VCA116 Digital Photography

Exercise: Seamless textures

Use Photoshop to create three original seamless textures. Use the techniques discussed in class and referenced below.

Choose one of the textures shot for Assignment 1: Textures. Textures with small variations in elements and minimal change in value and size across the image work best. Also, the more abstract the texture, the better.
Open the image in Photoshop. For best results, reduce the image size to around 500 to 600 pixels in both directions (it need not be perfectly square).
Choose Filter > Other > Offset. Set the horizontal & vertical sliders to half of the images dimensions (so if it's 400 pixels wide, the horizontal offset should be 200 pixels).
Use one of more of the methods discussed in class to eliminate the seams:

Choose the marquee tool and set the feather to aboyt 10 pixels.
Make a narrow selection that runs from the top to the bottom of the image, somewhat to the left (or right) of the vertical seam.
Press command-j to copy the selected area to a new layer.
Use the move tool to move the copied area over the top of the seam; the seam should vanish.
Flatten the image.
Repeat steps 2–5 with a horizontal selection to hide the horizontal seam.

Choose the healing brush.
Adjust the brush to around 20–30 pixels in diameter with a hardness of 0.
Sample (option-click) an area of good, clean texture, away from the seam.
Paint along the seams. You may need to resample a couple of times as you go.

Choose the clone stamp tool.
As with the healing brush, sample an area away from the seams and paint along the seams. This method tends to work best for duplicating larger texture elements.

Choose Edit > Define Pattern. Give it a name.
Save the file as yourName_pattern1.psd. Set it aside and make your next pattern.
When you're finished with all three, put them in a folder with your name on it, and turn it in to me via jump drive.