I've created a tutorial video for the Open Office Draw software. The video is rather long but covers a good bit of information. Specific topics are time noted in the description
Open Office Draw Tutorial
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Wow! Well done.
I agree this is well done. I really like your opening remarks about the importance of good maps.
Thanks for doing this!
Thanks for doing this!
I'd like to chime in, this is a really good presentation.
Nathan,
Thanks for the great presentation. Hopefully a few more measurers will now use this "free" product to produce their maps instead doing them freehand.
I have been using OpenOffice Draw for 4-5 years creating over 200 maps. However, in watching your video learned a few new "tricks".
Also, thanks to your video and what I learned from it, I created my first map in color today.
OK15040KH
Thanks for the great presentation. Hopefully a few more measurers will now use this "free" product to produce their maps instead doing them freehand.
I have been using OpenOffice Draw for 4-5 years creating over 200 maps. However, in watching your video learned a few new "tricks".
Also, thanks to your video and what I learned from it, I created my first map in color today.
OK15040KH
That's great Ken. Thank you also for the idea of just copying the sat image directly into Draw rather than copying.
Very nice tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to produce that.
Fine job, Nathan.
New measurer Bill Strider studied Nathan's tutorial before making his first map. Bill's first map and his next two were amazingly good. What a great place for a new measurer to start from.
I have thought of doing a similar video for those who want to take the next step to more sophisticated map-making, but I use Corel Draw, which I imagine might have a small audience compared to Adobe Illustrator. I know Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator are similar programs. Does anyone know if they are essentially the same?
Maybe I'll just purchase Illustrator and work with this for a while before I decide. Thoughts, recommendations, haughty scoffs - I'll listen to them all
. Bring it.
New measurer Bill Strider studied Nathan's tutorial before making his first map. Bill's first map and his next two were amazingly good. What a great place for a new measurer to start from.
I have thought of doing a similar video for those who want to take the next step to more sophisticated map-making, but I use Corel Draw, which I imagine might have a small audience compared to Adobe Illustrator. I know Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator are similar programs. Does anyone know if they are essentially the same?
Maybe I'll just purchase Illustrator and work with this for a while before I decide. Thoughts, recommendations, haughty scoffs - I'll listen to them all
. Bring it.
Nathan used OpenOffice for his tutorial, as I did with mine. The key to OpenOffice is that it is Open Source, free, and relatively easy to learn. I doubt many measurers who currently hand-draw their maps will have Illustrator or Corel Draw available to them without paying for it. Many won't have the patience to learn those programs either.
Lyman, Illustrator and CorelDraw are almost identical in functionality and tools. If you have one, don't spend $$$ on the other. (I use both, as we use CorelDraw at work, and I use Illustrator at home.)
Both cost about the same - at least they did, before Adobe went to an annual-subscription license. I won't buy anything with a subscription, so I am going to be on Illustrator 10 until computers have changed too much.
Both cost about the same - at least they did, before Adobe went to an annual-subscription license. I won't buy anything with a subscription, so I am going to be on Illustrator 10 until computers have changed too much.
Nathan, great tutorial. I hope to never draw another map by hand. I drew my first map with the software today and learned the software basics and finished the map in about 3 hrs.
I am all for the Open Office initiatives that Mark and Nathan have so successfully implemented. It appears that Ed Dean is our newest measurer to get up to speed with Draw. Three hours for a first-time electronic map is outstanding.
Maybe I am tilting at windmills again as I think out loud that we could buy a license for Adobe Illustrator for a certain number of seats - as many as who say they are interested. We could then emulate Marks' tutorial and Nathan's video by creating these guides for Illustrator. IMO this would provide us with the next step towards better maps at a nominal cost.
Well, maybe some day.
Maybe I am tilting at windmills again as I think out loud that we could buy a license for Adobe Illustrator for a certain number of seats - as many as who say they are interested. We could then emulate Marks' tutorial and Nathan's video by creating these guides for Illustrator. IMO this would provide us with the next step towards better maps at a nominal cost.
Well, maybe some day.