Making outlines thicker?

Is there a way to increase the thickness of outlines? When I export my CC3 maps as JPGs, the outlines are very hard to make out. Thank you for any help.

Comments

  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼 41 images Cartographer

    Which outlines would these be?

  • edited August 2024

    Let's say I draw a polygon, then choose the outline option to outline it in a black line. Or better yet, an example: I have a topographical map of a mountain, with elevation "bands" (I'm not sure of the proper cartographic term). In the CC3 software it looks great - very clear delineation. But when I export it, I can just barely make out those bands. I want them to pop, so it is clear where each "band" begins and ends.

  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼 41 images Cartographer
    edited August 2024

    It would probably be easier to make a new sheet called CONTOURS, or some appropriate alternative name, and copy all the elevation polygons onto that new sheet.

    Hide all other sheets but the new CONTOURS sheet and use Change Properties to change the fill of all those polygons to solid and black, and change the line width to something greater than zero.

    Making the line width greater than zero will empty the polygon of fill, but leave the thicker lines around the edge.

    Then make all the sheets visible and you will have your contour lines.

    EDIT: you need to make sure the CONTOURS sheet is below the rest of the sheets in the map in the Sheets and Effects dialog, so that it will be on top of them in the visible map.

  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼 41 images Cartographer
    edited August 2024

    I tend not to use the outline tool, but you could do that instead.

    EDIT: And that goes to show how much I don't use it. You can't adjust the thickness of the outline.

  • Fantastic, I will give that a try. Thank you again for the prompt and highly informative response.

  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼 41 images Cartographer

    I edited the above comment when I tried it and discovered the outline thickness couldn't be edited. That's probably why I decided not to use it several years ago, but I'd forgotten the experience.

  • Understood. Thank you for the clarification.

  • Is it possible to do this with a sheet effect like a sharp glow?

  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼 41 images Cartographer
    edited August 2024

    Yes. But every last one of those several contours would have to go on it's own sheet.

    At a rough count that would be 12 more sheets than current.

    KertDawg
  • edited August 2024

    What i do is add the outline like you do, then press change properties, then P for prior, and make the outline whatever colour, sheet, line thickness, line style i want. Also important to press solid in the change properties dialogue if you change the thickness from 0 to anything else

    Loopysue
  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼 41 images Cartographer

    Ah, so there is a way of doing it.

    Thanks, Quenten :)

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    Whoops! I missed the ones in the middle that... are too thin to see! That's the whole point! Thank you.

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    Oh nice, I will definitely give that a try first. Thank you for the tip.

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