How to Add a Texture to a Photo

My friend, Mersad, asked if I would elaborate on how I edited this snowdrops photo.

I am starting from the beginning,

you can select which aspects you are interested in.

Taking the photo.

I picked the snow drops and put them in a small bottle.
I spritzed the flowers with water.

I set up a white board background on my table

and photographed them using natural light 

coming in from the window to the right of the photo.

I probably had the camera on a tripod to steady it.

 Here is the original photo. 

Next I 'cleaned up' the photo.

I opened the photo into Photoshop (I use PSE8)

I often use an action called Wonder Quickie from Paint the Moon.

An action is a tool that saves you time in editing

by repeating a set of steps someone did and saved into an auto process called an action.

You can purchase actions or take

advantage of the many free actions out there.

The steps, which are called layers, can usually be edited to your liking.

Wonder Quickie quickly adds the following adjustable layers which are turned off:

I turned on and adjusted 3 layers as follows:

Sharpen Details (Turned on, 53%)

Lighten (Turned on, 48%)

Darken

Contrast (Turned on, 69%)

Color Boost

Warmth 

Cool It Down

The action is installed in my Effects Folder for photoshop

so it will show up in my Effects tab by the red dot.

The square shows the icon for the action I used.

Click on it twice and it will "run."

The arrow shows a layer I turned on.

See the eye ball in the little box?  That's on.

The rectangle shows where to adjust the opacity 

which effects how strong the effect is applied on the photo.

When finished adjusting go to Layer>Flatten Image

(You don't need an action to do any of this,

it just saves time.)

I opened a texture in Photoshop.

Here is a texture:  

A texture is exactly that...something that adds texture to your photo.

Again, you can buy textures or take advantage of the many free textures out there.

This texture is by Anna Lenabem.

(I do not recall which textures I used on the original photo

so I am just starting over.  

I have since started coding textures I use so I can add the code 

to the file name and always know which ones I used.)

How to:

Open the texture.

File > Open > Wherever you keep your textures.

Drag the texture on top of your photo.

Once you drag it you do not need to keep the original opened.

Resize the texture to cover your photo by pulling the edges out.

Click the green check mark when your have resized the texture over the photo.

Next, go to blending modes for your layers.

Make sure the texture layer is the active layer. (Click it)

Choose a blending mode.

I chose soft light - 

that is usually my 'go to' blending mode.

You can adjust the opacity to your liking right next to the drop down box.

Now you see your photo with a texture on top of it.

You likely will not want the texture on top of the subject.

So select your eraser, adjust the opacity of the eraser a tad down,

erase the texture from the subject.

On this photo I added two textures. 

The next texture added the bokeh, or circles.

Here is a bokeh texture by Ashley Sisk.

I followed the same process as I did on Anna's texture above,

only this time I used Overlay as the blending mode.

I erased the texture from the subject at a much lower opacity 

because I like the brightness it adds to the flowers.

Here is the finished product. 

If this were the finished product I was keeping I would have tweaked

the upper right corner that appears washed out

and I didn't erase the first texture off the stems for time purposes.

For free resources of actions and textures go to the sidebar on my photo blog

and scroll down to the section "Online Resources I Love and Use."
Please don't copy the textures here,
rather go to the designer and download them from their site.
Be sure to read any usage requirements.
Some have limitations,
some have none.

How to Add a Texture to a Photo

My friend, Mersad, asked if I would elaborate on how I edited this snowdrops photo.

I am starting from the beginning,

you can select which aspects you are interested in.

Taking the photo.

I picked the snow drops and put them in a small bottle.
I spritzed the flowers with water.

I set up a white board background on my table

and photographed them using natural light 

coming in from the window to the right of the photo.

I probably had the camera on a tripod to steady it.

 Here is the original photo. 

Next I 'cleaned up' the photo.

I opened the photo into Photoshop (I use PSE8)

I often use an action called Wonder Quickie from Paint the Moon.

An action is a tool that saves you time in editing

by repeating a set of steps someone did and saved into an auto process called an action.

You can purchase actions or take

advantage of the many free actions out there.

The steps, which are called layers, can usually be edited to your liking.

Wonder Quickie quickly adds the following adjustable layers which are turned off:

I turned on and adjusted 3 layers as follows:

Sharpen Details (Turned on, 53%)

Lighten (Turned on, 48%)

Darken

Contrast (Turned on, 69%)

Color Boost

Warmth 

Cool It Down

The action is installed in my Effects Folder for photoshop

so it will show up in my Effects tab by the red dot.

The square shows the icon for the action I used.

Click on it twice and it will "run."

The arrow shows a layer I turned on.

See the eye ball in the little box?  That's on.

The rectangle shows where to adjust the opacity 

which effects how strong the effect is applied on the photo.

When finished adjusting go to Layer>Flatten Image

(You don't need an action to do any of this,

it just saves time.)

I opened a texture in Photoshop.

Here is a texture:  

A texture is exactly that...something that adds texture to your photo.

Again, you can buy textures or take advantage of the many free textures out there.

This texture is by Anna Lenabem.

(I do not recall which textures I used on the original photo

so I am just starting over.  

I have since started coding textures I use so I can add the code 

to the file name and always know which ones I used.)

How to:

Open the texture.

File > Open > Wherever you keep your textures.

Drag the texture on top of your photo.

Once you drag it you do not need to keep the original opened.

Resize the texture to cover your photo by pulling the edges out.

Click the green check mark when your have resized the texture over the photo.

Next, go to blending modes for your layers.

Make sure the texture layer is the active layer. (Click it)

Choose a blending mode.

I chose soft light - 

that is usually my 'go to' blending mode.

You can adjust the opacity to your liking right next to the drop down box.

Now you see your photo with a texture on top of it.

You likely will not want the texture on top of the subject.

So select your eraser, adjust the opacity of the eraser a tad down,

erase the texture from the subject.

On this photo I added two textures. 

The next texture added the bokeh, or circles.

Here is a bokeh texture by Ashley Sisk.

I followed the same process as I did on Anna's texture above,

only this time I used Overlay as the blending mode.

I erased the texture from the subject at a much lower opacity 

because I like the brightness it adds to the flowers.

Here is the finished product. 

If this were the finished product I was keeping I would have tweaked

the upper right corner that appears washed out

and I didn't erase the first texture off the stems for time purposes.

For free resources of actions and textures go to the sidebar on my photo blog

and scroll down to the section "Online Resources I Love and Use."
Please don't copy the textures here,
rather go to the designer and download them from their site.
Be sure to read any usage requirements.
Some have limitations,
some have none.

Your New Best Friend

Take the time to find your camera's manual...

It WILL be worth it.

A great way to improve your photography 

and also get out of a shooting slump if you happen to be in one,

is to make friends, really good friends, with you camera's manual.

Whether you use a Point and Shoot or a Digital SLR it doesn't matter.

Understanding all the bells and whistles on your camera 

and to know how to use them instinctively

will give you greater command over your photographs.



I married my first camera (above) 25.9 years ago...
it just so happened to come with a husband.

I know, you're thinking, "Really, I am not going to read a manual."
But once I did, my photographs improved significantly.

And I don't mean to glance through the manual

thinking, "Oh, isn't that interesting."

What I mean is taking it page by page.

When you get to something 'new to you,'

put the manual down, pick up your camera, and go try it out.

Try it out for a week or more...until you are 

completely comfortable with your new skill.

Then go back to the manual and pick up where you left off

until you come across something else 'new to you.'

Repeat the cycle.

Above, an old find from an auction box lot.

Once you've mastered the contents of the manual

you'll know everything your camera is capable of,

you'll feel more comfortable and knowledgeable taking photos,

you'll be happier with your results,

you'll be better prepared to venture into manual mode,

you'll spend less time editing,

and best of all...

You'll have a great excuse to buy a new camera

so you can do it all again!



Above, little friends investigate a vintage camera I rescued from a neighbor's trash.  ;)

Really, that's what I did.
I stuck with my old camera til I knew it like the back of my hand.
Now I need to get started all over with the new camera.
I confess, there is a lot of things I don't know how to use on the new one.

Leave a comment below to tell all of us what you are shooting with
and what 'new to you' skill you 

will be working on this week.

That way we can stop by your blog and encourage you.

Go forth and shoot!

I was asked to write a monthly tutorial/tips post for Friday My Town Shoot Out,
I thought I would share them here as well.

Your New Best Friend

Take the time to find your camera's manual...

It WILL be worth it.

A great way to improve your photography 

and also get out of a shooting slump if you happen to be in one,

is to make friends, really good friends, with you camera's manual.

Whether you use a Point and Shoot or a Digital SLR it doesn't matter.

Understanding all the bells and whistles on your camera 

and to know how to use them instinctively

will give you greater command over your photographs.



I married my first camera (above) 25.9 years ago...
it just so happened to come with a husband.

I know, you're thinking, "Really, I am not going to read a manual."
But once I did, my photographs improved significantly.

And I don't mean to glance through the manual

thinking, "Oh, isn't that interesting."

What I mean is taking it page by page.

When you get to something 'new to you,'

put the manual down, pick up your camera, and go try it out.

Try it out for a week or more...until you are 

completely comfortable with your new skill.

Then go back to the manual and pick up where you left off

until you come across something else 'new to you.'

Repeat the cycle.

Above, an old find from an auction box lot.

Once you've mastered the contents of the manual

you'll know everything your camera is capable of,

you'll feel more comfortable and knowledgeable taking photos,

you'll be happier with your results,

you'll be better prepared to venture into manual mode,

you'll spend less time editing,

and best of all...

You'll have a great excuse to buy a new camera

so you can do it all again!



Above, little friends investigate a vintage camera I rescued from a neighbor's trash.  ;)

Really, that's what I did.
I stuck with my old camera til I knew it like the back of my hand.
Now I need to get started all over with the new camera.
I confess, there is a lot of things I don't know how to use on the new one.

Leave a comment below to tell all of us what you are shooting with
and what 'new to you' skill you 

will be working on this week.

That way we can stop by your blog and encourage you.

Go forth and shoot!

I was asked to write a monthly tutorial/tips post for Friday My Town Shoot Out,
I thought I would share them here as well.