Using Texture...My Favorite Thing

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

In addition to being a "lighting junkie" I'm also a "texture junkie".  I use textures all the time and I own hundreds of them and have just started to paint my own.  A couple of people have asked that I share a little more about when and how I use them....and I promised Laurie I'd talk about "adding bokeh" to images.  Let's start with when I use them first.  I use them on almost all my portrait shots, landscapes, or still life images.  I guess I use them on almost everything.  Sometimes I only use them on parts of an image....mostly skies, but other times I use them everywhere.  I'll start with this landscape example.

So I wanted to accomplish a few things with this texture.  I wanted to add tone...that pinkish hue.  I wanted to really bring out the red in the "little house".  Most of all I'm going to print this image, so I wanted it to have some real substance...it was pretty flat with all the snow.  If you zoom in you'll see the canvas weave which prints so beautifully.  I wish I could share exactly which texture I used, but I just can't remember for sure.  The image was "okay" before added the texture, but it popped with it, and I was much happier with the result.

Now for an actual example.  Here's a picture of an angel that sat above the manger in front of our church.  I thought she was beautiful so I took this shot...

I thought it had potential but I really wasn't happy with it as is....so I did a few basic edits and then I started adding texture.  I added two textures to this one.  The first texture came from a Flickr site that a friend has created to share the textures she creates.  It's http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintagefindings/10573338565/sizes/o/in....  You are free to use these textures as long as you acknowledge where they came from if you publish works that have used them.  To download just click on the texture image, then right click and select "original" for size, and then you can right click and "save as" to your desktop or a folder.  After texturing, this is the image.

There are lots of YouTube videos on adding texture, but I'll tell you how I do it which is so easy.

-Open the file in Photoshop and do all your pre-editing, and create a duplicate layer.

-Open the texture jpg that you'll be using

-Move it on top of the original image and go to Image...Transform....Free Transform

-The bounding boxes with come up and you can move the texture right over the image....often the texture is much larger than your image and you'll need to use the bounding boxes to get it to fit perfectly.

-Hit your "check" to indicate you are finished with the action.

-At that point the image will be totally covered by the texture, and this is where you start playing with your blend modes and opacity.  I usually go through and try out all blend modes to find the one I like best.

-Then I open a layer mask, check to see that black is my primary color, and start "painting off" any areas where the texture is too dark.  Select a soft brush and start with a low opacity.

-Then go ahead and flatten your image.  Often at that point I'll add a second texture...usually something translucent.

Many of the artists who sell their textures have demonstrations on their websites.  Later I'll put together a list of the texture sites I use the msot and add it in the comments. 

To add bokeh you follow this exact process.  You can shoot your own bokeh textures or there are some you can purchase.  Do a search on free bokeh textures.  Also there's a tutorial in the lighting discussion I put up yesterday that walks you step by step through how you can create digital bokeh.  Here are a few examples that I have...

I just keep a whole separate folder and in the Summer when the light is perfect I go out and just shoot bokeh.

So build a texture file for yourself and start playing....it's so much fun and it can add so much richness and interest to some images.  I'll put up a few more examples when I get time.  Let's everyone share some texture images here...

[Carol and Banjo]

I just love everyone's work with textures and have struggled SO to understand and try my hand at it.   This past week I've finally started to put my mind to it and try.     Here is a photo of my grandson in his Christening outfit taken last summer.   I know the "wine motif" background doesn't quite go with the Christening outfit part.....lol....but I love the look.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Carol ~ what a precious grandchild you have.  I love this!  I need to find the time to try out textures.

[Carol and Banjo]

Thank you Linda.    

[DJ & Chance]

This is wonderful!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

SO precious!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Gorgeous photo of this amazing boy. You did a great job.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

So very special....

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Carol, This is excellent!

[Kyoko]

I'm not sure if this is the official way to use texture... But I use the same texture twice on this picture, also used the simplify to edited. I plan to take it to Corel paint and paint it.....

[Kyoko]

Original photo

I still don't know how to gradually fade the texture around the subject....

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Kyoto you did a great job....what a special image. I gradually fade the texture with a layer mask and painting with a black brush....lowering opacity as I move away from the subject.

[Kyoko]

Thank you, Jane! I would have to practice that. I did not think about changing the opacity as you move away!!