Rather than continually repeat these simple steps in every tutorial that uses this technique to apply texture, we’ll save everyone time and get this essential tip out of the way!
The use of textures in design are incredibly important in defining a surface. While we can not create actual tactile textures in digital design, we can create the visual illustion of 3D texture. This Tutorial aims to show you an easy way to do just that.
Step 1 - Find a Suitable Texture for your Design
Perhaps you have a photo that you’ve taken yourself, a texture you’ve designed, or maybe you’ve found a free texture to use online. Whatever the case may be, you’ll need a texture to work with.
If you need help finding a texture, we’ve got a large collection of 99 Free Stock Textures which you’re welcome to browse through!
Once you find a texture, Copy > Paste it into a new layer in your design. The texture layer should usually be on top of every other layer in your design (or at least the layers you want to apply the texture to).
Transform the Texture to fit your canvas.
Step 2 - Desaturate
Desaturate your texture layer (Image > Adjustments > Desaturate). We only want to apply the texture over our design, not the color from the texture.
Step 3 - Set to Overlay
Now, set this layer to Overlay. This will screen (brighten) all of the shades brighter than 50% gray in your texture, while multiply (darken) any shades darker than 50% gray, thus giving the illusion of light passing over your design for a more tactile appearance!
Adjust the opacity of your texture layer to increase or decrease the intensity of the effect.
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Quite a simple thing, but it was useful for me because textures never come out with the right effect for me. Desaturating makes them look nice. Plus I’m in Spain and there is endless opportunities for taking nice texture pictures there.
@ CJ.H - That sounds nice =) You should definitely consider posting some if you get the chance in the forums! I know a lot of Tutorians (yes, I just gave us a name) would appreciate the effort!
“I know a lot of Tutorians (yes, I just gave us a name)”
You have every right to do that, David
and it’s not that bad.
Ah I forgot about the fourm! I had no where to post them, so I didnt link or anything. I’ll definetly post them there as soon as I can upload them.
Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about! Love textured anything and this is such a great subtle effect.
Wow, so simple but priceless. I’m always trying to work textures into design and trying to tweak to color to match the scheme. Thanks for the post!
Textures play a big part in design, without textures your designless to be quite honest and I think david put’s this tutorial across very well. Could have given a few more tutorials on how you can apply (different scenarious to the extent textures will be used and how they will be used effectively would have benefited this tutorial hugely instead of a one trick example) but apart from that it is very well explained and gives a good in-sight to why textures are important in design.
I found myself repeating these steps a lot in some of my other articles, so I thought it would be a good idea to just have an easy article to point people to for one easy technique.
I may add others in the future
That’sit?? Well duh!! but very effective
Wow…Thnx alot for the tips, your tutorials are really amazing and easy to follow
I would like to make a request though, I am building a presentation and I was looking for something that looked nice, blended, but that wouldn´t escape from the important part, wich is fitting text images and videos inside it!
Any tutorials on that ?
I was wondering if you could do a tut on how to tweak colours of an image to match it’s surroundings maybe for the School of Ps, cuz I kinda suuck at it.
I absolutely love your site
the most helpful tutorials i’ve ever read and you’re seriously an amazing designer.
thank you and well done!
x
I’m a tutorian!!! \o/
\O/
Thanks folks
Especially happy to see the proud Tutorians!
@ Auguso - We do aim to provide tutorials FOR creating presentation materials, but none directly aimed at making better slides at this point. Definitely something I could talk about though.
@ RUGRLN - Do you mean creating better color schemes? Or?
Thanks
For this Example I really like this
What font is that? I would like to know how to make that image befor the texture.
This is a reallllllly kewl tut…and this is eeezz to follow…thnx dAvid And ill use this effect on my website’s header