DIFICULTY LEVEL: Beginner

Turning Maps into Globes in GIMP

A Cartography Guild Tutorial by Arsheesh

Contents
Map Object
Introduction Page 1
Map Object Page 1
For this tutorial Ill use my world map of Eriond to illustrate the
steps involved. Begin by opening a flattened copy of your world
map in GIMP; heres mine:

Figure 1: Flattened World Map

Click on your Filters menu, select Map and in the drop down
menu for Maps select Map Object.

Filter > Map > Map Object

General Options Settings

Introduction
This is a quick and easy tutorial which shows how to turn a two
dimensional world map into a global sphere, using GIMP.
How to Use this Tutorial
Throughout the tutorial I will offer explanatory text and screen
capture figures describing the methods we are using, followed
by highlighted key commands which will look like the following:
A pop-up window for the Map to Object feature should appear
and should look something like Figure 2. In the options menu
under general options, select Sphere from the Map To field.
This is the option that maps your image onto a sphere. Also
make sure to select Create new image and the Transparent
background fields. When the first option is checked, a new
image will be generated from the Map Object command, thus
preserving your original World Map image. With the second
option checked, this new image will have a transparent, rather
than a white background image.
Options > Map to: Sphere >Transparent Background >Create New Image

Image > Canvas Size > Lock Aspect Ration > 100px > Center > Resize

Light & Material Settings

What You Will Need Im going to use the default values for these fields, but if you
want you can adjust the color, position and intensity of the light
I will be using version 2.6.10 of GIMP. You will need a flattened settings using these options.
copy of a world map. The height to width ratio of this map
ought either to be 1:2 (for a view of the entire world), or 1:1 (for a
view of only one side of the world).

Turning Maps into Globes in GIMP A Cartography Guild Tutorial | By Arsheesh 1

Orientation Settings
Figure 3: Initial Global Image
Notice how in the preview window of Figure 2 the global view of
Eriond is dominated by the ocean. I wanted to feature more
land in my global map so I went ahead and adjusted the
orientation settings. Under the Orientation menu the Rotation
settings make the object rotate along the X, Y and Z axes.
Adjusting the image along the X axes rotates the image either
clockwise or counterclockwise. Adjusting the image along the Y
and Z axes rotates the image either to the right or to the left.
You can experiment with these options and then click on the
Preview button to see the adjusted orientation of the globe.

I decided I wanted more of the western continent in view so I

rotated the globe 75 degrees along the Y axes, thus moving it to
the right (see Figure 3). I was happy with the results and so
clicked OK to generate the globe (See Figure 4).
Orientation > Rotate Y axes (75) > OK
Figure 2: General Options Settings
Turning the Oval into an Orb
As you can see, the global view of Eriond turned out to be an
oval shape. This is because I am working with an image that has
a height to width ratio of 1:2 (if you are working with an image
with a height/width ration of 1:1 the globe should be circular).
To transform this Oval into an orb shaped globe, simply go to
your Image menu, click on scale image and select Scale
Image. In the pop up window that emerges, click on the chain
link symbol to the right of the width and height fields to unlock
the aspect ratio and then edit the Width fieled to match that of
your height, then press Scale (See Figure 5).

Image > Scale Image > Unlock Aspect Ratio > Set Width = to Height

Figure 5: Unlocking the Aspect Ratio to Adjust Width

Figure 3: Orientation Settings I Chose

Finally, lets get rid of that excess transparent space surrounding

the globe. Go to Image and select Autorcrop Image.

Image > Autocrop Image

Thats it! Your map should now look something like the global
view of Eriond featured on the front of this Tutorial.

Turning Maps into Globes in GIMP A Cartography Guild Tutorial | By Arsheesh 2