The most versatile section of the Photoshop tutorials, it includes guidelines on drawing and editing of different objects in Photoshop.  Home Photoshop Drawing Techniques Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect


We will start with a blank canvas, background gray, and create a new layer called Paper. Then we'll create a selection for our paper and then fill it with white:

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 1

Next, we'll select the Gradient tool and change the Mode to Difference and choose the White to Black gradient:

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 2

Using the gradient tool, make several short strokes inside the selection, so you end up with something like this:

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 3

We don't want too many crumples that it looks unrealistic. It may take you several times to get a look you desire, so be patient, and make use of PhotoShop's History.
When you are satisfied, goto Filter > Stylize > Emboss. Experiment with the settings - I used 90, 1, 136 to achieve this:

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 4

Now when you deselect, you may have white edges as shown below. If so, just erase them with the eraser or marquee and delete.

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 5

Next step is to go to Image > Adjustments > Levels. We want to move the sliders until we have an authentic paper look.

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 6

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 7

We have a nice look but the edges are way too straight. Let's fix that. Choose the Polygonal Lasso tool and make selections around the paper like so:

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 8

And then hit delete. This will give us some torn edges:

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 9

Now goto Edit > Transform > Warp, and stretch the page something like this:

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 10

Now if you want to add some text to the page, we can use a displacement map to try and displace the text. Ctrl-click the paper layer to make a selection, then copy it and paste into a new document. Then save as displacement.psd

Now create your text over the paper, and then right-click the text layer and choose Rasterize Layer (or Type). Then, making sure your paper is still the selection, goto Filter > Distort > Displace. Choose a few pixels distortion (no more than 5, depending on your document size), and then when you hit Ok you should be prompted for the displacement.psd - choose that, and voila:

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect image 11

You can use this technique to create other sheets of paper and come out with entirely different results:

Creating Crumpled Up Paper Effect Tutorial: Final Result

Have fun.



Author's URL: PhotoshopAtoms
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