Using Patterns

A pattern is a repeating design. The smallest unit of a pattern is known as a "tile." When you fill an area with a pattern, the tile is repeated across the selected area.

With patterns, you can:

• fill selections with imagery
• paint patterns directly onto your image, with computed brushes that use rendered dab types
• paint using a cloning brush
• control image effects

You'll find a sampling of patterns in the default Pattern library. You'll find other pattern libraries on the Corel Painter CD.

The Patterns palette shows a preview of the pattern, gives tile image dimensions, and gives you options for scaling and arranging the tile when used in fills.

The Pattern selector on the Patterns palette.

Patterns are created by repeating a rectangular image tile across an area. Ideally, images intended to be tiled are created so that they tile seamlessly. Corel Painter provides ways to help you generate seamless tiles.

You can capture a pattern after you create it and manipulate it to be a half-drop design, traditionally used in wallpaper designs. Your patterns can be added to the Pattern library.

Fractal patterns can be used to create interesting landscapes in Corel Painter.

To choose a pattern

1. Choose Window menu > Show Patterns.

If the Patterns palette is not expanded, click the palette arrow.

2. On the Patterns palette, click the Pattern selector.
3. Choose a pattern from the Pattern selector.

• You can also choose a pattern from the Pattern selector in the toolbox.

To adjust the appearance of a pattern

1. Choose Window menu > Show Patterns.
2. Choose a pattern from the Pattern selector.
3. Enable one of the following options:

• Rectangular places the tile in a regular grid for fills. The Offset slider does not apply.
• Horizontal offsets the tiles in subsequent rows. The Offset slider controls the amount of offset.
• Vertical offsets the tiles in subsequent columns. The Offset slider controls the amount of offset.

4. Adjust the Pattern Scale slider to control the dimensions of the pattern.

After setting these options, the pattern is ready to use.

To fill an image with pattern tiles

1. On the Patterns palette, choose a pattern.
2. Choose Effects menu > Fill.
3. In the Fill dialog box, choose Pattern.

• To see tiling in an image, the image must be larger than the tile.

To paint with a pattern

1. From the Brush selector, choose a brush that applies media to a document.
2. On the Stroke Designer page of the Brush Creator, choose General.
3. From the Source pop-up menu, choose one of the following:

• Pattern - paints with a pattern containing no mask information.
• Pattern with Mask - paints using mask data contained in the pattern.
• Pattern As Opacity - paints with the pattern at a reduced opacity.

4. Choose Window menu > Show Patterns.
5. Choose a pattern from the Pattern selector.
6. Paint in the image.

• If you have not set a clone source, Corel Painter uses the current pattern in any operation referring to clone source colors or luminance. This means you can paint with a pattern using a Cloner brush.
• If the Source option is not available (grayed out), the selected brush can apply color only. In that case, select a rendered brush, or choose Rendered from the Dab Type pop-up menu.
• When painting with a pattern, keep in mind that direction matters. Corel Painter flips the pattern you're painting when you change directions, so apply strokes in the same direction for a uniform effect.

Editing a Pattern Tile

If a pattern preview isn't detailed enough or you want to edit an existing pattern, you can open the pattern tile in its own window. By loading a pattern as a file, you can view the pattern closely and modify it.

Once a pattern becomes a tile, you can paint off one side of the Canvas and watch your stroke appear on the opposite side of the Canvas, automatically wrapping to the other side.

Refer to "Creating Seamless Tiles" for more information about editing pattern tiles.

To edit a pattern tile

1. On the Patterns palette, choose a pattern from the Pattern selector.
2. Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Check Out Pattern.

Corel Painter opens the selected pattern tile in its own document window.

You can now edit the pattern tile as you would any image. To put the modified pattern back in the palette, you must save it to the Pattern library. For more information about saving patterns to a library, refer to "Adding Patterns to the Pattern Library".

Creating Seamless Tiles

Patterns are created by repeating a rectangular image tile across an area. When you develop patterns, you're creating images that will be tiled. Ideally, those images must tile seamlessly. That is, the eye should not be able to distinguish tile edges. Corel Painter provides ways to help you generate images that will tile easily.

The wrap-around colors feature lets you paint off one side of an image and onto the other side.

To help in making seamless tiles, Corel Painter gives documents defined as pattern tiles two special characteristics: wrap-around colors and wrap-around seams.

• With wrap-around colors, a brush stroke dragged off one edge of an image appears on the other side. This makes it easier to paint seamless, self-tiling patterns.
• The wrap-around seams feature lets you move the edges of pattern tiles to the center of the image, where their tonal differences are more apparent and easier to correct.

To minimize seams

1. On the Patterns palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Define Pattern.
2. In the toolbox, choose the Grabber tool .
3. Hold down the Shift key and drag inside the image.

You'll see a horizontal and vertical line where image edges meet.

4. When the crossing lines are centered, release the mouse button.

The wrap-around seams feature lets you move the pattern tile edges to the middle so you can edit them.

To remove edge lines

• Do one of the following:

• Set the Straight Cloner brush to clone from somewhere inside the image to preserve detailed imagery. Refer to "Painting in the Clone" for more information about cloning.
• Paint out edge lines using any color brush.
• Smear across edge lines with a Water or Drip brush.
• Copy a selection to a layer and move it over the line. Feather the layer and reduce opacity to help produce clean transitions. Drop the layer when you're satisfied. Refer to "Using Layers and Layer Masks" for more information about working with layers.

Turning a Fractal Pattern into a Paper Texture

You can turn a fractal pattern into a paper texture that will be saved to the Paper library.

To convert a fractal pattern to a texture

1. On the Patterns palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Check Out Pattern.

The pattern displays in a new image window.

2. Choose Effects menu > Tonal Control to adjust image elements such as brightness, contrast, and luminance.
3. When you're satisfied with the tonal balance, choose Select menu > All.
4. Choose Window menu > Show Papers to display the Papers palette.
5. Click the palette menu arrow and choose Capture Paper.
6. In the Save Paper dialog box, set the crossfade to 0.00.
7. Name the paper texture.

Creating and Capturing Patterns

Corel Painter offers three ways to create patterns:

• Define the current image as a pattern, then add it to the Pattern library.
• Create a rectangular selection, then capture it as a pattern. For more information about creating selections, see "Creating Selections".
• Make a Fractal pattern, then add it to the library. For more information on creating fractal patterns, see "Creating Fractal Patterns".

After creating a pattern tile, you'll probably want to refine it, so that it tiles seamlessly. Refer to "Creating Seamless Tiles".

Images that you turn into patterns and save in RIF format maintain their pattern characteristics even after being saved and reopened.

Creating patterns can become addictive. It's a good idea to keep libraries small. Use the Patterns Mover to create new libraries and delete unwanted patterns. You can switch libraries whenever you want to use a different set of patterns. For more information about movers, refer to "Moving Items Between Libraries".

To create a pattern

1. Open the image file you want to create a pattern from.
2. Choose Window menu > Show Patterns to display the Patterns palette.
3. Click the palette menu arrow, and choose Define Pattern.

• With the Grabber tool selected, you can hold down the Shift key and drag the seams to the center of the image. For best results, do this at 100% scale, not zoomed in.

To capture a pattern

1. Using the Rectangular Selection tool , select the area of the image you want to use as a pattern.

Remember, selection edges meet when the image is tiled, so select carefully.

2. Choose Window menu > Show Patterns to display the Patterns palette.
3. Click the palette menu arrow and choose Capture Pattern.
4. Enable one of the following options:

• Rectangular Tile - places the tile in a regular grid for fills. The Bias slider does not apply.
• Horizontal Shift - offsets the tiles in subsequent rows. The Bias slider controls the amount of offset.
• Vertical Shift - offsets the tiles in subsequent columns. The Bias slider controls the amount of offset.

As you try different tile arrangements and Bias settings, the Preview window shows the result.

5. Enter a descriptive name for the pattern.

Corel Painter captures the pattern and saves it to the current library. Once saved, you can find the captured pattern on the Patterns palette. If you want to edit it, you can check it back out of the library.

The Capture Pattern dialog box lets you decide how much to offset pattern tiles and in which direction.

Adding Patterns to the Pattern Library

You can add any image as a pattern tile to the current Pattern library.

To add a pattern to the library

1. On the Patterns palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Add Image to Library.
2. In the Save Image dialog box, give it a descriptive name.

If a pattern with that name already exists in this library, you are prompted to replace it. If you don't want to replace the existing pattern, click No to try again with a different name.

Creating Fractal Patterns

The Make Fractal Pattern command is a pattern generator that creates interesting landscapes. These topographic patterns can be filled with color and even embossed using a paper texture.

When you create fractal patterns, the following options allow you to fine-tune your creation:

• Size sets the exact size of the tile you are creating. If your computer has a lot of memory, you can make a large file with a high resolution. Depending on how much memory your computer has available to Corel Painter, some of the size options may not be available.
• Power controls the intricacy of the pattern's definition, as if you were "zooming" in and out on a textured surface with a microscope. Move the Power slider to the right to zoom out and see many small patterns. Move the Power slider to the left to zoom in and see fewer large patterns.

The Power slider determines the degree of detail. Top=-200%, bottom=0%.

• Feature Size defines the number of prominent features within the tile. Moving the slider to the left increases the number of repetitions per tile.

The Feature Size slider determines the number of repetitions per tile. Top=90%, bottom=20%.

• Softness adjusts the edge softness of the pattern.
• Angle changes the direction from which you view the fractal.
• Thinness emphasizes the direction suggested by the lines of the fractal pattern. Thinner lines produce a more linear look.

Low Thinness settings show the fractal as streaks. Use the Angle slider to change the direction of streaking.

Corel Painter uses four channels to store graphic information: Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha.

You can place information other than color values in these channels. Channel options allow you to visualize this information in new and different ways.

• Height as Luminance displays pseudo-height information as luminance. Images generated with this option are useful in conjunction with the Apply Surface Texture effect. White areas are represented as peaks, and dark areas become depressions.
• Gradient Bearing uses the Red channel to display the bearing of the down angle of a height field.
• Surface Normal uses the Green and Blue channels to represent the X and Y components of the surface normal (angle perpendicular to the surface at a given point) of the height field (Green=X, Blue=Y).

These two latter options for viewing a fractal texture are offered for purely aesthetic reasons. One way to take advantage of them is to create color variations of the texture with the Adjust Colors feature.

To create fractal patterns

1. On the Patterns palette, click the palette menu arrow and choose Make Fractal Pattern.
2. In the Make Fractal Pattern dialog box, adjust the fractal options.

Changes you make appear in the Preview window.

3. When you are satisfied with your selections, click OK.

Give Corel Painter a little time to create your new pattern file. When Corel Painter is finished, your pattern file is displayed in its own document window.

• To colorize a fractal pattern, choose an appropriate gradient and use the Express in Image feature.
• You can also create interesting patterns by choosing a colorful gradient and using the Express in Image command on the Gradients palette.