Ok, heres the basics of making tiles. This is How "I" make perfectly seamless tiles. Others may do it differently, this may seam long and involved but once you get the hang of it, it only takes 1 minute or so to do this whole process.
I work with CorelDraw everyday as my proffession, so I will use Corel as a reference ( and slang) but there are many good to great programs out there including ( cough,cough) Photoshop.
Photoshop is the industry standard of illustration and /or for books ( quark) and go hand in hand with adobi illustrator.
Photoshop is pixel based, while Illustrator is vector based.
Coreldraw is the INDUSTRY standard for textile based artwork and is bundled with corelpaint, again one is vector based while the other is pixel based.
Again My references and termanology will be from Corel, what Corel calls one thing Photoshop may call it another but both will do the same.
You can use topography photos or whatever you want, size doesn't matter but a few simple rules will apply.
Tools:
You will need a graphics program.
Open up a new page and set the page sixe to 256 pixels by 256 pixels in 24 bit RGB NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!
(see fig.1)
work with all you photos and tile in 24bit, and when finished just convert them to 8-bit, If you don't they will show up as a BLACK tile in your map.
Now that you have a page import your art or photo, if the photo is to big don't worry see fig2 the grey area. apply your imported art and combine with background, this will automatically trim off all the overlapping art to fit within the page:)
(see fig.2)
The black edges or lines represent the page size, the yellow will represent the art or photo for future reference:)
Now take your finished art from figure 2 and copy and paste it on itself and shift the art using the bump or move keys so you don't Raise the art up or down but only side to side. Move it half way over the other art ( but any movement is acceptable).
you should have this
(see fig.3)
Now paste ANOTHER one over those and shift this one to the right so the edges of the 2 butt up against each other. zoom in if you have to this is extremely important the 2 tiles butt up against each other you cannot be off 1 pixel.
(see fig.4)
Now Paste all to background( Corelpaint calls it Combine all objects with background)
you should have this
(see fig.5)
Now select your clone tool. in fig.6 the white represents the clone tool Pick-up and release. The white circle I'm picking up that part of the art and the white x is where i am coping the art to. What we are doing here is eliminating the hard edge we got combining these tiles together. Your clone tool has many shapes, i set mine with a feathered edge so it blends nicely.
(see fig.6)
Repeat this process vertically
(see fig.7)
remeber to combine to background , you SHOULD end up with this
(see fig.8)
Now save as 8 BIT!!!!!!!!!! and call it terr0001 if it is to be used as grass and throw it in your map folder your working on.
ANY questions?
Next lesson, how to make more than 1 tile transition to water? or transition tiling?????
NUTTZ
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotomy"
