How To Make 3D Normal Maps In Adobe Photoshop – Tutorial

In the world of 3d content, maps are everything. A beginner friendly map that most people have heard of is a bump map, however the bump map has fallen out of favor. Today many people use what is called a normal map in their 3d creations. While bump maps and normal maps are very similar, the normal map better defines data and can produce more crisp results.

There are many ways to generate a normal or bump map for your 3d projects. In this tutorial we will explore how to easily make normal and bump maps in Adobe Photoshop 2020. It may come as a shock to some people, but photoshop actually has the ability to work with 3d content.

#1 Open Photoshop and load the image file you need to make your 3d map based on. Now, go to the filter menu. It is a common mistake to go to the 3d menu first, however what we need is under the filter menu.

#2 – Setup and fine tune your 3D normal map in the new popup menu. If everything is going good, you should get something like this on your screen.

Let’s explore our option. If you mouse over most content, you should get a pop-up tip. That said, creating a normal map is a matter of personal taste. When you are working on your map, there is a preview window that will demonstrate to you the results and what it will typically look like. Different rendering engines will have slightly different interpretations of the 3d maps data, but generally you can expect similar results to what you see in photoshop as if you were in your 3d engine.

When setting up your map, take a moment to demo the map on different shape surfaces. In the 3d map maker, you have the option to change the demo.

Play around with your map. Setting up your 3d maps is a very personal process, and the only correct answer is that the map achieves the look you desire.

Click okay, and enjoy your new 3d normal map. Here is what my final normal map looks like. All that is left to save the map, then apply it to the 3d object I want to inside a 3d program I am using such as Blender, Maya, Daz, etc.

All done, enjoy!