Step by Step: Texture effects
Add an artistic edge to your shots by applying and blending texture layers in Photoshop CC
Add an artistic edge to your shots by blending texture layers in Photoshop
Textures have long been in the creative arsenal of photographers seeking to add an extra veneer of artistry to a photo. Whether you ‘sandwich’ a negative with a texture screen in a traditional darkroom, or produce a print on a textured substrate like rough canvas, the option to combine a picture with something that changes its appearance is as old as photography itself. The digital form of this approach gives an unparalleled level of control; although there are options under Photoshop’s Filter menu, the fun really starts when you combine a regular photo with one or more shots taken of a textured surface.
In this issue’s download, there are 31 different textures to choose from. These can be used singly or in combination to create a huge array of arty effects – from a subtle wash to a pronounced degradation. The joy is in the exploration, but this tutorial covers the basics you need to know to take your images in a new direction.
1 Blend in a texture
After you’ve copied the Textured Screen Pack to your computer, open your image in Photoshop CC (or try the technique with Tree.jpg in the Start Files folder). Go to File > Open and choose the first texture you want to use (such as Texture 07.jpg). When it’s on-screen, press Ctrl/Cmd+A, then Ctrl/Cmd+C, Ctrl/Cmd+W and Ctrl/Cmd+V to select, copy, close and paste it into the main image. If your texture needs rotating, press Ctrl/Cmd+T to enter Free Transform, and drag the cursor outside the bounding box to rotate it through 90º. Drag out the corner handles so the texture covers the whole image, then press Return to confirm. In the Layers Panel (Window > Layers), click where it says Normal and choose a Blending Mode you like. I opted for Overlay here.
2 Add another texture into the mix
With the first texture in place, you may well have all you need, but if you want to further enhance it, open another texture (such as Texture 12.jpg) via File > Open and run through the same sequence of shortcuts as before to select, copy, close and paste it in. Browse through the choice of Blending Modes in the Layers Panel to assess the effects generated by the different options, and click on the one you want to use. (Here I chose Overlay again.)
With two different textures working within the image, you can refine the intensity of each effect by clicking on that texture’s layer to make it active, and then adjusting the Opacity slider in the Layers Panel.
3 Selectively reduce the effect
To hold back the textured effect in particular areas within your image, select the texture layer you want to amend, then click on the Add Layer Mask icon. Select the Brush Tool and, after choosing a brush, reduce the Brush Opacity to around 40% in the Options bar. Set black as the colour (press D then X), adjust the brush size with the square bracket keys, and paint over the area where you want to tone down the effect. If you make a mistake, press X to swap to white and paint again.
Do this masking process on all the texture layers you have, and you can control how heavy or light you want the texture to be across your entire image with great precision.
4 Change the feel of the textures
To make a texture more or less ‘gritty’, select the layer concerned, then click the Adjustment Layer icon at the foot of the Layers Panel. Choose Curves from the resulting pop-up menu; in the Curves palette, clip the effect by clicking the left-most icon at the bottom of the palette. This makes the change only apply to that layer. Now change the shape of the curve by dragging the line to make the texture more or less intense.
To add a colour cast to the texture, make a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer, clip it (as you did with Curves above) and tick the Colorize box. Now move the Hue and Saturation sliders to create the colour wash you require.