museberries

b̴̨̡̘̘̬̘̩̯̳̠̬̤̭̈̀̅͋͌̃̎̾͊̀̈́̔̚̕ͅè̷̛͔͓͈̩̙̞̮͙̖̒̊̏̆̀̐ ̶̨͕̰̙͖̀͗͆̉̈́̊͂͝͝a̵̦͑̌̀f̵̾͊̂̏̆̈́̏͌͘͜r̵̗̈́̈́̍̅̆͒̇̎̈́̚̕̕a̶̧̋̆̃į̴̨̛͉̣̘̽̌̒̅d̶̢͎͕̿̈́̈́̈

Obey Me! Simeon, digital painting by yours truly

These are the results of my in depth look into how TS4 spec maps work. 

The alpha layer seems to add a reflection or sheen at between 12.5% - 87.5% opacity of the colored channels. It’s more liquid looking than metallic and seems most effective at around 50% strength. 

Green seems to effect the brilliance of the shine making items appear to be made of polished metal. At low opacity, it still implies a metallic quality to an object such as a brushed metal tap. 

The way that blue effects shine makes an object seem curved and plastic-y. Probably best for lacquered effects like automotive paint or nail polish. Would be lovely at 50% strength and 50% opacity on Art Deco furniture for that high-glamor look. 

Red seems the most promising for clothing on its own creating effects from vinyl and latex at high strength to silk charmeuse and crepe on low opacity.