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Photoshop Pro Texturing

Channel Packing for Game-Ready Textures

#Texturing#Photoshop#Optimization

Need fewer texture files and faster performance without losing detail?

The Workflow

  1. Export grayscale maps (AO, Roughness, Metallic) from Blender (or your texturing tool).
  2. Open them in Photoshop and confirm they’re the same resolution and bit depth.
  3. Create a new document (same resolution).
  4. Paste each map into a channel:
    • R = Ambient Occlusion
    • G = Roughness
    • B = Metallic
  5. Save as one texture: asset_ARM.png (or asset_ORM.png).
  6. In your engine/material, route channels back to the correct inputs.

The Usage

Channel packing cuts texture count (and memory/bandwidth) immediately—huge for games, real-time scenes, and any pipeline where performance and organization matter.