Apr
16

From Google map to aged treasure map

Posted by DeAnna Allan

For the Canada Day long weekend in July, 2007, my husband, 1 year old son, my mother and I went camping on Whidbey Island in Washington State. We weren’t there much so it didn’t really feel like camping. Of course, we were in Seattle, watching Seattle Mariners baseball games against the Toronto Blue Jays for the majority of the weekend! We basically slept at our campsite and that was about it.

I planned on doing this as a traditional 2-page layout. I really wanted to put a map on my layout, but the ones we got from the tourism booths didn’t appeal to me. I searched Google and found this map. The problem was it didn’t match my layout. The pale blue just didn’t work with my brown and green theme.

In the end, it looks like this:

Here’s how:

1. First I selected the entire image and copied it (ctrl+a, then ctrl+c), then I opened a new 4×6 canvas (file, new), and pasted the map image onto the new canvas (ctrl+v).

2. The image here is quite small, so used Free Transform (Edit, Free Transform) to make the image the size I needed it to be. When using Free Transform, to keep the image the same proportion as the original, you need to hold Shift then click and drag. Once I have the image centered and sized the way I want it, I accept the changes (you can either press enter or click on the x or check mark in the toolbar – see inset).

3. Next I wanted to change the colour. I decided to use a sepia tone, so I chose to do the following: Image, Adjustments, Photo filter. This brings up a pop up, and I clicked on the down arrow and selected Sepia. I then adjusted the density to 100, which I liked best with my theme.

4. Next I created a new layer (layer 3), and added a worn crumpled paper effect using a brush I downloaded from www.deviantart.com called Inobscuro_paper03. The brush I was using was in landscape, so in my brush palette I clicked on Brush Tip Shape, and then changed the angle. You can either click in the circle on the arrow and rotate it (see inset), or type in the box. I wanted my brush to be 90°, but you can do anything between 180° and ‑180°.

5. Create a new layer (layer 4). Next I used a few grunge brushes I purchased from Designer Digitals (by Dana Zarling, Grunged Up Brushes No. 1). I selected a couple of different styles of grunge brushes to get a well used stained map look.

6. My next step was to add torn/curled edges along the left and right sides of the map. I wanted it to look like many hands had held it and worn the paper in onto itself. I created a 5^th layer, and I dragged the curled edges onto my image, also purchased from Designer Digitals by Anna Aspnes. My image is a 4×6, and the curled paper is meant for 12×12, so again I used Free Transform to make it fit on the side of my image where I wanted it. I then duplicated the layer (layer 6), and rotated it (using Edit, Transform, Rotate 90° – you can use clockwise or counter-clockwise, it just depends on which side of the edge you want along the edge of your image). I then dragged the duplicate to the opposite side of my image. You need to make sure that the edges of the curled paper touch the top and bottom of the image (the curled edges are going on the sides of the image), but it doesn`t have to touch the sides.

7. I also wanted the top and bottom of my map to look frayed, so I chose to use chunky torn edges, also from Anna Aspnes at Designer Digitals. I repeated the above (creating layers 7 and 8), dragging to my image, Free Transforming it, then duplicating, rotating and moving to the opposite side of my image, as above.

8. Next, I wanted to delete the portion of the map past the edges of my curled and frayed edges. The trick is to make sure the top and bottom of your curled/frayed edges touch the outside edges of your canvas (either top and bottom or right and left, depending upon the layer you are working on. Here, I used my magic wand tool to select the space between the edge of my canvas and the torn edge. You may have to use Shift+click to highlight all of the areas at the edge of the canvas if the curled/frayed edge touches in more than one spot. Delete the highlighted sections from the map layer, wrinkled paper layer, grunge layer and curled/frayed edges (as appropriate).

9. At this point you should have 8 layers (see below).

10. The last thing I did was to use the eraser tool with low opacity (around 20%), and low flow (around 30%) to erase some of the grunge on the curled/frayed edges. I didn’t want to erase it completely, I just wanted to lighten it up a bit.

That’s it. Too easy!

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