QGIS: using GIS to texture a map like photoshop

[Francissimo]

Hello everyone,
lately i've been playing with the latest version of qgis to try to make a map wich look like a photoshop map.
Qgis now have interesting options like drop shadow, inner shadow, and various blend modes for the layers and textures. There is also a new 2.5D mode for buildings.
I think that GIS software are now almost ready to make beautifull maps, the kind we like here. Of course photoshop is still a better tool to make a really beautifull map, but with GIS once you have configured all your layers style, you're ready to make hundreds of maps in seconds.
Here's a small exemple of what you can actually do with QGIS:

Hope you'll like it, and i'm really interested to see if other peoples are trying to play with textures in GIS software.

[vorropohaiah]

that's great. though im guessing you still need appropriate data files you need to import, or do you make stuff from scratch?

[Francissimo]

Nop, the interesting point is you can import some data, the only work i've done here is choosing textures, layers and label styles, all the data (roads, buildings, land use..) was already existing, so i can make that style of map anywhere i have data from. If you're looking for data you can download roads buildings and land use directly in QGIS using openstreetmap data.
I'm also using DEM data to suggest height, those data can also be found for free.
You can even do some data from scratch, but for that purpose photoshop would be a much better tool.
another exemple :

[su_liam]

As for generated fantasy world data, it's really easy to load in tiff rasters and add projection and coordinate data. QGIS has good tools for creating and editing vector data. Regardless of how the data is acquired, the same steps to creating good map imagery apply.

[Ilanthar]

Interesting, I really like the way it shows modern buildings with a slight sense of perspective.

[themantheycallcris]

I'm hoping to do some world building in QGIS, with various layers for hiding/showing game content (encounters, hidden locations, etc...), and hope to see the quality of print maps to be superb by then. As you mentioned Francissimo, even now they are looking pretty good.

[Francissimo]

Thanks for the feedbacks guys, i'm sure QGIS will become closer to photoshop type maps as time pass.
Small update, this time i tried to blend aerial view with the various layers.

[Mouse]

I really like the appearance of this map with the blended aerial view. Is that just the relief you are blending or are there textures there as well?