How can I improve this method to add a more 3-dimensionality to my textures?

[Deathbliss]

Sorry of this isn't in the right forum, but I was hopings someone here could help me. So, bear with me as I try to describe what I'm doing...

As I'm making a tileable brick texture I first take two textures, one for grout and one for the bricks, and I put them on different layers. Grout is first, bricks next.

Then I darken or lighten the grout texture as needed.

The third step is to add a vector mask to the brick texture. I then Alt-click on it, show the grid, and draw out my bricks. Once I have what is basically the pattern for the grout, I click back on the texture I use for bricks.

Now I double-click on it and uncheck transparency shapes layer (found this in another tutorial - dunno what it does). Then I check the first two boxes (inner and out shadow I think), and bevel. Under bevel I increase the depth and set the bevel to 2 or 4, I usually use a soft chisel, and I set the first of the two drop-down boxes to overlay.

I then save the PSD, and then I collapse everything and save as a DDS.

Now what comes out looks pretty good, but I have no idea what many of these settings do. I learned to set them using this tutorial:
http://www.3dcadresources.com/photos...cks_brick.html

Because I found a method here I like, and which I can easily use to create tilable textures, I'm looking only to improve on it. I'm trying to make textures that can be used in 3DS Max and UT 2004. I'd like any help at all that I can get explaining all these options, helping me understand how to create better bricks, and adding more depth and realism to the bricks I create. I figure trying to learn Photoshop while working on a project like the one I'm currently working on (making a gothic/castle texture pack for UT 2004) is the best route to go.

So any help is appreciated, and I would especially love any links to free video tutorials that will help me with this. I just seem to learn better that way. Thanks!
- Deathbliss

[jackobeast]

Without knowing anything about your level of texturing knowledge, look into bump and specular map creation. After that, you NEED to add lighting to your exported scene/model to make the bumping work (baking the textures).

That's my understanding. Anyone feel free to correct me if necessary.
-j