The Hideout

Texture application has become a phenomenon for photographers in the recent years. It can produce so many different effects, yielding so many different moods. Not all images are suited for this processing method but it can be pure magic with the right combination of color (or lack thereof) and texture.

So what can you do to help yourself achieve a good blend of elements and crank out images that will get others drooling? Follow these rules of thumb for starters:

1.       Experiment with different ‘blend modes’.

Soft Light, Screen, and Lighten will offer a subtle blending effect. These are better on images that have a lot of content and texture to begin with. Multiply, Hard Light, Overlay, and Darken offer much more dramatic results where the contrast and texture visibility will be slightly heavier. These modes work really well on images with a lot of open sky and negative space.

2.       Less is more.

Don’t feel like you have to go for the WOW factor every time you are using textures. Even the smallest bit of unexpected detail can give a nostalgic look to your photograph!

3. Heavy can be rockin!

If you’ve taken an image with strong visual dynamic, sometimes an intense texture can make it that much more astounding. Textures with gradients and interesting color variations are good for fashion, music, and photographs that are already fun and/or exciting even before processing.

4. Take away the color.

Try using a desaturated texture image on top of a color image. The results will be that of an old crumpled photograph. Paper textures, polished concrete and cardboard are amazing to use for this effect.

5. Add a color texture to a Black and White Image.

Can you say VINTAGE? Well even if you’ve never heard that word before in your life, adding a color texture to a black and white image is the ultimate vintage process, especially textures with yellow and/or cyan tints to them (like the freebies available at the end of this post, WOOHOO!)

6. Replace a boring Wall with Texture for an AWESOME background.

You can actually do this intentionally. I love shooting against a white wall and then masking in texture behind the subject for a ‘faux’ backdrop effect. Wallpaper textures, crackled paint, distressed wood, and fabric are ideal for this. Remember that the more dramatic your lighting is, the more impact you are going to lend with the addition of texture.

7. Save your experiments as layered .psd’s to preserve image quality.

Flattening layers and saving as .jpg files compresses the image and may result in a less desirable print.

Click the “add to cart” button below the two texture images for the FREE download of these two textures.  500 downloads/day is the limit. If you are not receiving the download for free, please check back in 24 hours. Thanks! and enjoy!

SET IS CALLED “CRUMBLED DELICIOUSNESS” The full set will be released Monday May 3, 2010 for just $5 on http://thephotoprofessional.com, in celebration of The Hideout Blog Launch!  Happy Texturizing!