Texturing & materials · Beginner

Albedo map

A texture holding a surface’s pure color, with no lighting painted in

Also called Base color map

What is an albedo map?

An albedo map is a texture that holds a surface’s pure color, with no shadows, highlights or lighting baked in. In PBR materials it is often called the base color map. The renderer adds all the light and shade itself, so the same map looks right under any lighting.

Think of it like this

It is like a paint sample card at a hardware store: the true color of the paint, before any room lighting changes how it looks.

Where it fits in a 3D project

  1. Create
  2. Surface
  3. Rig
  4. Animate
  5. Render
  6. Export

Surface: Giving the shape its color and material: UVs, textures and shaders.

Base colorNormalRoughnessMetallicOcclusionMaterial
The base color map is one of several texture maps a material combines.

How an albedo map works

  1. 01Capture or paint the surface’s color under flat, even light.
  2. 02Remove shadows, reflections and highlights so only the color remains.
  3. 03Plug the map into the material’s base color input, and the renderer lights it.

Albedo map vs diffuse map

PropertyAlbedo mapDiffuse map
ContainsPure color onlyColor, often with shading painted in
LightingAll added by the rendererPartly baked into the image
WorkflowModern PBR materialsOlder and stylized setups
Under new lightingStays correctCan look wrong

Use an albedo map for any PBR material; a diffuse map belongs to older or stylized setups where shading is painted by hand.

Where an albedo map is used

  • Base color for PBR materials in games and film
  • Product colorways, with one map per finish
  • Scanned surfaces once their lighting has been removed

Beginner tip

Look for dark crevices or bright highlights in your albedo. If you can tell where the light came from, shading has crept in and will double up with the renderer’s.

Terms related to an albedo map

Albedo map FAQ

What does albedo mean?
Albedo is a measure of how much light a surface reflects. In 3D it has come to mean a surface’s own color, as it would look under perfectly even light with no shading at all.
Is an albedo map the same as a base color map?
Mostly, yes. Different apps use different names for the same input. One nuance: in the metallic workflow, the base color map also sets the color of reflections on metal parts.
Why does my albedo map look flat?
Because it should. Depth comes from the lighting and the other maps, such as normal and roughness. A flat-looking albedo is usually a sign it was made correctly.

Updated October 29, 2026 · Browse all 3D terms