Design and Create Fantasy Maps

Master Photoshop basics for fantasy maps, from creating new files and color modes to brushes, textures, and essential tools. Learn efficient workflows and keyboard shortcuts.

Create a basic fantasy globe by using map to globe to warp a flat map into a rotating globe, set a scale based on Earth's diameter, and export a PNG.

Choose a map size for printing, considering trim, gutter, and bleed margins, then set a 300 dpi resolution on an 8.5 by 11 inch canvas.

Design and create fantasy maps by drawing coastlines and water in Photoshop on a layered 8.5 by 11 canvas, using precise brush settings, opacity, and river layouts.

Plan mountain placement on the map, then build with simple v shapes or brush-driven hills, using layers, opacity, crosshatching, and two basic methods for shading.

Learn to add forests to fantasy maps using stamp tools and tree brushes, applying a forest texture with pattern fills, masks, and layered painting for natural, non-overlapping tree patches.

Learn to design fantasy borders and roads by tracing rivers, using borders layers and masks, placing city markers, and drawing varied roads and trade routes for a cohesive map.

Create area names with meaning and etymology, rooted in history and lore, using personal and historical figures and language to give your fantasy map depth and power.

Learn to add names to a fantasy map by selecting licensed fonts, managing fonts in Creative Cloud, and labeling cities, forests, rivers, and seas with arced or curved text.

Explore map time lapse techniques to design and create fantasy maps, using the principles of this course to visualize imaginative worlds.

Learn to design custom compass roses for fantasy maps using layers, symmetry tools, and masking techniques, then add borders and legends to enhance map aesthetics.

Create a fantasy map border using new layers, strokes, and color, while considering bleed margins, guides, and print safety for a polished, print-ready border.

Learn to create a map key or legend by adding a new layer, drawing a white box, and labeling cities, capitals, roads, and trade routes for a cohesive fantasy map.

Calculate and apply a map scale by creating a 1000-mile grid, cropping and exporting a draft, then center and reduce it to 500 miles using rulers and pixel averages.

Explore blending modes to texture and color your fantasy maps, using the included free paper texture from the course resources, and experiment with how layers blend.

Apply vintage textures and sepia tones to a fantasy map using clipping masks and blending modes, then add stains and vignettes to age land and water.

Explore map time lapse techniques to design and create fantasy maps. Build skills in applying time lapse methods to fantasy map design.

Start with a map to drive your worldbuilding, measure distances accurately, and refine coastlines, embracing map making as the foundation of your fantasy world design.