Hello everyone this is Chris from Spoon Graphics
back with another video tutorial for Adobe Photoshop.
Today I'm going to show you some clever techniques for creating military style camo patterns,
using nothing but Photoshop filters.
The result is completely randomised, which is perfect for producing abstract shapes and
disruptive patterns.
I'll show you a range of optional steps you can take to customise the appearance of your
camouflage design, then prepare to have your mind blown when you see how Photoshop can
completely automate the creation of your pattern across a vast area with no repetition whatsoever.
But first, if you need a camo pattern, a floral pattern, or any other kind of asset while
working on a design project, sign up to Envato Elements...
This is the camo pattern I'll be creating in this
tutorial, but you can use the same process to create endless pattern designs with various
colours, shapes, details and effects.
This is just a sample of some additional camo patterns I created in minutes by simply adjusting
the parameters of the same Photoshop file.
To begin, open up Adobe Photoshop and create a new document.
The size of your document needs to be around 3000px or larger to allow for the scaling
of the filters we'll be using.
Any smaller and you won't really see much of the pattern within the canvas.
But as you'll see, you can adjust the canvas to any size later.
Click the Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Solid Color.
Pick the background hue of your camo colour scheme.
I'm going for a muddy brown of #24180E.
Add a new layer, then right click and choose Convert to Smart Object.
This is crucial for editing the settings of the filters, otherwise they are permanently
applied.
Go to Filter > Render > Clouds to produce the foundation of the camouflage pattern.
Next, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
Choose any value for now, I'll show you what difference it makes later.
Go to Image > Adjustments and choose Threshold.
Move the slider back and forth to see how it affects the complexity of the shapes.
In the layers panel, double click the Gaussian Blur smart filter to edit its settings.
Choose different values to see how it alters the appearance of the pattern.
The higher the blur, the smoother the blobs will be.
This is just one option you can experiment with to create different camo pattern styles.
Double click the layer to open the Layer Styles.
Drag the left handle of the Blend If slider to the right by 1 point, which turns the black
portion of the pattern transparent so you can see the Solid Color below it.
Next go to Image > Adjustments > Hue & Saturation.
Check the Colorize option, then alter the Lightness, Hue and Saturation sliders to find
a suitable colour for this layer of camo shapes.
I went with a dark green.
As with all the Smart Filters, the settings can be changed by double clicking it in the
Layers panel.
Use the CMD (or CTRL key on Windows) and J shortcut to duplicate the layer.
Go through each Smart Filter and change the values, starting with Hue & Saturation to
choose a different colour for this layer of camo blobs.
Adjust the Threshold to alter the density of the shapes.
Alter the Blur amount to determine how detailed the blobs are.
Then double-click the Clouds filter to randomly generate a unique layout.
Use the CMD+J shortcut again to make another duplicate layer.
Repeat the process of adjusting each Smart Filter to generate a unique spread of abstract
shapes.
Another filter that can help you create unique pattern designs is Motion Blur, which will
generate longer shapes.
Find it under the Filter > Blur menu, then choose a high value.
Drag the filter below Threshold within the stack of Smart Filters, then adjust the various
filter settings to find the best result.
Let's take a look at some other filters you can use to customise the appearance of your
pattern design.
Activate the middle camo layer, then go to Filter > Filter Gallery.
Under the Distort category, choose Glass.
Move the sliders to see how it produces a grainy outline around the blob shapes.
Frosted is the default texture, but you can also choose Tiny Dots for a halftone effect.
Alternatively, you can load your own texture, but first we need a texture to use.
Download some kind of texture to use within your camo pattern, such as brush strokes,
tree bark, foliage, or something completely abstract.
I'm using this free oil painting photo from Unsplash.com.
Open the image in Photoshop, then go to File > Save As.
Choose Photoshop as the file format to make a PSD.
Back in the main camo design file, bring up the Filter Gallery again.
This time choose the new PSD as the texture source.
Play around with the sliders again to adjust the smoothness of the texturing.
There's another cool filter you can experiment with.
Select the bottom layer and apply the Filter Gallery.
This time choose Stained Glass under the Texture category.
Bring down the Light Intensity to zero, then play around with the sizing options to transform
the blobs into cool mosaic shapes.
Now you might be thinking this camo pattern looks really cool, but does it repeat seamlessly?
Well, not exactly, but because the entire design is made using live filters, watch what
happens when you change the canvas size.
Photoshop automatically regenerates the pattern to fill the canvas, without any repetitiveness
whatsoever.
Then as a finishing touch, if you're wondering how I added the fabric texture in my preview
graphics.
Simply download a free texture and open it in Photoshop.
Use the shortcuts CMD+A to Select All, CMD+C to Copy, CMD+V to Paste then CMD+T to Transform.
Scale and position it over your artwork, then go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate to
remove the colour.
Change the blending mode to Multiply, then bring up the brightness of the texture with
some Levels adjustments.
Bear in mind that unless you create a repeating pattern using this texture and apply it as
an adjustment layer, it won't form part of your original camo pattern that can be resized
to cover any area.
The final result is a cool military style camouflage pattern that is completely customisable
with different shapes, colours and textures.
By configuring any of these filter settings differently, you can produce unique pattern
designs every time.
If you enjoyed this tutorial or learnt any new tips or techniques a Like on the video
would really help spread the word.
Subscribe to the channel to stick around for more of my content, and head over to my Spoon
Graphics website to get your hands on all my free design resources.
As always thank you very much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.