Normal map generator
Turn a height or bump image into a tangent-space normal map. Adjust strength and blur, preview live, and download the PNG. Runs in your browser.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
About the Normal map generator
A normal map stores surface direction in its red, green and blue channels so a flat texture catches light as if it had real bumps and grooves. This tool derives one from a greyscale height or bump image using a Sobel gradient, giving you the tangent-space normal map most engines expect.
How to use the Normal map generator
- Drop a greyscale height or bump image.
- Adjust the strength to control how pronounced the bumps appear.
- Add a little blur to smooth noise if the source is grainy.
- Preview the result and download the normal map as a PNG.
Frequently asked questions
A tangent-space normal map encodes surface slope relative to the mesh surface, using the purple-blue palette you see in most game textures. It is the format engines such as Unity, Unreal and Godot expect for per-pixel lighting detail.
Use a greyscale height or bump map where light areas are high and dark areas are low. The generator reads that brightness gradient to work out the surface direction.
No. The normal map is computed in your browser and the source image never leaves your machine.
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