When creating textures for use in a 3D application or game, sometimes it’s necessary to add finer detail, such as a bump or normal map. In short, these maps fake lighting on textures to create additional detail without adding more polygons.
For normals, I figured you had to rely on 3rd party applications such as CrazyBump. While it may be true that CrazyBump is an excellent piece of software, I hadn’t realized it was already possible to use Photoshop.
The 3D functionality is not available in Photoshop versions CS6 and prior, and therefore will be unable to create normal maps.
For this example, I’ll use a leather texture found on textures.com:
Open Image in Photoshop
Open the texture you want to create a bump map for and switch to the 3D Workspace.
In the 3D panel, select Mesh From Preset, and choose a shape.
I like to use a Sphere, but it doesn’t matter. Click Create. Magic happens inside Photoshop and, as a result, creates a scene with your texture loaded onto an object.
In the 3D panel, click the object name with _Material. In this case, Sphere_Material.
Create the Normal Map
The Properties panel changes to reflect options corresponding to the material properties. Right now, our texture is loaded into the Base Color channel. There’s a button at the bottom labeled Normal. Click that and then select Generate Normals From Base Color…
After a few seconds, the Generate Normal Map window opens.
There’s a preview of your shape, and you can adjust Contrast Details and all that fun stuff. Click OK. Afterward, your normal map is created and applied to the shape.
Note: In the event that Photoshop locks up, you can also try this more straightforward method:
- Open texture in Photoshop as you would normally do any image. Make sure the image mode is set to RGB. (Having tried with Greyscale, it would freeze up again.)
- Choose Filter → 3D → Generate Normal Map…
- Adjust your map as necessary (I left mine to default). Click OK.
- Lastly, save your file as PNG (not sure if it matters).
Save the Normal Map
To save the image from Photoshop, click on the Normal button again in the Properties panel and then select Edit Texture…
Your image then opens in a separate document window. Choose File, Save As…
Choose Tiff as the Format, and uncheck Layers:
On the TIFF Options dialog, the default settings are fine. Therefore, they can be left alone.
Now you can use this normal map inside a 3D application or game engine to display more detailed textures.
Final Result
As seen in the example below, a normal map adds much more realistic lighting detail on the surface of your mesh.
Leather with Normal Map
Leather without Normal Map
Thank you Matt, looks like I sneaked in under the wire though Photoshop was very unhappy about either the 3D space or the filter method (which did work but required quitting Photoshop after to regain stability again.) PS warned me that 3D was being phased out and that all features might not work but neglected to mention that the entire platform begins to warp and morph in very unusual and scary ways.
Hi Michael, yeah I’m not 100% sure when the 3D features will be completely removed from PS. Guessing it won’t be too much longer :/
Just thought you should know that Adobe are doing away with the 3D Features part of Photoshop..
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/3d-faq.html
Ahhhh! 😫 I guess I shouldn’t be surprised with the acquisition of Substance. Honestly Photoshop should have never had 3D capabilities to begin with. It’s after all, a photo editing app lol.
Do you have any idea in what Substance program you can make a normal map from an image? Or if you plan on writing something about that!
– Thanks
Hi Vena! I think if using one of the Substance programs to create a normal map, most likely Designer? Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of experience with Designer though.
It’s worth noting that Gimp has the ability to create normal maps, and it’s free! Here’s a video on it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNN0xZeg_aQ
Thanks!
You’re very welcome 🙂
That didn’t work for me. When I hit Ok in the normal map window, it actually applies the normal map to the image and makes it look like its rendered with the bumps. So its not the usual purple normal map. Did I miss a step?
But I can see the correct normal map before closing the window. It’s just it applies it after Ok is pressed.
Many thanks, great tips and post! Worked very good for me in Photoshop CC.
Awesome, glad to hear it helped! 🙂
I love you man! Great post!!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate that!
I really liked reading this blog page. Now and again I find blog posts that makes me want to get started on bloggin as well. Best wishes!
Thanks, I really appreciate that man!
Just to add to the confusion. My Photoshop does not display the option “Generate normal map from diffuse” under the normal button. I only have “Mew texture” and “load texture”. Also, under Filters, there is no 3D category. I am using CS6 and recently updated to Extended version in order to obtain the 3D tools.
This is great information. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Hi. Nice tut. Could be good to mention that the 3D functionality is not available in standard versions of Photoshop. The 3D workspace is only available in the extended version. Might save some people a couple of headaches by mentioning that. 🙂
Oh I did not know that! Thanks for letting me know. I will have to put a disclosure at the top.
I got it to work finally, i had to reset my preferences and it works like normal now. Not sure what changed to make it do that. Thanks!!
Oh strange! Sorry my solution didn’t work! Well I’m glad you were able to get it to work at least haha. At least anyone else having this issue will know to try resetting their preferences will hopefully work for them 🙂
I’m having the same issue. It goes to open a new tab, shows a weird looking image then closes and goes back the the original tab. In the past I could make normal maps by clicking; Filter > 3D > Generate Normal Map and it would do it for me. Now I’m having to do it the way you are showing above. Not sure way it wont let me continue to create normal maps the same as before.
Do you by chance have a dual monitor setup?
Yes i do
I read that disabling your second monitor may temporarily fix the issue. Sounds like a bug with Photoshop. Maybe try that and let me know if that works?
I tried disabling it and it still is not working. I updated today in hopes to get it fixed but still doesn’t work. Hopefully Adobe will get this fixed soon.
I get to the part where you hit the button to Generate Normal from Diffuse. I hit it, I see it do something. I can see a new tab as if a new photo is coming up, Then it goes back to the same screen as before. It never generates the window to set up the Normal. I hit the Generate Normal from Diffuse several times with the same result. I tried it with textures from the place you got yours. I tried it with one of my own. I tried it with a jpeg and a targa file. The same thing happens.
Very strange! So the Generate Normal Map dialog never comes up at all? Could it be coming up at the very bottom of your monitor or in a second monitor you might have, but you just missed it? Also, what version of Photoshop do you have?