Let's share our hate of forests

[ThomasR]

I've started another map in the same style of forest and the feeling is different. I'm more used to the style so the forest comes pretty naturally but there's a boredom to it sometimes. Also, after training, I do not have to redo so much things twice to get it done.

While I agree with you on the hesitation between styles, this question helps set one in the right mood for the map and it also helps to project yourself into the land itself. All in all, a necessary step, sometimes boring but very useful.

[ThomasR]

When the client says that he'd want another style for the forest, you can start to fear for your sanity (especially if you had just finished all the forests of the map). I've come to hate another type of forest : the one where you could make a brush for the individual tree, change the pace of the brush and start drawing your forest border but you cannot because of overlapping lines. So you draw your individual tree, add a white background on the layer just below, blend the layers, select your tree, copy it and paste it to move it at the right place about 10 000 times. No wrist pain in this, just long soul crushing days.

PS : if someone has another way, share it, it'll help everybody

[Josiah VE]

When the client says that he'd want another style for the forest, you can start to fear for your sanity (especially if you had just finished all the forests of the map). I've come to hate another type of forest : the one where you could make a brush for the individual tree, change the pace of the brush and start drawing your forest border but you cannot because of overlapping lines. So you draw your individual tree, add a white background on the layer just below, blend the layers, select your tree, copy it and paste it to move it at the right place about 10 000 times. No wrist pain in this, just long soul crushing days.

PS : if someone has another way, share it, it'll help everybody

Why don't you make a brush with the center of the tree being white? Then once you're done that turn it to a multiply layer or something for the shading and colour. Wouldn't that work?
Why don't you post a picture so we can give better feedback?

[Tonnichiwa]

Is it possible to make a Macro button in photoshop that will do all of that stuff for you automatically?

[ThomasR]

Thanks for the idea Josiah (BTW nice work on your new commish ), the problem is that without the whit background or with a multiply layer, the lines will show and I haven't figured out how to make bi-color brushes in PS. Here's a sample. What shows at low opacity is the ancient style.



@ Tonnichiwa : Dunno, I fear I do not master PS enough for my own good

[Tonnichiwa]

Just a quick google search would probably show you tutorials on how to make your own macro that could probably at least copy and paste that tree to wherever you click your mouse....

If not, there is always CC3+ (I kid)

[ThomasR]

Thanks for the tip Tonnichiwa, I'll do it another time, I'm nearing the end. I'll be smart the next time

For comparison, here's the first style :

[Tonnichiwa]

Interesting. I like the way you are drawing the trees so they follow the river.

[Straf]

I'm not liking trees and forests at all just yet. I need to practice a lot more before I can decide on a representation.

[ThomasR]

I've got a question about the trees. In post 35 I mentioned the difficulty I encountered with individual trees. I followed Tonnichiwa's advice and went on the internet to search for a method to do so and came back empty handed.

Here's my problem :


Using a brush I have an overlapping problem, I'm forced to copy and paste the same tree (30 000 + times on the last map and one more is coming ...).

Can someone help me ? I've seen many maps with many trees without overlap, there has to be a solution, a tutorial somewhere.