Project #2.3- Creating A Displacement Map

Check out these tutorials below on how to make a displacement map.  First I want you to do one of the tutorials listed below and then save it in the public folder (Johnson Digital), under "Displacement Map Projects".  Then, once you have the process under your belt, I want you to create your own cool image that uses a displacement map.  So, in total, you will be creating TWO works that use a displacement map. 

IMPORTANT: When you save your files make sure your name is part of the file name, so I will know who to give credit to when grading them.

How to Wrap Texture Around an Object (or how make a displacement map)

The process of taking art and making it wrap around an object or map to the texture of a background is called displacement mapping.  Follow the steps outlined below to learn how to use the Wrap feature and discover how easy it is to create this stunning effect with relatively little effort.

1. Open the file called wrap.psd from the tutorial folder in the Johnson Digital folder.
2. Click the Channel palette and fine the channel that has the greatest contrast.  In this example, you are going to use the Blue channel, so click on it to select it.  Now you are going to create a new document from the Blue channel.  Click on the Channel palette menu and select Duplicate Channel from the dropdown menu.  In the Duplicate Channel dialog box select New in the Document section, as shown in the image below, and then click OK.

3. Now you will have a new document open in the Photoshop workspace.  This file will become your displacement map.

4. Now save the new file either in your user folder or on the desktop for quick reference, calling it DisplacementMap.psd, then click OK.  Go back to the Channels palette in the wrap.psd image.  In the Channels palette, click on RGB to turn on all the channels.  Next, click on the Layers palette.  Make sure all the layers are visible, then click on the top layer of the channels to ensure that they all are activated.

5. Type in some text using the white color and then rasterize the layer.  Go to the Filter menu, select the Distort submenu, and then click on the Displace option.  Change the scaling to 1.  Now locate the newly created displacement file and click OK.

6. Change the screen mode of the text layer to Overlay to create a more realistic look.