Shading map
A grayscale layer that multiplies a design's brightness so it picks up the shadows, highlights, and texture of the product underneath.
Realism comes from light, not just shape. A shading map darkens a design where the product is in shadow and brightens it under highlights, so the artwork looks printed-on rather than pasted-on.
Derived from a photo's luminance relative to a fully-lit reference, it preserves broad shadows and fabric texture without washing the design out.
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