# Mapmaking Discussion & Philosophy (WIP/Critique) > Software Discussion >  KRITA program

## MalSabreur

I've just downloaded a drawing program called KRITA free on the internet. It combines raster graphics with SVG and seems fairly simple to use. You can import /design your own brushes, textures, patterns and masks etc. I wondered if any of you have used this program and what the results are like. It's the only system I've seen that allows raster and SVG layers.
 It seems a pretty powerful program for a freebie and looks like speeding up progress on my current project by an awful lot!

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## Ilanthar

I'm almost doing all my maps & illustrations with Krita and a grahic tablet. It works indeed perfectly except for the labels/text.

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## ChickPea

I think quite a number of people use Krita. In the past, people that didn't use Photoshop often used Gimp, but over time many Gimp users have drifted over to Krita for the superior drawing experience and brushes. 

About your comment on SVG & raster, have you tried Affinity Designer? It's not free, but it's not particularly expensive either. It combines vector with raster and really gives the best of both worlds. I use it a lot and I love it.

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## XploringMap

I use Krita almost 3 years now, I don't think there is something that you can't do.

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## eepjr24

> It's the only system I've seen that allows raster and SVG layers.


Just curious, because I have seen this comment before. GIMP also supports SVG via paths and paths are stored separately, can be imported, exported, etc. I know that GIMP's tools for manipulating paths are not as verbose (although there are plugins to help with that), but it does seem to support them. I can see some things (compass, borders, etc) where SVG is superior for mapping, but otherwise it seems to be more of a preference than an objective fact? Am I off base?

- E

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## Falconius

Clip Studio Paint also has raster and very strong svg support, but it's paid (not expensive though).  Kirta is awesome (as an aside it's got a great cropping tool).  When I first got a tablet, Krita worked an absolute beauty.  I know that more than a few pros that use it as their main painting tool.

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## MalSabreur

I've tried Affinity Chickpea and was thinking of buying it until I found Krita. My trial period ran out before I could get the hang of it. I've tried GIMP too but I can't seem to get on with it. I find it quite confusing.  I didn't know either supported SVG as well as Raster. I'm finding that really useful for making the map icons. 
I put one of the works in progress on a Facebook wargames group I belong to in the hope of getting some of the labels interpreted and was surprised (and quite pleased) at some of the comments as a lot of members thought MY map was  an original 1812 one and wanted to know when I would be making them available!
I'm finding cartography to be a wonderfully relaxing aspect of my hobby. Once I get so that I feel confident enough for the experts to see my work I'll post some on here.

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## ChickPea

I'm glad you're enjoying cartography, MalSabreur, and we'll look forward to seeing some of your work. If Krita is working well for you, then have at it! It's a great piece of software, especially considering the price!  :Wink:

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## MalSabreur

I've enjoyed cartography for many years Chickpea. I used to run an RPG based in my own world that consisted of hand drawn maps that covered 4 "A" size sheets plus all the town, village, dungeon and encounter maps. I've also drawn maps for my "Imagi-Nation"  which lies off the coast of Northern Europe and a set of huge campaign maps of Central Europe drawn when I was taking a voluntary cartography course when I was at Uni in the late 80s. It was about the only subject I've found of the slightest use  in real life (as opposed to education)! 
I'm actually managing to get some of my fellow Napoleonic gamers, who are renowned as the most curmudgeonly and hide-bound set of gamers going, to see the sense in playing campaigns on purely imaginary maps. My reasoning is that it prevents hindsight, deliberately following the mistakes and successes of the real campaigns and allows the fielding of non-historic troop formations that could stop hard up players like myself playing. I find that having a lovely map to work with really adds something to a game -ANY game. They allow the players to enter the spirit far more easily and add depth.
Aside from the current project of mapping early 19th Century Europe I'm also slowly working on a semi-fantasy/historic map of the Viking world for a game set in the Heroic Age of the Norse (and other) Gods.

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## ChickPea

I'm not much of a gamer but I can see obviously see the appeal of an attractive map in making gameplay more enjoyable. I like your logic too in persuading your friends onto an imaginary location so as not to be influenced by prior knowledge of real world events. (Side note: I _love_ 'Imagi-Nation'!) 

Loving the sound of your Viking world. Hope you can post some WIPs soon!

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## MalSabreur

The first part is copied from my reply to the spammers post, which could do with being here. "Blummin' sneaky that! Meanwhile, the real Mal is still beavering away trying to figure my way through Krita, so I'm still using Paint dot net. I've discovered it's fine for flat places like Holland and North Germany, but it's going to be a nightmare once I get to more mountainous regions such as the Alps!! AAARRRGGGHHH! I need a simpler way of showing contouring than hachures.
Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone by the way."
Since I posted that, I THINK I've figured out how to do all the hachuring. In a new layer, I outline the top of the hachures in mid-brown and mark where they end on a separate layer, then use a rake blender to draw the hachures down to the base marks. It's still going to be pretty time consuming, but hey, it's quicker than doing each one on its own! I'm trying a second, lighter line part way down so the colour lightens slightly.
How would you do it,  Ilanthar and XploringMap?
This is  a WIP. I'm still deciding on the style and textures I want to use. I'm working on multiple layers :-sea, land base, rivers, roads, woods, heath, marsh and meadow layers plus settlements and separate ones for lettering and cartouches. That way, if I change my mind (which I'm doing a bit too often) I can simply hide a layer and add another. I feel as though I am making progress at last though and changes are becoming less frequent.

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## Falconius

Are you trying to use Krita without a tablet?  Because honestly without one it kinda sucks.  If that is the case I'd recommend using GIMP, it's more mouse friendly, but more than that I'd recommend getting a tablet, it's a game changer.  Alternatively I'd recommend using an svg program like Inkscape so you can control your lines and objects completely with nodes.

That said I think your map is turning out pretty well so far.

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## MalSabreur

I have a tablet Falconius but prefer to use my PC. It's quicker and I get on better with a larger screen. I'm slowly getting to figure Krita out and I think I'll end up enjoying using it, though I'll probably still  some of the basic work on Paint dot net. I've tried using GIMP but can't seem to be able to fathom it out. I don't know what it is about it though. The map is one part of 240ish that make up "Germania" -Germany plus the Austrian Empire in 1807. I'll be fine as long as I keep taking the dried frog pills though!! :Very Happy:

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## Kellerica

I think Falconius meant a tablet as in a graphics tablet, that you hook up to your PC. Wacom or one of its competitors  :Smile:  Makes drawing things and thus mapping that much easier!

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## Archelaos

Do you maybe know if there is a way to set scaling ratio locked in Krita? It is free by default and it resets to free when tools are changed and as result I waste a lot of time when I forget to check it...

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## Stìophan

> I use Krita almost 3 years now, I don't think there is something that you can't do.


My guess the only thing lacking would be Layer Styles, which is the case also with GIMP.

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