clone/move/scale normalmap, diffuse and specular (etc.) at the same time?

Michael Knubben

So, since the thread about rotating normalmaps is attracting a fair few knowledgeable members, I thought I'd post about this thing I'd been thinking about:
Often when I have to make changes to textures when the Normalmap, Spec and Diffuse have all been finished, I curse the fact that I can't clone-stamp multiple layers at once. Seems like such a simple request for Adobe, but in the mean time, are there any workarounds or other tools that accomplish this?

Ryan Clark

Best I can think of is to record an action while you work on the diffuse map, and then play that action back on each of the others...

Ghostscape

I might be mistaken on the details, but I've seen it done, I'll check with my buddy Matt tomorrow.

he's done this by copy/pasting the channels of his spec, normal, etc into his diffuse, so he winds up with like a 9 channel image (name your channels), and then activating all the channels (typically you either have a single alpha channel active or the RGB channels, but you can select more than that), and then using the clone tool. I haven't tried this personally and it was demoed in CS2 so it might have changed, but pretty much any operation that works on multiple channels/layers worked this way.

Of course then you have to pull the channels out and convert them to RGB layers, so you'll probably want an action for the splitting (past spec and normal into diffuse, make each their own layer, go through spec, selecting each channel, creating a new one, filling with white, repeat for normal, delete normal/spec layers when done) and then another for assembly (make new layer, name spec, fill with black, select R255/G0/B0, ctrl-click spec-red to set as selection, fill with red, repeat for each channel/layer)

Ryan Smith

sample all layers option?

Illusions

It would be really nice to have instanced layers. It doesn't seem like it would be that processor or ram intensive either (is it really that hard to have one layer update a duplicate of itself every once in a while?) Forgive my ignorance if this exists already somewhere in Photoshop.

Ghostscape

Virtuosic wrote: »

sample all layers option?

That isn't what sample all layers does - it samples the collapsed image for cloning onto a single layer...right?

SHEPEIRO

i have always wandered about this, using 9 channels seams like a bit of a headache, but i might give that a go, will watch this

Michael Knubben

Ryan: I'm not sure the action-system is that robust. It just records you setting a sampling point, and then, err... nothing.

That being said, the channels-workaround sounds workable. it even sounds like there could be a script/action that copied a few specifically named (normal_flat, specular_flat, glow_flat, etc.) into the diffuse's channels automatically.
I might give that a go soon.

edit: I tried it, and...
No.

gamedev

What has forced to make this change after the maps are done? Are you making changes to the UV's? Would a Render to Texture to a new UV set solve this?