How to turn low res map into high res map?

[SilentRuin]

Specifically I'm in a curse of strahd campaign and the low res map of Vallaki is something I'd like to make into a high res map - or at least break into different chunks of high res map so I can place token chars in it. Right now I scaled the grid close to the scale and can place player tokens in it but when I zoom in the graphics is literally washed out to blurry giant lines. So what I'm trying to get is a high res map that I can drop people into when I need to without having to create some bogus map area on the fly. Or at least break out the map into high res chunks so that I can drop them into those areas. Being a complete map newbie I'm not sure what the best way to accomplish my goals is.

I've pulled images from web and modified them to have grids and additional simple graphics directly in FGU in the past for small scale areas. But I've never really tried to do a large scale area. Not even sure if its reasonable to attempt this.

So looking on advice how to best achieve my goals of a big map (or chunks of it) to drop characters into as needed.

[LordEntrails]

See this post; https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...-campaign-maps

[SilentRuin]

See this post; https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...-campaign-maps

That seems more like taking a high res map (you have) and somehow using the low res pins on it by overlaying together.

I'm more after how to take the low res map and turn it into a high res map. You know - actually how to create a high res map - what tools are recommended to do that or if something can easily convert them. Pure image stuff here. I have no issue with taking a high res map I find online and making it into a game map - I've done that before. But I can't find one for Vallaki and I'm asking how one creates one yourself.

[spoonhead]

You can’t really add detail into a picture, that isn’t there. A bit like converting standard definition into 4K on a TV. It will just look pixelated. There’s software out there, that can help extrapolating, but they aren’t cheap.

[LordEntrails]

EDIT: skip this post and go to one below, I don't think this one actually addresses your question and make several wrong assumptions!

I know you see movies and TVs "enhance" images all the time, but it's fake. You can't add detail that is not already there. And a low resolution image has low resolution.

Sure, you can go into a program like Gimp/Photoshop/etc and increase the image resolution, but it doesn't really add detail, it can't, there is no detail there to show. If you double the resolution of an image, the program can guess what to do with that new pixel, maybe it makes it the same color as the one on the right, or on the left, or somewhere in between (there are different algorithms that can be used) but in most cases its not going to do anything but smooth our the color jumps when you zoom in.

Plus, official product images are encrypted, so you can edit the files anyway, you would have to take a screen shot from FG and then manipulate that image. Which is a losing battle from the start.

If you are set on doing this and not finding a high res image online, then you can go the screen shot route, up-rez the image, and do your own image coloring if you want, and then use the method I linked before. Because again, you can't edit the purchased module or image directly.

[LordEntrails]

Oh, Maybe this better answers your question. If I have an old crappy map I want to improve upon, I actually use CC3+. I add the old image to a new map as a background layer, trace over it with the native CC3+ commands, and then add textures, symbols and all that until I get something I like better. You can do the same with an image in Gimp etc, add it to the file as a background, scale it, then 'paint' over it until you get a higher resolution image you like better.

[SilentRuin]

I know you see movies and TVs "enhance" images all the time, but it's fake. You can't add detail that is not already there. And a low resolution image has low resolution.

Sure, you can go into a program like Gimp/Photoshop/etc and increase the image resolution, but it doesn't really add detail, it can't, there is no detail there to show. If you double the resolution of an image, the program can guess what to do with that new pixel, maybe it makes it the same color as the one on the right, or on the left, or somewhere in between (there are different algorithms that can be used) but in most cases its not going to do anything but smooth our the color jumps when you zoom in.

Plus, official product images are encrypted, so you can edit the files anyway, you would have to take a screen shot from FG and then manipulate that image. Which is a losing battle from the start.

If you are set on doing this and not finding a high res image online, then you can go the screen shot route, up-rez the image, and do your own image coloring if you want, and then use the method I linked before. Because again, you can't edit the purchased module or image directly.

Thanks, sounds like what I was afraid of. No magic bullet. Have to just make my own high res map version (or chunks).

[vaughnlannister]

Yes.. I hope they might add a high-res version of the maps for unity in the future!

[vaughnlannister]

@Silentruin, there are some nice Isometric Maps for Curse of Strahd on this discord channel, takes a bit of looking, if you can't find them pm me and I'll share them with you!

They don't have all the maps though, Death house, Amber Temple, Tser Pool.. so ummh but maybe you can still use one of them?

https://discord.gg/RE8ZdX

Old_Bonegrinder_Map_colored-2.jpg
Barovia_Church_Colored.png
Bariovia_Church_Graveyard_Map_ISO.jpg
Barovia_Church_Map_ISO.jpg

[SilentRuin]

@Silentruin, there are some nice Isometric Maps for Curse of Strahd on this discord channel, takes a bit of looking, if you can't find them pm me and I'll share them with you!

They don't have all the maps though, Death house, Amber Temple, Tser Pool.. so ummh but maybe you can still use one of them?

https://discord.gg/RE8ZdX

Old_Bonegrinder_Map_colored-2.jpg
Barovia_Church_Colored.png
Bariovia_Church_Graveyard_Map_ISO.jpg
Barovia_Church_Map_ISO.jpg

I actually have high res COS maps for what you mention. Spent an inordinate amount of time putting LOS into all of them also. But I could never find Vallaki. As LordEntrails suggests I'll probably have to use Gimp or something similar to make my own high res map of that town. Or parts of it.