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[ 99 ]Step Nine: Now let’s test our pattern.
The quick way to do this is to use the new
Patterns panel (Window>Patterns). Start
by creating a new transparent layer at
the top of your layer stack, and then hide
the merged layer (the new layer should
be the only visible layer). Simply click on
your newly created pattern at the bottom
of the list in the Patterns panel and this
will fill the layer with the pattern.
Double-click the Pattern Fill 1 layer’s
thumbnail to open the Pattern Fill dia-
log. At a Scale of 100%, the pattern will
appear as created, so just drag the slider to
the left, and you’ll see the pattern reduce
accordingly. In this example, we reduced
it by 50% and it looks really good. You
can increase the Scale more than 100%
but you’ll lose the repeating pattern. In
the Pattern Fill dialog, you can also pick
a completely different pattern if you have
more than one in your library.
After you click OK, you can always
double-click the pattern thumbnail again
to adjust the pattern if you aren’t happy
with it in your document. You can see
how the pattern seamlessly repeats on the
opposite edges of the document.
Step 10: Because the pattern has a trans-
parent background, you can add any fill
color layer you want below it, depending
on the outcome for which you’re looking.
Click on the half-black/half-white icon at
the bottom of the Layers panel and choose
Solid Color. In the Color Picker, select the
background color you want, and click OK.
Your end result will be an indefinite
repeating pattern which is now saved
within Photoshop’s pattern library, and it
can be applied using the Fill tool, a layer
style or, as we did earlier, with the Pat-
terns panel. The Offset filter is such an
underused little tool that makes it so easy to
create repeating patterns with any objects.
Once you create your first pattern, I can
guarantee you’ll get the bug and start
creating more. Don’t you just love the flex-
ibility and versatility of Photoshop?