[ STEP BY STEP ] CONNECT THE COLOURS

Create a triangle from an image and project it across the page.

CHOOSE YOUR IMAGE 01 Start off by importing a brightly coloured image for your kaleidoscope. It’s a good idea to pick an image that won’t be obvious when you turn it into a kaleidoscope (and probably stay clear of faces — it’s scary), as that’s part of the fun! Natural images look great, too.

CLIP TO A TRIANGLE 02 Create a triangle using the Custom Shape Tool (U). Clip your image to it and then use the Free Transform Tool to position it over the triangle in such a way that you get the best section of the pattern. DUPLICATE AND ROTATE 03 Merge your triangle to the image texture and duplicate it. Go to the bottom bar where the values are, and choose the bottom-right reference point location. Then change the Height to -100, and the Degrees to -60. This will rotate it to the right perfectly. ROTATE SOME MORE 04 Merge the two triangles and duplicate. Set the reference point location to the top-right and rotate this diamond shape 180° to almost reflect it upward. If 180° isn’t the right amount, edit the rotation by turning the top-left rotation handle. COMPLETE THE PATTERN 05 Duplicate the diamond again and, holding down Shift, rotate and position it in the space between the two diamond layers you’ve inserted already. Duplicate this layer again and then place at the corner of one the sides. FILL THE SPACE 06 Continue duplicating these diamond layers and placing them across the document until it’s full of the pattern and looking a little more like a kaleidoscope. Merge these layers and move it left or right a little to show some more of the pattern than just the middle. ADJUST 07 Finally, apply whatever adjustments you want to the image to boost the colours, the brightness and the tone of the piece. Find whatever adjustments you need under the Fill Layer icon above the Layers palette. Then you’re done!