This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Creating a pattern for the background
The design for the episode graphic incorporates a pattern into the background. You’ll quickly create the pattern by customizing a vector graphic shape.
Customizing a polygon shape
The background is based on star shapes. There is no star tool in Photoshop, but you can easily create one by customizing a shape drawn with the Polygon tool.
In the Lesson06 folder, open the document 06Pattern.psd.
Select the Polygon tool (
), which is grouped with the Rectangle tool. In the options bar, make sure the tool is set to Shape.Hold down Shift and draw a polygon shape about 340 pixels wide. If it isn’t centered on the square canvas, after drawing you can reposition it with the Move tool.
With the shape layer still selected, in the Appearance section of the Properties panel set the Fill to None, set the Stroke to 20px, and apply a blue Stroke color slightly darker than the background; we used R=27, G=58, B=185.
Set the polygon Number of Sides to 8, and set the Star Ratio to 70%. When the Star Ratio is less than 100%, the number of sides becomes the number of points.
In the Layers panel, duplicate the star shape layer by dragging and dropping it on the Create A New Layer button.
In the Properties panel, change the Rotate angle to 24.
Choose Edit > Free Transform Path, and hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) key as you drag a corner handle to shrink the duplicate star layer to fit inside the larger star. Press Enter or Return to apply the transformation.
Choose View > Pattern Preview to see how the design looks as a pattern. If a message appears, click OK. Only the original shape on the canvas is editable, but Pattern Preview updates to account for any changes you make.
Select the Move tool, select Polygon 1 (the large star) in the Layers panel, and look for a small circular handle inside the top-right star point. If you don’t see the handle, make sure Show Transform Controls is selected in the options bar, and increase the view magnification.
Drag the handle to change the sharp star points to rounded points. We used a radius of 20 pixels. The pattern preview updates.
In the Layers panel, select Polygon 1 copy (the small star). In the Properties panel, set the Number Of Points to 15 and reduce the Stroke Width to 15 px.
Choose Edit > Define Pattern, name it Podcast Pattern, and click OK. This creates a pattern preset that you can use in any Photoshop document.
Choose File > Save As, rename the file to 06Pattern_Working.psd, and click Save. Click OK if the Photoshop Format Options dialog box appears.
Switch to 06Working.psd, and select the Episode Background layer.
In the Layers panel, click the Create New Fill Or Adjustment Layer button, and choose Pattern.
In the Pattern Fill dialog box, click the pattern picker, and at the bottom of the list, select the blue pattern you created. Set the angle to 45 degrees, set Scale to 35%, and click OK.
Save your work. Your podcast background is ready for the next step!
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)