Texturing in 3D design for games and film differs primarily in priorities: games focus on real-time performance and optimization, while film prioritizes high-detail photorealism with no strict real-time constraints.
Game textures often use tiling, mipmapping, and lower resolutions to ensure smooth rendering on limited hardware. Film textures, by contrast, employ ultra-high resolutions, intricate shaders, and detailed surface maps, as they are pre-rendered offline without real-time hardware limits.
For new 3D artists, game texturing demands balancing detail with performance, while film work can prioritize refining surface details and realism.