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KPT 3's new Texture Explorer is a wondrous thing. Still, in an attempt
to create even odder textures and backdrops for various images, I found
some interesting ways to combine two textures.
The basic technique requires two textures, so let's start with two
textures from Texture Explorer. Both of these are custom jobs:
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Now the whole point of this tip is to use a mask to determine where
one texture will be used over the other, or how they are to be mixed.
So we make a new image, the same size as our others, and begin the
process of creating the "merge mask".
Example 1 We'll start with something easy. Do a simple black-white-black gradient, horizontally:  (You can press CTRL+E in the KPT Gradient Designer to quickly reset to a black and white gradient.) Copy this image to the clipboard and paste it back. This makes a new floating object the same size as our picture. Apply the same gradient, but vertically, and change the object's merge mode to "Difference".  Combine all objects with the base image. Vortex Tile this, centered at (0,0) and 75% intensity:  Then do it again, this time at 100% intensity:  Take our second texture, and paste it over the first. Switch to the alpha channel (the alpha button in the lower right corner) and paste the above merge mask. Switch back to the image, make sure your floating object is selected, and choose "Merge Mask" from the Object menu (or press Ctrl+Shift+M):  This does, of course, look much better at higher resolutions. Generally I prepare the masks at 2x resolution and scale them down. Example 2 How about something a little different? Blow away your merge mask and let's start from scratch. Do a simple black-white gradient, horizontally:  Copy and paste to get a new layer, then fill this with a black-white gradient vertically. Set the merge mode to "Invert". (This is the last mode in the list, and it's an XOR mode.) Weird checkerboard-like patterns emerge:  Using this as our merge mask results in the following strange picture:  Example 3 One last example. Trash your merge mask and start fresh again. Use the "Clouds" effect:  Now apply a "Threshold" effect (in this case, threshold at 30):  Used as a merge mask:  Explore These are just examples. I have a lot more masks that I keep around, for the odd occasion when they will be useful. Some of these took seconds to produce, others took several minutes (or longer) of dinking around with greyscale stuff. You can get lots of weird and unusual effects, and there is of course nothing forcing you to use this on an entire picture. Use your imagination and creativity. |
