I can take real world images if you want as well. A tutorial is kind of hard, but you can watch a video of Kyle making a level:

Clasic video albino!
Also you could take of base a image that you created!

Sigh. I've seen this vid before. The challenge with trying to copy it is that it's too fast to see what he's doing to try and see what photoshop tools they are and where he's clicking! Is there a way for someone to help me to do this? And please do it as if I haven't seen photoshop before despite that I know how to use some of it! (

Sorry man...i am using paint.net
Investigate every tool there...Even if that tool ruin your image you have always the "Back Move" Button.Experiment all tipe of tools and deduce every tool use
Is all can i say.

Well is paint.net better? Does it work just as well?

Nope, paint.net is easier BUT you need as well learn tools.
paint.net is free
my recomendation : try with adobe photoshop, it have more tools and not for nothing you pay for it
Or if it complicates you at a extreme of desesperation
use paint.net
Is my recommendation
To not fill your computer of .exe crap

Also see the mains that i have made with paint.net here:

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/355/main02.png

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/9743/main2dboy.png

Not bad, but since I'm using photoshop, can someone get AP? he uses that too maybe he could help me with step by step instructions or something...

So what I do is:

Lay out geoms in red in one layer, set to 25%

Take the Freeform Pen and the Anchor Point Modification tools and make the outline of the terrain

Fill with brown

Contract it a bit and fill with light brown

Add some 50% brown circles

Then do the same (ish) for the top of the geometry

Okay but how do you get the geometry in photoshop? Do you take a print scree n of the way you want and have the geoms in the level editor or what?....

I just draw it with the Circle and Rectangle tools set to "Fill Pixels".

Okay what do you set the fill pixels on and how do you set the red to 25% without it being a black?

On the top bar when you select the circle tool, there are a few icons. Mouse over them. One says "Fill Pixels". Click it.

And I mean set the layer to 25%.

Okay do you mean set the opacity of the layer to 25% or the Fill? Also how do you outline the geoms yet still be able fill the outline shape in with brown? And where's the anchor point modification tool? And how do you compact the thing?

Sorry if I'm asking alot of questions it's just that I've never drawn in photoshop or done anything this complicated in it!

opacity

And what about these things?

The anchor point modification tools are shown if you hold the mouse over the pen tool.

You select the geoms with the magic wand, switch layers, then Ctrl-Backspace.

And to contract it, go to Select -> Modify -> Contract.

Sorry if I'm still confused, (maybe we should add this in the book!) But what order do these specific things go in? Do I outline the geometry then use the anchor tool or compact it and fill it in first??? Could you perhaps wrtie it in very detailled steps please??

Ah. Use the pen to draw the level, trying to stay close to the geometry.

Turn it into a selection. Save the selection (Select -> Save...).

Fill it in.

Contract it.

Fill it again.