Editing textures in Gimp: easy way?

pixelquack

Say I want to edit a skin in Gimp and add some details, irregularities, pores, scars, whatnot - is there an easy way to get all the necessary textures like height map, bump, displacement and whatever else might be there to load as layers in Gimp? A script perhaps? With an option to export with different name? (Though alt versions probably is one for Map Manager?)

fred9803

Those maps, normal etc. are seperate images within the character's texture folder so I can't see any reason why they can't be loaded as seperate layers. They are the same dimensions as the main skin map so they will layer on top of that without adjustment. As for Gimp, I can't help you as I use another program but I'm sure Gimp supports multiple layers. Your problem will be matching your changed details between the maps so that the normal, displacement etc. align with the changes you make to the texture map.

pixelquack

Aligning position is easy with visibility switches and opacity slider. What I need better understanding of is what the various types of maps do and how they work and how they are generated. For example, how is a bump map different from a height map? How do I edit the normal map to create a certain look? Do I do that at all? Do I auto create it from a normal map generator and what other material options play into how the texture looks, like roughness, glossy etc. 
Would appreciate a tutorial, if anyone happens to know a good one.

Faeryl Womyn

Bump maps give the illusion of dimension where as height map are actual 3d dimension usually from displacement maps. I can't help much beyond that.

BradCarsten

The maps are usually created in programs like substance painter, but you can convert grayscale images into normal maps, specular etc online with this tool https://cpetry.github.io/NormalMap-Online/