How to Apply a Texture to an Object in Blender

The basic steps to add a texture to your model

To apply a texture in Blender, you need three things: a 3D object, an image file, and a material. The process has two parts — creating a material and connecting an image to it. Start by selecting your object in the viewport, then switch to the Shading workspace at the top of the screen. From there, you add a material, load your image, and connect the image node to the material's base color input. The texture then appears on your object.

The reason this takes a few steps is that Blender separates the material (the surface properties) from the texture (the image file). This separation gives you control, but it means you cannot just drag an image onto an object the way you might in other software.

Key Takeaways

Switch to the Shading workspace to see both your 3D object and the material nodes at the same time.
Create a new material on your object, then add an Image Texture node and a Principled BSDF node connected together.
Load your image file into the Image Texture node by clicking Open Image and selecting the file from your computer.
Make sure your object has UV coordinates mapped to it, or the texture will not display correctly on the surface.
Switch the viewport shading mode to Material Preview or Rendered to see the texture on your object in real time.

Switch to the Shading workspace and select your object

Open Blender and load your project. At the top of the screen, you will see workspace tabs — click on Shading. The screen splits into two halves: the 3D viewport on top and the Shader Editor on the bottom. The Shader Editor is where you build the material.

Click on the object in the 3D viewport to select it. You will see it highlight with an orange outline. If your object does not have a material yet, the Shader Editor will be empty. If it already has a material, you will see nodes in the Shader Editor — usually a Principled BSDF node connected to a Material Output node.

Create a new material or use an existing one

Look at the Shader Editor. If you see no nodes, you need to create a material. On the right side of the Shader Editor, find the material properties panel (it looks like a sphere icon). Click the + New button to create a blank material. A Principled BSDF node and a Material Output node will appear in the Shader Editor.

If your object already has a material, you can reuse it or create a new one. To add a second material, click + New again. To switch between materials on the same object, click the material name in the list and then the arrow buttons to navigate.

Add an Image Texture node and load your image

In the Shader Editor, press Shift + A to open the Add menu. Navigate to Texture and select Image Texture. A new node appears in the editor. Click Open Image on that node and browse to your image file on your computer. Select the file and click Open Image.

The image file is now loaded into the node. You will see a preview of the image inside the Image Texture node. If the image does not appear, check that the file format is supported — Blender reads PNG, JPG, TIFF, and other common formats.

Connect the Image Texture to the Principled BSDF

In the Shader Editor, you now have two nodes: the Image Texture node (on the left) and the Principled BSDF node (in the middle). The Image Texture node has a yellow output socket on the right side labeled Color. The Principled BSDF has a yellow input socket on the left side labeled Base Color.

Click and drag from the Color output on the Image Texture node to the Base Color input on the Principled BSDF. A yellow line connects the two nodes. This connection tells Blender to use your image as the color of the surface. The texture is now applied to the material.

Check your object's UV mapping

If the texture appears stretched, distorted, or does not show up at all, your object may not have UV coordinates. UV coordinates are invisible instructions that tell Blender how to stretch a flat image across a 3D surface. Most objects created in Blender have UVs by default, but imported models sometimes do not.

To check, select your object in the 3D viewport and press Tab to enter Edit Mode. Press A to select all vertices. Then press U to open the UV menu and select Unwrap. This creates a basic UV map. Press Tab again to return to Object Mode. The texture should now display correctly on your object.

Switch to Material Preview or Rendered view to see the texture

By default, the 3D viewport shows objects in Solid mode, which does not display textures. To see your texture on the object, change the viewport shading. In the top right corner of the 3D viewport, you will see four circles. Click the third circle from the left (Material Preview mode) or the fourth circle (Rendered mode). The texture now appears on your object in the viewport.

Material Preview mode is faster and shows textures with basic lighting. Rendered mode shows the texture with full lighting and effects, but it is slower and uses more computer power. For most work, Material Preview is enough to see whether your texture is applied correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my texture look blurry or pixelated?

This usually means your image file is too small for the size of your object on screen. Use a higher-resolution image, or scale your object down. You can also change the interpolation setting on the Image Texture node from Linear to Cubic for smoother results, though this is slower to render.

How do I apply different textures to different parts of the same object?

Create multiple materials, one for each texture. In Edit Mode, select the faces you want to have a different texture, then assign a different material to them. Each material can have its own Image Texture node with a different image file.

Can I use a texture I downloaded from the internet?

Yes, as long as you have permission to use it. Download the image file to your computer, then open it in the Image Texture node the same way you would any other image. Check the website's license to make sure you are allowed to use it for your project.

What if the texture is rotated or flipped on my object?

You can rotate or flip the texture without changing the image file. In the Shader Editor, add a Mapping node between the Image Texture and the Principled BSDF. The Mapping node has Rotation and Location settings that let you adjust how the texture sits on the surface.

Do I need to save the image file inside my Blender project?

No, but if you move the image file to a different folder, Blender will not find it and the texture will disappear. To avoid this, pack the image into your Blender file. In the Image Texture node, click the folder icon next to the image name and select Pack. The image is now stored inside your project file.

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