Building the Maps on Photoshop (New Skill Acquired)

So i have been working out how to use photoshop by just sitting and playing around with the program as well as watching a few tutorials on Youtube. So i decided to draw all the elements i needed to make my maps then scan them in and use Photoshop to do the final stages of the design.

• Using my Ordnance Survey map I had screen shot as a base layer 

• Then i used the Magic Wand tool and selected the route and cut it from the image. 

• I used all a new layer for each element I was to put on the map so I could then go back and do any changes i need to easily by selecting the layer i needed. By naming each layer I was using with the object it had in it this made it even easier to stay in control and know where everything was in the list. 
• So  pasting the route to its own layer and using this as a base layer as it would be a good reference for placing the rest of the images to their correct positions 

• You can see on these screenshots the main points of interest that were added to my map. I kept the Ordnance Survey layer hidden and when I needed it made it visible so i could see where the streams and railway tracks needed to be added.  

• Then adding the trees at the end felt like they filled in the black space and pulled most of the images together and made it feel a little more like a map full of images and made it more interesting. 
  
• Once the trees were added I was very happy with how it was looking but the blank background needed something to make the whole design more interesting as it made feel boring. So i painted a few different textures onto paper to try and give it a muddy look as the wood are always muddy. After scanning it in I change them slightly using the Levels tab in the Adjustments to get a better contract and give better tonal qualities to the texture. 

• Once this was done the only thing left to do was take what i had done and apply it to the rst of the maps i wanted to include in the book. 

Im very happy I have finally learnt how to use photoshop and i'm very sure this is going to be a good skill to have learnt, but i know i still have a lot to learn in the program and need to continue to use it to further better my skills.