Crash Course in Photoshop Texture Creation

To begin, I open a new document (1000 by 1000 points) at 150dpi. Next, I fill the background with a base color that suits the type of texture I wish to create (i.e. dark green for grass, grey for metal, brown for wood, etc…).

Now, in order for most filters to produce visual results, you must first add some other data besides a flat color. This can be done in several different ways; again, it depends on what the desired result is. For grass or stone, some of the natural patterns work well as long as the opacity is set low enough for the background color to bleed through. However, for most textures, adding some noise works just fine. For a more random and natural look, I set the noise type to Gaussian. If I am trying to achieve a texture that appears man made, I may set the noise to uniform.

Next, I usually apply a blur. Motion blur works very well for wood or brushed metal. When making grass, I create several different layers at different shades of green and brown, then use a motion blur on each layer but at a different angle to create a cluttered and random look

After the blur is applied, it is time to add some details like nicks and scratches on metal, or a swirling wood grain effect. For metal, I use the burn tool to add little imperfections. To achieve a decent wood grain is slightly more complicated. First, I use a splotchy black brush to draw in random lines across the texture. Then, I use the burn and dodge tool to add some shadow and highlights. After that, I liquefy the layer and add some twirls and a lot of turbulence. If I want my wood texture to simulate the bark of a tree, I will bevel and emboss it to give it a more 3-dimensional look. Otherwise, I leave it alone.

Although there can be many more steps involved, especially when adding decals or specific designs, simple textures usually only have one final step at this point: removing the seam. This is accomplished by selecting filter/other/offset and adjusting the horizontal amount until the seam is visible through the center of the texture. To remove the seam, I generally use the healing brush. However, if there are not a lot of details, the spot healing brush works just fine.

So there it is, a quick rundown on how I create my textures.