How to Create a Halftone World Map

Halftone is a graphics arts technique where any tone changes in an image occurs by changing the size of dots that make up the image or the spacing of those dots. It was one of the earliest printing techniques in use. Using a graphics program like the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), freely available for download, you can reproduce this effect, applying it to an image of a world map to create a retro newspaper or comic book look.

• 1

  Download and install the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), a free graphics program for PC.

• 2

  Obtain an image of the map of the world. Make sure to check the licensing of the map before downloading to ensure it's available for use. A Creative Commons license on the image will describe any limitations present. Download the image in the .jpg format, or convert to .jpg using a graphics grogram. You can locate maps of the world from photo sharing sites like Flickr or from educational sites.

• 3

  Start the GIMP application and the open your downloaded image using the "File" menu followed by the "Open" command to open a window allowing you to navigate to your image by browsing through your computer's drives. Highlight the world map image and then press the "Open" button to load it into HIMP's workspace.

• 4

  Convert the image into grayscale by opening the "Image" menu, choosing the "Mode option, and then selecting "Grayscale."

• 5

  Blur the edges of the image slightly to achieve a better tonal effect. Use the "Filters" menu, click the "Blur" option and then select "Gaussian Blur." Up the horizontal and vertical blur levels to eight to apply a slight blur that still leaves the continents recognizable. Click "OK" to exit the blur window.

• 6

  Select the "Filters" menu and then navigate down to the "Distorts" option. Choose "Newsprint" to open the halftone settings window.

• 7

  Press a check in the preview box if not already present to gain a small preview of your halftone effect. Move the "Cell size" slider to alter the size of the pixels in the half tone image. The higher the setting the larger the pixels, leading to greater distortion of the image, so leave move it to between 10 and 12 to keep the continent outlines clear while making the pixel effect noticeable.

• 8

  Slide the Antialiasing slider to the right to read a level of 10 to make the circles sharper, increasing the halftone effect. Alter the angle of the red, green and blue channels to "0" to keep the dots black in color. Press the OK button to exit the Newsprint window and your image should appear to be in half tone now.

• 9

  Open the "File" menu and press "Save" to save the altered image for use.