While We Wait: Part 4

[Abaddon]

Can MSpaint deal with "layers" ? I want to shroud my map in darkness?


I assume not, and if that is the case, how do you do it with G.I.M.P?

 

[bombshoo]

adobe photoshop is best, but if you don't have it, its expensive.

 

[jalapeno_dude]

Can MSpaint deal with "layers" ? I want to shroud my map in darkness?


I assume not, and if that is the case, how do you do it with G.I.M.P?

For GIMP, just go to Dialogs-->Layers. Create a new layer. Fill it with black, then erase the parts you want unshrouded.

It's that easy.

 

[Thlayli]

If Hillary has a late-game comeback with a +3 margin in Ohio, and later moves on to win Pennsylvania, that will have interesting results come nominations. The Democratic Party will have some interesting fractures...limousine and labor liberals will be directly at odds.

McCain would be smart to target that blue-collar base once Hillary is inevitably defeated. As tempting as it would be to nominate Pawlenty, a southern VP is really necessary to counter Obama's monopolization of the black vote.

 

[North King]

Can MSpaint deal with "layers" ? I want to shroud my map in darkness?

No, and yet the answer to your second point would be "it's possible" anyway. The method is a little complex, but not particularly difficult:

1) Take your map. Cut the relevant part and paste it to a new paint file.

2) On the cutting, shroud the parts you want shrouded. Color everything else white, except leave a small black part for reference -- either coast, or a mountain (if you have those on your map), something like that.

3) Save the now purely black and white cutting as its own file.

4) Copy the entire cutting.

5) Paste onto the main update file, making sure that the background color is white, and that your background transparency (it's the little option below the tools menu when you have the cut and paste tool selected) is on.

If you did this properly, you should get a black area over the map. You can move around this black area until the little black reference point you left on the cutting lines up with its counterpart in order to ensure a perfect fit.

Please let me know if your attempts to do the above break down at any point in the process, and I'll try to explain better. Be specific.

 

[Abaddon]

Thankyou NK, i'll do that if I cant get G.I.M.P

Cheers Jal Dude

 

[North King]

Thankyou NK, i'll do that if I cant get G.I.M.P

Cheers Jal Dude

You can almost certainly get GIMP. The question is whether you have the patience to learn GIMP. Since pretty much everything I need to do for mapmaking can be done with Paint, and I learned it first, I've never felt the need to switch over, though I have both.

 

[Abaddon]

Its the juggling of multiple images im not so keen on.. tbh I could simply save a un shrounded map on my computer, and post a shrouded version. When it comes to updating, merely refere back to the unshrouded one.

 

[North King]

Whatever works for you, really. Juggling two images was never a problem for me, it's probably different for others.

 

[Daftpanzer]

I use the program Micrografix Picture Publisher 8, which is so old now is basically abandonware. The company got taken over by Correll and the line was discontinued after version 10, which apparently wasn't much of an improvement. If 'somehow' you can get your hands on this program, I'd reccomend it.

Spoiler do you want to know more? :

When you copy and paste something, it automatically becomes a floating object, you can easily set the transparency etc, and only combine it with the background when you tell it to. You can save the 'mask' channel layer and use it on different images. Thats how I've done black background on my maps. The working version is totally clear, but I load the 'unexplored' mask, maybe remove a bit more, and then fill it with black before posting.

PS: I don't like Hillary but Im finding myself influenced by all this talk of Obama being the Anti-Christ. There is something cult-like about him, don't you think?

 

[alex994]

Obama does seem to gather a lot of momentum from rather idealistic and naive young people; the amount of popular support and how he's gathering is rather disturbing for established elites

 

[Birdjaguar]

For GIMP, just go to Dialogs-->Layers. Create a new layer. Fill it with black, then erase the parts you want unshrouded.

It's that easy.

But once you have your cloaked image, go to layers and "merge down" and save as a .png. The merge down keeps players from opening your map and erasing the rest of the cloak layer tosee what is where.

 

[das]

PS: I don't like Hillary but Im finding myself influenced by all this talk of Obama being the Anti-Christ.

But... what does that make Javier Solana?

 

[Dachs]

The juxtaposition of the political and the imaging conversations is...weird.

 

[Abaddon]

All this talk of cloaking and shrouding in darkness..

 

[Dachs]

All this talk of cloaking and shrouding in darkness..

Uh, you started all that.

 

[Abaddon]

oh nevermind. Remind me to include smileys in future.

 

[Dachs]

Include smilies in the future, Abaddon.

 

[Abaddon]

Ok, remind me to kick your ass

 

[jeps]

Kick Dachspmg's ass.