Tutorial Different ways to make textures and how to use them.

There is so many ways to make texture in PhotoImpact some very easy and some more complex, we may use some photo or create them from scratch. We mostly use texture to obtain a certain effect to our finish result.

Let's start and have a look around in PI and what could we use to make our texture. As we go, I will show you example on how you could use them which makes it more interesting.

This one is a scan texture from a photo, did select a part of the photo. It is not seamless. You could also use the background designer in PI. You will find it under web, you are in for a treat and fun playing with this one for sure. There is also other filter or plugin that will generate some fun tiles to start making your texture.

Before going any further, we need to make our texture seamless, so it will tile any size and won't show seams line.

There is lots of ways to do this, you could use some filters that could do it for you, fast an easy, example of filters, Simple filter (free) quick tile. 20/20 filter (free), The Redfiled plugin (commercial) Seamless Workshop.

But you have also one that you already have in PI, you will find it under Web, create seamless tile.

In order to be able to use it you will have to select your canvas first, here is a link to a tutorial for making different seamless background tiles. PhotoImpact Pixels1.com Backgrounds by MoonShadow. There is a few pages, but do click next you will find how to use the Create Seamless tile in PI.

Once we have our background made it seamless, in order to make our texture we need to turn it into gray scale. You go under data and choose Grayscale. This is what it will look like on the example on the left.

One thing we must remember for texture, when using them, the black part will show and the white part won't be seen in the final result when we do apply the texture.

Obviously this one is to dark to be use as is.

To make it lighter, we are going to go under Photo, light and choose Brightness and contrast. Play with the setting until your satisfied with the result.

As you could see it look must better now and what is in black and gray will show and not the white.

We could use it as is, if you want but before you save you will have to change the data back to RGB and save as jpg.

Follow me we are going to add one more step to this one.

Go under Data again, but this time choose Black and White and under halftone screen, click on the drop menu and choose Diamond. Now Diamond did work great for this texture, you may try others to see what they do. Once you are satisfied with the result, change the data to RGB and save as jpg.

I think this one made a great texture and as lots of potential to be use in different area of PI.

Let's keep going and explore further in PI, to see all the possibilities we have.

Let start with another background tile, this one was done with the web background designer in PI.

Here I have made it seamless.

Here is a different way to get a grayscale image. Under Photo, Enhance; choose Monochrome.

Cool isn't it.

Here instead of changing the data to black and white, I went under photo, Enhance and choose level. Play with the setting to get more white in your texture. Once satisfied click ok. You could save as is or take it a step further.

If you really don't want the gray showing and want a black and white only, you could use the Data, Black and White, and choose Diffusion or other choice you have there, but I feel for this one, Diffusion was looking great.

This background was done using bark tree photo and apply Hue and Saturation on it.

Of course made it seamless again.

As we know, only the black show when we use texture. We could use under Adjust; Invert. All the light part I had became black (dark).

To have our black and white texture, there is another way we could do this, go under Photo, Enhance and choose Threshold. You will have to play with the setting to set how much of white and black showing in your texture, once satisfied click ok.

As you could see, there is a lots of way to obtain texture.

This is a scan fabric.

Of course again we make it a seamless tile.

Ok, we are going to explore further into PI, let"s go under Effect, Artistic and choose Screening, a new window will open and this is what you will see on the left.

I suggest that you play a bit in there, there is a few texture to choose from, click on the little down arrow.

Also you have the size, this will affect the size of the texture you did choose above.

Next you have the arrangement, this is the way the texture you did choose will be lined up.

On the right, you have Filter. Here you could set the brightness and the contrast.

Screen, you could use custom color or source image, but since I am making texture I choose black, then finely you have the canvas color (background) which will be white.

On the left here you could see the setting I have use and apply to my background tile.

Well look at this, don't you thing it looks like some lace, pretty cool isn't it. You may have to remake you texture seamless here, always check how it does look as a background tile. You could easily do this in PI. Go under File choose, Preview in Browser and choose as tile background, a new window will open and you will see your texture as a tile background and if the seamless look ok. Close that window and if it did look ok, save your texture.

Let's move on to the next page, lots more fun things to play with in PI.