Quickly remove part of a pattern to reveal a fun and eye-catching anchor for your projects.

For this tutorial you will need:

• a solid background paper,
• a patterned background paper, and
• a complex mask.

To follow along with this tutorial exactly, download the papers and mask I’m using here.

Step One: Create a New Document

• Create a new 12×12 document (File > New > Blank File) at 300 ppi with a white background. (PS: Choose File > New.)
• Press the letter D to reset the Color Chips to the default of black over white.

Step Two: Add a Solid Background Paper

• Open a solid background paper (File > Open).
• Get the Move tool.
• Holding down the Shift key, click and drag the paper onto the document.

Step Three: Add a Patterned Background Paper

• Open a patterned background paper (File > Open).

Note: The pattern needs to be clearly defined with simple edges. An artistic style pattern with blurry edges won’t work well here.

• Holding down the Shift key, click and drag the patterned paper onto the document.

Step Four: Select the Pattern

• Get the Magic Wand tool.
• In the Tool Options, make sure the New Selection icon is checked, set the Tolerance to 30, Uncheck Sample All Layers and Contiguous, but check Anti-Alias. (Photoshop: Set the Sample Size to Point Sample.)

Note: You may have to set the Tolerance to a lower number if the color of the pattern you wish to select is very close in color to other parts of the paper.

• On the document, click once on the part of the pattern you wish to keep. In my case, I’m clicking on a small cream colored triangle.
• In the Layers panel, click on the Add Layer Mask icon.

Step Five: Add a Complex Mask

• Open a complex mask (File > Open).
• Get the Move tool.
• Holding down the Shift key, click and drag the mask onto the document.

Step Six: Clip the Pattern to the Mask

• In the Layers panel, click and drag the mask layer below the patterned paper layer.
• Click on the patterned paper layer to activate it.
• In the Menu Bar, choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask.

• In the Layers panel, hold down the Alt key (Mac: Opt key) and click and drag the solid paper in between the mask layer and the patterned paper layer.

This should automatically clip a duplicate of the solid background paper to the complex mask.

Finish the Project

Once the above steps are done, you can continue creating a page, card, or other project from there. Here is how my final page turned out:

Credits:
Page & Tutorial: Jenifer Juris
Photo: Jenifer Juris
Kit: Per Diem by One Little Bird
Extras: Mask from Junk in the Trunk by Brandy Murry
Fonts: Betterfly Narrow, Butterfly Draft

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Author: Jenifer Juris | Contact Us
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