Illustrator, Photoshop or GIMP? Which is best for mapping?

[Kellerica]

I'm a sworn Photoshop fan, and can definitely recommend it for mapmaking. I know some users in here who work with GIMP, but I think more than a few of them use it because it's free and PS isn't (of course there could be exceptions). If you already have access to PS, I'd definitely favor that over GIMP.

In terms of Illustrator vs. Photoshop, it boils down to what kind of maps are you looking to make? I think you mentioned metro system maps over at Discord, and for those type of maps Illustrator would most likely be a good choice (and I'm assuming you've used that for it already?) But if you are aiming for a fantasy/antique feel maps with a textured feel to it, vector graphics really isn't the best option for that.

So yeah, for my two cents, absolutely Photoshop over Gimp, and perhaps Illustrator over them if it serves your specific needs better.

Now, for Photoshop mapping, there are also some fantastic tutorials here at the Guild that I cannot recommend enough. These things taught me to use Photoshop back when I was starting out, and I knew nothing about it going in. These days, I dare say I'm pretty good at it. If you choose to learn PS, I'd recommend going through these at least once even if they aren't what you are looking for style-wise, as they will teach you some extremely useful PS functions that will serve your mapping needs well, regarless of what type of map you're working on.

First, there is this four part series by Jezelf, and the classic Saderan tutorial by Tear, the atlas tutorial by Ascension, and I'll throw this little height map tutorial by Kalvinlyle into the mix as well. These have served countless of us well and are truly treasures of the Guild.

[RikkaTheSecond]

Thank you so much! I'm a big fan of your maps, and you've inspired me to create some of my own!