Texture painting - How fo I change my techniques for normal maps?

Snacuum

Hi all. Sorry My first post is another 'asker.' Anyway I'm Snacuum and although I'd rather be in design I'm working on my art skills. I'm completing an old challenge model from a year ago and I've gotten to the stage where I have baked my normal maps and given a slight pass of AO for my character model. My issue is the next step painting and apply my diffuse texture. Now this is my first time making an organic normal map for a model and until now have only been taught how to paint textures for low-res non-normal mapped models, (doesn't help that I'm absolute rubbish with photoshop and texturing in general.) Basically what I'm asking is: How and what do I change to my painting techniques for models that have normal maps?

I know it is done differently since the normal map does a lot of the shadows and highlights details for you, but I've only been taught to draw those in. I've searched around here and elsewhere for tutorials and tips but most I've seen just tell me how to paint for low-res or make just a good normal map.

If I paint the way I normally do, I'm scared that I'll undo all the work my normal map was created for.

Thanks in adavnce.

-Snacuum

MoP

Ambient Occlusion becomes a much larger part of the work involved.

Also you spend more time on defining materials through good use of specular level, specular colour and diffuse map colour. You can also use a gloss (specular exponent) map to control the "width" of the highlights to get more matte or wet looks.

Highlighting edges and darkening crevices in the diffuse and specular are a big part of working well with normal-maps too - you're correct that you no longer really need to paint any sort of lighting or shading, mainly your AO bake will do this work for you.

Snacuum

Thanks! I'm so grateful for a quick reply. Not much painting? that's a scary thought, I mean, I'm crap at painting but... well I've already put a bunch of material and shadow from AO in my map but it still looks so flat, That might be my normal map's fault due to it being my first one. I'd like to know more techniques if anybody has some to contribute, specifically: "In your pipeline when working with diffuse to complement a normal map, when you put a brush to your texture what do you do differently?"

Also in regards to AO and cavity maps, I have made one big fat shadow map with my low-poly for general shading. My high poly is in zbrush and I can make cavity from that but it is 'too cavity.' as in it only shows the deepest pits. I'd like to make one with more tolerance to low bumps for a generalized soft shadow. Right now I'm working on my characters snazzy corduroy jeans, they are looking way flat, but it doesn't sound right to just paint in wrinkles with shadows.

Also what is a good light config to preview models in max? I have my normal map set up with my diffuse but I also have self-illumination set up to 100 so my normals don't fool me on my diffuse changes.