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Topographic Map Effect

Reads the brightness of any picture as height and redraws it as a survey map with contour lines, shaded relief and elevation tints.

The portrait as a contour map: green and tan tints, brown contour lines, shaded relief, pale blue water and a black and white ticked frame.
Close-up portrait with slicked yellow-tipped hair, freckles, angular black sunglasses and a high black collar against white.
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Made with Topo Survey

Works in

The topographic map effect treats light areas of your picture as high ground and dark areas as low ground, and prints a survey map. You get contour lines with heavier index contours, hillshading, layered elevation tints, lined water and a framed grid. You can change tint colors, line weight, sun angle and contour count.

Same effect, different settings

12 photos, each with its own settings. Try it on yours

  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a purple aster
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a man with a buzz cut
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a woman in black sunglasses
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a man in a white shirt
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a woman with a black bob and red earrings
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a woman in blue glasses
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a black horse
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a young man in black
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of blue cornflowers
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a man with pink hair and black sunglasses
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a woman in white cat-eye sunglasses
  • Topographic Map Effect on a photo of a man in white sunglasses

Use Topographic Map Effect in Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Affinity or Figma

The plugins are free with an account. Paid plans add bigger renders and your own filters. See pricing

Settings worth touching

Contour Levels
Sets how many contour lines divide the height range. Fewer gives broad, simple bands. More gives dense, fine detail.
Sun Angle
Turns the light source for the hillshading, changing which slopes catch light and which fall into shadow.
Tint Ramp
Sets the gradient of elevation colors. It starts with greens rising through yellows to tans, and you can change every stop.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a topographic map effect in Photoshop?

Open Nexus for Photoshop and pick the look. Render it as a new layer, or apply it to a Smart Object as a Smart Filter you can reopen by double-⁠clicking.

Can I make a topographic map effect in Illustrator?

Yes. Store a selection as the source and run the look. This effect outputs pixels only, so the map comes back as an embedded image, not as vector paths.

How do I animate a topographic map in After Effects?

Apply the look to a layer as a native effect and keyframe Level Drift. The contour levels shift so the terrain appears to rise and fall in a loop.

How do I get a contour map effect with cleaner lines?

Lower Contour Levels for fewer bands and raise Generalize to smooth small bumps into simpler shapes. Line Weight sets how thick lines print, and Index Every sets which lines run heavier.

Can I try the topographic map effect for free?

Yes. Open the look in the Nexus web editor and try it on your own image without an account. Exporting needs a free account, which exports images up to 720px and video up to 720px with the Nexus mark.

Related effects

Try Topographic Map Effect in your browser

Free to try. Exporting needs a free account.

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