Assignment Week #11 2-D Displacement Mapping

This week we'll be creating an image using a 2-D displacement map. Displacement mapping is the technique used to map one surface onto another according to the values in luminance. This is used quite a bit in trying to add a design or text onto a textured surface. Here's how we do it.

1. Open your image in Photoshop.
2. Create a text layer (or whatever else you plan to on mapping onto your original). When you've got what you want make sure the layer is raster and not vector. All text and shape layers are vectors. You can rasterize them through the Layer menu under Rasterize - type, shape, etc.
3. Turn off your text layer and save your background to your desktop as a .psd file. This is your displacement map.
4. Open your new displacement map file.
5. In your Channels box, select the green channel and invert it (command + i). Save and close the file.
5. Open your original file and turn your text layer back on and have it selected.
6. Under the Filter menu go to Distort-Displace. Say OK to all of the default settings the first time. Choose your displacement map that you saved to the desktop and open it.
7. Repeat step 6 until you are happy with it. Visually it should feel as the your text is physically laying onto of your background.
8. To improve the effect, double-click on your text layer to open the layer style dialogue box. Under the Blending options you will see a box titled Blend if: with Gray selected. Here you can adjust the Underlying Layer by sliding the triangles. Option-clicking will allow you to split the triangles and give you greater control. Try bringing in the highlights. Say OK when done.
9. Try blurring your text layer a little, lowering the opacity, and exploring the different blending modes until you've got something you're proud of.