Tech Tuesday: Creating A Pattern That Repeats Seamlessly

People have been asking what we’ll learn in the Designing Fabric with Photoshop Elements that starts on Monday. Well, we always say lots of things, but that’s not really a good answer. Besides adjustment layers, blend modes, and defining patterns, we also show you some tricks to making your own seamless repeats. You do so by using the Offset Filter. Here’s how it works:

1. Make a doodle and save it to your computer. It’s easier to make a repeat if your doodle doesn’t touch the edges.

2. In the Menu bar, click on Image > Image Size to open the Image Size dialog box.

3. Notate the image size in pixels.

4. Divide each number by two and write down the new numbers. This is not an exact science, so you can round the numbers up or down.

5. From the Menu bar, go to Filter > Other > Offset.

6. Enter the new numbers.

7. In the “Undefined Areas” section, check “Wrap Around.”

8. Click OK.

9. Draw to change any disconnects you see or to make any additions.

10. Repeat this process until you like what you see.

11. Define the new doodle as a pattern by selecting the entire doodle with the Rectangular Marquee tool and then clicking Edit > Define Pattern from the Menu bar.

12. Create a new file that is large enough to take several repeats of the pattern you made. (If your pattern is 2″ x 2″, try creating a new file that is 10″ x 10″. Don’t forget to check the resolution!)

13. Fill the image with the new pattern. From the Menu bar, click Edit > File > Fill Layer > Pattern, then pick Custom Pattern. The pattern you defined in Step 11 above is the last pattern in the list. Take a look at what we did below.

The offset filter really is a combination of art and science, but the possibilities are endless. If you want to learn more about the art of designing seamless repeats, please join us in our online class that starts Monday, January 28. Go to our host at featheredfibers.wordpress.com for more information and to register for the class.