The Source section of the Repeating Pattern layer type specifies the source photograph and controls how it's turned into a seamless texture.
As indicated above, seamless textures are created with this layer type by identifying a photo's repetition points. Figuring out which points to use can be a bit of an art. The several illustrations that follow provide examples of correctly positioned repetition points, along with the texture that resulted.
Often the repetition points will be easy to find, such as in this
example where the artist has marked the corner of each tile.
With more complex patterns, placing the repetition points can be a little trickier.
In this case, each grid square needed to cover two bricks instead of one.
Sometimes you may want to select just a single row or column, such
as in this example where the artist set the Grid property to (4, 1).
In some cases the photo was taken so close to the material that only a single
complete repetition was captured. In such cases it's okay to set Grid to (1, 1).
Remember that if you don't quite like the pattern that formed, you can always
randomize it by modifying the Seed property of the Master Controls box.
These properties appear at the bottom of the section:
Property |
Description |
Grid |
Specifies how many grid-squares should be used for specifying the repetition points of the chosen photograph. |
Frequency |
Influences how many repeating features should be placed in the final texture. Increasing this property is similar to zooming out. |
Feather |
Softens the edges of the selected grid area. For each photograph you should experiment to discover what Feather value will give the best result. You will not be able to increase this property if the extended sampling area has already reached the sides of the photo. The extended sampling area is indicated by the rectangular outline that surrounds all the repetition point. |
Equalize Brightness Controls |
The two final controls can be used to correct uneven lighting in the source photograph. Further explanation is available here. |
To place repetition points more accurately, open a larger version of the placement control by clicking the "Edit Full Size..." button that appears along the top of the section.