\nA Displacement Map is a way of automatically distorting a layer using pixel data from another document. Displacement Maps can take what would be slow, grueling hours of manual distortion work and turn it into a relatively quick and simple task.
\nHere’s the result we’ll be creating:
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041519\/giftorial-displacementmap-11.gif.webp\")
\nWhere most designers would toss in the bear graphic, set it to Multiply, and call it a day, we’re going the extra mile by making sure the bear graphic is distorted to match the cracks and crevices of our wall texture. Pretty cool!
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041526\/giftorial-displacementmap-4.jpg.webp\")
\n<\/p>\n
<\/span>Resources<\/span><\/h2>\n\nAll you’ll need for this tutorial is an interesting, dynamic texture photo and a graphic to place over it. I’ll be using this nice, cracked wall photo<\/a> and a cool, vintage bear logo<\/a>.
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041529\/giftorial-displacementmap-1.jpg.webp\")
<\/a>
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041534\/giftorial-displacementmap-2.jpg.webp\")
<\/a>
\nIf you’re using your own images, some of the settings below might need to be tweaked slightly, but the overall process should be the same. Let’s get started!\n<\/p>\n<\/span>1. Open The Wall Image<\/span><\/h2>\n\nStart by opening the wall photo in Photoshop.
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041539\/giftorial-displacementmap-1-1.jpg.webp\")
<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>2. Copy The Red Channel<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNext, go to your Channels<\/strong> panel and copy the Red channel. I simply chose the red one because it had nice contrast, your experience may vary.
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041611\/giftorial-displacementmap-1.gif.webp\")
\nNote that this step is a bit redundant with step 4, I simply like to copy my channels before messing with them too much just to be on the safe side.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>3. Turn Off All Channels Except the Red Copy<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNow, make sure the only visible channel is your new copy. To do this, turn off the eye icons next to the others (typically, clicking a channel should also make it the only visible layer).
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041614\/giftorial-displacementmap-2.gif.webp\")
\n<\/p>\n
<\/span>4. Create a New Document From The Red Channel<\/span><\/h2>\n\nRight-click on your new channel and choose Duplicate Channel<\/strong>. You’ll want to choose New Document<\/strong> in the dropdown of the window that pops up, then click OK.
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041620\/giftorial-displacementmap-3.gif.webp\")
\nThis will create a brand new file out of our red channel copy. This new file will serve as the input pixel data for our displacement map.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>5. Increase Contrast in New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n\nDisplacement maps use highlights and shadows from grayscale documents to determine where the highs and lows will be in your distortion. Rather overthink how this works, we can simply use our background as our input and it will shape our distortion in a way that seems realistic.
\nBefore we do this though, let’s ramp up the contrast in our new document a bit with a Levels<\/strong> adjustment.
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041623\/giftorial-displacementmap-4.gif.webp\")
\n<\/p>\n<\/span>6. Blur New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNext, you’ll want to add a slight Gaussian Blur<\/strong>. This will help make sure the effect isn’t too harsh. How much you should blur greatly depends on the size and resolution of your document. For mine, a 4.4px blur worked great.
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041630\/giftorial-displacementmap-8.gif.webp\")
\n<\/p>\n<\/span>7. Save the Blurred File as a Separate PSD<\/span><\/h2>\n\nSave this newly blurred PSD to your project folder as DisplacementMap.psd<\/strong>, then switch back to your original wall photo, making sure to turn off any extra channels you created earlier. You want just the wall photo in its original form:
\n<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Paste In Graphic as Smart Object<\/span><\/h2>\n\nIn Illustrator, copy the graphic that you’re going to be applying to the textured wall. Then, paste it on top of the wall in Photoshop. Make sure to select Smart Object<\/strong> in the Paste dialog. Position the graphic however you like.
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041706\/giftorial-displacementmap-6.gif.webp\")
\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Set Graphic to Linear Burn, Fill 65%<\/span><\/h2>\n\nTo make sure the graphic is blending nicely, set it to Linear Burn<\/strong>. Then, drop the fill to 65%<\/strong>.
\n![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03041708\/giftorial-displacementmap-7.gif.webp\")
\nNote that, with my light background and dark graphic, I can use blending modes like Multiply, Color Burn, and Linear Burn. If your background is dark and your graphic is light, try Screen or Overlay.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>9. Apply Displacement Map<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
<\/a>\n
<\/a>\nIf you’re using your own images, some of the settings below might need to be tweaked slightly, but the overall process should be the same. Let’s get started!\n<\/p>\n
<\/span>1. Open The Wall Image<\/span><\/h2>\n\nStart by opening the wall photo in Photoshop.
\n<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>2. Copy The Red Channel<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNext, go to your Channels<\/strong> panel and copy the Red channel. I simply chose the red one because it had nice contrast, your experience may vary.
\n
\nNote that this step is a bit redundant with step 4, I simply like to copy my channels before messing with them too much just to be on the safe side.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>3. Turn Off All Channels Except the Red Copy<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNow, make sure the only visible channel is your new copy. To do this, turn off the eye icons next to the others (typically, clicking a channel should also make it the only visible layer).
\n\n<\/p>\n
<\/span>4. Create a New Document From The Red Channel<\/span><\/h2>\n\nRight-click on your new channel and choose Duplicate Channel<\/strong>. You’ll want to choose New Document<\/strong> in the dropdown of the window that pops up, then click OK.
\n
\nThis will create a brand new file out of our red channel copy. This new file will serve as the input pixel data for our displacement map.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>5. Increase Contrast in New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n\nDisplacement maps use highlights and shadows from grayscale documents to determine where the highs and lows will be in your distortion. Rather overthink how this works, we can simply use our background as our input and it will shape our distortion in a way that seems realistic.
\nBefore we do this though, let’s ramp up the contrast in our new document a bit with a Levels<\/strong> adjustment.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>6. Blur New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNext, you’ll want to add a slight Gaussian Blur<\/strong>. This will help make sure the effect isn’t too harsh. How much you should blur greatly depends on the size and resolution of your document. For mine, a 4.4px blur worked great.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>7. Save the Blurred File as a Separate PSD<\/span><\/h2>\n\nSave this newly blurred PSD to your project folder as DisplacementMap.psd<\/strong>, then switch back to your original wall photo, making sure to turn off any extra channels you created earlier. You want just the wall photo in its original form:
\n<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Paste In Graphic as Smart Object<\/span><\/h2>\n\nIn Illustrator, copy the graphic that you’re going to be applying to the textured wall. Then, paste it on top of the wall in Photoshop. Make sure to select Smart Object<\/strong> in the Paste dialog. Position the graphic however you like.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Set Graphic to Linear Burn, Fill 65%<\/span><\/h2>\n\nTo make sure the graphic is blending nicely, set it to Linear Burn<\/strong>. Then, drop the fill to 65%<\/strong>.
\n
\nNote that, with my light background and dark graphic, I can use blending modes like Multiply, Color Burn, and Linear Burn. If your background is dark and your graphic is light, try Screen or Overlay.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>9. Apply Displacement Map<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>2. Copy The Red Channel<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNext, go to your Channels<\/strong> panel and copy the Red channel. I simply chose the red one because it had nice contrast, your experience may vary.
\n
\nNote that this step is a bit redundant with step 4, I simply like to copy my channels before messing with them too much just to be on the safe side.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>3. Turn Off All Channels Except the Red Copy<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNow, make sure the only visible channel is your new copy. To do this, turn off the eye icons next to the others (typically, clicking a channel should also make it the only visible layer).
\n\n<\/p>\n
<\/span>4. Create a New Document From The Red Channel<\/span><\/h2>\n\nRight-click on your new channel and choose Duplicate Channel<\/strong>. You’ll want to choose New Document<\/strong> in the dropdown of the window that pops up, then click OK.
\n
\nThis will create a brand new file out of our red channel copy. This new file will serve as the input pixel data for our displacement map.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>5. Increase Contrast in New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n\nDisplacement maps use highlights and shadows from grayscale documents to determine where the highs and lows will be in your distortion. Rather overthink how this works, we can simply use our background as our input and it will shape our distortion in a way that seems realistic.
\nBefore we do this though, let’s ramp up the contrast in our new document a bit with a Levels<\/strong> adjustment.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>6. Blur New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNext, you’ll want to add a slight Gaussian Blur<\/strong>. This will help make sure the effect isn’t too harsh. How much you should blur greatly depends on the size and resolution of your document. For mine, a 4.4px blur worked great.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>7. Save the Blurred File as a Separate PSD<\/span><\/h2>\n\nSave this newly blurred PSD to your project folder as DisplacementMap.psd<\/strong>, then switch back to your original wall photo, making sure to turn off any extra channels you created earlier. You want just the wall photo in its original form:
\n<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Paste In Graphic as Smart Object<\/span><\/h2>\n\nIn Illustrator, copy the graphic that you’re going to be applying to the textured wall. Then, paste it on top of the wall in Photoshop. Make sure to select Smart Object<\/strong> in the Paste dialog. Position the graphic however you like.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Set Graphic to Linear Burn, Fill 65%<\/span><\/h2>\n\nTo make sure the graphic is blending nicely, set it to Linear Burn<\/strong>. Then, drop the fill to 65%<\/strong>.
\n
\nNote that, with my light background and dark graphic, I can use blending modes like Multiply, Color Burn, and Linear Burn. If your background is dark and your graphic is light, try Screen or Overlay.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>9. Apply Displacement Map<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
\nNote that this step is a bit redundant with step 4, I simply like to copy my channels before messing with them too much just to be on the safe side.\n<\/p>\n
<\/span>3. Turn Off All Channels Except the Red Copy<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNow, make sure the only visible channel is your new copy. To do this, turn off the eye icons next to the others (typically, clicking a channel should also make it the only visible layer).
\n\n<\/p>\n
<\/span>4. Create a New Document From The Red Channel<\/span><\/h2>\n\nRight-click on your new channel and choose Duplicate Channel<\/strong>. You’ll want to choose New Document<\/strong> in the dropdown of the window that pops up, then click OK.
\n
\nThis will create a brand new file out of our red channel copy. This new file will serve as the input pixel data for our displacement map.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>5. Increase Contrast in New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n\nDisplacement maps use highlights and shadows from grayscale documents to determine where the highs and lows will be in your distortion. Rather overthink how this works, we can simply use our background as our input and it will shape our distortion in a way that seems realistic.
\nBefore we do this though, let’s ramp up the contrast in our new document a bit with a Levels<\/strong> adjustment.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>6. Blur New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n\nNext, you’ll want to add a slight Gaussian Blur<\/strong>. This will help make sure the effect isn’t too harsh. How much you should blur greatly depends on the size and resolution of your document. For mine, a 4.4px blur worked great.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>7. Save the Blurred File as a Separate PSD<\/span><\/h2>\n\nSave this newly blurred PSD to your project folder as DisplacementMap.psd<\/strong>, then switch back to your original wall photo, making sure to turn off any extra channels you created earlier. You want just the wall photo in its original form:
\n<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Paste In Graphic as Smart Object<\/span><\/h2>\n\nIn Illustrator, copy the graphic that you’re going to be applying to the textured wall. Then, paste it on top of the wall in Photoshop. Make sure to select Smart Object<\/strong> in the Paste dialog. Position the graphic however you like.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Set Graphic to Linear Burn, Fill 65%<\/span><\/h2>\n\nTo make sure the graphic is blending nicely, set it to Linear Burn<\/strong>. Then, drop the fill to 65%<\/strong>.
\n
\nNote that, with my light background and dark graphic, I can use blending modes like Multiply, Color Burn, and Linear Burn. If your background is dark and your graphic is light, try Screen or Overlay.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>9. Apply Displacement Map<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n\nRight-click on your new channel and choose Duplicate Channel<\/strong>. You’ll want to choose New Document<\/strong> in the dropdown of the window that pops up, then click OK. \nDisplacement maps use highlights and shadows from grayscale documents to determine where the highs and lows will be in your distortion. Rather overthink how this works, we can simply use our background as our input and it will shape our distortion in a way that seems realistic. \nNext, you’ll want to add a slight Gaussian Blur<\/strong>. This will help make sure the effect isn’t too harsh. How much you should blur greatly depends on the size and resolution of your document. For mine, a 4.4px blur worked great. \nSave this newly blurred PSD to your project folder as DisplacementMap.psd<\/strong>, then switch back to your original wall photo, making sure to turn off any extra channels you created earlier. You want just the wall photo in its original form: \nIn Illustrator, copy the graphic that you’re going to be applying to the textured wall. Then, paste it on top of the wall in Photoshop. Make sure to select Smart Object<\/strong> in the Paste dialog. Position the graphic however you like. \nTo make sure the graphic is blending nicely, set it to Linear Burn<\/strong>. Then, drop the fill to 65%<\/strong>.
\n
\nThis will create a brand new file out of our red channel copy. This new file will serve as the input pixel data for our displacement map.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>5. Increase Contrast in New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nBefore we do this though, let’s ramp up the contrast in our new document a bit with a Levels<\/strong> adjustment.
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>6. Blur New Document<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>7. Save the Blurred File as a Separate PSD<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Paste In Graphic as Smart Object<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span>8. Set Graphic to Linear Burn, Fill 65%<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
\nNote that, with my light background and dark graphic, I can use blending modes like Multiply, Color Burn, and Linear Burn. If your background is dark and your graphic is light, try Screen or Overlay.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>9. Apply Displacement Map<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03042548\/giftorial-displacementmap-9.gif.webp\")
![\"giftorial\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03042603\/giftorial-displacementmap-10.gif.webp\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"getpaidtowrite-banner\"](\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/02\/03034515\/getpaidtowrite-banner.jpg.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"