Photoshop: Backgrounds and Textures

Learn how to transform relatively straightforward photographs into distinctive visual art, using Photoshop backgrounds and textures.

Introduction

• Extending the power of photographic imagery
• Backgrounds and textures for your use

1. Working with Backgrounds

• Different background ideas
• Blending modes for high-key images
• Masking an image
• Photoshop selections and backgrounds

2. Where Do Backgrounds Come From?

• Commercial sources of backgrounds
• Creating your own backgrounds

3. Working with Textures

• Textures are overlays
• Textures and blending modes
• Poetic, romantic, and dreamy effects
• Textures for floral imagery
• Using textures for people photography
• It was a dark and stormy landscape

4. Licensing and Making Textures

• Commercial texture libraries
• Photographing your own textures
• Texture plugin from Topaz Labs

5. Textures on the iPhone

• Post-production workflow on the iPhone
• Mextures app and textures
• Distressed FX for layers and blending
• The full-featured Snapseed app
• Image Blender app for compositing

Conclusion

• Next steps