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Design Cool Game Graphics Using Displacement Maps – Psd Premium Tutorial

on Mar 4th 2009 with 38 comments
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We have another great Psd Premium tutorial exclusively available to Premium members today. If you want to take your game design skills to the next level, then we have an awesome tutorial for you. Discover how to use Photoshop tools to blend graphics, textures, and a Cinema 4D creature into an awesome game cover design. Learn more about this informative and advanced tut at the jump!

Fantastic Game Graphic Techniques

This tutorial re-creates a fictional game cover by combining Photoshop’s channels with the Lighting Effects Filter to produce realistic displacement maps. To start off, you’ll create a three-dimensional distressed logo, then combine the same techniques along with some advanced path functions to make the rusty background panels. Finally, we’ll show you how to color correct a Cinema 4D creature render so it senselessly blends into the environment.

Premium members can Log in and Download! If you’re not a member, you can of course join today! You can view the final image preview below or view a larger version here.

This is a Detailed and Professional Tutorial

This tutorial takes inspiration from survival horror game graphics such as Resident Evil and Doom. What makes survival horror games distinctive is that the player often finds himself alone in dark, claustrophobic, vulnerable situations. Ammunition and health power-ups are usually very limited while enemies are plentiful – all this is designed for maximum game play suspense. Premium members can Log in and Download! Otherwise, Join Now! Below are some sample images from the tutorial.

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Premium Membership

As you know, we run a premium membership system here called ‘Premium’ that costs $19 a month which gives members access to the Source files for tutorials as well as periodic extra tutorials, like this one! You’ll also get access to Net Premium and Vector Premium, too. If you’re a Premium member, you can log in and download the tutorial. If you’re not a member, you can of course join today!

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the Psdtuts+ RSS Feed to stay up to date with the latest Photoshop tutorials and articles.

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By

Rollover to read this author's bio or click through to see a full list of posts by this author.

Hi everyone! I’m an illustrator and print designer from Cornwall in the UK. I’ve been using Photoshop since version 3. I also contribute tutorials for some of the worlds leading creative publications. Head over to my website where you can see more of my work.  

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  • http://www.mashupciti.com revy

    Cool. I use zbrush and photoshop for this kind of stuff.

    • http://www.pryde-design.co.uk Andrew Pryde

      I had never heard ot zbrush thanks for the heads up.

      @Prydie

    • JohnM.

      I have zbrush too. I just don’t know how to use it :/

  • http://snedekerdesignz.com/blog/ Craigsnedeker

    nice :)

  • Brian

    Reminds me of the old days, before we had filters. I remember using Kai’s Power Tips and reading about chops (CHannel OPerationS). Sometimes I still need it to do bevels by hand when working on large format projects.

    Cool Stuff.

    • Jaybo

      how do u do bevels by hand?

    • http://www.seraphimcollective.com Seraphim Collective

      Oh man, what a flash back! Kai’s and the old way to do bevels.

  • http://www.keetee.com Allison

    Looks like a great tutorial!

  • Corey

    Damn it feels good to be a Plus member.

    • http://laranzjoe.blogspot.com lawrence77

      yeah!!

      • http://laranzjoe.blogspot.com lawrence77

        but still i’m waiting for that damn 9$!!

        who invented money?? :(

      • http://10steps.sg Johnson Koh

        Who invented money…I wish to know that =.=

    • http://www.iammikesmith.com Mike Smith

      haha yeah. I seen this in my feed reader and immediately logged in and downloaded the files. the Envato team are the greatest. $9.00 per month…. seriously! What a great deal.

      • http://laranzjoe.blogspot.com lawrence77

        which feed reader you use?? Mr. Mike Smith

  • lol

    I dont really like the outcome, especially the text. Way tooooo simple.
    But nontheless, its the effort that counts! ;)
    Thanks for the tutorial, eventhough I’m not a plus member. :|

  • Justin

    Not to be rude…
    but is devastation spelled wrong or is it me?

    I do however love the outome

    • jm

      lol yeah, it is misspelled. Correct spelling is devastation. ;)

    • http://www.crispeegrafix.com Chris

      It’s not you, lol. good catch.

    • http://connectioncube.com/ Sean Hodge

      Thx for catching this. I’ll work on getting this fixed.

    • http://connectioncube.com/ Sean Hodge

      We got the typo corrected. Thx.

  • barlos

    why plus?:(

  • Pingback: Daily Links | AndySowards.com :: Professional Web Design, Development, Programming, Hacks, Downloads, Math and being a Web 2.0 Hipster?

  • http://www.3dand2dmag.wordpress.com Aleso

    zbrush is use it for 3d applications, you can generate the normals maps of i hires resolution 3d mesh and you export that maps for to apply to a low resolution 3d mesh in another application and then the low poly model will looks like a the high poly model, is an amazing application without zbrush all the details that you see in games it can not be possible.

  • http://www.opensourcehunter.com OpenSourceHunter

    Not bad!

    greetz

  • RUGRLN

    Wickeddddddd…..Anyways, could anyone tell me for what Cinema4D is used here? Thanks..

    • Dullface

      The alien figure in the front

  • goldkaly

    Zbrush ? cinema 4D ? NO !!! IT´S Poser
    Look for “RD Phenotypes 002 Havoc ” in Content paradise , good colors and very easy to make :) lol !!!

    • http://www.markmayers.co.uk Mark Mayers
      Author

      Thanks for all the comments.

      The tut’s main focus is creating the logo and background using displacement maps, the figure is supplied as a 3D render, so its’ shadows can interact with the dispacement mapping on the background paneling etc.

      Yes, it is a Poser figure, exported to Cinema 4D (using the InterPoser plug-in) to make a render – the Poser render engine is great, but painfully slow!

  • brody

    i just bloody hate the font of the bottom line :)

  • http://10steps.sg Johnson Koh

    This is a fierce one. Keep coming!

  • http://lenevia.com Devin Rajaram

    I will go and check it out today

  • TopFlySecurity

    damn why do i come to this site while im at work! i allways wish i was home so i can get started on the tutorials :)

  • http://www.dnb4essex.co.uk Scott

    Thankyou for an awesome tutorial. Many tips and techniques learned….. $9 a month well spent
    Scott

  • http://www.saustomat.co.cc/ saustomat

    i want to be a plus ! T.T

  • http://www.RenzoJohnson.com Renzo

    After this tut, I’ll start playing around to ps 3d powers…

  • Rendersoft

    With all these Cinema 4d + Photoshop Tuts I will be getting my membership on Friday.

  • http://www.behance.net/Modisana Modisana

    Ah Geez… If only I had enough time to Learn Maya I know Id probably do something much much more awesome. Well…. Don’t care! Im still giving it a shot.

    And thanks that you guys do these competitions…. another thing that keeps us coming back to the tuts network.

    Keep it up.

  • http://theal.deviantart.com/ TheAL

    Very bad-ass tut. I have never been able to finish it on account of my instance of CS3 always crashing between steps 4 and 5, but everything up until then turns out perfectly.