[LE] Using gimp for heightmap editing

[Eluwil]

From what I understand most people use photoshop but I don't want to pay just for heightmap editing. Alternatively I could make a trial account and keep making new ones after they expire but this seems like too much effort.

 

I heard people suggest you could use gimp for the heightmap but it may not be compatible with the Creation kit? Does anybody use Gimp for their heightmap editing?

[narrak1853]

Any image editor that can create an 8 bit grey scale image should be able to create a suitable height map. Use TESAnnwyn ( http://www.oceanlightwave.com/morrowind/TESAnnwyn.html ) to import your height map, then export it as a Skyrim ESP file, that you can drop into your skyrim data folder, and then edit it in the creation kit. It is easier to use a simple paint program which does not blur the contour lines as you paint them, then add noise and then blur once you have finished painting. The creation kit does not like heights greater than 190 out of 255 gray scale. Each pixel you draw will be 6 feet by 6 feet on your final map, if you don't want high mountains you can half the terrain height in TESAnnwyn. Skyrim has a lot of distortion of scale, features seem bigger in game than they do on the map, and you must keep the scale of buildings within the LOD loading distance. If you try to make a 'New Land' on your own ' I ' would advise that you limit your self to a 1024 by 1024 height map, (1024 cells), as you will have to smooth all of the contours your self in the creation kit, then add some ridges, hollows, and knolls yourself so it does not look like 'Blob Hill' land. Once you have got your new land into skyrim you can coc onto it and explore it. After editing your landscape in the creation kit you must check down the cell boundaries for tears in it, that you must go back and fix in the CK. Download and use the 'flyable broomstick' and 'Where In Oblivion Am I' Once you are happy with your new land's appearance try Hoddminir's tutorials on region editing - P.S. this all takes a very long time, I'm still trying HA!.