Hi all! :D


I had a question about photoshop, I was wondering if it is possible to create a leather texture?

If it is, can someone point me in the right direction, or tell me off the top of their head? :P

I would really appreciate any help anyone can give me!

Thank you!

-Composite ;)

Erm...Take a picture of some leather?

Erm...Take a picture of some leather?



Woops... Sorry i didnt explain myself well enough. :P

I meant like, if you are re-skinning a robe, how could you make it look like a peice of leather? That better?

Erm...Take a picture of some leather?

Lmao.

I'm not a photoshop expert or anything but if you get a picture of some leather and cover up the parts where the robe used to be it should look okay (I think).

Do you mean edit a pre-existing texture to look like leather or just copy 'n paste leather or do you want a technique in photoshop for leather?

There are all kinds of different ways...
Easiest would be to Google an image of leather then save it and clone or copy 'n paste the leather onto your robe texture. I also reccomend using a shader to give the robe the "leather" effect but its all up to you. ;)

Hi all! :D


I had a question about photoshop, I was wondering if it is possible to create a leather texture?

If it is, can someone point me in the right direction, or tell me off the top of their head? :P

I would really appreciate any help anyone can give me!

Thank you!

-Composite ;)

I am a graphic designer, and I can make textures in a flash. However, you need to be creative. Taking a picture is the easiest way to get the texture. However, it is not impossible to make a Leather texture in Photoshop. If you spend enough time on it, you can make almost any type of texture. However, for someone who is not Photoshop savy, it will take you extensive time to perfect it...

Hey Guys.. while all of your suggestions are great (and absolutely correct) Photoshop already has a leather texture. Let's give Composite the "easy" way to do it first.. hehehe ;)


@Composite... in Photoshop, Make a new blank layer then use the Pen tool (or lasso, or selection, or whatever your preference) to create the shape you want to be "leather".

Now, use paintbucket (or fill, or brush, or..you get the picture ;) hehehe) to fill in your selection with the color of your leather (brown, black, etc.)

Now, Double-click your leather layer to open up your Blending Options (can also right-click). Scroll down to "Pattern Overlay" Click on it to bring up your options. You'll see a large square that has "bubbles" in it.

Click on that to open up your patterns. One of those is one labeled "leather". Knock down your opacity to your preference and fiddle around with the scaling to your desired taste.

If "leather" isn't immediately available, you may have to load the pattern from within Photoshops "Presets" folder :)

Once you've got your leather pattern down, you can fine tune it using the Dodge & Burn tools to either highlight or deepen your pattern .. voila! :D

-----------

You can also do this in your Bevel & Emboss / Texture options (in the Blending Options palette), but unless you specifically want the additional effect... I would advise against it. Still... the option is there :)

One last hint is to play around with the other textures. You'll notice that when playing with the scaling/opacity/ and blend modes.. those "bubbles" you first saw doesn't necessarily have to 'look" like bubbles...

I've often found myself using 'stucco' to create brushed metal finishes.. be creative, experiment.. and have fun!

All year I heard from my proffessors, "Don't use Photoshop Filters". Hehehe...:) I guess they made me forget them....

@Chainz VERY HELPFUL MAN THANKS! but I have 2 questions. 1. When you load the Pattern overlay, is the whole image supposed to be in bubbles etc.? Or just the part that you lassoed, etc.? 2. How do you load the leather texture? Sorry for newb questions! ;) :P

@Chainz VERY HELPFUL MAN THANKS! but I have 2 questions. 1. When you load the Pattern overlay, is the whole image supposed to be in bubbles etc.? Or just the part that you lassoed, etc.? 2. How do you load the leather texture? Sorry for newb questions! ;) :P
Not a prob :)

1. It should just be the part you lassoed... however I missed a step :o

- Once you lasso your object, you'll need to make it a selection (oops, left that out). Right-click in the lassoed area and select the option "make selection". You should now have an area with those blinking dotted lines.

- Select your new/blank layer, NOT a layer that has something in it already (the selection area should still remain), THEN fill the area with a solid color

- Now, double-click (right-click) and select Blending Options. Scroll to Pattern Overlay and check the box to activate the filter.

2. Once you see the square with the "bubbles" click the arrow pointing down that is to the right side of the bubbles. This should give you a list or thumbnails of other textures you can use rather than the bubbles. One of those textures is labeled leather, though you may have to hold your mouse over the tile to get the name (if you have it in thumbnail mode).

If you don't see a texture labeled leather, then you'll need to load it.

To do this, in the same window showing the textures, you'll see a small arrow to the top-right of the palette window. Click it to get your drop-down options. Select "Load Patterns".

Browse to your Photoshop / Presets / Patterns folder, Default path is:

C:/Program Files/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop/Presets/Patterns

Then click on any of the .pat files and select "load". I can't remember for sure which .pat file contains leather, but it's probably safe to load them all anyways. My first guesses would be either the Patterns.pat, Patterns2.pat or either of the Texture Fill.pat files...

Let us know if that helps :)

@Chainz, thanks for the help, its awesome, but is the leather supposed to just cover the whole texture, or just the part I lassoed?

@Chainz, thanks for the help, its awesome, but is the leather supposed to just cover the whole texture, or just the part I lassoed?
Just the part you lassoed :)

Did you make your lassoed area a selection before applying the filter? If not, then the filter will affect the entire picture.

You need to isolate your selection to a blank area (a different layer works best), fill that area (just the selection portion) with a color... then apply the "leather" pattern.

Applying the filter and tweaking it should always be the last step ;)

Ah, okay cool. I didn't do it right... (again) hehe.....

Hopefuly I will have some time to work on this when I get home from school,

Thanks so much Chainz! This is magnificent!! (dont even tell me how you spell that) ;)

-Composite

@Chainz, when i try to make it a selection these are everything it says on the pull down bar: Add to selection, Subtract from selection, Intersect Selection, Save selection, thats everything about selections.

@Chainz, when i try to make it a selection these are everything it says on the pull down bar: Add to selection, Subtract from selection, Intersect Selection, Save selection, thats everything about selections.Hmm.. sounds like your making multiple paths, and they are intersecting.. try the "add to selection" to see if that "completes" your selection field (you should see flashing dots)...

On another note, you've just stumbled on how you can manipulate your selection areas when you find you've made a mistake or wish to add on to it ;)

Wow this is weird, still doesnt work, could it be that I am doing to small of a part on the robe?


(Trying to make a part on the robe lather, but the peice is to small to be turned into leather? Im confused :(

Okay, so I got the texture to work on the part i lassoed, and Only that. But, after it happened, it shows the same old white leather texture, is it supposed to be the color of the leather that I want, or will that only show up when I put it in the game?

Thanks! :D

-Composite ;)

Hmm.. you're using the lasso tool right?

Have you tried using the pen tool instead? I tend to find I can get a much more precise selection range.. though admittingly, it does take some practice using it correctly.

If you're determined to do it with the lasso tool.. when you are "outlining" the part of the robe you want to make leather.. what happens when you start outlining then let go of the mouse button? Does it "complete" the selection area (like it should) no matter where you are at? (again, dotted lines)...

Hmm.. you're using the lasso tool right?

Have you tried using the pen tool instead? I tend to find I can get a much more precise selection range.. though admittingly, it does take some practice using it correctly.

If you're determined to do it with the lasso tool.. when you are "outlining" the part of the robe you want to make leather.. what happens when you start outlining then let go of the mouse button? Does it "complete" the selection area (like it should) no matter where you are at? (again, dotted lines)...

Yes I am using the lasso tool, when I use it and let go, it completes the selection, and dotted lines automaticly appear....

Okay, so I got the texture to work on the part i lassoed, and Only that. But, after it happened, it shows the same old white leather texture, is it supposed to be the color of the leather that I want, or will that only show up when I put it in the game?

Thanks! :D

-Composite ;)
Disregard my above post.. it seems you got it to work ;) hehehe

The "white" leather texture? What color did you fill your selection with?

Since you are overlaying the pattern over your color.. you'll want to knock down the opacity of your leather filter. The opacity setting is located in the Blending Options, in the same palette you selected the leather texture.

Mess around with that.. and knock it down to say 50% (or less). If you notice you lose alot of detail.. don't worry...

By using the Burn (darken) and Dodge (lighten) you can strengthen just the leather details.. just be careful of the strength you set each of those tools at ;)

I am trying to get the leather red. I do all the steps you tell me to, but when i use the Pattern Overlay, I get this white color, with black dots all around in the part I lassoed. Will my texture still be red and leather texture in the game? (After I put the re-skin in the Override folder?)

I am trying to get the leather red. I do all the steps you tell me to, but when i use the Pattern Overlay, I get this white color, with black dots all around in the part I lassoed. Will my texture still be red and leather texture in the game? (After I put the re-skin in the Override folder?)
Yeah.. you'll need to drop your opacity on the filter itself (not the actual layer).. otherwise it will turn up white.

Also, be sure tha when you're filling in your selection area (before applying the filter).. use Red as your base/fill color...

Dropping the opacity on the filter will tend to make it look a little pink-ish.. but you can tweak that later using Dodge, Burn or even a HSL adjustment (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) ;)

Okay hopefully This will work now, I have some Pictures up to show you.

1. Okay I use Ctrl+j to make a new layer (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=2d30d8eb.jpg)

2. I lassoed this area, and it automaticly made it a selection (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=f35a4a70.jpg)

3. Filled my selection with the color red, as that is what color I want my leather color to be, i also did this on the new layer (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=dccad756.jpg)


4.Went to the pull down bar, and selected "blending options, (since I cant do this by right clicking, or double clicking (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=5186e1c0.jpg)


5. This is my result, as you can see, it didnt work (again) and it isnt red. what am I doing wrong? (The selection, (dotted lines) is in the upper right-hand corner, its hard to see) (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=607d286f.jpg)

I hope this works, and ill try to fix the pics, if i posted the wrong URL

-Composite

Okay hopefully This will work now, I have some Pictures up to show you.

1. Okay I use Ctrl+j to make a new layer (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=2d30d8eb.jpg)

2. I lassoed this area, and it automaticly made it a selection (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=f35a4a70.jpg)

3. Filled my selection with the color red, as that is what color I want my leather color to be, i also did this on the new layer (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=dccad756.jpg)


4.Went to the pull down bar, and selected "blending options, (since I cant do this by right clicking, or double clicking (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=5186e1c0.jpg)


5. This is my result, as you can see, it didnt work (again) and it isnt red. what am I doing wrong? (The selection, (dotted lines) is in the upper right-hand corner, its hard to see) (http://photobucket.com/albums/c44/Composite1/?action=view&current=607d286f.jpg)

I hope this works, and ill try to fix the pics, if i posted the wrong URL

-Composite

Give me about 20-30 minutes and I'll have a graphical tutorial up :)

Just got through taking screenies.. now I have to add in the "guts" ;)

One thing I can think of in the meantime is.. before you go into the blending options palettes.. make absolutely sure that your selection area layer is set as the "active" layer... Click on your 'Layer 1' layer to "activate" it.

From the looks of it, it seems that it's applying the Leather pattern over your Original Base Layer (the locked Background) rather than you're New Layer 1 (the selection + Red Color layer)...

I'll post the tut here shortly :)

Give me about 20-30 minutes and I'll have a graphical tutorial up :)
Little known fact... 20-30 minutes means apx 3.5 hours in ChAiNz.2da time.. :headbump hehehe...

Anywhoooo... not sure what your screen resolution is, so you've got 3 options. Each "version" is entirely graphical (.jpg's), Labeled in order by step number and in .zip format. I would've used .rar but then I'd get a ton of replies asking for a .zip version *sigh*..

This works best if you open all the pics at once in a program that will allow a "slideshow" style of viewing. This way you can 'jump' to the next step once you've finished the current one.

If you're using Windows XP, the built in Picture/Fax viewer will work great.. though I personally use XnView (http://www.xnview.com/) as it will allow you to use a mouse scroll wheel to proceed to the next picture (plus it's FREE) :)

If you have the resolution to support it, I'd urge you to use one of the higher res versions (1024x768 or 1280x1024) however, I think the 800x600 version is "acceptable" it's just you lose alot of the detail of the pattern in my examples...

Your Choice of course ;)

Pattern Overlay Tutorial, 800x600 (apx 3.33mb) (http://www.jumpstationz.com/games/mods/PatternOverlays/800x600/Pattern_Overlay_Tut-800.zip)


Pattern Overlay Tutorial, 1024x768 (apx 3.88mb) (http://www.jumpstationz.com/games/mods/PatternOverlays/1024x768/Pattern_Overlay_Tut-1024.zip)


Pattern Overlay Tutorial, 1280x1024 (apx 3.95mb) (http://www.jumpstationz.com/games/mods/PatternOverlays/1280x1024/Pattern_Overlay_Tut-1280.zip)

I'm working on an On-Line Version, but I don't have a timeline to give for when it'll be done. I'll update or post a link whenever I get it finished for anyone who's interested... :)

If you have anymore questions, let us know! :D

Have fun with Pattern Overlays!

__________________________

UPDATE: FYI, this tutorial can also be found here:

http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?t=158123)

In the Skinning & Modeling Tutorial Stickies located at the top of the Holowan Laboratories Forum

All hail ChAiNz.2da! :D

Wow! Thanks so much ChAiNz.2da! :D

It works! Thank you bud! This is so helpful! Thanks to you I can finaly finish my robe! If you wouldn't have replied to this, well... I dont know where i'd be :(

Thanks so much ChAiNz.2da you make my day! You are SO AWESOME!
This is probably the best tut I have ever read!

I just want to let you know that you are my hero ChAiNz.2da! Thank You So much! :king1:

-Composite ;)

aww... gosh, golly, shucks, ghee whiz... hehehe :o

My pleasure really.. I haven't had a chance to submit a tutorial in awhile now, so I Thank You for making me get off my arse.. hehehe

I'm just glad it was able to help you out.
You just be sure to share your results whenever you get your mod finished :D

Good luck and have fun!

---------------

ps. Here's a link where you can download more patterns for FREE :D

http://share.studio.adobe.com/axBrowseSubmit.asp?t=15)

Yahoo! More patterns! Once again, Thanks ChAiNz.2da ;)

I'm not sure if your doing it already or not but you said your a noob at Pshop so I'll give you a really handy hint. For most every change you make you can have a layer for the change. Texture edits, overlays, pattern overlays, etc. I even use a new layer if you want to edit the actual original picture by making a copy of the section you are wanting to edit. This way if you change your mind you can simply delete the layer and created a newly edited one or if you use the layer's effects which include a texture overlay feature.

Not sure if at this late stage that will help any but thought I'd give it a whirl. Also, the best most accurate way to outline shapes and have the ability to "re-outline" them if need be without retracing them is to do it with the path pen tool to start off with. You will see your "clipping path" being made as you go and it will be saved in your paths tab. After you outline a section you can also use the path pallette to save the clipping path as an actual saved path so you can use it again. If you don't save Pshop will erase over it the next time you start another section. When your done this way though you can easily select these shapes over and over by simply CTRL+LClicking on the clipping layer itself in the paths pallette.

Peace,

:ben:
General Kenobi