Creative 52: Weekly Projects to Invigorate Your Photography Portfolio

Challenge 52. Be Unusual with Displacement Maps

Description

A displacement map allows you to more realistically put a texture or pattern onto a surface. You create a map of the contours of an object (perhaps your subject or background), and you can then apply a texture to it. This is a step up from simply applying a texture (Challenge 44) or using a blend mode (Challenge 38), because you can actually warp and bend the texture to make it look as if it is part of that surface.

Displacement mapping is a specialized tool, but once you add it to your repertoire, you can use it for endless applications. Apply a texture or pattern to a subject’s face, a wall, or an article of clothing. Apply fake tattoos to the skin or a logo on a shirt. Wrap your ...