Inkarnate Pro Review: Is it the Best map making tool?
What is Inkarnate?
Inkarnate is one of my favorite map-making tools that I use most of the time when I'm creating world or region maps. I have used this tool for about two years now, and I think I'm quite qualified to write a review about it. I got sponsored by Inkarnate for this review, yet I was using this service Pro versions long before that, and I contacted them myself because I believe in the product. So let's see what kind of maps Inkarnate can help you create and if it fits you.
This is my campaign world map I’m currently working on… Stop judging me, I’m still working on it, it’s still not finished.
World Maps
Where Inkarnate shines is the variety of maps you can create. World maps are not an exception to that. Whether it is colorful maps or "Parchment" style of maps, Inkarnate can accommodate both of them with different stamps styles, which are categorized and stay true to the art style you decide upon using.
Regional maps
One of the reasons why I like Inkarnate is because this tool allows creating vast region maps. Due to the high fidelity of 4K or 8K resolution, this allows creating vast maps with smaller details on the map that don't lose fidelity while zooming into them. For myself, this was a thing that I needed for my games since my DnD games rely heavily on Maps and locations that I create.
From my older campaign - Region of Morovia, this one is finished, you can judge me on this one.
Battlemaps
Another promising feature is the Battlemap style of maps that you can create on Inkarnate. Since the world now relies on online play, this tool is great for virtual tabletops. Even though some competitors like Dungeon Studio started a bit earlier, I see Inkarnate as an easier choice to use. And that's thanks to the foundations of Inkarnate UI design and navigation. Even though Battle Maps are still in Beta and lacks some core features like the" Wall/Line paintbrush tool." I'm sure it will improve with time. If they implement some of the features like this, I'm sure this would make the best choice for battle maps on the market.
But, even in this stage, you can create great-looking maps. For instance, I needed a lighthouse and created it in less than 30min. And even though I'm not a master cartographer, it looks great, I put a grid on it, and it's ready for my table.
Looking at the Tools in Inkarnate
One of the reasons I like Inkarnate above others is the easy to use aspect and navigation. Even though it's a browser app, Inkartnate navigation is similar to Adobe products navigation. The UI is clean, and things make better sense compared to other more complex competitors. When looking at the available tools for map-making, most of them are simple, yet they provide smaller features that significantly enhance the map's look.
Mask tool - This is the bread and butter of creating or subtracting the map landmass, and where this tool is great is the ability to modify the brush edges, creating a different type of landmass edges with ease. In contrast, subtracting from the landmass works great when making lakes or rivers.
Another small feature that makes the maps look even better is the automatic coastlines, which is a tremendous time-saver while creating maps.
Brush tool - This is a straightforward tool that lets you color different biomes or political influences of nations for your map.
Stamp Tool - Now, this tool makes Inkarnate stand out for its style and assets available. The stamp tool is excellent to use since the placement of the different stamps feels right. That means that placing a couple of trees on the mountain will not make it crumble or vice versa. Of course, you might need to do some detailed work if you want to make it even look better. There is a LOT of assets that can help you create a fantasy-themed map, and the developers keep on adding more with time.
Text Tool - One of the smaller features that grabbed my attention is the ability to curve the text, which goes great with making a World or Region Maps, which make them look better. The available Inkarnate Text fonts look great and fit the themes for maps and RPGs, though it would be nice to have the ability to add custom fonts.
Path Tool - If you're a fan of the breadcrumbs type of dots on the map, this feature lets you mark the traveled distances between other locations or make details like your Kingdoms borders.
Note Tool - I personally don't use Inkarnate maps from where I DM, but you can write some notes on the map if you want to. Perhaps this tool could help you remember some of the ideas while worldbuilding, but I don't use this feature very often, to be honest.
Grid Tool - Now, this is straightforward, and this is an excellent feature if you're thinking of using the map to calculate how much time it would take to travel from one place to another. After you are done with the map, you can put the grid on or off with a click of a button. This tool lets you create the DM map for utility and the map you present to your players.
Inkarnate provides simple to use tools, yet the smaller features in them Inkarnate give that extra crisp feeling for the maps you create.
Well, at least these people can make a better-looking map than me…
Explore - One of the less known features of Inkarnate is the "Explore" feature, where other map creators can post their creations with the Inkarnate community. This is probably one of my favorite features since this feature can justify the subscription price alone. But guess what, this feature is free. Inkarnate provides an asset art style that is quite similar to many of the maps you can find in the "Explore", which is excellent. That means that Dungeons, Taverns, and City locales will always be somewhat similar to one another, which will not break the players' immersion.
Pricing
The Pricing is relatively attractive for anyone that spends a lot of time worldbuilding and drawing maps, the yearly subscription is 25$ a year or 5$ a month, yet the standard option is free. The free version gives plenty of options to create a map, while and the pro version also deserves the price tag due to a plethora of art assets available to the Pro users. And when you can add your assets to Inkarnate, this means you can create any map that you would need in your game. The Pro version is also great if you're thinking about making grand scale maps since 8K, which does help with the map's fidelity and the details.
In Conclusion
If you're an avid map creator, Inkarnate provides everything you would need to create great-looking maps, whether you want to create a world, region, or a battle map. This tool provides excellent navigation and easy to use tools, and if you're still not quite sure, you can try out the free version of Inkarnate, go and see if it fits you. And if you like the product, I believe it's worth the PRO version since finding a lot of high-quality art assets of a similar style can be challenging. The upcoming Inkarnate features, like Battlemap style map creation, look promising, and the smaller features make the maps look great without putting much effort. Overall, Inkarnate is an excellent package for any worldbuilder and map maker who wants to create gorgeous maps quickly and easily.
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