Troubleshoot normal direction of normal maps are flipped

User Guide > Rendering and Render Setup > Shading > About shading and texturing surfaces > Map and position textures >

Gamma correction should not be used with normal maps. Normal maps contain X, Y, Z values rather than R, G, B values. Gamma correction upon normal maps may reverse the normal direction of the map.

Under the normal map’s file node, select Linear under the Color Profile option to avoid applying color correction to the normal map.

Note

This troubleshooting tip also applies to bump maps or HDR images.