Sick of using a single color or gradient as the background for your designs? In this guide, I will go through the steps to make interestingly beautiful textured backgrounds for your projects.
Step 1: Create New Document
To create a new document, go to File and select New. You can also create a new document by using the keyboard’s shortcut Ctrl + N on Windows and Command + N on Mac.
Rename the file with your preferred name and set the document size accordingly in the pop-up dialog box. Click OK.
Step 2: Create and Rename Layer
Next create a new layer by clicking on the Create New Layer button located at the bottom right side of the Layer Panel. You can also create a new layer by using the keyboard shortcut Shift + Ctrl + N on Windows and Shift + Command + N on Mac.
After which rename that newly created layer ‘textured background’.
Step 3: Import Textured Image into Document Canvas
Now import the textured image into Photoshop by Going to File, and select Place.
After which a pop-up dialog box will appear. Locate the textured image in your computer and click Place.
Step 4: Duplicate and Fill Document Canvas with Texture Image
Move the textured background to the top left hand corner of your document canvas and duplicate this layer with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + J on Windows and Command + J on Mac.
Shift the copied layer till it looks like the image below.
Repeat the process of copying and shifting the layers till the whole canvas is covered with the textured image.
Step 5: Merge Layers
With that, select the various copies of the textured background in the Layer Panel with the Shift key for both Mac and Windows. With the layers selected, right click on any one of the layer and Select Merge Layers. This will help to tidy up your Layer Panel.
Step 6: Create Colored Background
Next, let’s create a layer to include some color into the design. Firstly, click on the icon highlighted in the image below to hide the layer.
Then let’s create a new layer with the Create a New Layer button highlighted in the image below.
Rename the layer to ‘color’.
Click and drag the layer so that the ‘color’ layer is behind the ‘textured background’ layer.
After which is to select a color of your choice.
Now select the Paint Bucket Tool from the Tools Palette, or select it with the letter G on your keyboard.
Click on the canvas to fill the ‘color’ layer with the selected color.
After which you can toggle the Eye on the Layer Palette to unhide the ‘textured background layer’.
And this is what you will see on your canvas.
This image itself is beautiful enough to be used as the background for your web banners, posters, and so on. However, if you find that the textured pattern is too harsh, you can apply step 7 to your creation.
Step 7: Adjusting Color Blending Mode
Under the Layer Palette, there is a dropdown button with the word Normal on it. Click on this button to display the dropdown list.
There are various options listed here, and you can try them all out. For this guide, I will be using Soft Light.
And after you apply the Color Blending Mode to ‘textured background’, this is what you will get.
I hope you find this simple tutorial useful.
