You have just downloaded one of Romancrow Graphics’ displacement maps (complete with highlights and shadows). You have exclusive rights to these maps. To use them place them in your Photoshop Plug-Ins Folder. For further, more specific, instructions see below. You probably need to print this out before trying to use it.
How To Use Displacement Maps
1. Open any illustration/photo into Photoshop and make sure it is in RGB format.
2. Duplicate this image by pulling down the Image menu, selecting Calculate, then Duplicate.
3. Pull down the Filter Menu and select Distort, then Displace. A window will pop up.
4. In the Displacement window enter any coordinates you’d like. Make sure the settings are equal (i.e. 2:2, 1:1, etc.). Choose Tile or Stretch to Fit. Then Choose Wrap Around. Then click OK or return. You’ll need to experiment with this a while to get the desired effect.
5. Now choose which displacement map (not “highlights and shadows”) you want to use. It will be in the Plug-Ins folder inside Adobe Photoshop. After you’ve selected your map - return to your illustration.
6. Pull down the File menu and select Open. Open the highlights and shadows map that corresponds with the displacement map you used.
7. Go to Window and select Channels. This will bring up your channels dialog. It should have 2 or 3 channels depending on the map.
8. Make sure “highlights” is selected on the Channel’s dialog window. Now pull down the Select menu and select All.
9. Pull down the Edit menu and select Define Pattern.
10. Go back to your already displaced RGB image and inside the Channel’s dialog window choose New Channel. Label it anything you want (#5 is suitable) and click OK. Your picture should turn completely white...don’t worry though.
11. Now Select All again and pull down the Edit menu and select Fill. Fill with the Pattern (not the background or foreground colors). The highlight should appear on your screen (but not your image .. yet).
12. Select RGB on your images Channel Dialog. This will bring up your image. Then, under Select, choose Load Selection. You should see several things selected on your image - these are your highlights.
13. Pull down the Image menu, with your highlights still selected, select Adjust then Levels. This will bring up the Levels menu. Since this is a highlight pull the arrow (the second one from the left) all the way to the right. You should see your highlights turn white. Choose OK when you finish.
14. Now go back to your Highlights and Shadows Map and select a new channel (we’ve already done highlights so choose Shadow). Repeat the process in steps 9 - 12 (except under Load Selection - select your new channel).
15. Under Image again, with your shadows still selected, select Adjust, then Levels. This time place the bar close to the right. This will turn your shadows dark. Click OK when satisfied.
16. If there is a another channel in you Highlights/Shadows map then repeat the step 9-12 again. And by step 13 you should know what to do.
