How to Create Fantasy Maps with Free Tools (GIMP, Krita)

If you liked this tutorial, I also invite you to check out the worldbuilding project I host on this channel. I post all my maps and artworks on these media:

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SECTIONS:

Introduction 0:00

GIMP Overview 2:07
GIMP Layers 3:15
GIMP Layer Groups 4:04
GIMP Merge Layers 4:48
GIMP Duplicate & Delete Layers 5:20
GIMP Layer Modes 5:27
GIMP Brush Tool 6:13
GIMP Eraser Tool 6:46
GIMP Add Brushes 7:35
GIMP Clipboard Brush 7:55
GIMP Color Fill Tool 8:25
GIMP Selection Tools 8:40
GIMP Select All, None & Invert 9:00
GIMP Select by Color 9:21
GIMP Select Remove Holes 9:51
GIMP Select to Path 10:12
GIMP Paths 10:35
GIMP Path to Selection 10:51
GIMP Fill Path 11:10
GIMP Stroke Path 11:32
GIMP Select Alpha Channel 13:05
GIMP Scale & Rotate Tools 13:41
GIMP Move Tool 14:52
GIMP Floating Selection 15:05
GIMP Path Tool 15:40
GIMP Hue-Chroma 16:04
GIMP Colorize 16:27
GIMP Brightness & Contrast 16:40
GIMP Color Palettes 16:45
GIMP Color Gradients 17:38
GIMP Gradient Tool 17:50
MAP Introduction 18:44
MAP Landmasses 19:16
MAP Coastlines 23:01
MAP Ocean 25:41
MAP Biomes 30:40
MAP Rivers 31:12
MAP Projections 32:27
MAP Landmarks 33:29
MAP Custom Assets 35:23
MAP Typography 39:02
MAP Borders 40:37
Reconstruction 41:21

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SOFTWARE (all open source):

RESOURCES:

[jellybean]

This is actually one of the better gimp tutorials I’ve seen and it goes right into an example project. It’s just so great.

[drance]

God i fucking LOVE this. I didnt know the paths were that important. Thanks for the knowledge!

[TinyRockStudios]

i have been searching for months on how to create my own maps for my dnd campaign and every time i found something promising, it was either just an asset or it costed a lot of money so i was super happy when i found this tutorial. it was very usefull and the result looks great thanks Leo Leonis.

[solipsisticlemur]

This has opened me up to Gimp, didn't know it was a thing before this video. I'm having a blast spending hours upon hours creating new maps and trying out new things. This has enriched my life so very much and I can't thank you enough for this amazing content.

[pikahcheww]

Ya know, this tutorial is what made me start my fantasy world! I'm SO thankful you made this. Keep going dude I love this stuff!

[OmegaTrooper]

THE best GIMP map tutorial. Thanks man.

[junechevalier]

Found this on reddit, and it's super great!

[eschsoapy]

another very fast way to do land masses is fill the canvas with noise, any texture, or render > plasma and then use color > threshold to create random land/ocean shapes. takes 5 minutes.

[anneroyle]

Gem!! I love this tutorial so much, this inspired me on so many levels. I hope to see more of your work! :))

[jargontrueseer]

Dude stop berating yourself, you're amazing at this! A fantastic artist and a talented map maker!

[mr.arkadinyer]

Man, you saved my day. Nice work. Best reddit post ever. Accept my thumbs up, directly from Brazil

[shontam]

Wow, so great. I wish there were more quality map making tutorials out there. Looking forward to your more advanced tutorials!

[KhuongNguyen-vmkc]

I didn't mean to search this, but ended up loving it. You deserve more than just a thousand subs

[aviaveria]

Thank you so much for this great tutorial! I'm creating a map for a fantasy story and the brushes + handdrawn continent outline is such a good combo for me.

[fakename]

thank you so much! a tutorial of this level is usually held behind a paywall. you are a saint for uploading this for free.

[ilcondottierocartografo]

One of the greatest GIMP mapping tutorials

[original_Wombat]

Wirklich toll =) ich fange gerade an mich damit zu befassen. Ab und zu muss ich ne Pause machen, weil es wirklich viel Information ist ^^ Ich hab mir ein Paket mit einigen Texturen und Pinseln gekauft und bin noch am herausfinden wie ich die hunderte an Dateien in Gimp verwenden kann. Like und Abo hab ich mal dagelassen =)

[SM_Price]

This is honestly the best tutorial on any subject I have ever come across.

[taajwarkhan]

Thank you! I subscribed a couple months back hopeful you'ddo a tutorial (and because I like listening to your world lore). Well done!

[colingagnon]

Found from your Reddit post, great vid!!!