I've been using Blender a lot recently, and, not wanting to front the money to buy a Normal Map generation program or (oh dear) use GIMP of all things, I decided to try creating a Normal Map in Paint.NET.
What is a Normal Map, you ask? Normal Maps are images that are used in conjunction with a texture to give the texture false 'depth', allowing, say, light to shine onto the bricks in a texture while not getting into the cracks between, or making light come from a specific side.
The original texture:
The normal map:
The result:
Not the best, as you can clearly see.
How could I make improvements? Is this even practical? Any suggestions?