Techniques for a relief map

[Weston]

Not sure if there are any existing threads that discuss this. Link those if they already exist.

So I want to be able to create a fantasy relief map following the style of the attached map. Are there any photoshop techniques out there to get this style? I would like to avoid cutting and blending real world height maps together, creating a 'frankenstein map.' I'd prefer having complete control over mountains and valleys. I had the idea of using the bevel and emboss effect in photoshop but couldn't quite get this look. Does anybody have specific settings/techniques they've used to get this style???

Thanks in advance for your help!

[waldronate]

Draw the rivers, invert, and use the (stroke/gradient/shape burst) layer effect to get mountains. Repeat as required to get different pointiness for the mountains.

[Kellerica]

I've often found that trying to replicate someone else's look exactly is often a futile attempt, or at least for me it always has been. I think you are on the right track with the Bewel & Emboss effect, as it is one of the most effective ways of making a relief thing on Photoshop.

Check out this tutorial by Kalvinlyle as well. I know it's not the look you want exactly, but this type of hightmap is relatively easy to make and it could give you some stuff of your own that you could try patching together, and the way of using the Lighting Effects to get a relief looking thing is a very useful trick.

One thing I've also done, is I've first created a fake hightmap with the Clouds/Difference Clouds filter, or with the Kalvinlyle technique mentioned above; then I've cut little bits of it, airbrushed the edges off, and created custom brushes of the result. See the attachement to get a sense of what I mean. These kind brushes are best used on layer mask at a 20-30 % Opacity and in a back-and-forth kind of motion, where you first raise the ground up and then go back to black and lower parts of the area you just raised in order to create the more realistic edges you want.



If you want the exact look of the example, I'm afraid I can't give you more advice than to draw it by hand...

Draw the rivers, invert, and use the (stroke/gradient/shape burst) layer effect to get mountains. Repeat as required to get different pointiness for the mountains.

Waldronate, you lose me on the Shape burst and now I'm really curious, is there any way you could elaborate a bit?

[waldronate]

In Photoshop's stroke layer effect, there is a gradient option. Under that is a "shape burst" option. I wrote up a reply in https://cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=25281 that has some discussion of how to do this.

https://cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=33087 has some discussions on ways to generate this sort of mountainous province when starting from a contour map, but it relies on tools other than Photoshop. https://cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=29412 offers some examples of ways to generate mountains using Wilbur, which is still not Photoshop.

There are many ways to go about doing these sorts of mountains, but doing it entirely in Photoshop is a difficult prospect without third-party tools.

[Kellerica]

In Photoshop's stroke layer effect, there is a gradient option. Under that is a "shape burst" option. I wrote up a reply in https://cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=25281 that has some discussion of how to do this.

Never knew about this one before. Always something new to discover about PS, it seems. Thanks for the tip!