mapmaking patterns

[ratings]

Too often, the resolution of the dataset determines the resolution of a hillshade, resulting in hillshade layers with too much detail for a particular map extent.

Let the purpose and scale of the map determine the resolution of the data used to generate hillshades. Ask yourself what level is appropriate for the scale and purpose. For example, should people be able to recognize ridges or ranges? Generalize your data to an appropriate level of detail. You can change the grain of the raster by down-sampling (e.g. from 10m to 100m) but beware that this may pixelate the resulting hillshade. Alternatively, you can use a median filter to smooth the raster. This will help you remove detail without adding distracting artifacts.