All art programs have a bit of a learning curve, but programs like Photoshop and GIMP are easy to learn. You don't have to be a master at it. You just need to know how to work with layers, how to draw simple shapes, and make selections.
I use Photoshop for creating my maps, along with a ton of clip art. But you can accomplish the same effect with a program like GIMP to create maps such as this one:
View attachment 71841
Here's how it works in Photoshop. Create a new file
(Pull down menu: File -> New). First I create two empty layers in the
layers window (Pull down menu: window -> Layers). One is the
background layer, which I fill with
black by using the
fill tool. The other is the
room layer on which I draw all the rooms of the map. I use the
rectangle selection tool to draw a rectangular room, and fill it up with white with the
fill tool. You can enable the
grid, and use
snap-to-grid to make it easier to line up the rooms
(Pull down menu: View -> Show -> Grid) and
(Pull down menu: View -> Snap to -> Grid).
I then right click the room-layer in the layers window, and select
"Blending Options". I then set the stroke option to the color black,
size to between 3 or 5, and
position to
Inside. Next click
okay.
You can now draw as many rooms as you want, and when ever you fill them up with a color, it will automatically receive a black outline.
I then use clip art from the classic board game Hero's Quest, to indicate the positions of tombs, doors and furniture. But I suppose you could use just about any RPG clip art that you fancy. You don't need to be an artist to create cool looking maps. Staircases and pillars are made with the stroke tool as well. But for the stairs I create an extra layer so that the stairs have a gradient from white to black, to suggest depth (also by using the blending options).
For creating world maps you can do the exact same thing, but obviously instead of rooms, you'll mostly be placing black dots where all the points of interest are. Download a couple of cool looking free fonts, and label parts of the map as you see fit. And before you know it, you have an awesome map.