# Photoshop - easy way to get a map grid?



## RangerWickett (Dec 4, 2006)

Does anyone have suggestions on how to easily create a grid, like for a dungeon map, in Photoshop? I figure I could manually create one, then resize it based on the scale of the map drawn, but then the thickness of the lines might get a little wonky. Any suggestions? Or should I just use the brute force approach?


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## Thanee (Dec 4, 2006)

You could create a grid pattern and use the pattern to fill an overlaid layer.

Scaling will probably never work right, you will have to do it over for different scales, I guess.

Bye
Thanee


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## Cergorach (Dec 5, 2006)

I would suggest different layers for different scales.


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## Redrobes (Dec 5, 2006)

Reading around the forum it sounds like you have a requirement for something more serious than Photoshop. Whilst photoshop is absolutely first rate for creating artwork the requirements for making maps are a bit different and you might find that you will save a lot of time if you used a dedicated mapping tool like ViewingDale. Since it creates maps of no fixed scale then you can very easily add a grid to any piece of artwork or map and set up the scale for it in a snap.

Where it scores big is that you can modify any element of it as many times as you like instantly. To do this effectively in photoshop requires multiple layers of which each burn large amounts of memory until you run out. ViewingDale will be able to create much larger high resolution images than is possible with photoshop. If you already have photoshop and you are after just a few maps then sure, spend the effort, but I believe that you have a large project at hand that might make it worth investing in the tools to do it easier.

By all means P.M, email or post to ask questions if you think it might be better for you.


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## RangerWickett (Dec 5, 2006)

Muchas gracias. I'll take a look.


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## takyris (Dec 5, 2006)

I do it in Photoshop, because that's what I have. It's a pain to make the grid, but once you make the grid once, you're pretty much set forever.


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## jaerdaph (Dec 6, 2006)

Another reason I love CC3 - click on first corner, click on opposite corner, get a grid.


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## Marius Delphus (Dec 6, 2006)

Personally I would do grids in a vector application like CorelDraw or Illustrator.


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## DethStryke (Jan 3, 2007)

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> Does anyone have suggestions on how to easily create a grid, like for a dungeon map, in Photoshop? I figure I could manually create one, then resize it based on the scale of the map drawn, but then the thickness of the lines might get a little wonky. Any suggestions? Or should I just use the brute force approach?




For a bit of thread necromancy, what version of photoshop are you using?

For Photoshop CS, which I have here at work, you can easily make a grid on anything by combining the line tool (set to whatever thickness of line you want, of course), enabling and setting the grid option and having the tool "snap" to the grid. 

1. Make one line with the line tool (I recommend setting the line too to 1px) - holding shift down while dragging the line out will make it perfectly straight horizontally/vertically depending on which way you drag in relation to the first point.

2. After you have the first line, have it "snap" to the far right or left of the drawing area. Turn on Snap to Document Bounds & Grid through View->Snap to->Document Bounds / Grid

3. Turn on the grid (view->show->grid) - you can set the dimensions of the grid in Edit->Preferences->Guides, Grid & Slices. The work has to be to the scale you are printing, of course... otherwise it will not truly be 1" or whatever.

4. Using the Move tool, hold Alt down which changes your cursor to a double arrow. Now click and drag in the middle of the page; anywhere will do on the screen. This makes a copy of everything on the current layer. A copy of your newly made line will start moving over. If you have snap to grid on like you should by now, it will start snapping to the major divisions and grid lines as you drag it past them. Let it go when you have it snapped to the spot you want.

5. Rinse/Repeat for each line. Then do the same copy procedure for the opposite direction (Vertical if you did Horizontal first).

6. You will have a ton of layers (one for every one in your grid). Select one of the line layers, then link the rest to that (this can easily be done by clicking in the small box to the right of little eye of the non-selected layers. You will see a little chain link to show it has been linked.) Next select "Merge Linked" and all of them will merge into one layer. If you click the little eye on that layer, it will turn it on and off.

You probably know those last bits, but just in case someone else who doesn't was wondering the same thing... 

Edit: don't worry about making a line longer than the document space... after it's all done, select the entire document space with the Marquee and crop to that... it will trim the edges for you.


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