Create your First Map

This guide walks you through creating your first fantasy world map. Along the way, you’ll learn the core tools used to shape terrain, paint textures, place objects, and export your finished map.

The goal at this point is to become familiar with the editor and its workflow.

Create a New Map

From the Dashboard, select Fantasy World Maps to create a new map in the Fantasy World Style. You can also create a Fantasy Battlemap by clicking the Fantasy Battlemap button, or create a map in any other Style by selecting Custom instead.

Inkarnate includes a variety of map styles and templates. For this guide, start with a blank Fantasy World map.

Shape the Land

Every world map begins with its landmasses.

Select the Land Tool to create your first island. Use Add to create new land and Subtract to carve bays, coastlines, and lakes.

Don’t worry about making it perfect, natural coastlines often look better with a few irregular shapes.

Paint Terrain

Use the Brush Tool to paint different terrain types onto your map.

Start by painting sand around your coastlines, then add grass, rock, snow, or other textures to define different regions.

Experiment with different brush sizes and opacity to create natural transitions.

Work with Layers

Layers help organize different parts of your map.

For example, you can paint shallow coastal water on the Water (Brush) layer without affecting the land beneath it.

As your maps become more detailed, layers make it easier to edit different parts independently. Before painting, select the Brush Layer you want to work on from the Layers Panel on the right.

Add Objects

Open the Stamp Tool to place objects such as mountains, forests, cities, and landmarks.

Begin by placing a mountain range to define the landscape, then continue adding vegetation and settlements to give your world character.

Objects can be moved, rotated, and scaled after placement, so don’t worry about getting them perfect on the first try.

Add Labels

Use the Text Tool to add names for continents, kingdoms, cities, mountains, and other locations.

Labels help communicate the story of your world and make maps easier to read. For decorative elements such as banners, legends, or labels, use the Stamp Tool instead.

Export Your Map

When you’re happy with your map, open the Main Menu and choose Export as Image, or select the Export button in the top bar next to the menu.

Inkarnate can export maps at high resolutions, making them suitable for digital use, printing, or sharing with others.

See Also

• Editor Overview: Learn about the editor interface and its main panels.

• Land Tool: Shape continents, islands, and coastlines.

• Brush Tool: Paint terrain, water, and textures.

• Stamp Tool: Populate your map with mountains, forests, cities, and other objects.

• Export Maps: Export your finished map as a high-resolution image.