Photoshop® CS4 Bible

22.5. Textures

Using textures can make the difference between ho-hum text and a really eye-catching effect. You can apply textures with layer styles either by using the Pattern Overlay style or by using the Texture option of the Bevel and Emboss style to apply a texture to that effect.

To use the Pattern Overlay style, select it from the list of styles in the Blending Options window and choose a pattern preset from the triangle menu next to the swatch. As is the case with brushes, color swatches, gradients, and many other presets, Photoshop ships with several collections of pattern presets, which you can load by clicking on the tiny triangle menu in the Pattern preview window (see Figure 22.20). You can also create your own patterns by choosing EditDefine Pattern while any "marching ants" selection is active in a document.

Once you've selected a pattern, you can change its blending mode to modify the way it combines with the underlying text's color. You can also use the Scale slider directly below the pattern's tumbnail to change the size of the pattern, but keep in mind that if you increase the scale, after a certain point the pattern will begin to look blurry and pixelated. On the other hand, reducing the size too drastically can make the repeated pattern look too obvious.

Figure 22.20. Additional pattern libraries can be loaded via the fly-out menu in the Pattern Overlay settings ...