Hello there,

This is my first post, so I'd like to take this chance to hello to everyone aswell, hi :)

Basically what drew me to this forum was a google search for my thread title, upon nosing around I noticed theres alot of talented helpful people, fantastic.

I'm redeveloping my forum software and I figured the first place I'd start was a new design, so I've chosen my colours and tested etc, now it looks abit flat after day in day out development.

What I'd like to-do is have a non-invasive, smoke like effect that repeats (as I don't really want to specify a browser window width of 1024 for example).

My design is viewable here ; http://wuggawoo.co.uk/betaForum. The background would be along the top red header. That header will have about 20 white links in font size 13px with a 13x13px icon.

Does anyone have an example, tutorial or a starting file which might help me do this?

BTW the design colors are based off ; http://arstechnica.com/index.ars, there header has a kind of effect I'd like to achieve, expect I'd like a more PSP Home type effect, visible here: http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/FCKEditorFiles/psp_msn_how_to_01(1).jpg.

All replies are appreciated :)

Welcome to RetouchPRO... Your beta site is very attractive so far.

After looking at the existing site (interesting focus I might add), the example then again at the beta site my reaction was, "Who among his active members will care about the presence of a smoke-like effect? Won't something else do just as well?"

You already know people are attracted to participate at a site based on the quality of the information posted and the personalities and expertise of the people who participate, not the presence/absence of a special graphic effect in the site design.

Sorry I don't have the remotest clue on how to help. If you get ideas/tech advice from others that helps you get where you want to go, that will be terrific. If not, I would not lose sleep over it nor spend a whole lot of time trying to create it. Seems to me it would be more productive to concentrate on whatever else needs to be done to launch your revised site so you can move on to other things. If you figure out this effect sometime down the road you could implement it then, couldn't you?

My .02 on this one. In any event best of luck with your endeavor.

I came across the perfect tutorial for seamless textures just yesterday. I might just be dim, but I had never seen this simple technique before. Check out...

http://www.evermotion.org/index.php?unfold_exclusive=46&unfold=exclusive

-Guy

Hi Guy, Yes this is a very good technique, and I have use it with good results. Depending on the pattern you can be done with an even simpler technique. make a new copy of the original pattern, flip it and slid it next to the original. This is rather obvious if the pattern if very regular, but simple patterns, say grass or small gravel, it works very well, and it's fast.

Photoshop's Cloud and Difference Cloud filters are automatically seamless tiles if created in image sizes that are multiples of 128 pixels square.

In other words, if you create a new image 128x128, 256x256, 512x512 pixels, etc. and apply the Clouds or Difference Clouds filter the resulting image is a seamless tile.

If you use black and white for the cloud colors, the image could then also be used as an alpha channel to get partial transparancy, if needed, or for use as a mask for other layers allowing you to change the color of the "smoke" without changing the cloud pattern.

Now that one, I didn't know Racc Iria. Nice tip!