Ok your first task is to UV map the objects so that your UV's fit into the 0 - 1 space of the UV Texture Editor.From reading your post i am assuming you know and to do this and have completed this step.

There are several maps you can create (color,bump, specularity,reflection,displacement,normal ect)
At a minimum i would advise at least the first 3 in order to achieve something reasonable and more if you are going for photo realistic.

In order to make a texture in Photoshop or any other external painting app you will need a reference as to where your UV's sit on the model,you achieve this by saving a UV snapshot.
To create a UV snapshot go to Polygons tab of the Texture Editorand click on UV snapshot at the bottom of the menu.In the new UV snapshot window you can set up the file name and save location and most importantly the pixel size of the UV image.It is very important that you make the snapshot the same size as your intended texture map.
Choosing a size can be complex for a beginner but in general you have to think about how much of the 0 -1 texture space any given part of the model takes up (ie the head might take up one quarter), so if you had a texture of 1024 x 1024 for example the head would receive a texture of only 512 x 512 pixels with remainder going to the rest of the model.In short make sure the map is large enough so that you have enough resolution for the texture to be clear and sharp for the intended camera position (512 x512 might be okay for a long shot but would not stand up in a close up).

Once you have your UV snapshot you can import it in to Photoshop and put it on it's own layer and set the blend mode to screen if it is below your texture layers or multiply if it is above your texture layers.
Create a new layer for each of your maps starting with a color layer.
once you have your maps there a couple of ways your can use them, either creating a Photoshop file with all the texture included ( you need the proper file structure of groups ect) or the old fashioned and easier for beginners is to save each map out individually as either a tiff or targa if you have transparency or jpeg.

Depending on which method you used dictates what you do to use them in Maya.

Hope this helps a little and good luck with your texturing.

Originally Posted by jsprogg

It might seem a little daunting at first but the basics are not too hard to grasp with a little effort.

There are a couple of tutorials here that would be very useful to you ....

https://simplymaya.com/autodesk-maya-...=142&sub_cat=0

https://simplymaya.com/autodesk-maya-...=179&sub_cat=0

Originally Posted by jsprogg

The basic concepts for UV layout and creating textures are the same whether it's for games or movies.

You need to learn the fundamentals of how to use the tools first and then you can use the skill for either, the main difference between movie and game work is mesh and texture resolution,in game work the resolution is faked because of files sizes so the textures might not be as large or the model not so dense and maps are used to make them appear more detailed than perhaps they are but still the UV's are laid out the same way and the textures created using the same procedures.

For Movie production other factors like how it will be viewed on the screen (ie distance from the viewer and how long it appears)determine things like texture resolution or mesh density.
It all about achieving believable results using the minimum amount of time and effort, so if a model is in the distance and say moving really fast across the screen then you might be able to use a low res character and still have it hold up to be believable.
As for making things look realistic other things like lighting setup also make a difference, you need to study objects in the real world and take note of the materials they are made of and by that i mean look at characteristics like how shiny,reflective,roughness and not just say oh it's wood or plastic but i am afraid there is no substitute for practice...i cannot emphasize this enough practice, practice ,practice and it will get a lot easier.

Originally Posted by jsprogg