Patterns add a touch of flair and uniqueness to your design. Photoshop allows you to make one of your own. So, how to create various patterns in photoshop? Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a customized pattern.
Photoshop offers some preset designs and patterns for you to choose from. You can opt for these instead of plain color backgrounds to level-up your game. However, these patterns are available for everyone using the application. So, what’s the solution?
Create a pattern from your imagination on Photoshop. From simple polka dot and striped patterns to varying image patterns, you can make whatever you like. It will help you quickly elevate your custom design. What’s more? You can save these patterns for use in future projects.
Photoshop has made developing of varying patterns a piece of cake. But do you know what a pattern is? Before getting to the exciting part of creating, let us know the basics.
Also in Photoshop: How to use alignment tools over layers.
Table of Contents
What are Patterns in Photoshop?
Patterns are the various designs that are repeated uniformly in the selected area. The repetitive design in Photoshop is in the form of a square, called title. So, in Photoshop, a pattern is a designer tile that you can use as a background in your posters, images, etc.
(Source : Google Images)
Photoshop offers a few pre-built patterns for you to use in a few clicks. At some point in time, you will have to create your pattern to add a touch of personalization to your work.
They can be of various kinds, from simple-shaped to complex ones, as well as images. Here is a guide to how you can develop your patterns of varying types.
How to Create Various Patterns in Photoshop?
Once you are clear about the steps, creating a pattern is an easy process. It usually consists of three divisions—designing, saving, using. You need to first design a tile with the type of pattern you want. It is the most complex part.
Once your tile is ready, save it for future use. Next, you can open a blank or existing file to apply your personally-created pattern. It is easy, right? Let us start with creating the basic, seamless pattern.
How to Create a Seamless Pattern in Photoshop?
Step 1: Creating a New Document
Go to the File menu and open a new document. A dialogue box will appear for ensuring the page measurements and other settings. Choose the Width and the Height to be 200 pixels each (or less/more). It will determine the size of the tile. Leave the resolution to default, i.e., 72 pixels/inch.
(Source : Google Images)
Make sure to select Transparent in the Background Contents. You will get the default checkboard pattern representing that the background is transparent.
Step 2: Adding Guides
You need to start making your pattern from the center of the document. By selecting the View < New Guide option, a dialogue box will appear. Select Horizontal as the Orientation and let the position be 50%. You will get a horizontal line dividing the document into two halves.
Repeat the same steps for getting a vertical guide by selecting View > New Guide > Vertical. Both the guides will intersect each at the exact center of the document.
Step 3: Adding a Shape
You can choose to add varying elements or just a basic shape. Let’s say you want to make a polka dot pattern, for which you will need a circle. Select and hold the Elliptical Marquee Tool to get a menu of different tools. Choose the second option, i.e., the circular tool.
Go to the center of the document and create a circle. Make sure to hold Shift+Alt while you draw the shape.
Step 4: Fill the Shape with a Color
Go to Edit > Fill, and you will get a dialogue box. Choose a color in the Use option and leave the remaining options as default. Press Control/Command+D to remove the outline that appears around the shape.
Step 5: Duplicating Layers
(Source : Google Images)
Saving a single circle will be too simple. To make it more interesting, first, make a copy of this layer. Select Layer > New > Layer Via Copy to duplicate the layer. Alternatively, you can press Control/Command+J to perform the same action quickly.
A duplicate layer will appear in the Layers panel.
Step 6: Using the Offset Filter
The Offset filter needs to be used in every pattern that you design on Photoshop. Let’s see how it works. Select Filter > Other > Offset, and a dialogue box will open up. The filter helps to add uniformity to your pattern.
It will offset the contents by a specified number of pixels. It can be done vertically, horizontally, or both.
(Source : Google Images)
For simple patterns, entering half the document’s size in the Horizontal and Vertical input box is a good idea. Since your current document is 200 x 200 pixels, you must enter 100 in both these boxes. Make sure that the Wrap Around option is checked in the Undefined Areas.
With this filter’s help, you will see that the circle you drew is divided into four equal parts. Each of the parts is placed in the four corners of the document, with the center’s original circle.
Step 7: Saving the Pattern
Now that the pattern is ready, you can name and save it. In Photoshop, this process is known as Defining a Pattern. Select Edit > Define Pattern. The Pattern Name dialogue box will appear. Enter your preferred name and click OK.
Voila! Your very first pattern is designed and ready for use. Now you can apply it to a new document and see how it looks.
Step 1: Open a New Document
(Source : Google Images)
Select File > New to open a new document. You will be prompted to enter the dimensions in the dialogue box that appears. Enter 1000 in the Width as well as the Height boxes and leave other options as default. Choose White for the Background Contents so that you can see your pattern.
Step 2: Add a Layer for the Pattern
You can choose to fill the document with your pattern, but that would limit its uses. Adding a separate layer for the pattern will let you perform several actions. Open a new layer by selecting the New Layer icon at the bottom. By default, this layer will have a checkboard pattern.
Step 3: Apply Your Pattern
Select the new layer and apply the pattern by choosing Edit > Fill. The last time, you used this command to fill your circle with color. This time, you can use it for your pattern. Select Pattern in the Use box and choose your customized design from the Custom Pattern menu and click OK.
The blank layer is filled with your customized pattern. What you see here is a simple Repeating Pattern in Photoshop.
Instead of the circles used here, you can have different shapes of varying colors. Moreover, you can also opt to add multiple shapes to make your tile more vibrant. Going up a level higher, let us see how to create a halftone pattern in Photoshop.
How to Create a Halftone Pattern in Photoshop?
Now that you have the basic pattern-making knowledge, this process will be quick and easy.
Step 1: Open a new Photoshop file and choose 400 as its Width and Height. Select Transparent in the Background Contents.
(Source : Google Images)
Step 2: Add two guides—one vertical and horizontal each, like you did in the previous process.
Step 3: Add a layer by selecting the New Layer icon and draw two squares by choosing the Elliptical Marquee Tool. Make sure that these shapes are on the opposing quarters of the page. These shapes can be of the same or varying sizes.
Step 4: Fill the shapes with your preferred color(s) with the Edit > Fill option.
Step 5: Add a name and save the pattern by choosing Edit > Define Pattern.
You have successfully created a basic Halftone Pattern in Photoshop. It is different from the previous pattern in the sense that previously, your shape was at the center. You added two shapes of the same/different sizes and colors and got a different, spaced-out design.
You can follow the same steps of opening a new document and applying the pattern, as mentioned in the previous section.
How to Use an Image in Creating a Pattern in Photoshop?
The best part about Photoshop is that you can create a pattern from an existing image. Instead of choosing the regular shapes, adding images to your pattern will make it stand out. Here’s how you can create a pattern in Photoshop using an image.
Step 1: In a new document, open the image you want to use in the pattern. You can use the entire image (Select > Select All) or a part of it (Rectangle Marquee Tool) as a tile.
Step 2: Name and save your pattern with the Edit > Define Pattern option and enter OK.
That’s it! Your image pattern tile is created. You can now apply it to your documents by following the steps as mentioned in the earlier sections.
To Sum Up
Photoshop is full of fun and surprises. You just saw how to create various patterns in Photoshop. Developing a customized pattern couldn’t get easier! Now you do not need to hire a professional to do your designing work.
To take it one notch higher, you can adjust the scale, opacity, etc. of your patterns. Additionally, you can blend the different layers by using the various blend modes in Photoshop.
So, what’s the hold? Bring out your creative side by using the spectacular tools offered by Photoshop!
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