Quick Tip: Create a Realistic Paper Texture in 5 Minutes

Quick Tip: Create a Realistic Paper Texture in 5 Minutes

on Apr 20th 2010 with 132 comments
Tutorial Details
  • Program: Adobe Photoshop
  • Difficulty: Beginner
  • Estimated Completion Time: 5 Minutes
Download Source Files

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

In this quick tip tutorial, we will learn how to create a realistic paper texture from scratch in just 5 minutes. To do this we will use some simple filters and effects. Let’s get started!

Step 1

Create new file 1280 x 1024 px. Create a rectangular selection in the center of the image, hit Q to enter quick mask mode. Go to Filter > Pixelate > Crystallize, use small cell size and click OK. Hit Q again to return to normal mode. Hit Cmd+shift+alt+N to create a new layer. Press D then Cmd+Delete to fill selection with white. To remove selection press Cmd+D.

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

Step 2

Activate the burn tool with exposure 20%. Paint the paper until it looks dark and dirty. Go to Filter > Texture > Texturizer, use Texture: Canvas and click OK.

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

Step 3

Double click the paper layer to open the Layer Styles dialog and activate the Drop Shadow effect. Don’t worry with the settings, just click OK. This shadow is very flat and unrealistic, but we’ll fix it.

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

Step 4

From the Layers panel, right click Drop Shadow and choose Create Layer. This step will separate the Drop Shadow from the paper.

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

Step 5

Select the shadow layer, hit Cmd+T to transform it. Right click it and choose Warp. Move the handles until the shadow looks irregular, just like a real one.

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

Step 6

Activate the Gradient Tool, in the option bar and choose Linear and Mode: Difference. Create a random gradient, from top to bottom, bottom to top, left right, and right to left. Just go crazy!

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

Step 7

Go to Filter > Stylize > Emboss. Hit Cmd+L and move the white and black sliders to the middle.

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes
tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

Step 8

Hit Cmd+alt+G. Change blending mode to Overlay.

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

Conclusion

That’s it! You can turn this into a thin paper by lowering its opacity. Below is the final paper on a wood texture. Click here or click on the image to see it in full size.

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

The best thing about this technique is that the result is always different. Below are some alternative examples.

tutorial quicktip draw paper texture in 5 minutes

Tags: Tips
 
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Mohammad Jeprie is an author, blogger, and graphic designer from Indonesia. He knows some Photoshop techniques and loves sharing his knowledge with others. He runs PSDfreemium and DesainDigital where he regularly shares free design resources and some tutorials.  

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  • http://www.pawntampa.com lizz

    thanks for the tip ,great info.

  • imothep77

    Hi,

    Thanks for this tut.
    Just like other newbies to Photoshop, I found it not that much of a beginner level.
    Step 6 is where I am currently stuck and if a more skilled person could split it into 2 or 3 additional steps, that would be great.
    I know we need to create a new layer but could we have that picture only with gradiants? I’d really like “to go crazy”, but how?

    Thanks

    • muzzamil

      hey,

      i am using PS CS5 and i am not a skilled person but i can help you here, different version might have some variations in regards to the position of tools or some other options but i think for this specific thing you can do it on almost every version.

      so basically you need to add different gradients, and for that select the gradient tool from the tool bar on the left, it will be a small box with a grey and white gradient on it.

      next from the top bar select the mode of gradient that is you want linear or radial or what so ever, the first one is the linear second is radial and so on.

      lastly there would a drop down menu by the name mode, select difference from that, in these three steps your basic setup is complete.

      Now all you have to do is click out the box and drag your cursor (it should be a plus sing now) from out side to inside, you can also try from inside to outside, do it several time, may be 15 times or more can give you a subtle effect, try it again and again and when you think you are satisfied you are done, though you have to try out the gradients pattern yourself, just GO CRAZY :)

      one thing to remember though if you default colours are not set to black and white, you have to click the first drop down menu where you can select the colour for gradient and select the third option that would be from black to white, that’s it.

      sorry for my English and hope it helps.
      thanks.

      • Muzzamil

        and may be i missed one step, you cant use gradients on the same layer, you have to make another one, it will be an empty one and yes you can then add gradients to it, basically we have to blend the gradient layer with the actual one to get the wrinkly look and for that purpose you have to make a new layer, when you are done with the gradients just select that gradient layer and from the blending options select overlay or use the shortcut from the tutorial and you are good to go.

        thanks

  • Stephen

    This tutorial is extremely frustrating. For those who might attempt it, it is missing at least 1 step…

    When you get to the gradient part (step 6) you need to create a new layer.

    My current issue is that after changing the gradient layer to ‘Overlay’ it effectively disappears. I have it set up exactly like this tutorial. Arg.

    • http://inventikasolutions.com Pritesh Desai

      Same here, I’ve added gradients to the same layer, but when I change the blend mode to overlay, it disappears. Also the texturize filter has made it look ugly

  • http://inventikasolutions.com Pritesh Desai

    To all those who tried to do it and didn’t get any result when you tried setting the blending mode to overlay the trick is to create a new layer and then draw the gradients. Make sure you options for dither, reverse and transparency are set to off.
    Use colors black & white (not black & transparent) and then do cmd+alt+G and finally change this layer’s blend mode to overlay.

    Another tip during the burn tool – change the midtone to hightone to see quick (any) results. Set low hardness to make it finer.

    Good tutorial otherwise!

  • Seby

    Great tut!

  • William

    I cant even get past step one. The crystalize doesnt work. Im very proficient at Photoshop and have no idea why it wont work. Its usually a simple mistake. But no idea what it is. Not off to a good start.

  • rob

    forgive me for being thick but… despite following the instructions to the letter the texturiser option is not selectable the burn tool has no effect what so ever and as for the linear gradient it changes the entire image including the background not just the “paper” image. any help as to what i am doing wrong would be great. i am using photoshop cs5.5

  • Stacy

    What if your computer isn’t Mac? And it’s PC? What’s the hot key for PC? I mean for like this part, “Create new file 1280 x 1024 px. Create a rectangular selection in the center of the image, hit Q to enter quick mask mode. Go to Filter > Pixelate > Crystallize, use small cell size and click OK. Hit Q again to return to normal mode. Hit Cmd+shift+alt+N to create a new layer. Press D then Cmd+Delete to fill selection with white. To remove selection press Cmd+D.” What should I press for “Cmd+shift+alt+N”? and “Cmd+Delete”?

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