CC3 vs Photoshop

[waldronate]

I'm hosed then - I am most confortable with the Macromedia Freehand interface

I hear they have support groups.

[Nomadic]

I hear they have support groups.

But ever since adobe bought them out you have to have acrobat to read their newsletters.

[huishou]

Campaign Cartographer is a CAD engine that has been repurposed to provide mapping functionality. It also has many style packs in the form of its annuals and huge numbers of symbols via its symbol packs. Some folks find the learning curve steep, but there are many video tutorials and training materials available.

If you have some drawing skills and are expecting to make your maps from scratch, go with Photoshop (or GIMP)!! I believe they can produce superior results, though I have't used Campaign Cartographer but I've seen many maps on these forums. I use an older version of photoshop with XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro drawing tablet with screen and I love it! I find that most of the stunning maps on these forums are made with Photoshop, GIMP or a program like that.

[ravells]

I started with Paintshop Pro and moving to Photoshop and getting comfortable with it took me the best part of a year. Now I am, I've forgotten all the PSP conventions. It all depends on what you're used to.

I've got Illustrator - never use it. I know it's more powerful than the budget equivalent I do use (Drawplus) but Drawplus is one of the most intuitive applications I have ever used.

I think once you get get stuck to something it's difficult to move. I don't have CC3, but I have CC2, but it was too limited for me once I discovered Drawplus, PSP and Photoshop.

For me, (and apologies to the CC users out there) CC is a complex interface you have to get used to in order to get to use the lovely symbols. My problem with the symbols is that they they kill any individuality of mapping....but they do mean you can produce great looking maps and fast.

[damonjynx]

Well as others have pointed out there are a number of things to consider:

1. Budget
2. Purpose
3. Artistic skill

1. The all important $$. Personal opinion aside, if 'free' is your only option, GIMP or KRITA are probably going to be your choices. I tried running the latest version of GIMP on a brand new Mac with OS Catalina and the performance was woeful, it drove me insane. On my work PC I was able to figure out how to recreate (more or less) my Photoshop workflow for Dungeon and Hex maps (for using on my home Mac which no longer runs Adobe CS4). KRITA works much better on my Mac and what I'll be using when needed. CC3+ is reasonably priced and you can get some good deals. I just bought the Humble Bundle for $51AUD which came with 3 core programs; CC3+, City & Dungeon Designer and a host of other stuff. As others have mentioned, you are limited by the art packs you have unless you have the skill to create your own. Then we have Adobe, I prefer this over the free programs as its more what I'm used to but I refuse to pay a subscription for essentially an update to a program I already own. Unless you can generate a reasonable income from it or use it for business purposes (to receive tax benefits - depending on how that works in your locale) I would suggest the other options.
2. If you want to create truly unique, artisitic maps, that are 100% your own, an image editing program is what you need. If, on the other hand, you want to produce quality maps quickly, in a wide range of styles for gaming purposes, whether for VTTs or print media, then I think CC3+ is a good choice and why I decided to go that route. Using Crossover (a paid WINE utility) I am able to run CC3+ on my Mac natively without having to install Windows #.
3. If you've no artistic skill, like me, then CC3+ is definitely a must have. If the reverse is true one of the image editing software programs will probably be more to your taste.

Either way, all packages have a learning curve. I tried the demo version of CC2 I think it was, back in the early 2000's and I couldn't get my head around it (not much internet support, tutorials etc around back then) so I bought Dundjinni and only used when necessary so I never got proficient with it. Now I find myself looking forward to getting down with CC3+.

[Mark Oliva]

Well as others have pointed out there are a number of things to consider:

1. Budget
2. Purpose
3. Artistic skill

Sure. But the comparison basis is wrong. This isn't really a question of a choice between Photoshop and CC3+, which always will be an apples and oranges comparison. The issue really is the question of whether one wants to make one's own maps from bottom up with programs such as Photoshop, the GIMP, etc., or whether one wants to use a cartographic tool like CC3+, Dundjinni, Other World Mapper, MapForge, FM8, etc.

They're two different worlds of cartography. Some live more comfortably in one, some more comfortably in the other, and some even go back and forth between both. By and large, one will find that the fastest maps were made with one of the cartographic applications, and the best maps in most cases were made with one of the graphical applications ... although I certainly acknowledge that there have been Dundjinni and MapForge maps posted here that reach Photoshop/GIMP quality levels. I can't says the same for CC3+, FM8 or OWM maps ... which are the tool category that I use personally.

Servus,