Quote from: Kaz;617012Unless you just have a real hard-on to work with PhotoShop, Paint.net does everything PhotoShop does and is free.

http://www.getpaint.net/

I work with PhotoShop quite a bit with work (I'm a photojournalist) and at home I work with Paint.net. I don't really see a great divide between the two.

I've never got a good handle on GIMP, that program has a terrible interface, IMO.

GIMP's GUI has gotten loads better just in the last year due to the new release with the unified window. I'm totally with ya on it though. I tried Paint.net and it just didn't trip my trigger. It's not bad, like you say, but I've just always preferred GIMP. When I was doing commercial photography I used CS2 and CS3 exclusively, but then got majorly into Linux (which I now use at work) so it was GIMP, Inkscape, Blender, etc... I'm sure it's just a familiarity thing. Thinking about it, Paint.net might be geared better towards the kind of tools used in RPG maps and stuff... I'll have to take a look at it again, it's been awhile.

Quote from: Benoist;617018What does inkscape do that stuff like GIMP, Photoshop, Paint.net etc don't? How would that benefit my maps, with the caveat that I work first by hand then scan the hand-drawn maps and edit them on the computer after?

It allows you to create SVGs, which scale without losing resolution or becoming "rasterized" (all "blocky"). Great for logos. Also really good for map symbols. Images are created using shapes instead of pixels.

Quote from: Benoist;617018What does inkscape do that stuff like GIMP, Photoshop, Paint.net etc don't? How would that benefit my maps, with the caveat that I work first by hand then scan the hand-drawn maps and edit them on the computer after?

It vector based which means it is resolution independent. Far easier to edit and make changes than bitmap based editors like Photoshop. Also file sizes are far smaller allowing you to make huge maps. I am currently working on a map that will print out on a 24" by 36" poster at 300 dpi. If done in a bitmap editor like Photoshop will create a huge file that will bog down a computer.

Feature Convergence makes the differences a little less drastic today but they are still there. For example Photoshop has support for layers and objects while Corel can use bitmaps for fills.

The main reason I would go with a vector editor over a bitmap editor is the ease of editing.  Adobe has one called Illustrator so if you want to read the pros and cons yourself read up on why people use Illustrator over Photoshop.

Is it possible to combine the use of both kinds of programs, bitmap based and vector based, to get the best of both worlds?

Could that be useful, or would it be a waste of time?

Quote from: Benoist;617065Is it possible to combine the use of both kinds of programs, bitmap based and vector based, to get the best of both worlds?

Could that be useful, or would it be a waste of time?

Yes and no.

Yes because both vector programs like Illustrator and CorelDRAW have features adopted from bitmaps editors like GIMP, and Abode photoshop.

No because the difference is one of focus. Vectors are built around manipulating objects, Bitmap editor are built around manipulating a rectangular grid of pixels which is great for art painting, art illustration, and photos.

Cartography is mostly about manipulating objects so vector editors are better suited for making maps as their primary focus is on making map.

For artistic maps there is line where it more art than cartography. In that case you are better off using Photoshop. But if your focus is making a map where you communicate spatial information you better off treating it like a set of objects and use a vector editor.

And today if you want some flair to your map it easy to do so with added bitmap like tools that most vectors editors have.

Some people have hybrid workflows where some things like ground textures and objects fills are created using photoshop and then added as part of the map being made with Illustrator.

However, like in the case with map symbols/objects, images can be made in the SVG app and then saved or converted as a format that can be imported into the other images. I have far less experience with SVGs as I'd like, but I am workking through some tutorials now. I'd suggest DLing Inkscape and working through it's built-in tutorials. It's free, now works on Windows as well as Linux, and will give ya a great idea of what SVGs are and how they can be used.

This is very clearly not an on-topic thread for the RPG main forum; but I can see how it would be of interest to gamers (especially writers/publishers I suppose), so I'm going to move it to media and inspiration.

RPGPundit