Ellie's Treasures Tuts-for-any-Program-Blended Texture Tile

Click here or scroll down to see alternate tiles They will both open in a new window and print out on standard 8½" X 11" paper For information about which fonts, programs, etc I used to construct my pages and my headers, click here.
For this tutorial you will need: Graphics Program: Any graphics program that allows 3rd party filters, such as the ones used here. You can even do it in free programs that use filters, such as IrfanView. There are instructions on their home site about adding filters to the program. Image: Seamless texture file of your choice (you can right click and save any of these grayscale texture tiles I have in this tutorial) Filters: none *************** I am assuming you know the basics of your graphics program and where the tools can be located. Some shortcuts I use are**: PSP-Paint Shop Pro; PS-Photoshop; PSE-Photoshop Elements; PI-PhotoImpact This is an extremely easy tutorial and can be done by beginners.
Here are some arrows and bars you can drag and drop where you need to mark or underline where you are. . Just left click and drag to where you want it then let go. They will stay where you put them until you close your browser.
1. Open canvas 200 X 200 or 300X300, fill canvas with the color or gradient of your choice. I used color #7F7CDE
2. Open a texture graphic, doesn't matter if colored or grayscale. Convert to grayscale. In PSP, go to Image>Greyscale; In PI go to Forma>Data Type>Greyscale (8 bit); In PS-PSE, go to Image>Mode>Grayscale. Now either make the tile the same size as your colored canvas or make it so it divides evenly into it. For instance if your colored canvas is 200X200, make the textured tile the same size or 100X100. If your colored canvas is 300X300, make your textured tile the same size or 100X100 or 150X150. This is so it remains seamless. The tile on the left is the original tile, the tile on the right is after grayscaling it.
3. If you have decided to make your texture tile the same size as your colored canvas, go to step 4. If you have made it a smaller size, you need to fill the colored canvas now. PSP: change your background color to pattern, click on the pattern palette for it to open up and find the textured tile by clicking on the arrow next to the current pattern showing. Pick it and click ok. Now add a new raster layer to your colored canvas and, using the flood fill tool, fill it with the pattern. PI: in your colored canvas, right click and copy, right click and paste right on top. Now copy the textured tile, activate your colored canvas again and to to Edit>Fill>Image, click on Clipboard and Tile. Click ok. PS-PSE: Make your colored canvas active, go to Select>All, Edit>Copy, Edit>Paste (to make a second layer to blend). Make the textured tile active, go to Edit>Define Pattern. Pick the textured tile from the thumbnails and click ok. Now go to Edit>Fill>Pattern, and pick your textured tile from the ones shown. Click ok.
4. If you have made your textured tile the same size as your colored canvas, it's a bit simpler. PSP: Edit>Copy textured tile. Edit>Paste as a new layer onto colored canvas. PI: Copy the texture tile and Control-V (or Edit>Paste>As Object) to paste onto colored canvas. PS-PSE: Make colored canvas active, go to Select>All, then Edit>Copy, then Edit>Paste (to make a second layer to blend), then activate textured tile, go to Selections>All. Then go to Edit>Copy, now activate colored canvas, go to Edit>Paste.
5. Now you need to change the blend mode. In all three programs it's in the layer palette. In PSP and PS-PSE the default setting is Normal and there will be 2 layers, make sure you are in the top layer. In PI the default setting is Always, make sure the top layer is highlighted so you can access the blend mode. There are many different possibilities, see below the tutorial for different options here. I like Hard Light, Difference, Overlay, Screen, Multiply, Soft Light. The Luminosity setting in Photoshop is nice too. Just play till you find one you like, depending on the tile you are using and the underlying color canvas. You can save it as a finished tile in jpg format now, or if you want it lighter or more muted, go to step 6.
Blend Mode: Dodge (Addition in PI)	Blend Mode: Hard Light	Blend Mode: Difference	Blend Mode: Soft Light
Blend Mode: Multiply with Red canvas underneath		Blend Mode: Hard Light Canvas underneath was a gradient, then applied Simple Filters>4 Way Average
6. reduce opacity for a lighter effect In PI go to Edit>Fill, white at 50% transparency In PSP, right click in layer palette>new raster layer. Fill with fill tool, white, reduce opacity in layer to 50% In PS-PSE: Layer>New>Layer, then using Paint Bucket tool, fill with white, go to layer palette and reduce opacity to 50%.
You're done! Don't forget to optimize PSP: (File>Export>Jpeg Optimizer). I usually optimize at about 10. PI: I usually optimize at about 90 PS and PSE: I usually save at about 8.
More versions
	Original Tile		Colored Canvas
Blend Mode: Hard Light	Blend Mode: Difference		Blend Mode: Difference then muted with white fill
Blend Mode: Overlay	Blend Mode: Screen		Blend Mode: Soft Light
Original Tile Blend Mode: Dodge Blend Mode: Hard Light Blend Mode: Screen		Original Tile Blend Mode: Difference Blend Mode: Hard Light Blend Mode: Screen
Original Tile Blend Mode: Hard Light Blend Mode: Multiply Blend Mode: Soft Light		Original Tile Blend Mode: Multiply Blend Mode: Luminosity
l hope you had fun! Back to top
If you have any questions or suggestions, click on the email button below to contact me. Have a wonderful day!
Tutorial was written August 21, 2004 ************ These tutorials are all my own creations. Any resemblance to any other tutorial is purely coincidental and unintentional. Feel free to share any of my tutorials on this site by a link back to my site, but do not copy and send the entire tutorial to anyone or any group. You do not need my permission to share a text link only to this tutorial. You may also save it to your hard drive (go to File>Save As, and save as an mht file- this will save the pictures with the page in one single file and will open in a browser. If not available, save as Web Page, complete (.htm, .html). This will save it with the pictures in a separate folder) or print it out for your own personal use. ©2003-2010 Ellie's Treasures Cambridge College

Back to top Webpage Design Information This webpage background was made in PhotoImpact with a tutorial by Deb DeHaven Sadly, she passed away and her site is gone. The font I used for all of the text on the buttons is BrockScript The font I used for the "Blended Texture Tile" tutorial header is Dobkin Bold. Click on the font name to download the font. I use PhotoImpact to make all of my headers due to the amazing 3D text it has and the wonderful presets available free online Most of the presets I use are either the ones that come with PhotoImpact, usually the Gel ones, or from Deb's PI Tutorials and More (see below) or Carol Oyl's site This is the address to Deb's old pages http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/millenit/1716/pitutorials/objects/presets/presets1.html I can't find any links to her new pages but the presets are still on this page for download. For more sites to find PI Presets, take a look at my Great Beginnings page.