@@ -913,7 +913,7 @@ makes the density drop visible.
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td width="46%" valign="middle">
-<a href="examples/bake-normal-high-to-low/"><img src="examples/bake-normal-high-to-low/preview.webp" alt="Bake normal high to low: an unlit tangent-space normal map card of a six-lobe riveted hatch beside the collapse-decimated bronze plate wearing that map, dark studio" /></a>
+<a href="examples/bake-normal-high-to-low/"><img src="examples/bake-normal-high-to-low/preview.webp" alt="Bake normal high to low: an unlit tangent-space normal map card, the 3200-tri ribbed bronze source plate, and the 900-tri collapse-decimated plate wearing that map, captioned on a dark studio floor" /></a>
 </td>
 <td valign="middle">
 
 
@@ -37,14 +37,20 @@ cage target; collapse keeps UVs) and [`image-pixels-testcard`](../image-pixels-t
 (`save_render`, not `Image.save()`, if you persist the datablock). UV transfer
 and atlas packing are out of scope.
 
-The still stages the baked map as an unlit card beside the LOD wearing it.
-If the bake were flat, the card would be uniform `(128, 128, 255)` periwinkle
-and the plate would shade like the undisplaced cage.
+The still reads left to right as the pipeline: the baked map as an unlit
+card, the high-poly source it was baked from, and the collapse-decimated
+LOD wearing it. Source and LOD share one cast-bronze material, so the only
+difference between them is real geometry versus the map. The floor
+captions carry live triangle counts from the evaluated meshes (3200 vs
+900). A raking key from low on the left makes both the real relief and the
+baked relief throw light and shade. If the bake were flat, the card would
+be uniform `(128, 128, 255)` periwinkle and the right plate would shade
+like the undisplaced cage while the middle one kept its ribs.
 
 Staging is render-only. Each panel stands in a low display plinth, lifted
 so its lowest evaluated point sits 35 mm in the slot. Both panels used to
 balance on an edge, and the leaning plate pierced the floor. The
-solidify rim wears plain bronze instead of the baked map. The slight
+LOD's solidify rim wears plain bronze instead of the baked map. The slight
 waviness along the plate's border is the bake itself, normal-map shading
 inside the UV margin, and is left as the map produces it. Bake
 statistics are unchanged: frac 0.7211, MAD 0.09356 on all three binaries.
 
@@ -222,10 +222,29 @@ def paint_principled(mat, color, metallic, roughness):
     return bsdf
 
 
+BRONZE = (0.62, 0.36, 0.16, 1.0)
+
+
+def bronze(mat):
+    """Cast bronze: metallic, with a noise-mottled roughness so the relief
+    catches broken highlights instead of one smeared sheen. Render only."""
+    nt = mat.node_tree
+    bsdf = paint_principled(mat, BRONZE, 1.0, 0.34)
+    noise = nt.nodes.new("ShaderNodeTexNoise")
+    noise.inputs["Scale"].default_value = 18.0
+    noise.inputs["Detail"].default_value = 6.0
+    rmap = nt.nodes.new("ShaderNodeMapRange")
+    rmap.inputs["To Min"].default_value = 0.24
+    rmap.inputs["To Max"].default_value = 0.48
+    nt.links.new(noise.outputs["Fac"], rmap.inputs["Value"])
+    nt.links.new(rmap.outputs["Result"], bsdf.inputs["Roughness"])
+    return bsdf
+
+
 def wire_normal_map(mat, tex):
     nodes = mat.node_tree.nodes
     links = mat.node_tree.links
-    bsdf = paint_principled(mat, (0.22, 0.13, 0.07, 1.0), 0.58, 0.44)
+    bsdf = bronze(mat)
     nrm = nodes.new("ShaderNodeNormalMap")
     nrm.space = "TANGENT"
     links.new(tex.outputs["Color"], nrm.inputs["Color"])
@@ -368,7 +387,7 @@ def make_map_card(image, name="BakeCard"):
     tex = nodes.new("ShaderNodeTexImage")
     tex.image = image
     emit = nodes.new("ShaderNodeEmission")
-    emit.inputs["Strength"].default_value = 1.0
+    emit.inputs["Strength"].default_value = 0.8
     out = nodes.new("ShaderNodeOutputMaterial")
     links.new(tex.outputs["Color"], emit.inputs["Color"])
     links.new(emit.outputs["Emission"], out.inputs["Surface"])
@@ -427,30 +446,65 @@ def seat_on_plinth(ob, name):
     return plinth
 
 
-def render_still(low, mat, tex, path, engine):
+def make_label(text, loc, name):
+    """A small text caption lying on the floor in front of a plinth."""
+    cu = bpy.data.curves.new(name, "FONT")
+    cu.body = text
+    cu.size = 0.22
+    cu.align_x, cu.align_y = "CENTER", "CENTER"
+    cu.extrude = 0.004
+    lm = bpy.data.materials.new(name + "Mat")
+    lm.use_nodes = True
+    b = paint_principled(lm, (0.62, 0.60, 0.56, 1.0), 0.0, 0.5)
+    b.inputs["Emission Color"].default_value = (0.9, 0.86, 0.78, 1.0)
+    b.inputs["Emission Strength"].default_value = 0.35
+    cu.materials.append(lm)
+    ob = bpy.data.objects.new(name, cu)
+    ob.location = loc
+    ob.rotation_euler = (math.radians(62.0), 0.0, 0.0)
+    bpy.context.scene.collection.objects.link(ob)
+    return ob
+
+
+def render_still(high, low, mat, tex, path, engine):
+    """Left to right: the baked tangent map, the high-poly source it was baked
+    from, and the decimated LOD wearing it. The source and the LOD share one
+    bronze, so the only difference between them is geometry versus map."""
     scene = bpy.context.scene
     for ob in list(scene.objects):
-        if ob.type == "MESH" and ob != low:
+        if ob.type == "MESH" and ob not in (low, high):
             ob.hide_render = True
             ob.hide_viewport = True
+    high_tris = evaluated_triangle_count(high)
+    low_tris = evaluated_triangle_count(low)
 
     wire_normal_map(mat, tex)
     # The solidify rim is the plate's edge, not baked surface: give it plain
     # bronze. Wearing the map, it sampled the UV border and rendered ragged.
     rim = bpy.data.materials.new("BronzeRim")
     rim.use_nodes = True
-    paint_principled(rim, (0.22, 0.13, 0.07, 1.0), 0.58, 0.44)
+    bronze(rim)
     low.data.materials.append(rim)
-    solid = low.modifiers.new("SolidifyDisplay", "SOLIDIFY")
-    solid.thickness = THICKNESS
-    solid.offset = 1.0
-    solid.material_offset_rim = 1
-    low.rotation_euler.x = math.radians(72.0)
-    low.location = (1.20, 0.0, 1.05)
+    src = bpy.data.materials.new("BronzeSource")
+    src.use_nodes = True
+    bronze(src)
+    high.data.materials.clear()
+    high.data.materials.append(src)
+    for ob, x in ((high, 0.35), (low, 3.05)):
+        solid = ob.modifiers.new("SolidifyDisplay", "SOLIDIFY")
+        solid.thickness = THICKNESS
+        solid.offset = 1.0
+        solid.material_offset_rim = 1 if ob is low else 0
+        ob.rotation_euler.x = math.radians(72.0)
+        ob.location = (x, 0.0, 1.05)
     card = make_map_card(tex.image)
-    card.location = (-1.50, 0.0, 1.05)
+    card.location = (-2.45, 0.0, 1.05)
     plinths = [seat_on_plinth(ob, name) for ob, name in
-               ((card, "CardPlinth"), (low, "PlatePlinth"))]
+               ((card, "CardPlinth"), (high, "SourcePlinth"), (low, "PlatePlinth"))]
+    labels = [make_label(t, (x, -1.05, 0.13), f"Label{i}") for i, (t, x) in enumerate((
+        ("BAKED MAP", -2.45),
+        (f"HIGH  {high_tris} tris", 0.35),
+        (f"LOW  {low_tris} tris + map", 3.05)))]
 
     floor_me = bpy.data.meshes.new("Floor")
     bm = bmesh.new()
@@ -492,18 +546,20 @@ def light(name, loc, energy, size, col, rot):
         ob.rotation_euler = tuple(math.radians(a) for a in rot)
         scene.collection.objects.link(ob)
 
-    light("Key", (-4.0, -5.0, 6.0), 600.0, 4.5, (1.0, 0.96, 0.9), (48, 0, -38))
-    light("Fill", (5.0, -4.0, 3.0), 110.0, 9.0, (0.75, 0.85, 1.0), (62, 0, 50))
-    light("Rim", (0.5, 4.5, 5.0), 350.0, 4.0, (0.6, 0.78, 1.0), (-55, 0, 175))
-    light("Wedge", (2.5, 3.5, 4.2), 480.0, 6.0, (1.0, 0.76, 0.5), (-72, 0, 195))
+    # A raking key from low on the left, so the relief on the source and the
+    # baked relief on the LOD both throw light and shade across the ribs.
+    light("Key", (-6.5, -3.5, 2.6), 900.0, 3.0, (1.0, 0.94, 0.86), (72, 0, -62))
+    light("Fill", (5.0, -4.0, 3.0), 90.0, 9.0, (0.75, 0.85, 1.0), (62, 0, 50))
+    light("Rim", (0.5, 4.5, 5.0), 300.0, 4.0, (0.6, 0.78, 1.0), (-55, 0, 175))
+    light("Wedge", (2.5, 3.5, 4.2), 520.0, 6.0, (1.0, 0.72, 0.45), (-72, 0, 195))
 
     cam_data = bpy.data.cameras.new("Cam")
     cam_data.lens = 50.0
     cam = bpy.data.objects.new("Cam", cam_data)
-    cam.location = (0.0, -8.4, 3.15)
+    cam.location = (0.42, -12.2, 3.4)
     scene.collection.objects.link(cam)
     aim = bpy.data.objects.new("Aim", None)
-    aim.location = (0.0, 0.0, 1.05)
+    aim.location = (0.42, 0.0, 0.78)
     scene.collection.objects.link(aim)
     con = cam.constraints.new("TRACK_TO")
     con.target = aim
@@ -529,8 +585,8 @@ def light(name, loc, energy, size, col, rot):
     fcode = gallery_framing.check_framing(
         scene,
         cam,
-        hero=[card, low],
-        elements=[card, low] + plinths,
+        hero=[card, high, low],
+        elements=[card, high, low] + plinths + labels,
         stage=[floor, wall],
     )
     if fcode:
@@ -567,7 +623,8 @@ def main():
         tex = next(
             n for n in mat.node_tree.nodes if n.type == "TEX_IMAGE" and n.image == img
         )
-        rcode = render_still(low, mat, tex, os.path.abspath(args.output), args.engine)
+        rcode = render_still(high, low, mat, tex, os.path.abspath(args.output),
+                             args.engine)
         if rcode:
             return rcode
         print(f"rendered still {args.output}")
 
@@ -682,7 +682,7 @@
       "name": "bake-normal-high-to-low",
       "dir": "examples/bake-normal-high-to-low",
       "teaches": "A collapse-decimated hatch plate receiving a Cycles cage-baked tangent normal map from a ribbed high-poly source",
-      "alt": "A baked tangent-space normal map shown as a lilac card beside a bronze plate wearing it, with a radial embossed pattern, both standing in low display plinths.",
+      "alt": "Left to right: a lilac baked normal-map card, the 3200-tri ribbed bronze source plate, and the 900-tri decimated plate wearing the map, each captioned on the floor.",
       "witnessesFix": "Statistical gates not byte-identity: detail frac 0.7211 / MAD 0.09356 vs flat 0.0000 / 0.00277; --flat-source exits 5; type=NORMAL not bake_type; RNA identical on 4.5.11, 5.1.2, 5.2.1",
       "hero": "docs/gallery/assets/bake-normal-high-to-low-hero.webp",
       "preview": "examples/bake-normal-high-to-low/preview.webp",