The Blend Synthesis layer type, found within the Selected Layer box of the Texture Synthesis dialog, creates seamless textures by folding the edges of the photo back onto itself.
Blend Synthesis is an alternative to Patches, and has advantages and disadvantages. Let's say we wanted to turn the following photograph into a seamless texture.
The left part of the following illustration shows the result of using the Patches layer type, while the right part shows Blend Synthesis. As you can see, Blend Synthesis' potential advantage is that it uses a large portion of the image as-is, without chopping it up and re-synthesizing it into a completely new pattern. This is something that isn't needed in most cases, but may be useful for certain photographs. On the other hand, this technique may cause the areas of the photo that were folded back over itself to be noticeable under scrutiny.
Left: Texture created with Patches layer type.
Right: Texture created with Blend Synthesis layer type.
As previously indicated, the controls for each layer type are organized into a number of sections. In this case they are as follows:
Section |
Description |
Specifies the source photograph and the area that will be used for constructing the seamless texture. |
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Affects how the seamless textures is created. |
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Modifies the layer's color. |
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Controls how this layer is blended with any layers that may be below it. |