Transcription
In this video, I'm going to show you how to create beautiful city maps like these completely for free using nothing but Canva. I'm going to show you how to fully customize your maps, where to get the copyright free map data, and even how to sell these if you want to start your own map business.
I began researching this new method when I realized that there aren't many options out there to create maps like these unless you know how to use Illustrator. And then one of you guys asked this question on my last video about maps. Can I handle this using Canva? And that's when I realized that there must be a way to design products like these without the need to pay for expensive software or go through a super intricate process. But I also wanted to find a way to create commercially viable copyright free maps that you can sell on your online store without worry. The method you're about to learn took a lot of research and testing and you won't find it anywhere else on YouTube.
So if you do appreciate this kind of content, please give the video a like, drop a comment down below, and subscribe to the channel. It really helps me keep creating content like this for you guys. So thank you so much. And now let's get into it.
So this is a three-step process and I try to make it as simple as possible for you. Step number one is to source the map data. For that we're going to use a platform called extract.bike. This is a website that basically sources map data from open street map. Now in case you don't know him, OSM is a free open- source map of the entire world. Kind of like the Wikipedia of maps. It's a giant database of geographic information that you can download and use to create your own custom maps. And what this website does is allow you to download a simplified clutter-free version of those maps which is ideal for the style of map that we plan to create.
So go to the website and on your left hand side you'll see three boxes. The first one allows you to choose the format in which you want to download the data. So in case it's not selected by default, open the drop-own menu and choose shape file. Next, you want to select the area that you want to download for your map. In this case, I want to create a map of Copenhagen. So I simply click on search and type the name of the city. I hit enter and there we go. I can now close these boxes and zoom in to the area that I'm interested in.
The next step is to type in your email. The way it works is you select the area that you want to download and they will extract that data from the source and mail it to you. So, you do need to use your real email here. Now, don't worry. They won't spam you with any marketing emails or anything like that. This is a serious website. I've used this platform many times before and I never had to deal with any of that. Next, you follow the instructions. Move the map to your desired location, which we have already done. And now we create a bounding box. Okay, so the way this box works is if you click on it, it'll turn blue and two orange dots will appear. The one in the center allows you to move the box around and the one in the corner allows you to change the size of the box. So make sure to cover all the areas that you want to include in your map. In my case, I'm going to make sure to include the coastline and the lakes. Okay, that is perfect. And now we simply click on extract. Now this message basically says that it will take about 2 to 7 minutes to extract the data and mail it to us. So now we just wait.
Okay, so this is the email we got from them exactly 1 minute after clicking extract. And here we can find the link to download the file. So that's it. As you can see, nothing really complicated about this step.
Now, step number two is to extract the layers that we're actually going to use from the map we just downloaded and convert those layers into SVG files that we can easily upload to Canva. Sounds complicated, but it's not, trust me. So, we're going to use a great tool called Map Shaper. So, extract the file you just downloaded, and in it, you'll find a folder named shapes. So, all you need to do is simply drag and drop all the files within that folder right into the website. That's it.
Now, on the top right hand side, you'll see two little maps that allow you to set up a backdrop to work with. You can choose between a Google Maps like backdrop or a satellite image. So, choose the former and in the center top, you'll find a drop- down menu with all the layers you just uploaded. Now, as you can see, you have a total of eight layers, including roads and railways. Now, I've tried this many different times and I usually get the best looking maps by simply using these two layers. The buildings layer makes your map look too crowded and the points and places layers don't really add anything of substance to the map. You can of course experiment with this and try different combinations of layers, but for me these two work best.
Now, this eye next to the layers indicates which layers are on or off. Green means on and gray means off and black means the layer is selected. So, to download a layer, you first need to select it by clicking on it. So, I'm going to click on roads and the name should appear here on the top. This indicates that the layer has been properly selected. Now to download it as an SVG file that you can import into Canva, you want to go to the right hand side again and this time click on console. Now simply type this code exactly as it is in the console and hit enter. As soon as you do, you'll be prompted to choose a folder destination for your SVG file and a name, which by default is the name of the layer.
Now let me just pause here for a second and quickly explain what this is. So the first portion of this code tells the website that you want to download this map using the proportions of Google maps. I don't know if you know this but there are several different kinds of map projections out there. And what we are all familiar with it's what's called the web merore projection which is the standard Google maps projection. But the maps you download from extract bike have a different projection that makes them look stretched. And this code basically fixes that. Yeah, just so you know. Like I didn't know that until now. And the second part of the code tells the website that you want to download the layer as a vector SVG file. That's it. Now I can save it and download the other layer. So we repeat the same process. We select the railways layer this time. We can confirm the selection up here. And now we copy and paste the code again. And we save the layer using the default name. That's it.
Now I know this part of the process looks a bit intimidating at first. So feel free to rewatch this part of the video as many times as you need, but you'll realize that after doing this a couple times, it becomes super easy and intuitive.
Okay, so step number three is the fun part. Now we can edit and customize the maps using Canva. So go into Canva and create a new design. Search for poster and I'm going to choose a portrait A3. Now we simply drag and drop the two SVG layers we just exported. And there we go. Now it could be the case that these are not the exact same size when you import them into Canva. However, the proportions will be the same. So simply place the railways layer on top of the roads layer and adjust it until it has the exact same height. Now place it all the way to the left edge of the layer. And that's a perfect match.
Okay, so this is our map. Now we can fully customize it. And the first thing I'm going to do is group the layers and upscale it a bit. There we go. And now I'm going to edit the colors of this map. So I can click on it, choose edit on the pop-up menu, and on the left hand side, go into effects and choose duo tone. Now check this out. Because this is an SVG file, I can fully change the color of the lines and experiment with all kinds of different combinations. And if you don't like the white background, I can change that, too. If I click on my canvas, I can choose to change the color to, let's say, black. And now I can select my map again and make it white or green or whatever color I choose.
But this is not all you can do with Canva. Say I don't like the boring square shape of my map. I can also change that. And there's two ways to do it. If you go into the elements tab and type frame, you can find a lot of different masks that you can apply to your map. For example, I can go for something as simple as a circle. In that case, I simply add a circular frame and drag and drop my map into the frame and it is automatically shaped like a circle. Of course, there are plenty of different masking options here, and you could combine them with your city and maybe the text to create something like a heart-shaped map that reads, "I love New York." In fact, you even have letters here. So, if you wanted to create a map of, let's say, Milan, for example, you could shape it as an M and it would look amazing. I mean, just try something that makes sense and elevates your design. The more you scroll, the cooler shapes you're going to find.
And if you have Canva Pro, you can also try something else. If you go to apps and search for clipping masks, check this out. Choose the first one, select your map, and click on start masking. Now you have all these really cool silhouettes that you can use to shape your map. Say you want to create a map of Dublin, for example. Then this clover could work just perfectly. And if we also change the map color to green, now take a look at that. But in case you don't like any of these shapes, you could also upload a PNG image that you created yourself and use it as an actual mask. This means that you could create maps with 100% custom shapes. This is where your imagination plays a big part in creating all sorts of different cool combinations.
And finally, it goes without saying, but there's the text component of the posters. So, we're going to add a heading and a subheading. And we're going to type the name of the city in the heading and the coordinates as well as the country in the subheading. We're going to choose a nice font like this one, for example. And then what I do is I go into the text advanced settings and increase the letter spacing a bit. This gives the text this cool modern minimalist look. We do the same for the subheading and we are set.
Okay, so what do you guys think? Honestly, I love playing with the different color combinations and shapes to create truly unique maps. Again, your imagination is going to play a big role here because there's all sorts of designs you could create using text and masks as well as some graphic elements. So, this is where you come in to create a product that truly stands out.
Now, it goes without saying that if you enjoy creating maps and you plan to start your own business, you could sell these online on marketplaces like Etsy and potentially make thousands of dollars. In fact, there are several stores on Etsy making really good money with this product. And as you can see, you can create something similar or even better than what they're offering with the tools I just gave you. So, again, if this is something you enjoy doing for yourself or maybe as a gift for someone else, don't pass on the opportunity to explore this as a potential side hustle or side business. You could sell these both as digital products as well as physical products and ship fully finished posters or canvases as well as maybe mugs, pillows, or other home products.
Again, these are copyright free maps. All you need to do is discreetly credit the source by adding this line of text in your products. You can do it without compromising your design by simply adding it at the bottom of your maps. But make sure to include it so people keep contributing to this source and we can continue to create awesome maps for free in the future.
Now, if you want to get serious about this side hustle, I have created a dedicated video explaining how to take your map creation skills to the next level. So, make sure to check it out if that sounds good.
Now, if you have any questions, please leave your comments down below. I'll be more than happy to respond to every single one of you guys. Also, please make sure to like the video and subscribe to the channel. It's completely free and it really helps me to keep creating content like this for you guys. Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you next week.
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