not my taste). The overall layout of the creek is cool, it looks natural.

----------


## RobA

I think the water and rocks are both standard Gimp textures.  Zip over to one of the texture sites and replace with some nice photographed seamless textures and you have a winner!

-Rob A>

----------


## jfrazierjr

> I like the vegetation a lot. The rocky shores and water look too "clipart" for me (especially compared with the vegetation - this is just not my taste). The overall layout of the creek is cool, it looks natural.





> I think the water and rocks are both standard Gimp textures.  Zip over to one of the texture sites and replace with some nice photographed seamless textures and you have a winner!


It's ALL standard GIMP textures.   Like I said, I was playing with a technique and just threw this down.  The only thing I "painted" on this was the burn/dodge(which is by no means perfect) on a copy of the rock layer.   Everything else is a texture layer with well sculpted layermask(which is the technique part I have been playing with in the first place).   I just did not want to spend the time to find something a bit more pretty for the water part.    I DO like the rocky part though...   End result, not counting the burn/dodge, if I wanted to recreate this, the whole thing would take about 3 minutes, which is kind of the goal of the hour or so of playing around in trying to figure out best practices and such.   I think I am going to do a short Layer Mask tutorial if there is not one already on the site.

----------


## Steel General

I know you said this was mostly an experiment in "masking", but except for the patterning on the water (I didn't notice it as much on the rocks) I think this is pretty cool. The vegetation is especially good.

----------


## jfrazierjr

Ok.. got rid of the bogus water texture.   Made my own.   Changed the shadows/highlights to be it's own layer in case I decide to swap out the rock texture at some later time.    I guess positive feedback really helps motivate people, so I ended up deciding to tweak it.

Hope ya'll like the changes.

Joe

----------


## Gandwarf

Ooh, I like it! Now that you changed the water texture the rocky shore texture doesn't bother me anymore and it all looks really natural. Great job (especially because this map didn't take much time to create).

----------


## delgondahntelius

I was trying your technique out ... this of course is the first test run ... at least I can tell it's supposed to be a river.. lol

----------


## jfrazierjr

Cool.... a much more painterly style, but good example.   I particularly like whatever you used for the reeds/cattails on the edge of the water.   Very nice. 

And the cool thing is that you can swap out a color or texture with something else and the picture remains the exact same except for the one element you changed.   Masks are cool!  Masks are fun!   I love masks!

----------


## delgondahntelius

ok.. here's the other one I did... 
yer right .. masks are fun  :Very Happy:

----------


## delgondahntelius

Added some stuff to the map  :Very Happy:

----------


## Steel General

> yer right .. masks are fun


No they aren't; masks are vile, evil, diabolical things invented by S.M.U.R.F. (Satanic Midgets United to Ruin Fun) and put in graphical software packages to confuse people like me!  :Very Happy:

----------


## Ascension

I'm with you SG, I couldn't use a mask to save my life.  I do it the opposite way...draw out a shape, distort/blur/whatever and put a pattern on it.

----------


## jfrazierjr

> No they aren't; masks are vile, evil, diabolical things invented by S.M.U.R.F. (Satanic Midgets United to Ruin Fun) and put in graphical software packages to confuse people like me!





> I'm with you SG, I couldn't use a mask to save my life.  I do it the opposite way...draw out a shape, distort/blur/whatever and put a pattern on it.


And THAT is exactly why I shall attempt to demystify layer masks(at least as much as I know) in a tutorial which I shall write tomorrow.   I would be working on it tonight (normal Friday night spent watching recorded TV shows and posting while my wife spends time with our son), but he is away and the wifey and I are going to the comedy club!    

Hopefully, I can at least do justice and make it where everyone loves layer masks also!   Once you learn layer masks, you will never do it the other way again!

----------


## Vandy

Hello, Rob and anyone else who could help.




> I think the water and rocks are both standard Gimp textures.  Zip over to one of the texture sites and replace with some nice photographed seamless textures and you have a winner!
> 
> -Rob A>


Would you mind pointing me to either a thread or provide URLs for some of the "texture sites" to which you are referring?

I would be most grateful.

Thanks.

Regards,

Gary

----------


## jfrazierjr

> Hello, Rob and anyone else who could help.
> 
> 
> 
> Would you mind pointing me to either a thread or provide URLs for some of the "texture sites" to which you are referring?
> 
> I would be most grateful.
> 
> Thanks.
> ...


Sure... there are some links in the Mapping Elements forum.   A lot of people use some from cgtextures.com(warning, there is a download limit per day unless you sign up (paid I think) AND most of their textures are not seamless, so you have to make seamless your self) and they are pretty high res images.   

Also, as pointed out, this thread used textures from the CSUAC which is a complilation of stuff found on Dunjinni forums.  It can be located here.  They are free, but you have to sign up for an account.   Also, there are sevearl seperate categories for images (creatures, vegitation, texture fills, etc) and each category having one or more download files which are 20-60 MB each.    The one for Fractal Mapper is probably the best to get as the Dunjinni one is in a propritary format and the CC one has multiples of various sizes to fit CC's scaling model (perhaps what you want??)

Also, RPGMapshare has tons of stuff... but I don't know how much they have in the way of texture fills...worth checking out though..

----------

