Request for help in making maps

[Torie]

Can someone walk through with me how to make maps, using Dave Leip's resources here, the way so many of you do, e.g., like BRTD has been doing with his little state county primary prediction maps?  Thanks.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

You wouldn't by chance have your gaze set on Illinois would you?

[Bacon King]

Can someone walk through with me how to make maps, using Dave Leip's resources here, the way so many of you do, e.g., like BRTD has been doing with his little state county primary prediction maps?  Thanks.

Like making a county map prediction, or something?

There's probably a much more efficient way to do it, but this is what I do:

1. Save a county map from the Atlas onto my computer. For Illinois, something like this: https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/img.php?year=2008&st=IL&type=map&off=0&elect=0&fips=17
2. Open it in MS Paint
3. Stretch the image area down so there's plenty of white space at the bottom
4. Go to this link, the Atlas color key: https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/IMAGES/key.gif
5. Right click, copy image
6. In paint, press Ctrl+V to paste the color key in the image; move it down to that white space at the bottom bottom.
7. Use the eyedropper/"pick color" tool to grab colors from the key, and the paintcan/"fill with color" tool to fill in counties
8. Use the magnifying glass as needed to make the map bigger.
9. When you're done making the map, grab the lower-right corner of the image to cover back up the key, so you're left with only the county map
10. Upload image and post to the forum!