Cloth Map (Needs Improving)

[Cluey]

Ok, heres the map screen for The Darksiders.  Those are all the locales the game will have.  But something looks funny about the map, Im not sure what it is...

[The Ivy]

The text is really crisp and defined, while the terrain seems a bit blurry.  I think you should either hand-draw the place names or sharpen up the other lines.  Also, consider making them follow the curve of the fabric.
Good luck!

[InCreator]

* Try decreasing opacity of both the fabric and map lines.
* Try remove the black outline from fabric and make it's edges torn a little, so pieces of string lie out a bit. You have seen torn cloth, right?

Em, something like this (very quick example, can be improved much)



* Also, you could try to align text to fabric, using smudge tool, for example. But it would kill the detail a bit. Epecially the text "The land of the dead" could be raised and lowered as cloth does.

[Cluey]

Well, I was tempted to align the text to the cloth, but it makes it really hard to read.  Although I like the idea of strings of fabric and faded lines.  I'm having to draw the whole map again though, but it should look better.

[Cluey]

I dunno, its missing something important....

[nihilyst]

Hm, the first one looked much better. The second one's edges are too ... sharp ... or hard ... or something.

[skw]

I agree with Nihilyst, the previous version was better. I've done a small edit in Paint Shop Pro and added some fur and leather effects, then played with colour channels:



I was editing only the cloth's outlook (without taking care of these captions), so it probably looks too dark and unclean. Anyway, hope it'll be even a bit useful.

[Cluey]

Overusing effects is my Job!!

I agree, something about the first one looks better, but I lost the file for it!

[Phemar]

I've been staring at this for ages, and now it clicks! It's the edges .... that's what's wrong!

I'm not sure what about the edges is wrong ... I think they may be too straight ...

InCreator has the right idea though.

[sergiocornaga]

By Jove, you're right! They're just too... angular...
The map itself looks great, but I find the edges sort of unrealistic.

[=The=Brat=]

If you made it in flash (It looks like it), you can just right - click on the line and press smoothen. great work anyway

[Cluey]

I made it using a vector program, so the Increase curves feature was used, I also tried to make the shading correspond with the edges more +changed the threads

[Al_Ninio]

The fabric strings are too thick.
There's not enough contrast between values, and some of the shadow placement just doesn't make sense.
It's also still quite angular...
Hope this helps in any way.

[ilSilente]

You can also try using the Displace filter found in many painting program (like photoshop, obviously... look here: http://biorust.com/index.php?page=tutorial_detailutid=133 ).

Also, I found this:
http://www.chaosgods.de/ps_tutorials/english/old_map.shtml

You can find a lot of good tutorials here: http://www.good-tutorials.com/ and http://www.tutorialman.com/ (and of course googleing )

[Pod]

1. Get a piece of old cloth
2. Draw a map on it
3. Scan it in and trace over it

if you don't have a scanner, do it by hand.

[Snarky]

I liked the chaosgods tutorial that ilSilente posted enough that I did a version of this map in that style:



I don't suppose it fits in with your style, but I think it's pretty cool. I found a way to make simple outlines "squiggly" that I'm quite pleased with.

There's a bunch of improvements I'd make if this, you know, had a point. I wanted to do an effect where the ink is faded in some places, but I forgot and now it's too much work. I somewhat overdid the distortion on the text. I wasn't able to make the shadows on the map itself distinct from the stains, and I have no idea how that would be done. Therefore the map looks more flat than I intended. The outline didn't come out the way I wanted, and the wood texture on the background looks a bit blurry.

I should also mention that I took the drawings of the fort and the forest from a fantasy map I found online, that the compass and other faint drawings on the map are from Vered's brushes that were linked to in that tutorial, andÃ,  that the map edge is actually modified from a picture of one of the Dead Sea scrolls. (Unfortunately, the individual fraying threads don't show up too well after the process I used.) The texture of the fabric and the wood background are also stock images. All pictures were located with Google Image search.

Edit: Also, I wasn't sure what those spiky ring things were. Maybe some kind of satellite dish towers?Ã, 
I based my version off your first map. I see you made some changes in the later versions.

[Timmo]

Hi Snarky! Would you make a tutorials if you have time of that map you made?

[Pod]

he made it FOLLOWING a tutorial that is LINKED. Gash!

[Timmo]

That tutorials was too hard to mee, i tought that maybe he can make more simplified version.

[Pod]

How is it hard?
It gives you a series of commands to follow mindlessly....
S'like making a cake.