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Welcome to the guide in which I'll present an easy way to create your own map.
To do that we'll need three programs: MapoTero, PhotoScape, and GIMP.
The two last ones can be easily found with the Google search engine, and MapoTero was downloaded from Pomorskie Forum Eksploracyjne (Pomeranian Exploratory Forum).
Here we can find the latest versions of this programme.
We have to start with entering the maps.geoportal.gov.pl website and searching the town in question, our region.
We enter the scale of 1:10 000 and choose 'Raster'.
We need to start with entering coordinate X and coordinate Y, which will be necessary to enter these coordinates to MapoTero programme.
Basically we're interested in the bottom left corner. In a moment I'll show you how it works in the programme.
MapoTero is a programme which allows us to quickly download maps we're interested in and save them on our disc.
I'm talking here about really vast surfaces.
We enter the coordinates X and Y, which we had entered earlier, in the 'Lewy dolny róg' (Bottom Left Corner) field, and then we choose number of 'Metrów na piksel' (Meters per Pixel) as well as 'Bok segmentu' (Segment Side).
Each following picture will be a segment, and here it will be 3 000 x 3 000 pixels.
Next we set the map area we want to be downloaded by the programme.
Here we choose 'Powiększ' (Enlarge) – E stands for East, of course.
We enlarge by 10 km to the east, and we enlarge by 10 plus double click on 1 which in total gives us 12 km to the north.
Therefore, we'll create a 10 x 12 km map.
Next we choose a layer. Here, of course, we choose 'topo'. TOPO 10 92 means the scale will be 1:10 000, according to the norms valid since 1992.
We click 'Ustawienia' (Settings). Here we choose a name to which numbers will be added, one after another
as well as file extension – I recommend png, since it is said that it works better with larger files.
I click OK, and then 'Pobierz' (Download). It takes a lot of time, so I'll skip this step.
The maps will appear in order in the main MapoTero folder, in the 'download' folder.
Here I already have some garbage and these are my samples – sample 1, sample 2 etc. - of the chosen area.
I copied them to the 'mapy' (maps) folder – it'll be the easiest way.
In case of any errors during downloading – because sometimes geoportal won't cooperate – we need to download the maps once more.
Then we just have to start the programme again, with the same coordinates, click 'download', and the programme will figure out that some parts have already been downloaded and it will add the ones that are missing.
I have all the samples in the 'mapy' folder and now we can move on to Photo Scape.
When PhotoScape is on, we choose 'Łączenie' (Combine). Then we move on to the folder in question – in my case it's the 'mapy' folder located on the desktop.
The computer has to process it.
As we can see, we have 16 samples. The first one doesn't count because it's the final file.
I have 16 pictures. I mark them all by holding Shift and move them to the top panel.
After all the pictures are loaded, it's just one big mess.
To put them in the right order, we choose 'Checker' and then four columns.
Why four columns? Because four times four equals 16 and we have exactly 16 samples.
Now we save it.
We choose a name. Again, I suggest saving it as a png file.
And we save it at 100% quality.
Before we start to play with the map, first we have to make some preparations.
We have to prepare frames, on the basis of which we'll create a grid, and name the frames properly so we have coordinates.
We start with a new file.
'Szerokość' (Width) 5 mm, and before that here we have to set 300 dpi. 'Wyskość' (Height) 400.
Why resolution 300? Because when we print the map, we want a really good quality of the print
and first of all, the frames we create here have to have the same resolution as the map.
Now, if we set 300 dpi here, while scaling the map we'll also have to choose 300 dpi.
Later I'll talk more about the proportions we should use while scaling.
Now, the colours I suggest for painting the frames: light grey e9, e9, e9, and dark grey 4f, 4c, 4d.
We load them to the panel.
Let's start with the dark one. We choose a pencil, quite big one, left CTRL – zoom in and we simply paint.
When painting is almost finished, we make the decision about the scale of the map.
I'll show you how to make a map with a scale of 1:30 000 on the basis of a topographical map, which I downloaded with a scale of 1:10 000.
This is our frame. The best length is 33,3 mm.
To get 33,3 mm, here I choose millimetres and move the pointer. Here, in the bottom left corner we can see how many millimetres that is.
I search for 33,3. Great, we are close.
I choose a pencil – lighter colour, small pixel, so I can mark it. Here we have 33,3, so I mark 33,4 with a grey line.
We choose a bigger brush and we can easily paint the surface.
An important thing we need to pay attention to now is the length of the frame in pixels.
Here I choose pixels.
In the bottom left corner of the screen I see that the borderline of the dark field is 393 pixels, so the lighter grey also has to have 393 pixels.
Got it.
Now I'm at the 786th pixel, so I choose the darker colour and pencil. 786, so at 787 I start drawing a line.
When it's done, I choose 'Zaznaczenie' (Rectangle Select Tool) form the toolbox.
I move on to the top left corner of the screen
I grab the first pixel and drag the selection.
Selected, OK.
CTRL+C, CTRL+V, I grab it with the left-click and drag to this borderline.
Again CTRL+V and so on till the end.
When we have a ready frame, we choose 'Plik' (File), 'Zapisz jako' (Save As) 'ramkapion' (vertical frame).
We choose xcf type of file, so we can use it later as layers.
And that's how we get a vertical frame.
Now with the right-click we choose 'Obraz' (Image), 'Przekształcenie' (Transform), and 'Obróć o 90º w lewo' (Rotate 90º counter-clockwise). It has to be left (counter-clockwise)!
Why left? Because when we put the frames on our map, we have to start from the top left corner of the map.
Here, when I was creating the frames, I blindly made them 40 cm long. I'm not sure if the end part, here on the right, specifically the last light grey field, has exactly 939 pixels,
therefore, I have to stick to the first frame, which has 393 pixels for sure, and I'll use it as a horizontal frame, starting from the top left corner of the map.
At this point we choose 'Plik' (File), 'Zapisz jako' (Save As) 'ramkapoziom' (horizontal frame), the same extension, 'Zapisz' (Save).
And the frames for our map are ready.