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Displacement Maps


Photoshop may be a 2D image editing program at heart, but that doesn't mean that its lacking in features that can simulate 3D effects. In this tutorial I will detail a simple method for 'mapping' text onto an irregular surface, giving us the impression that it is part of the underlying original image, rather than a overlaid afterthought.

Step 1: Open up a stock image in Photoshop of any size and/or format. The best results for this tutorial usually involve images with many undulating areas of high and low brightness. For this reason I have selected a wavy fabric... although you are, of course, free to experiment.

Step 2: This may seem like an odd step, but save your work, and then save a duplicate of your PSD into a separate file called 'displace.psd'. This will be used later in the tutorial, but for now just close the duplicate and work on your original image.

Step 3: Use the horizontal Type Tool to create a word. In my case I've used the 'Arial' font at size 110. Don't worry if you don't want to use this particular typeface - just select something with a solid look (script-style fonts rarely deform well).
 

Step 4: Right-click on the type layer in the layer palette and select 'Rasterize layer' from the dropdown menu that appears. Then, with the type layer still selected, choose Filter > Distort > Displace from the menu. Duplicate the settings in the image opposite and then select the displace.psd image you saved in step 2.
 

Step 5: And that's it! Your type layer is now displaced according to the relative contrasts of the displacement map. To get a better result, you should now change the type layer blending option to 'Overlay' and drop the opacity to taste. Clean up any over-stretched areas with the Eraser Tool. You can even add layer effects for added realism if you have the time to experiment.
 

Variations: Of course, this technique is not limited to text objects - you can displace pretty much anything (even complex images), although results do tend to vary.
 

- Tutorial written by Man1c M0g

Automatic Translations: Translate Into French Translate Into German Translate Into Italian Translate Into Spanish Translate Into Portuguese

Last 5 User Comments

User:  Morozov (#48693)
Date: Sat Mar 15, 2008. 05:47:39

Post #6 of 6

This tutorial make things easier. Thanks

Reply to this post


User:  mquinn527 (#47486)
Date: Wed Jan 23, 2008. 02:24:25

Post #5 of 6

Ahh So thats how it's done. Thanks!
Q

Reply to this post


User:  lilymoonsilver (#40023)
Date: Fri Mar 30, 2007. 18:10:51

Post #4 of 6

Very cool effect, and very well written tutorial. Thanks so much.

Reply to this post


User:  dundas (#32886)
Date: Tue Oct 17, 2006. 23:27:49

Post #3 of 6

Thank you! I'm been searching for a tut just like this!

Reply to this post


User:  Casey (#22447)
Date: Wed Jan 04, 2006. 21:16:21

Post #2 of 6

Now my crumpled paper can have crumpled writting, making for a much more authentic looking treasure map! Thanks!

Reply to this post


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