Making Patterns In Photoshop

Creating and Defining Patterns

Create a sampler with shapes in colors, gradients and patterns.

 Making a Seamless Pattern

Create a pattern that is seamless.

Go to Google Images and look for patterns.

In Pinterest Make a Board for any pattern that you think that you might want to use at any time in the future.  Be sure you save one with dots.
When you are ready to make a pattern go to your image in Pinterest, save it to your desktop and open in Photoshop.
I want this pattern to look like Benday Dots.

I want my pattern to be seamless, in order to do this the bottom and top need to be the same, the sides also need to be the same and they are not.

Because this pattern is simple I can zoom in and cut the top and bottom as well as the sides so that they end and begin the same.   Be sure to save when you are done so that you have the perfect image to work with.

Here is the same information in picture format.

If your image cannot be cropped  so that all sides are equal, copying and rotation can make a seamless image to use.

Start by opening the image and choosing canvas size.

We are  going to double the width of the canvas, I first looked at width, then clicked relative and typed the width in again. This will double the width.  I then need to line it up on the right or left side so all the width is added to one side.

If you lined it up correctly it will look like this.  If you do not see the transparent background, unlock the image by double clicking the lock in layers.  If you do this before you add to the canvas you are ready.  If not you will have to select the white with your magic wand and cut it away.

Duplicate the layer in the layers panel.

Go to edit and flip horizontal the new layer and line it up.

Go to layers and merge the two layers.  Repeat canvas size to add to the vertical side.

This time I am adding to the height of the document the exact amount that is is to double it.  I then can line it up to be added at either the top or bottom.

When your seamless pattern piece is made save.  The under edit go to Create Pattern Preset.

If it is seamless, when you open a new larger document you  can choose your paint bucket, and click pattern at at the top and pour in a large page of pattern.  If it has funny squares showing up in the repetition, something went wrong and it is not quite seamless and you need to try again.