If you’ve ever tried to add an image to your 3D model in Blender and scratched your head, you’re not alone. One user recently commented about their difficulty with applying textures, and surprisingly, there aren’t many straightforward tutorials to explain the process in simple terms. That’s why we’ve created this guide—to walk you step by step through adding Image Texture in Blender model, adjusting surface details like shininess and bumpiness, and making your 3D creations come alive.

Getting Started: What You Need

Before diving in, you’ll need your own model and Image Texture in Blender, or you can download the “little monster dude” featured in the tutorial’s thumbnail. This creature model is free via a Gumroad link (shared in the original video description) and was created using the Creature Kitbash add-on. Once downloaded, unzip the file onto your computer. You’ll find a .blend file and a textures folder containing several PNG images.

Open the Blender file, and you’ll see a gray eyeball monster staring back at you. Don’t worry—he’s all gray because no textures have been assigned yet. Let’s fix that.

Step 1: Enter the Shading Workspace

Select the monster’s body from the 3D viewport or outliner to apply textures. Then, switch to the Shading workspace, which gives you access to Blender’s node-based material editor. This interface contains two primary nodes:

• Principled BSDF: Your main material shader.
• Material Output: Required for your shader to display in the viewport.

These two nodes should be connected by default. If they’re not, you won’t see your material updates, so be careful not to accidentally disconnect them.

Step 2: Apply Base Color

Let’s begin by adjusting the Base Color, which determines your model’s general surface color. Changing this value will immediately update the model’s color, unless you’re in the Layout workspace. That’s because Blender defaults to Solid Mode there, which doesn’t display materials to maintain performance. If you want to see your texture in Layout, switch the display mode using the Z basic and choose Material Preview.

Step 3: Add an Image Texture Node

Now it’s time to move further on than solid colors. We’ll use an image texture to give your model more detailed visuals. Press Shift + A in the Shader Editor, navigate to Texture > Image Texture, and add the node. Place it beside your Principled BSDF node. You can also search for “Image Texture” directly using the Search function in the Add menu.

Next, connect the Color output of the Image Texture node to the Base Color input of the Principled BSDF shader. The model will turn black—don’t panic. That means no image has been loaded yet.

Click Open in the Image Texture node, navigate to the textures folder, and select the file named eyeball_monster_diffuse.png. If you’re unsure, enable thumbnail preview to find the greenish image. Once loaded, your model should appear green with yellow wings and gray claws.

Alternatively, you can drag and drop image files directly from your file browser into the Shader Editor—this is quicker when dealing with multiple textures.

Step 4: Adjust Roughness for Shininess

The roughness value in the Principled BSDF shader controls how shiny your model appears. A low roughness value gives it a wet, glossy look, while a higher value makes it more matte. You can adjust this manually, or better yet, use a roughness texture for variation.

Add another Image Texture node and load it into the roughness map from your texture folder. Connect its color output to the Roughness input on the BSDF shader. Now, the shininess will vary across the model’s surface, providing a more realistic effect.

Make sure the roughness texture’s color space is set to Non-Color. Blender typically auto-detects this in recent versions, but it’s good practice to double-check.

Step 5: Set Up a Normal Map for Bumpiness

To add depth and detail to the surface without increasing geometry, you’ll need a normal map. Load this in as another Image Texture, but you can’t just plug it directly into the shader’s Normal input—it’ll look wrong.

Instead:

1. Add a Normal Map node: Add > Vector > Normal Map.
2. Connect the image texture’s color output to the Normal Map node’s input.
3. Then, connect the Normal Map’s output to the Principled BSDF’s Normal input.

As with roughness, make sure the Color Space is set to Non-Color. Although the map appears colorful (usually blue and purple), Blender uses these colors as numerical data for calculating surface detail—not as actual colors.

Pro Tip: Use the Node Wrangler Add-on

If you’ve installed the Node Wrangler add-on (bundled with Blender), there’s an even faster way to set everything up. Select the Principled BSDF shader and press Ctrl + Shift + T. This opens a file browser—select all the related textures (diffuse, roughness, normal, etc.), and click Import. Blender will automatically wire them together and set the correct color spaces.

For this to work flawlessly, your texture files should be clearly named and labeled with words like diffuse, roughness, and normal.

Final Thoughts

Using Image Texture in Blender can dramatically enhance the realism of your 3D models. From basic coloring to advanced surface details like shininess and bumpiness, this tutorial covered everything you need to know to get started. While today’s guide used pre-made textures, you can also paint your own, opening up even more creative freedom.

If you’re ready to look at custom painting next, check out the linked tutorial on how to paint your textures directly in Blender.

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