Grungy Tech Effect
Create a cool texture that's kind of grungy, kind of techy, and works really well for collages and backgrounds.
Software Required: Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Step 1 - the New Document
Create a new document, 300x500, with a white background. Set your colors to the default by hitting the "D" key on your keyboard. You want black as your foreground and white as your background.
Next, go to FILTER > RENDER > CLOUDS.
Step 2 - Motion Blur
Go to FILTER > BLUR > MOTION BLUR, and use these settings:
Angle: 0
Distance: 55 pixels
Click OK. You should now have something that looks like this:
Step 3 - Liquify
Next go to FILTER > LIQUIFY. Select the "Shift Pixels Tool" from the left hand toolbar and keep the default settings, Brush size: 64 and Brush pressure: 50. Now, using quick, sweeping strokes, begin at the top of your image and sweep back and forth across it with slightly overlapping strokes. It should take about 8-10 overlapping strokes to cover the whole image. If you mess up, don't panic! Simply click the "REVERT" button on the right side of the window.
If you've completed this step correctly, you should get something similar to the image below. Don't try to be exact -- this is an experimental step you can have fun with!
Step 4 - Contrast
Now we need a little more contrast. Go to IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > BRIGHTNESS/CONTRAST and use the following settings:
Brightness: 15
Contrast: 55
Click OK, and you should have something like this:
Step 5 - A Little Colour
Now let's add a little color. We don't want to use too much, because we're trying to keep a sort of metallic, steely look, but we need enough color to add some interest. Go to IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > HUE/SATURATION (Ctrl + U) and select the "Colorize" checkbox. I used the following settings to give it the look of cold steel, but feel free to experiment.
Hue: 218
Saturation: 13
Lightness: 0
Click OK.
Step 6 - Accentuate Highlights
This step is optional -- I used it to accentuate the highlights and shadows. Simply go to IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > REPLACE COLOR. With the eyedropper tool, go to your image and select a pure black. Then, in the "Replace Color" window, change the "Lightness" to -40. Leave Hue and Saturation alone, and click OK.
Step 7 - Water Paper
Go to FILTER > SKETCH > WATER PAPER. Keep the default settings and click OK. There you have it! A cool, simple, and fun texture that you can use almost anywhere. Be sure to experiment with your own settings -- I guarantee you'll find something even better along the way. Now, if you'd like to use this as a corner background image on a Webpage, continue to the next step:
Step 8 - Prepare for Web
If you'd like to use the image you just created as a corner background on a Web page, simply select the Eraser Tool, grab a big 200 px feathered brush, and erase the area around the bottom and left or right side of the image. You should get a nice graphic that you can place in the corner of a Webpage. Enjoy experimenting!
When Adam isn't occupied with school work, he is busy with being an Advisor at the SitePoint Community Forums, adding to his design portfolio, and managing Get the Look and the rest of the Adam Polselli Network.
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