Map Making

[Rabbit]

What computer programs would you recommend using for making maps for your RPG worlds? These are 'big picture' maps as oppossed to 'combat maps.'

Have you had any experience with a program or technique you liked (or disliked)?

I usually end up using 'paint' because it is really basic and any computer I am on tends to have it, but I would like to try and use something a little more versitile and um, advanced. Every time a paint file is moved or edited it looses some picture quality and I am looking to avoid that.

I tried using Campaign Cartographer and while it has lots of options I found it hard to make maps when I had particular ideas about the geography. They are better for maps you make up as you go...

I am looking to start building a larger/ more complete regional map(s) for my Den of Heroes setting.

EDIT: As I look around the internet I am seeing a lot of recommendations for CC3. Some for Photoshop, but those come with the warning of a greater learning curve than CC3. So I am starting to wonder if CC3 is just the way to go. But I would still be interested in hearing your thoughts.

[reefwood]

I have only used Paint to make maps on the computer, and that was mostly for battle grids when I was running games online.

I think graph paper is all that I have really used for War Stories, but I do like it for helping to measure things. In my previous campaign, I just used plain white printer paper, and figuring out distances was a lot of guesswork that didn't always look proportional enough.

And I'm not familiar with Campaign Cartographer.