The maps in this site were created referencing a combination of satellite images from Google Earth and maps in the references attached to each post. The tools used in creating the maps were Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Hundreds of hours of research and design went into the development of each map. Each is a wholly original work, so they are copyrighted and protected by invisible Digimarc watermarks.
Light Source on the Maps / The Optical Illusion of Shadows
I have received some complaints that the shadows rendered on the maps, particularly those indicating elevations on the ground, are confusing. Some say that they misinterpret valleys as hills, and vice versa. Normally, when we look at a 3D image, the conventional rendering puts the light source in the upper left (making shadows fall to the lower right). However, I have put the light source in my maps to conform to the position of the sun at the latitude of each battlefield. So battlefields in the northern hemisphere would have their light sources coming from the south, and those in the southern hemisphere (e.g. Gqokli Hill and Isandlwana) from the north, rendering the shadows accordingly. Once you adjust your perception to where you are on the battlefield, the 3D rendering should snap into place.
Two Levels of Map
Each battle has two maps; the one posted is a low resolution map showing the position of each unit as a stylized symbol, and a high resolution version for sale, a 1:3600 scale version, where 1 px = 1 yd.Lo-Res Maps
Even in the lo-res posted battle maps, the troop formations are rendered in their actual scale size, showing the real-world footprint of each unit according to its contemporary spacing and formation. In typical maps, formations have traditionally been represented in out-of scale rectangles that only give a vague idea about how the unit was deployed and how much space it took up. I've sought to be more precise than that. It is important to me to see how much area an army actually occupied. Sometimes, given the strengths reported by sources, and the breadth of the ground, I've found that the armies would not have been able to fit into the space, which has led me to question the accepted deployment.Hi-Res Maps to Order
I offer hi-res versions of these maps (1 px < =1 yd") for personal use. Here is an example of what they look like blown up:
These detailed maps may be ordered as hi-res PDFs, JPGs (or any format you need) by contacting Jeff Berry at jeff@peoplesbranding.com.
Cost is $30 (US) to download from an FTP site like Dropbox (they are usually 150 Mb to 1 Gb,
depending on the size of the battle). I do not, as yet, have a shopping cart set up, but I can accept payment via PayPal. I have two levels of hi-res maps for sale:
- A) Terrain map only, without troops -- $30 (US)
- B) Map with stylized troop symbols (as posted) --$30 (US)
I would ask that, in using these maps you respect the copyright of the Jeffery P. Berry Trust. They
are for private use and reference purposes only and not to be reproduced
or re-posted, though feel free to link to them. Should you wish to use them to publish in your own book, article, game, website, or blog, please contact me or an authorized representative of the Jeffery P. Berry Trust to negotiate usage terms and licensing. Jeffery.berry@comcast.net.
Copyright 2024, Jeffery P. Berry Trust. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced or re-posted without permission the the Jeffery P. Berry Trust. However, feel free to link to this site from other, related sites for the purposes of sharing information.
I have to say these are some of the most beautiful military maps I have ever seen, they are a pleasure to behold.
ReplyDeleteI work as a cartographer for a military publishing house and these are inspirational.
High praise, indeed, George. Thank you. I'm humbled that I have inspired you
ReplyDeleteI myself have been making and fascinated with maps since I was a kid. And I have professional experience from when I was in Naval Intelligence, making tactical and situational maps for my air wing and for embarked flag commands on my ship. It was one of many parts of that job that were fun.
I too am ex-Navy, Royal Navy, albeit a radio operator, joined in '68 at fifteen.
DeleteI also looked at your blogs, I like your sense of humour. All the best.
With all due respect, most of these battles are not "obscure" at all, but were major encounters. Your maps are exemplary and add so much value to this blog. Too many books simply lack good maps! Cheers.
ReplyDeleteSome of them aren't "obscure", that is true. But to the vast majority of my readers, most are. As I have said too many times in the intros to these, the obscurity in most cases is in my idiomatic take, as I derive perverse pleasure in taking an iconoclast's position.
DeleteBesides, I had to pick a name for the site, and as my first battles were fairly obscure (at least to people not familiar with the War of the Austrian Succession) it felt like a good name.
Still, with due respect back, thank you for your compliments on my maps. Those were and are the primary reason for the site. I love doing them. And I love writing, too.
Even the less-than-obscure battles benefit from this kind of coverage. For the wargamer, this blog is an excellent resource. I wouldn't complain if "biggies" such as Waterloo, Austerlitz, Borodino or Auersatedt-Jena got this treatment.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Paul, for your endorsement and your link. I'm glad you get the value of my increasingly misnamed blog.
DeleteWonderful work deserves acclaim. We hope for more
ReplyDeleteMr. Berry,
ReplyDeleteI have been a longtime reader of your blog, and I actually made a Blogger account just to ask you this question: do you think you could publish a tutorial on how you make your maps? I would really like to learn, so I can make similar ones for my fantasy worldbuilding project.
Thank you so much for reading!
Well, thank you back, Graian, for your readership and your appreciation of my maps. That is an interesting request for a tutorial on how I make them.
DeleteI've been working with Adobe tools like Photoshop and InDesign for decades now from my career as an advertising creative. I just happened to apply what I've learned doing that to my hobby of wargaming and map-making.
So here's a quick-n-dirty tutorial (though "tutorial" is a generous term for it).
First, after I've done the research on the battle map, I build the base maps at 1000 px resolution in Photoshop, usually with several layers for ground, water, hills, marsh, roads, fields, trees, and structures. At this resolution the layered PSD file can be over a Gb, which takes up a lot of processing. I will also usually find some contemporary reference maps of the battle and use those as a base layer to build my own. Or, failing that, I'll resort to a Google Maps topo map.
When I've finished that base map, I flatten that finished PSD into a JPG image, which I use as the base background layer for the InDesign file. I use InDesign for this phase as it is far more efficient for composing with type and graphics than Photoshop. I set up the InDesign (IND) file for digital rather than print publication, with each pixel equal to 1 yard (being American, I prefer the Imperial system rather than the French metric system, but you can select your own resolution).
To the base layer of the IND file, I then add a second "mosaic" layer of 1000 pixel partitioned squares of the base JPG map to preserve the resolution. I've found that IND does not work well with large imported files, so I get better results breaking them up into smaller ones.
When these layers are set up and proportioned (usually as 1388.89% of the original JPG files), I make layers on this InDesign file for labels, scales, troop symbols, and hi-res details like entrenchments, fences, and walls, which I've also created in Photoshop (usually as 9000 px PNG or GIF files, scaling them in to match the scale of the finished 1:1000 map, which preserves resolution but makes them more manageable in InDesign).
Then, finally, I export the finished IND file as a JPG for posting.
I know this is a glib explanation. And it's full of detail perhaps unfamiliar to anyone not handy in Photoshop or InDesign. I shall think further, though, of turning out a more detailed tutorial.
Thank you so much Mr. Berry! This helps me a lot. Just another question - do you use any models for trees/houses or do you draw each separately?
DeleteI have created models (in Photoshop) or trees, buildings, fortifications, fences, walls, vineyards, etc. These are also either in 1000 px PSD versions, which I use to drop in to the base map, or in 9000 px PNG versions, which I use in the more detailed sections of the IND map. For large forests and marshes, I have also found the Texture layer tool in Photoshop to be quite useful. You just need to define the texture from a forest or marsh or ground pattern you make.
DeleteI have also created thousands of 9000 px PNG and GIF versions of troop formations, which I apply to the IND maps when I'm doing a digital "sand table" wargame.
Thank you so much!
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