How to Make a Pattern in GIMP and Photoshop

This tutorial will show you how to make a pattern for your textures, through GIMP and Photoshop! You can either watch the video, follow the written tutorial, or use both!

Creating a Pattern in GIMP

1. Load all the textures of your product into GIMP. You can load all of them into the same canvas, then control which layer is visible by clicking on the eye icons in the leftmost column of the Layers toolbox.
2. Click File and create a new canvas of any size.
3. Select a brush pattern from the Brushes toolbox on the right. Change the brush color to your preferred one.
4. Create a new transparent layer in the Layers toolbox.
5. Put your design in the center of the layer, making sure not to touch any edges.
6. Duplicate this layer. With the new layer selected, click on Layer in the menu bar, then Transform > Offset. Click the By Width and By Height buttons, then click OK. You should see your pattern copied in the corners of your canvas.
7. Merge the two layers (the one with the original pattern, and the one with the offset) by right-clicking on the layer with the offset, and selecting Merge Down. Now you have a layer with a seamless pattern!
8. You can test what your pattern looks like on a larger scale by clicking Filters on the menu bar, then selecting Map > Tile. For the size, choose one that is bigger than the current canvas.
9. Export the image so you can use it as a pattern. Go to File on the menu bar, and hit Export.
10. To put this pattern on your texture, load it on the same canvas where your textures are. This will open the pattern as a new layer. If you worked with a canvas bigger than the texture, your pattern will appear too large. To scale it down, click Layer on the menu bar, then Scale Layer. Set it to have the same dimensions as the canvas.
11. Save each of the parts of your texture with the pattern applied. You can control which part of your texture is visible (front, back, sleeves, etc.) by clicking the eye icons on the leftmost column of the Layers toolbox. Once you have your texture and pattern on-screen, click File on the menu bar, then select Export. Do the same for each part of your texture, and make sure you set an appropriate filename.

Creating a Pattern in Photoshop

1. Load all the textures of your product in Photoshop. You can load all of them into the same canvas, then control which layer is visible by clicking on the eye icons in the leftmost column of the Layers toolbox.
2. Go to File in the menu bar, then click New to open a new canvas. You can set the canvas size to be as large as you like, as long as you make it a square.
3. Add a new layer in your new canvas. You can rename it to distinguish it as a pattern layer.
4. Click on the brush that you want to use as a pattern. Choose a color for the brush.
5. Put your design in the center of the layer, making sure not to touch any edges.
6. Duplicate this layer by going to the Layers toolbox in the lower-right, and dragging the layer down to the Layers section.
7. With the new layer selected, click on Filter in the menu bar, then Other > Offset.
8. Play with the Horizontal and Vertical sliders until you’re happy with how the patterns are spaced. You should see your pattern copied in the corners of your canvas. The Wrap Around setting should also be selected. Click OK.
9. Merge the two layers (the original pattern and the offset pattern) by right-clicking on the topmost layer and clicking Merge Down.
10. Time to turn this design into a pattern! Click Edit in the toolbar, then select Define Pattern. Name the pattern as you desire.
11. Go back to the canvas where your product texture are. Click on the topmost layer, and create a new layer. On the color selection box on the upper-right, click the white color. Then, select the Fill Bucket Tool from the left toolbar. Click on the canvas to fill it with white.
12. Click the Move Tool on the left toolbar, and double-click on the white layer. A Layer Style dialog box will appear. Check the Pattern Overlay box on the left, and find your pattern in the Patterns dropdown box. Once you click on the pattern, it will be applied to the whole layer. You can use the Scale, Angle, and Opacity sliders to change how the pattern looks.
13. In the Layers toolbox, click on the dropdown that says Normal. Hovering over each option will show you different ways the pattern can be applied to the layer beneath it. Choose one to your liking.
14. Save the patterned texture. Click File on the toolbar, then Save As. Make sure to save the product as .JPG.
15. Repeat the process for the other parts of your texture (back, sleeves, etc.). You can control which texture is visible by clicking on the eye icons in the leftmost column of the Layers toolbox.