Create a Paper Texture in Photoshop from Scratch

Paper Texture in Photoshop

In Photoshop, there are many different ways to achieve the same result and making a paper texture from scratch is not the exception to that rule. There are, of course, many different kind of papers we can reproduce, but the process doesn't vary too much from one paper type to another. In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a simple paper texture from scratch using only the default Photoshop tools and filters, with a few tweaks to make it look even more interesting.

Step 1

Open Photoshop and make a new file at any size you want. In this case, I will be using a 1800 x 1200 px canvas.

Step 2

Go to Layer > New Fill Layer >Solid Color. Set the name of this layer to “Paper Color” and click OK.

Step 3

In the Color Picker window, set the color to #f5f5f5 and click OK.

Step 4

Go to Layer > New > Layer. Set the name of this layer to “Texture” and click OK.

Step 5

Set the Foreground Color to #f8f8f8 and go to Edit > Fill. In the Fill window set the Contents to “Foreground Color” and click OK.

Step 6

With the “Texture” layer selected go to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object.

Step 7

Go to Filter > Filter Gallery. Under Texture select “Texturizer”, apply the following settings and click OK.

Step 8

In the Layers Panel, double click on the filter blending options icon. In the Blending Options window set the Opacity to 50% and click OK.

Step 9

Again go to Filter > Filter Gallery. Under Brush Strokes select “Spatter”, apply the following settings and click OK.

Step 10

In the Layers Panel, double click on the first filter blending options icon. In the Blending Options window set the Opacity to 50% and click OK.

Step 11

With the Texture layer still selected, go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Apply the following settings and click OK.

Step 12

In the Layers Panel, double click on the first filter blending options icon. In the Blending Options window set the Mode to Linear Burn, bring down the Opacity to 30% and click OK.

Step 13

Lastly, set the blending mode of the “Texture” layer to Multiply.

Step 14

If you want to change the Paper Color, simply double click on the thumbnail of the “Paper Color” layer, pick any color you want and click OK.