Wooden Effect

To start off, you will create a new '.psd' file which you will be working on. You can do this by going to 'File > New…' *or by pressing 'Ctrl' + 'N' as a keyboard shortcut. Once you have done this, you will see a 'New Document' dialog opening on the workspace. View Figure 1 as an illustration to this dialog and the exact values you will input into the prompting fields.

Figure 1

You will name your new document according to personal preference. Now set the width to 500px and the height to 250px. The 'Resolution' field determines the amount of dots/pixels the document will contain per inch. In other words, the higher the value, the finer the detail, this will result in a higher quality design. As you have completed all the fields, you can press 'Ok' to continue the creation of your new document.

A new design window will open on the workspace, and you will be working on this blank, new window. The first thing you need to do is to ensure that your colors are ready for implementing the first effect. You can change your primary and secondary colors with the use of the 'Color Box' which is situated on the 'Tools' panel. If the tools panel is not visible on your workspace, you can make it visible by going to 'Window > Tools'. See Figure 2 and the description below as to changing the colors.

Figure 2

The primary color will be set to #533600 and the secondary color has to be set to #ae7c19. These are the RGB codes, which you can input by clicking on each color box and typing the code into the 'Color Mixer'.

You are now ready to create the first effect. Go to 'Filter > Render > Clouds...'. You will now see the design changing. View Figure 3 as an image illustration.

Figure 3 (Click to enlarge)

The 'Clouds...' filter has been applied. The next effect you will implement on the design is the 'Noise' filter. You can apply this by going to 'Filter > Noise > Add Noise'. See Figure 4 as an illustration to the exact values you need to use with this filter.

Figure 4

Once you have done this, you will apply another filter. Go to 'Filter > Blur > Motion Blur'. Set it to 0 degrees and the distance should be set to 45px. After you have applied the 'Motion Blur' Filter, you can view Figure 5 as an illustration to how your design should look at this moment in time.

Figure 5 (Click to enlarge)

The base layer of the design is now complete. Ensure that the 'Layers' panel is visible on your workspace. In case it is not, you can make it visible by going to 'Window > Layers' *or you can press 'F7' as a keyboard shortcut. Move over to the 'Layers' panel and rename 'Layer1' as 'wood_base'. You can do this by double-clicking on the text/caption of the layer, and then typing the new name. Also create a new layer and rename it 'wood_lines'.

You will now select the 'Brush Tool' which is situated on the 'Tools' panel. Move over to the 'Color Box' and change the primary color to a darker shade of brown. I have specifically used the following RGB code : #382500. Now draw a few vertical lines across the design window, using different thickness of brushes. You can even curve the lines, for it is better if they are not completely straight. View Figure 6 as an illustration to how your design should look after you have applied the brush strokes.

Figure 6 (Click to enlarge)

Now apply a 'Wave' filter to this layer. You can do this by going to 'Filter > Distort > Wave...'. Select 'Randomize', and press 'Ok'. If you feel the need, you can play around with the settings, and define the specific waves which you would like to create.

There are only two more filters you need to apply. The first would be the 'Gaussian Blur'. You can apply this filter by going to 'Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur' and then setting the radius to 1px. The second filter would be a 'Motion Blur'. This can by done by going to 'Filter > Blur > Motion Blur' and setting the distance to 25px.

You are now done with the wooden effect, and you are ready to start using this masterpiece in your designs. See Figure 7 as an illustration to the result I have created.

Figure 7 (Click to enlarge)