Overview
The Export Contours tool allows users to extract contour lines from an imported Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Using the elevation values stored within the DEM, the Export Contours tool will extract, export, and display contour lines at a user specified vertical interval between each line. All contour lines will be exported to a vector format of your choosing. Optionally, the contour lines can also be displayed on top of your DEM, directly within Photoshop. Exported contour lines retain their georeferencing and will include an attribute containing the elevation of each line (export format dependent).
Requirements
- Must have a DEM imported
Using Export Contours
The Export Contours tool can be accessed directly from the Geographic Imager panel by clicking the icon outlined below, or from the Photoshop File menu via File > Export > GI: Export Contours.
To create and export contours, first choose the interval between each of your contour lines. The units for the interval between contour lines will be the same as the units of your DEM (displayed above in the DEM Range). If desired, set a base contour offset. The base contour offset determines the elevation at which the contour line extraction/calculation begins. For most cases, this can be left at 0.
Add Contours to Document as Path(s)
Optionally, the extracted contour lines can be imported as paths and overlaid on top of your DEM directly within Photoshop.
Contours organization
If the Add Contours to Document as Path(s) setting is enabled, you will be able to choose from the three options below for how the lines will be organized within the Photoshop Paths panel. Please note that this setting has no effect on the extracted contour lines and is purely for visualization of the lines within Photoshop.
- Separate paths: Each contour line is given its own path in the Photoshop paths panel. This will result in multiple entries of the same elevation for different contour lines. Please note that photoshop can not display more than 998 paths, so if you are working with a large DEM, or a small interval between contour lines, consider choosing ‘Combine paths by the same elevation’ or ‘Combine all paths’ instead.
- Combine paths by the same elevation: Contour lines in the Paths panel will be grouped by elevation. One path will be shown for each contour line elevation.
- Combine all paths: All contour lines are grouped into a single path in the Photoshop Paths panel.
Formats
The following export formats are supported:
- AutoCAD Drawing/Exchange (dwg, dxf)
- Esri ArcInfo Generate (gen)
- Esri Interchange File (e00)
- Esri Shapefile (shp)
- GeoJSON (geojson, json)
- Geopackage (gpkg)
- Google Earth (kml, kmz)
- GPS Exchange Format (gpx)
- MapInfo Interchange Format (mif)
- MapInfo Table (tab)
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.