[TUTORIAL] Installing Patterned Backgrounds

Have you ever wondered how I inserted patterned walls in some of my Episode backgrounds?

In this third segment of background tutorials, I will show you the exact method I use and will attempt to explain my thought process to the best of my abilities. The same technique can be applied on both Photoshop and Pixlr Editor, but I will continue using Pixlr Editor so everyone can have an equal opportunity to learn how to edit backgrounds.

The first portion of this post will be a quick and simple tutorial that's best suited for attaching patterns to a flat wall. In the second half, I will explain to you how you can successfully add a patterned background to a wall that's at an angle.

Upon opening your image, right-click on the "background" layer and select "duplicate layer". As the option implies, this is to create a backup of the original image and you'll understand why in the following steps.

Next, you'll want to open your pattern of choice. (This is a herringbone pattern that I got off of Google images.) Then copy and paste it into the window with the background you want to edit.

The pattern must be in between the original and duplicated background layers.

With the top layer highlighted, begin selecting around the wall by using the polygonal lasso or marquee tool. Afterwards, press delete when you've selected the entire area where you want the pattern to be visible.

The deleted portion of the copy layer becomes transparent, so the pattern will be shown as long as it's the middle layer. If you need to resize the pattern, go to edit > free transform and you can hold down the shift key to constrain proportions.

At this point, I would recommend lowering the opacity of the patterned background. When you lower the opacity, it restores some details of the wall. This is also why the original copy of the background serves as the bottom layer.

Additionally, you can change the color of the pattern as long as you have the correct layer selected and then by readjusting the hue/saturation levels.

Angled Walls

The first two steps follows the same instructions as mentioned above: duplicate background, then copy and paste the pattern into the working window.

Hide the duplicated background layer and lower the opacity of the pattern. I highly recommend reducing the opacity as it will make it easier to work with in the upcoming steps.

I'm going to begin by angling my herringbone pattern onto the left side of the wall. You'll need the free distort tool on Pixlr Editor or skew on Photoshop (edit > transform > skew). Free distort/skew is a great tool that allows you to apply a slant to your current layer.

Generally, you want to follow the outline of the wall as closely as possible and end where the corners are.

If you encounter a small corner/wall such as the one above, you don't really need that much wallpaper. I would suggest deleting part of it, and then duplicate the layer to save it for the other side. If you decide against cutting out a portion of the pattern, it will end up looking very condensed and mismatched after you distort it.

Repeat this process as many times as necessary until the walls are fully covered.

Make the layer containing your copy of the background visible again. Select around the wall and clear it afterwards.

If you followed every step correctly up to this point, this is what it should look like.

Adjust opacity levels if needed.

Do not reset your opacity levels to 100%. With full opacity, you cannot see the shadows on the wall from the original background image and this ends up appearing very one dimensional.

Try opting for a number between 45-65 instead. With an opacity in this range, both the pattern and background details will be visible. Of course, your numbers may vary greatly depending on the pattern you're using.

Free distort/skew is a tool that's almost always used in all of my background edits. The same concept can be applied to change the texture of the floor, although the opacity should be full instead of partial. This tool can also be used to conduct other changes, such as placing a poster at an angle.