Faded Lines in Photoshop

Part 1

1. Open a new Photoshop document 150 x 100 pixels, 72 pixels/inch, RGB color, white background, name it Faded Lines

2. Click on the zoom tool at the bottom right of the tool bar. Zoom in at least 500% or more to make it easier to see your work Drag the canvas by the edges to enlarge your workspace.
Show rulers at this point by clicking view menu to show rulers.

3. Add a new layer by clicking layer, new, layer; name it Stripes and click OK

4. Change the foreground color to medium grey and the background color to white by clicking on the color swatch for each and select the appropriate color.

5. Select the horizontal single row marquee tool. If you do not see it, click on the Marquee tool in the upper left of the tool bar and while holding it down, select the single horizontal row marquee.

6. Make sure that the stripes layer is highlighted on the layer panel and click at the very top of where the white background

7. Holding down the shift key, click just below the first row and then just below the second row

8. You will now have a strip 3 pixels high and the length of your background selected. Now go to the top and click on Edit-->Fill-->Use: Foreground color.

9. With the selection still active, hold down the shift key and use the single row marquee tool two more times as before. The selection will be a grey stripe 3 pixels high and a white stripe 2 pixels high.

10. Choose Edit-->Define Pattern

11. Click Ctrl+D which will deselect the area

12. Choose Edit-->Fill-->Use: Pattern. Select the partern youjust made from the selection that appears. Click ok. This will fill in the whole area with the striped pattern.

Hint: If using a different size document, make sure that the height is divisible by 5 because 5 is the height of the individual pattern.

13. Zoom out to 100% magnification


14. Select the gradient tool . If you do not see it, hold down the paint bucket fill tools and select it.

15. Set your foreground color to white, then go to the options bar at the top and click on the downward arrow next the the gradient color (second item in the bar from the left).
Then select the second option from the drop down menu of gradient options which is foreground color to transparency. If you do not see this option, right click on the gradient picture on the top gradient tool bar and "RESET TOOLS."

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16. Add a new layer and name it gradient
17. Make sure the gradient layer is highlighted and click on the left edge of the work area holding down the shift key while you drag in a straight line across to the right edge of the work area. The shift key helps keep the line straight

18. You can tone down the effect by adjusting the opacity on the stripes and gradient layers.

Go to the Follow up tutorial!