Photoshop: How To Make An Awesome Grungy Paper Texture From Scratch
Many of you might remember my Free High-Res Grungy Paper Textures I gave away a while back. I had a lot of requests for a tutorial on how I actually made those textures, so I here we are. Fire up good ‘ol Photoshop, have a scanner handy, and let’s dive in, shall we :)
Step 1: Scan
Get a natural-brown-colored piece of paper (or brown paper bag), give it a good crinkle, then flatten it back out and scan it in. After you scan, take your image into Photoshop, where we’ll be the rest of the tutorial. After you get your image into Photoshop, you should have something similar to below.
If you don’t have a scanner click here to download the image I’m using from Flickr if you’d still like to follow along.
Step 2: Add Texture
First, we’re going to add a little texture to the paper itself. With your image layer selected, go to Filter > Texture > Texturizer.
Select “Canvas” from the drop down menu, set the scale to around 100, and the depth between 2 and 4, then Click OK.
You should now see something like below: (full size close-up)
Now we have a canvas-like texture, but it only goes in one direction. I like to get the grain going both horizontally as well as vertical, so go to Image > Rotate Canvas > 90° CW to rotate your image.
Now that your image is on it’s side, we’re going to apply the texture again, this will give us the grain going in both directions. So go back to Filter > Texture > Texturizer, and apply the same filter again, or just key Command + F (Control + F, PC) to repeat the filter.
Now that we have our texture in both directions, let’s rotate our canvas back so it’s vertical again Image > Rotate Canvas > 90° CCW. (Or you can leave it horizontal if you need to, doesn’t matter.)
Step 3: New Layer
Now it’s time to start grunging it up. Make a new layer on top of your paper texture, and fill (Edit > Fill) it with a color: (hex) #451300. Here’s an image you can download if you’d like to just use the eyedropper tool:
After you fill your layer, take it’s opacity to around 70%
You should be able to see your paper texture peeking through.
Now change the layer mode to “Soft Light.”
When you change the layer mode, it will lighten up quite a bit, but will be noticeably darker than the original texture below:
Step 4: Erase
We’re going to use a high resolution brush to ‘erase’ parts of our new layer and leave the corners a little grungy. For this, I like to use my Hi Res Splatter Brushes.
After you get these brushes installed, select the Eraser tool, then select one of the brushes in the High Res Splatter set as your tip shape.
In the Photoshop Toolbar (top left), set the Opacity of your Eraser to 70%, and the Flow to 60%
Now, with the splatter brush tip eraser, start chipping away (erasing) at your top layer, leaving the corners looking ’stained’ or dirty. Concentrate on the middle section while erasing. (more advanced users should erase the layer mask for a non-destructive way to get the same results)
And you should end up with something like this:
Step 5: Repeat
That’s a start, but we need it to get quite a bit grungier before we call it quits. Make a new Layer (on top) and fill it with the color below. (hex) #371C11. Set the layer opacity to 90%, and the layer mode to Multiply.
After you do all this, repeat the last part of Step 4. Use the eraser, and a High Res Splatter brush tip to erase until you get something like this:
Step 6: Repeat Again
That’s a step closer, but we’re not done yet. Make another new Layer (on top) and fill it with the blue color below. (hex) #0078A4. Set the layer opacity to 65%, and the layer mode to Soft Light.
The only thing we’re going to do different this time is change the Opacity and Flow of the Eraser tool to 30%
After you do all this, repeat the last part of Step 4. Use the eraser, and a High Res Splatter brush tip to erase until you get something like this: (You might notice how tha blue layer makes the other 2 layers quite a bit darker. It’s subtle, but noticeable)
Step 7: Add Some Details
If you want to add a little extra to your grungy paper, you can always spice things up with some cool Photoshop brushes. Download Botched Ornaments and SS-Handwriting brush sets and install/load them.
Create a new layer for your brushes, set the layer mode to Multiply, layer opacity to about 50%, and select one of the Botched Ornaments brushes. Set the foreground color to (Hex) #A43A00.
This part is really up to you but I just put a botched ornament in the bottom left corner, and the top right. Here’s a close-up:
Now lets add some old-fashioned handwriting, shall we. Make a new layer, set the layer mode to Multiply, layer opacity to about 48%, and set the foreground color to (Hex) #5E4316. Now Load the SS-Handwriting brushes and select a brush to use.
I just put a little handwriting in a couple different places. Here’s another close-up:
Done!
Here’s the final result folks. Click on the image to download it via Flickr if you’d like to add it to your stock folder :) I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.
Related Posts:
- Reverse Grunge - Easy Texture Technique in Photoshop (and others)
- Free High Res Photoshop Brushes: Grungy Texture
- Free High Res Grungy Paper Textures
- Free High-Res Texture Pack: Grungy Watercolor
- Free High-Res Photoshop Brushes: Grungy Wings
- Free High-Res Photoshop Brushes: Grungy Watercolor
Great tut!
I’ve been using alot of textures and stuff lately. As a matter of fact, I just downloaded that pack of texture paper for your site this week for a project.
Thanks again! GREAT site.
Wicked tutorial. Although I knew how to do this already the tutorial itself is wonderful. You pay so much attention to detail and the fact that you include colour bars to use with the eyedropper tool is wonderful. You know what people want and need before they do. Keep up the great work!
Great tutorial. One quick addition:
Create a displacement map from the paper texture before adding the text and ornaments. Then use that map to displace the text and ornaments. It may or may not be enough of a change to notice, but anyway!
Thanks for the great resource!
I’ve used your grungy textures in a few bits of my work so I’ve been waiting for a tutorial like this to make my own.
I’ve always wondered about the funny ornaments. Personally I’ll leave them off because they don’t really add much to the texture.
Thanks again for a really useful tutorial.
Man i love it!,
Bittboxing my hearth!
That’s a brilliant tutorial - thanks! Now off to make pirate theme…
Great Tutorial!
Thanks!
Keep ‘em Coming!
wonderful.
thanxs, very useful
Bittbox is guaranteed to make any designer, or casual photographer, smile upon reading his site. This article is no different.
Thanks for the awesome content as always.
This is good stuff. Thanx a lot. :)
Hey until now I’m still amazed on all of your artworks taught to us! you really a great master! this website is still and will always be really helpful!!!! thanks again for that wonderful add on knowledge in designing!
~astroworks
great! really helped me a lot!!!!!
Great tip! It’s always nice to see real materials used in conjunction with Photoshop.
Hi,
great tutorial. It shows the steps in great detail. If I may suggest one thing, instead of erasing from the layers on top I’d rather give them a layer mask and erase from there. This way you can always change the look and appearance afterwards.
Cheers
Mario
Thanks for using some common sense and making Step #1 be “Wrinkle Up a Piece of Kraft Paper and Scan It.”
I’ve seen so many of these grungy paper tutorials elsewhere that forego this obvious step, and replace it with a series of Photoshop tricks that, in my opinion, make the end product look less realistic. Kudos!
Hey,
Cheers for the tutorial, useful as always.
Also, I’ve just received issue 151 of Computer Arts, and low and behold who is in there but our very own Bitt! Kept that one quiet didn’t you!
Vin
Multiply and Soft Light ah?
Thank you so much for this.
Bitt — you da man.
wow this tutorial definitely stepped it up in terms of the tutorials usually posted here. Good job Bitt!
@Vinnie,
I haven’t found the issue in the US yet. I might post about it once I get a copy.
~Bitt
You also get a cheeky little mention in issue 45 of Advanced Photoshop as well…
Thanks for another great tutorial Bitt – insightful as always. Keep up the good work!
thanksss
[...] 4- How To Make An Awesome Grungy Paper Texture From Scratch [...]
Hi
I have Russian blog about a photo and design
Your lesson is very interesting, whether but there is a sense to draw such subjects? It is enough to photograph the necessary decorative element, in your case ìÿòóþ a paper.
Good luck and inspiration.
Forgive for bad English
i want a web
I have always wondered about the funny ornaments. Personally I will leave them off because they don’t really add much to the texture.Good luck and inspiration.
GREAT tut and thank you SOOOO much for sharing :D
thanks for this tutorial… :)