As promised in my final submit, I’ve created a video tutorial on tips on how to add texture to your vector designs in Illustrator through the use of bitmap photographs. This system may be very helpful and may produce some beautiful and attention-grabbing outcomes.
For those who downloaded the free texture photographs from final submit you should use these to observe alongside. For those who haven’t downloaded them however need to, right here is the hyperlink: 17 free textures that may assist your designs kick ass. You can too, after all, use your personal photographs!
As a result of I’m very conscious that I’ve a powerful accent and it may be obscure me typically, I’ve added the script beneath the video (together with some timings which may come in useful, and excluding a few of the hems, buts, sos, and many others!).
I hope you benefit from the video and, higher nonetheless, discover it helpful… Please let me know within the feedback beneath if in case you have any questions in regards to the course of, if in case you have any matter requests for small tutorials like this one, or if you wish to share your personal concepts about tips on how to add texture in your designs… I might love to listen to them!
Methods to simply add texture to your Illustrator designs
00:00 – Intro
- Hey everybody, at present I’m gonna present you tips on how to use bitmap textures in your vector designs for these instances if you really feel such as you need to add a bit of one thing to them.
- For these of you who don’t know me, I’m Veronica and I’m a designer. I additionally run the weblog Pitter Sample, which is a weblog all about floor sample design.
- I’m Colombian however have been residing within the UK for a really very long time. I’m telling you that as a form of disclaimer due to my accent! So I’ll do my finest…
- On this tutorial I’m utilizing a few of the textures I gave away on final week’s weblog submit. For those who downloaded them you should use these to observe alongside or you may clearly use your personal images.
- I may even put a hyperlink to the obtain web page on this submit in case you haven’t acquired these photographs however need to obtain them.
00:53 – Establishing
- Let’s get began. What you may see right here on my display is the illustration I’m gonna be engaged on.
- On the left-hand aspect is the unique illustration with flat colors and no texture.
- On the right-hand aspect we’ve the identical design however with the textures utilized. That is what we need to be attaining by the top of the video.
- I’m going to open my flat illustration in a brand new doc, and I need to ensure that all my components are ungrouped. That can make it simpler to use completely different textures to completely different components. So, all of those are ungrouped.
01:29 – Creating background bitmap texture in Photoshop
- I’m gonna apply texture to the background to start with, so let’s go and select one of many textures from my arduous drive. For the background I’m gonna select this one.
- I’m gonna open it in Photoshop and now I’m gonna go to Picture > Changes > Threshold.
- On this dialogue field you may select the Threshold stage, which is like the quantity of element you need to seize. That is as much as you and the impact you need to create. On this case I’m gonna simply set it to 115.
- Now you go to Picture > Mode and convert to Grayscale. You possibly can discard color data.
- Return to Picture > Mode and now select Bitmap. Within the Decision Output area select the decision you want on your ultimate art work.
- For those who’re creating one thing for the net select 72dpi however if you’re engaged on one thing for printing select 300dpi. I’m gonna select 300 on this case.
- You possibly can go away the Methodology alone at the moment however you’re very welcome to experiment with it and see what sort of outcomes you get.
- Now you may Save your file. I’m gonna put it aside as a TIFF. It’s necessary you save as TIFF as a result of that format will permit us to create the feel results we would like inside Illustrator.
- I’m gonna save mine as ‘background texture.tif’. I’m gonna substitute as a result of I had already one, however it can save you it as no matter you need.
- You possibly can go away these TIFF choices alone on this window. I by no means trouble messing round with these. Click on OK.
03:54 – Creating background texture in Illustrator
- Let’s return now to Illustrator.
- You possibly can go to File > Place and choose the TIFF picture we simply created. Click on Place.
- Now you click on on the Artboard to position the picture.
- Now you go to your Swatches palette. If it’s not seen you may open it by going to Window > Swatches.
- You possibly can color your texture together with your chosen color. For this one I’m simply gonna select this darkish inexperienced.
- Now you align the feel to the highest and left sides of the background form by going to Align, so I’ve acquired my texture chosen, I am going to the highest bar the place my Align menu is and I align Horizontal Align Left and Vertical Align Prime.
- Now you may scale your texture till it covers the world you need to be textured. In my case is the entire background, so I’m simply gonna make it that huge.
- Now you may go to your Transparency panel. Once more, if it’s not seen you may open it by going to Window > Transparency, and right here you may apply a Mixing Mode, on this aspect, or Opacity to this TIFF.
- For the sake of simplicity, I received’t be explaining Mixing Modes on this tutorial however you’re very welcome to experiment and see what sort of results you may create with them.
- On this case I’m gonna simply set my opacity to round 40%. You possibly can clearly mess around with this because the outcome is dependent upon the colors you’re working with.
- At this level, as you may see, you may cease including textures and name it a day. Typically it’s sufficient. It is dependent upon the challenge.
- In order that could possibly be the impact you’re in search of, so that may be the top of the tutorial, however I will probably be displaying you a pair extra methods although, so let’s maintain going.
06:24 – Creating bitmap texture for vase in Photoshop
- Now choose each the feel and the background by dragging over them like this and ship them proper to the underside of the stack by right-clicking and selecting Organize > Ship to Again.
- That makes this prime of my background have the feel however not this backside.
- Now I’m gonna select one other texture to embellish one of many vases. Let’s select, for that vase, this one.
- Now we repeat all the identical steps we did earlier than.
- We go to Picture > Changes > Threshold.
- For this one I’m simply gonna go a bit of bit decrease. I’m simply gonna select 95.
- Go to again Picture > Mode and convert to Grayscale. We will discard the color data.
- Again to Mode > Bitmap.
- And once more, decision, we go away because it was.
- Now Save your file as TIFF.
- I’ll name mine ‘vase texture.tif’.
08:05 – Creating vase texture with Clipping Masks in Illustrator
- Again in Illustrator I’ll choose one of many vases, I’m gonna select this orange one, and Copy after which Paste in Place.
- So that you go to Edit > Copy, Edit > Paste in Place. So now we acquired 2 copies of that vase, one on prime of one another.
- Mine is correct on prime, but when yours isn’t proper on prime of the entire illustration, you may convey that duplicate we simply created proper to the entrance by right-clicking it and selecting Organize > Deliver to Entrance.
- Now I’ll present you a useful little trick. Earlier than putting your TIFF into this file, you modify the Illustrator mode to Draw Behind by urgent SHIFT+D. You can too discover this selection on the backside of your instruments palette, it’s right here, we are able to nearly see it, Draw Regular/Draw Behind.
- Mine is a bit hidden.
- As soon as in Draw Behind mode go to File > Place and choose the TIFF we simply created, which was the ‘vase-texture.tif’. Click on Place.
- Click on to place it into place.
- As a result of we’re in Draw Behind mode the feel is positioned behind our copied vase form, which is useful as a result of we want that actual stacking order for our subsequent step.
- You will get out of Draw Behind mode by urgent SHIFT+D once more, or by urgent this little button down right here. So I’m again to Draw Regular.
- Now you may color your texture together with your chosen color. I’m gonna select pink for this one, bear with me.
- With the feel nonetheless chosen SHIFT-click on the vase to pick it on the identical time. So you bought the feel chosen, press SHIFT in your keyboard, click on on the vase, now you bought each components chosen, now simply go to Object > Clipping Masks > Make.
- Now we’ve a masks, with the form of the vase, with our texture in it.
- Now you may go to your Transparency panel after which set your Transparency. I’m gonna set mine to twenty% and this time I’m really gonna use the Multiply Mixing Mode. You possibly can play with these as a lot as you need.
- Very last thing we have to do with this vase is to ship the masked texture again to its place as a result of for the time being is on prime of the flowers and of this vase, so it’s a bit messy.
- We do this by right-clicking and selecting Organize as soon as once more, however this time we Ship Backward. And we do this as many instances as essential to ship it behind all the weather that’s overlapping for the time being.
- So as a substitute of going to that menu each time, if it’s gonna want many instances, you simply go COMMAND + left bracket a number of instances, till it goes to the place it belongs, proper there.
11:44 – Creating bitmap texture for leaves in Photoshop
- Within the final instance I’m gonna present you, we’re gonna apply the feel solely to part of a form. Let’s do it.
- I’m gonna select one other texture, so. I’m going again to my arduous drive, and this time I’m gonna select a texture for the leaves. So I’m simply gonna select this one.
- We repeat all the identical steps as earlier than.
- Picture >Changes > Threshold.
- This time I’m gonna set mine a bit decrease, 80.
- Picture > Mode, convert to Grayscale.
- Picture > Mode > Bitmap. Similar decision.
- Save as TIFF once more. And this time I’m gonna title it ‘leaf texture.tif’.
12:48 – Getting leaves prepared for making use of texture
- Again in Illustrator, let’s zoom in on these leaves I’m gonna be engaged on.
- Now with the pen software, I’m gonna draw a form that covers roughly half the leaf.
- I’m gonna select the leaf, the unique leaf, and duplicate it by copying it, Edit > Copy, and this time we’re gonna Paste it in Again, so we’ve one other copy of that leaf.
- With that leaf nonetheless chosen, SHIFT-click on the form we simply created and open your Pathfinder window, which for me is right here, however clearly in case you’re not discovering it go to Window and discover it like we discovered the opposite ones, and this time click on Minus Entrance.
- That leaves us with a form that’s half a leaf and clearly the unique leaf.
- I’m gonna color it in another way so you realize what’s happening right here. I’m simply gonna give it one other color inexperienced, so we acquired the unique leaf and half a leaf.
- With my half a leaf chosen I drag it whereas holding SHIFT+ALT on the identical time. ALT duplicates the form whereas I’m dragging it, and SHIFT constraints the motion to vertical solely.
- My Illustrator Sensible Guides and Snap to Level choices are on, so it’s straightforward to align the brand new form with the remainder of the leaves.
- You possibly can flip these choices right here in View > Sensible Guides/Snap to Level.
- Now we choose the three shapes we simply created and choose the Replicate software.
- Click on on the nook of this leaf, as a result of that’s the purpose of mirroring I need to set, click on as soon as after which SHIFT+ALT to duplicate and to constrain to the opposite aspect, the motion.
- Now simply put them on the leaves within the place they need to be.
15:47 – Creating leaves texture with Clipping Masks & Compound Path in Illustrator
- Choose all the brand new leaf shapes we simply made, by clicking on each whereas urgent SHIFT, selects all of them.
- Go to Object > Compound Path > Make. By making a compound path with these shapes, we’re telling Illustrator that this counts as 1 form and never 6 completely different shapes and this may are available in actually useful on the time of masking.
- Let’s zoom out once more and convey our ultimate texture in.
- I’ll go to Draw Behind mode, so SHIFT+D or the button down right here, Draw Behind with these shapes nonetheless chosen.
- Go to File > Place and select my leaf texture this time, Place, and click on on the artboard to position it.
- With it nonetheless chosen I’ll select a color, this time I’m gonna select this yellow and see the way it goes.
- And resize to simply match that space of the leaves. I’m gonna zoom in so you may see what’s happening right here.
- So the feel is behind these leaf shapes as a result of we have been in Draw Behind mode. I’m gonna get out of Draw Behind mode by urgent SHIFT+D once more, again to regular.
- Whereas the feel remains to be chosen SHIFT-click on the leaf shapes and once more Object > Clipping Masks > Make, and it simply creates a stunning masks of our half leaf shapes.
- And now we return to the Opacity and we arrange the opacity, and you’ll clearly play with the Mixing mode as soon as once more.
- That appears good. Let’s zoom out once more, there you might be!
18:20 – Ending off
- Okay, so I confirmed you just a few methods of utilizing the textures inside Illustrator.
- To recap: First we used it on the background and you are able to do that for the entire picture and end at that time if you need.
- Second, we utilized it to a easy form, the vase, with a Clipping Masks.
- And third, we utilized the feel to solely a part of a form and used Compound Path to use one texture to a number of components on the identical time.
- There are a whole lot of the way of utilizing textures in your vector illustrations and that is simply the tip of the iceberg, and I believe the top outcome can look fairly beautiful!
- One other factor to have in mind is that you possibly can convert these TIFFs into vectors by Picture Tracing them inside Illustrator. However I discover that changing them typically create so many anchor factors that the file turns into actually heavy and actually sluggish to work with. You must take this resolution based mostly on the challenge your engaged on.
- Anyway, I’ll end off these textures like Speedy Gonzalez so we are able to see the top outcome and hopefully see you once more quickly! Bye.
Let me understand how you get on and in case you discovered the tutorial helpful! And likewise, are there another methods you’d like me to create tutorials for? Pop them within the feedback…
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