# Mapping Resources > Tutorials/How-To >  [Award Winner] Simple Mountains [Photoshop/GIMP/Painter/etc.]

## Hapimeses

As requested in my introductory thread, I've created a basic tutorial for how to draw simple mountains. I hope someone finds it useful.

Click here to watch it.

This is the first video I've ever made, so don't expect much. My laptop isn't exactly the ideal computer to do this on, but it worked.

 :Very Happy:

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## pyrandon

Andy, this is great.  It's so very simple; I imagine many people will soon be emulating and adapting this style.  Very useful video.

I hope you make many of these tutorials.  You sound great and are very complete!  Well done.  (Plus, for us blue-blooded 'Mericans, you have a fun accent  :Wink:  )

(Oh, and I added to the title of this thread to help future thread browsers;  I hope you don't mind)

Thanks again, Andy.

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## delgondahntelius

for some reason its not playing for me ... figures... something is probably messed up on my end... it always is... but it plays the youtube just fine... 

sigh....

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## Hapimeses

> Andy, this is great.  It's so very simple; I imagine many people will soon be emulating and adapting this style.  Very useful video.


Indeed, very simple. When you have an assortment of pressing deadlines, simple, effective techniques for repeated elements win every time. That leaves more time for laying the map out and drawing the details (such as the villages and towns, if we are to continue using the Kislev map as an example).

Of course, more complicated ways will look better, but they will take proportioniately longer as well. Further, sometimes a simple style looks better for certain maps (and in the case of the Kislev map, a simple, clean rendition was, I believe, the best option).




> I hope you make many of these tutorials.  You sound great and are very complete!  Well done.  (Plus, for us blue-blooded 'Mericans, you have a fun accent  )


I'm glad I came across well. I've never don this sort of thing, so I was a little concerned I would sound the rambling fool.

 :Very Happy: 

As for the accent: well, I'm Scottish, so you'll have to live with it.

 :Wink: 




> (Oh, and I added to the title of this thread to help future thread browsers;  I hope you don't mind)


Nope, don't mind at all. I'd've done it myself if I'd thought about it.




> Thanks again, Andy.


No problems.

Anyone else find it useful?

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## Hapimeses

> for some reason its not playing for me ... figures... something is probably messed up on my end... it always is... but it plays the youtube just fine... 
> 
> sigh....


Odd, it's just a standard wmv file whipped up on Movie Maker (it was free and already on my PC, so it got the job). I've checked everything, and it all looks okay.

Is it working today?

If not, I'll see about sorting a fix for you.

 :Smile:

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## Clercon

Thanks for a great tutorial. 

:-)

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## Hapimeses

> Thanks for a great tutorial. 
> 
> :-)


No problems, I hope you find a use for the technique. If you do, feel free to post your uses (or practices) here.

 :Smile:

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## RobA

Doesn't work for me either.  I even dug out Internet explorer and tried but no luck.  I probably (like del) don't have the right codecs (or whatever) from the right version of windows media player....

-Rob A>

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## Hapimeses

> Doesn't work for me either.  I even dug out Internet explorer and tried but no luck.  I probably (like del) don't have the right codecs (or whatever) from the right version of windows media player....
> 
> -Rob A>


Alright, I'll see what I can do about that.

 :Smile:

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## RobA

Its odd.  I get the player object but if I go into the properties it shows the clips as "http://mydomain.com/video.wmv"

-Rob A>

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## Hapimeses

> Its odd.  I get the player object but if I go into the properties it shows the clips as "http://mydomain.com/video.wmv"
> 
> -Rob A>


That is odd! 

I'll go check the coding.

 :Smile:

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## Hapimeses

Okay, I've updated a few things. Does that change anything?

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## RobA

That improved things!  I can see it now!

And I must say, brilliant, and a big thanks for taking the time to record this.  While it may seem trivial to you, seeing how this type of sketching is done provides a lot of insight to aspiring mappers here!

Thanks,

-Rob A>

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## Hapimeses

> That improved things!  I can see it now!
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> -Rob A>


Good news! Let's hope it's the same for everyone else as well.

 :Very Happy:

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## deanatglobe

That is really cool.  I've just started using photoshop to make maps and these tutorials give me great idea's on where to start.

Thanks

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## delgondahntelius

Its working now! ... But i'll have to wait to watch it a little later on... just thought I'd let you know its running for me too

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## weem

Worked great for me, very good tutorial - thanks for making it!

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## delgondahntelius

Great tutorial, can't wait to sit down and start making my own.. thanks for the time and energy Andy, and we eagerly await your next one  :Very Happy:

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## Hapimeses

> That is really cool.  I've just started using photoshop to make maps and these tutorials give me great idea's on where to start.
> 
> Thanks


Cool, I'm glad you found it useful and inspiring. If you can think of anything else you'd like a tutorial for, feel free to ask.

 :Smile:

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## Hapimeses

> Worked great for me, very good tutorial - thanks for making it!


No problems, thanks for watching in return.

 :Smile:

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## Hapimeses

> Great tutorial, can't wait to sit down and start making my own.. thanks for the time and energy Andy, and we eagerly await your next one


Well, if you do make some of your own, make sure you post the results.

 :Very Happy: 

As for another tutorial -- any ideas what I could do next?

I suppose an extension of this one would be hills, mountains, and high mountains, and some easy steps to differentiating them for each other (and techniques for drawing them), but perhaps other people have better ideas.

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## pyrandon

> ...As for another tutorial -- any ideas what I could do next?
> 
> I suppose an extension of this one would be hills, mountains, and high mountains, and some easy steps to differentiating them for each other (and techniques for drawing them), but perhaps other people have better ideas.


I think, judging from the popularity of this tut, that the follow up is the natural choice.  Here's my stamp of approval & encouragement:  DO IT!   :Wink:

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## Airith

> ...
> I suppose an extension of this one would be hills, mountains, and high mountains, and some easy steps to differentiating them for each other (and techniques for drawing them), but perhaps other people have better ideas.


This is one awesome tutorial, you definitely did it right  :Smile:  awesome accent too, i was quite off on my guess though.

although i'd rather you do trees, forests, jungle/swamp, etc. hills and different mountains is more logical to come next  :Smile: 

whatever you do, keep it up, it's amazing.

/goes off to replicate it

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## StillCypher

Much to my dismay, the video froze Safari solid! It did work, however, in Camino. Didn't try it in Firefox...

Wonderful tutorial! You make it look so easy!  :Smile:   The only thing I would like to see (really _see_, that is!), is a bigger/clearer shot of your desktop/tools. The presentation was so small that I couldn't see, for instance, the choices you made on the drop-down menus. 

I think the hills and peaks tutorial would be a logical follow-up, too, though I'm definitely interested in the trees and forests. AND I'd really love your version of "How to Make a City"!!

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## Hapimeses

> I think, judging from the popularity of this tut, that the follow up is the natural choice.  Here's my stamp of approval & encouragement:  DO IT!


Well, with such support, I best do another!

 :Very Happy: 

I'll see about sorting that sometime next week. I'm roleplaying tomorrow, and chasing deadlines during the week, so the immediate future is right out.

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## Hapimeses

> This is one awesome tutorial, you definitely did it right  awesome accent too, i was quite off on my guess though.
> 
> although i'd rather you do trees, forests, jungle/swamp, etc. hills and different mountains is more logical to come next 
> 
> whatever you do, keep it up, it's amazing.
> 
> /goes off to replicate it


Thanks for the effusive support. Please, if the tutorial is useful and you give it a go, post your progress here. I'm keen to see how others work with my suggestions.

As for tutorials on other mapping topics, I'll see about sorting that at a later date. I'm a tad busy at the mo' with real-life, deadlines, and the like, so my free time for such projects is very tight.

 :Smile:

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## Hapimeses

> Much to my dismay, the video froze Safari solid! It did work, however, in Camino. Didn't try it in Firefox...
> 
> Wonderful tutorial! You make it look so easy!   The only thing I would like to see (really _see_, that is!), is a bigger/clearer shot of your desktop/tools. The presentation was so small that I couldn't see, for instance, the choices you made on the drop-down menus. 
> 
> I think the hills and peaks tutorial would be a logical follow-up, too, though I'm definitely interested in the trees and forests. AND I'd really love your version of "How to Make a City"!!


The problem with larger resolution videos is the space they take online. My website isn't that huge, and filling it with a short film or two of me blabbing for 6 minutes doesn't seem to be the best use of the space. Thus, for the moment, it's low res.

However, you do have a point, a larger resolution would be beneficial. I'll have a think about alternatives.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the tutorial. I'm sure there are more where that came from.

 :Smile:

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## Midgardsormr

I finally got around to updating my video drivers so Media Player will stop crashing my browser.  So now I can say thank you!  It will be a while before I can try it out myself; I am still waiting on the funds to buy a nice tablet.  I already know, though, that I'm looking forward to the more complex techniques you teased near the end.  

I'll agree that not quite being able to see the tools was a little frustrating, but bandwidth and storage space issues are certainly understandable.  Even so, I learned quite a bit from just being able to watch your "hand" and listen to your thought process as you painted.

I also quite appreciate the continued reminders that "neatness is not important."  I get a little hung up on precision sometimes, and I think that hampers me.  I drop far too many projects because they're not "just so."

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## delgondahntelius

Without having to make a higher res video, you could always put up the exact tools you used (even a small jpg of the actual tool) underneath or to the side of the video... that would be one way to do it... 

I think a follow up would be the next best thing to do for another tutorial tho...  :Very Happy:

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## Hapimeses

> I finally got around to updating my video drivers so Media Player will stop crashing my browser.  So now I can say thank you!  It will be a while before I can try it out myself; I am still waiting on the funds to buy a nice tablet.  I already know, though, that I'm looking forward to the more complex techniques you teased near the end.  
> 
> I'll agree that not quite being able to see the tools was a little frustrating, but bandwidth and storage space issues are certainly understandable.  Even so, I learned quite a bit from just being able to watch your "hand" and listen to your thought process as you painted.
> 
> I also quite appreciate the continued reminders that "neatness is not important."  I get a little hung up on precision sometimes, and I think that hampers me.  I drop far too many projects because they're not "just so."


I do recommend buying a tablet. Although it takes a while for some people to get used to, a tablet, I find, makes drafting maps significantly easier on a computer, and significantly faster.

That said, the first maps I produced professionally were entirely made using a mouse, so it is certainly possible to create a quality end-result with a mouse alone, and if you're keen to get mapping, it's perhaps worth a go. After all, as I note you noted ( :Wink: ), neatness isn't essential, it's giving it a go that matters, and if you have no tablet, then the tools at hand may have to do.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the tutorial, I'll see about making another sometime soon.

 :Very Happy:

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## Hapimeses

> Without having to make a higher res video, you could always put up the exact tools you used (even a small jpg of the actual tool) underneath or to the side of the video... that would be one way to do it... 
> 
> I think a follow up would be the next best thing to do for another tutorial tho...


That's a good idea. I'll add the tools I used later today; that should help clarify things a little.

As for another video, I agree a follow-up probably does make the most sense, so don't be surprised if that's what I do.

 :Smile:

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## StillCypher

There's no law that says it has to be a video tutorial, is there? How about a plain ol' picture one? With screenshots? You could include screenshots of your tools/settings, too.

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## JFJohnny5

Great tutorial! Thanks for posting! Some really nice work at your website. Would love to see more insight into your methods!  :Smile:

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## ravells

Just echoing, my thanks for your excellent tutorial, Hapimeses!

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## Hapimeses

> There's no law that says it has to be a video tutorial, is there? How about a plain ol' picture one? With screenshots? You could include screenshots of your tools/settings, too.


Very true. That said, video tutorials take almost no time to make when compared to writing it all out in detail, and my time is tight.

Just now I'm chasing a tight deadline for the Song of Ice and Fire rpg (hence my lack of posting lately), and I also have the joys of raising my two daughters to contend with (my real 'full time' job). That leaves me surprisingly little time to do everything I'd like to do, especially when you factor in my roleplaying, and I roleplay a lot.

As for the tool settings: well, fortunately for this one, I used hardly any at all. However, when I do more tutorials, I'll certainly need to address the lack of detail on a small video. Perhaps I'll just get a bit more web-space and make the video bigger?

 :Smile:

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## Hapimeses

> Great tutorial! Thanks for posting! Some really nice work at your website. Would love to see more insight into your methods!


Well, once this batch of deadlines is surpassed, I'll see what I can do.

As for the website: I tried to put a selection of different work there to give people an idea of what I do, but I have far more festering away on my hard drive, some of which utilise _very_ different styles.

I plan to make a better gallery in the upcoming months, but time, as always, is my enemy.

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## Hapimeses

> Just echoing, my thanks for your excellent tutorial, Hapimeses!


Thanks. I'll see about sorting some more later.

 :Very Happy:

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## Midgardsormr

Well, I finally have access to a tablet.  My wife thinks it was a birthday present.  hee hee.

Anyway, I gave the tutorial a go, and I think I was quite successful.  Here's my little sketch.

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## Chgowiz

I've used your mountain techniques with some good results. Right now, it's all B/w, I'll be adding paper background and color later. I'm just wishing I'd be as satisfied with my forests as I am with the mountains. Thanks for the tutorial!

Regards,
Neurowiz

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## su_liam

Here's Daddy Paddle's try at hand drawn mapping. There's a reason why a like the Bryce stuff.

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## Clercon

Thanks for a great tutorial. It really helped me a lot. I'm posting a small picture of mountains from my Etrakien map that I'm working on. Keep the tutorials coming :-)

You can see the full map on the following link

Cheers

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## ravells

Beautiful Clercon! Getting forests to work with mountains is one of the hardest tricks to pull of, imo.

I haven't seen Happimess post for awhile, I hope he comes back and sees us soon.

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## Aristotle

Just browsing tutorials and I love this. I'd definately like to see the artist do more that explore this map style further. I think I like it so much because it looks a lot like the mountains I draw when I do hand drawn maps, only a little more polished. I'll definately be adding this tutorial to my list to practice.

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## Sirith

Finally got around to watching the video. It's a nice and easy way to get a mountain range, thanks for sharing the technique! Guess I'd have to give it a go soon =)

Also, Clercon, those are some nice mountains, well done  :Smile:

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## Hapimeses

Hello, all!

It's been a while. I've been chasing tight deadlines (both writing and cartographical) and tending to family stuff, but I'm back.

First I'd like to say that it's great to see the simple mountains be used by others, and being adapted into new techniques. Some people have come up with some fantastic results, and that can only be a good thing. If anyone has any more questions about drawing mountains like this, or anything related, feel free to post on. I intend to visit the site far more frequently now, so you will get an answer.

And I note I appear to have an award thingie for this thread as well. Nice! I'm not sure who I should be thanking, but to whomever it should be: thanks.

 :Smile:

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## delgondahntelius

It's us thanking you  :Very Happy:  ... for a great tutorial...   :Smile:

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## Hapimeses

> It's us thanking you  ... for a great tutorial...


Glad you found it useful. I really should take a look at doing some more, huh?

What would everyone find most useful? I'm keen to stick to simple techniques, at least for the moment. I was going to do an extension to the current tutorial covering hills, but as the technique is largely the same, perhaps I'd be better tackling something else.

Anyone have any ideas?

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## delgondahntelius

I'd be interested in battlemaps... the current hot topic is Battlemaps for VTT's ... as well as regional maps and encounter maps for 4e campaigns that are getting underway  :Smile: 

I say .... show us the battlemaps!!  :Very Happy:  ... but I guess we can wait to hear what EVERYONE ELSE wants before we decide.... <kicks dirt>.....  :Very Happy:  heh

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## jfrazierjr

> I'd be interested in battlemaps... the current hot topic is Battlemaps for VTT's ... as well as regional maps and encounter maps for 4e campaigns that are getting underway 
> 
> I say .... show us the battlemaps!!  ... but I guess we can wait to hear what EVERYONE ELSE wants before we decide.... <kicks dirt>.....  heh


With me just starting to use Maptool (as opposed to reading the forums and just goofing with the software without a game to play it in), I second this idea.    More detailed battlemaps would be a great addition.   

I specifically would like to see some medium towns made specifically for VTT's.   The few VTT maps of towns I have seen usually top out around 10-15 buildings or so and what I would like to see is several nice maps in the 50-200 building range while still with a decent file size for transport over the internet.  And most of the very nice town maps are made at a size that zooming in causes bad pixelization.   Of course, overland maps are great also as are dungeons. 

Joe

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## NymTevlyn

> Glad you found it useful. I really should take a look at doing some more, huh?
> 
> What would everyone find most useful? I'm keen to stick to simple techniques, at least for the moment. I was going to do an extension to the current tutorial covering hills, but as the technique is largely the same, perhaps I'd be better tackling something else.
> 
> Anyone have any ideas?


Is there another place to view your mountain tutorial?  Your website says it is suspended.

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## spiralbound

Thanks for the tutorial Hapimeses.  you technique is something I *USED* to do when I would just doodle map ideas many years ago using a pencil and paper.  Then I forgot all about it years later when I began making maps using the computer!  Silly me! :-)  Thank you for reminding me of this simple, yet quite effective technique.  I would love to see an "advanced mountains" tutorial showing some other mountain making methods with more complex results.  Any chance of a second tutorial?

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## jreiswig

This is awesome. It's nice to see a tutorial on the simple things for those of us who have never seen them done. How about forests next?

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## SLB

Old thread, but it had a nice tutorial on mountains - which vanished in the last day or two.  Looks like the domain expired.  I'm too new to email him, so if anyone knows or is in touch with Andy ...

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## wally-d-feed

would love to watch his tutorial. But in case it should be lost for us this thread shouldnt stay pinned

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