Stuff you can do with clouds

[Doug Nelson]

I was playing with the clouds filter the other day and discovered some interesting (to me) textures.

I started simply by making an 8x10 300ppi image and running the clouds filter with foreground and background set to default b/w, then I:

Used Find Edges and applied Emboss and added a Hue/Sat adjustment layer
Started over and used Find Edges and applied Bas Relief
Started over and applied Craquelure stacked with Chrome in the Filter Gallery

(I had to really crunch down the image to upload here, obviously they looked much better at full rez)

I also got interesting results with Highpass and a few others. So what can you do with the same starting clouds image and just some filters?

[Axleuk]

It would be really interesting to have a thread with a nice collection of textures, just like these ones.

The second one impresses me the most, i has the same consistancy of fibre glass, i'm sure i could find a use for it.

Would love to see what other people can produce.

Thanks Doug !

[Doug Nelson]

Duplicate clouds layer. Posterize bg layer to 12 levels. Set duplicate layer blend mode to exclusion. Flatten and emboss.

[PamSav]

These are great textures Doug. Do you mind if I use them?

[Doug Nelson]

Stacked the notepaper and chrome filters, then color adjusted with levels on individual channels.

Please stop me.

[Doug Nelson]

I don't care if anyone uses any of these, but the point (and the whole point of this Scratch Pad subforum) is for you to try the technique yourself and expand on it, then post any interesting results that you've gotten.

[kiska]

Doug, it seems you have found your own personal version of the addictive kaleidoscope.

kiska

[Doug Nelson]

Kiska, you seem to be right. Join in!

Solarize, then Plastic Wrap filter.

[Axleuk]

I think it is important at this stage to point out that when you create a texture that is to be used in the 'Tiling Process' then you will benefit by using the following method to make your texture seamless.

Creating your texture with the following dimensions help this.

128x128 / 256x256 / 512x512 / 1024x1024 / etc, etc...

This work particulatly well with the ' Clouds Filter' but also applied to other built in Photoshop filters ( experiment ).

For instance:

- Create a new document with the dimensions 128x128
- Then apply the clouds filter ( Filter / Render / Clouds )
- Select all ( CTRL+A ) or ( Command+A on the MAC i believe ) and define it as a pattern ( EDIT / DEFINE PATTERN / name as CLOUDS ) press OK
- Now create a NEW documnet with the dimensions 1024x1024
- Fill with your new *Clouds* pattern ( EDIT / FILL / select PATTERN from the USE: dropdown box then from the CUSTOM PATTERN )

As you can see, you now have a CLOUDS texture that fills a 1024x1024 image that is perfectly seamless.

This principle is not only limited to the clouds filter, it can also be applied to other filters within Photoshop ( not all ), so as you can see, with a little thought before hand, you can create stunning ' SEAMLESS' textures with little effort.

[Doug Nelson]

I've forgotten all the steps I used here. I know it involved putting another layer over the clouds layer, using a spectrum gradient, applying difference clouds, switching blend mode to lighten, flatten, then stacking plastic wrap and sumi-e filters. I think. I've probably forgotten something or included something I didn't actually do. Try it yourself.

[Doug Nelson]

Axleuk:

Unfortunately, many of the filters apply directional lighting of some sort, making tiles problematic (but not impossible, I'm open to suggestions). But these effects are resolution independent, so you could make one so big tiling was unnecessary.

[Axleuk]

Doug, that last texture looks to me like Skittle that have be thrown on the floor and got caught in the rain.... I love it !!

[Doug Nelson]

I have even less of an idea on this one, but it started with the same clouds. I remember there was a stained glass filter in there somewhere, and difference clouds, and it ended with plastic wrap, but I think there were 3 or 4 more other steps that I've forgotten.

[kiska]

Doug, dammit, GO AWAY!

[Doug Nelson]

Very cool. And I'm glad to hear I'm not suffering alone

[T Paul]

Originally Posted by kiska

Doug, it seems you have found your own personal version of the addictive kaleidoscope.

kiska

LOL, I agree! Love all the results, especially the vibrant stain glass one by Doug, and the brightly colored one by kiska.

[Doug Nelson]

Accented edges, highpass sharpen, then I made it a seamless tile (just for fun).

[Stroker]

Clouds/Difference Clouds is basic mid-point displacement and is fractal. Although, I'm not sure how the interations are handled. Clouds/Difference Clouds will tile for powers of 2 because of the nature of the algorithm. X and Y are independant, so 128x256 will also tile. I saw the proof for this once when I was doing research into Perlin, Veronelli, and Worley. It's a calculus thing.

Even though it is already fractal, you can add 'more fractalness' to Clouds.

New layer and Clouds/Difference Clouds to taste.
Another layer and Clouds/Difference Clouds to taste.
Set the second layer to Linear Light and set Opacity to 50%.
Another layer and Clouds/Difference Clouds to taste.
Set this layer to Linear Light and set Opacity to 25%.

You should end up with something like Clouds, but a little bit different.

Of course, you don't have to use Linear Light. Try other blending modes.

Also, you can also toss in other filters in the same manner.
For example, High Pass at 8 on the bottom layer, then High Pass at 4 on the next layer, and so on.
Or Gaussain Blur in the same manner.

Might be a good idea to Auto Level after various things to help keep the highs high and the lows low. Or fade Auto Levels. Or no Auto Levels at all.

I've used the High Pass variation for some veined marble type stuff. Small veins and bigger veins. Very cool.

With the Gauss variation and some masking action, you can get some good looking clouds. Like, clouds in the sky.

Clouds/Difference Clouds is also a good start for Perlin Noise.
Do a layer with Clouds/Difference Clouds to taste.
Make sure interpolation is set to some flavor of bi-cubic.
Free Transform the Clouds down to 10% or so.
Free Transfrom it back up to original size.

[Doug Nelson]

Chrome stacked with Accented Edges, color balance, sharpen, seamless.

Am I the only one that finds this interesting to do?

[Doug Nelson]

Stroker, good info, thanks.

[Stroker]

NP, Doug. Was playing with this around 2 months ago. Unfortunately, only kept a few examples. Really sucks because I had some good looking fire and other things.

Attached is a variation using Clouds and High Pass.
Can't remember all the tricks I used for this one, though.

Uh-oh. Lights are flickering due to winter weather.
Gotta go and batten down the hatches.

[Doug Nelson]

I have no freaking idea what all I did for this one. But I do know it started with USM set to a very high setting. Gave an interesting granular look. Then I think I used emboss and some other stuff (but no artistic filters). Seamless.

Stroker: a good green marble was one of the things I was looking for when I first started this.

[Doug Nelson]

Dust and Scratches, posterize, emboss (not seamless, I'm getting tired)

[Doug Nelson]

This time I ran clouds on the individual channels, then put the whole thing through the watercolor filter. unseamly

[Doug Nelson]

Twirl, twirl, twirl, dupe layer, set dupe blend mode to luminosity, emboss on dupe, flatten, flip horizontal, twirl, twirl, twirl

[Doug Nelson]

Halftone, deleted red and green channels, cropped in on just a few dots, accented edges stacked twice, spectrum gradient on color blend layer

[Stroker]

Here's a change of pace for ya.

Clouds + Offset + Polar Coords

[kiska]

For DEMONIC DOUG!

[Doug Nelson]

Ooo! I like! How'd you do it?

[kiska]

Oh, Doug, I'm not sure. I did one layer of clouds, one of diff. clouds. Then fibers, copied, transformed 90°, glowing edges or find edges>overlay, anisotropic. That's all I remember and I'm not sure that's the order.
Good luck!
kiska

Oh,oh! I just remembered. I used this pattern before fibers, I think. The pattern is what I transformed sideways.