I had enough of failing to eagle-eye perfectly-spaced, seamless, and interesting patterns by hand in Photoshop, so I decided to check if there’s a better way and sure enough, there is! The Offset Tool is critical to making perfect seamless patterns in Photoshop. It’s one of those handy tools I probably learned back in Photoshop 101, but of course never thought of it again until a few years later- but seriously, take Adobe classes if you can, they are game-changers!!

I came across Cristina’s extremely helpful and efficient tutorial that completely changed how I approached making patterns. Check out her YouTube channel for excellent videos on pattern tutorials for Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Procreate.

I wrote some notes for myself based off of my experience with Cristina’s tutorial and shared them below for reference. I decided to go with a Peeps-inspired pattern because Peeps are a pretty chaotic cursed energy, so I figured I’d attempt to get them looking orderly for “artistic contrast.”

How to make a seamless pattern in Photoshop

1) Set up your document

What is the intent of your pattern? Will it be used for your phone background, Instagram fame, or anything on the web? Or do you want to print it on a dog bed? Cats also like pattern-printed beds, but they’ll never share that appreciation with you.

Open the new document window

If the pattern is intended for web: set it up at a low resolution (standard is 72 PPI) and RGB for web-based color

If the pattern is intended for print: set it up at a higher resolution (standard for print is 300 PPI) and CMYK

Set the size to 400x400 pixels (or if you’re printing, change to inches/centimeters if you’re more comfortable with that unit of measurement)

In this example, I’m using the pattern for web, so I’ll set it to 72 PPI resolution

2) Choose a background color.

I chose a subdued Peeps Brand Yellow because I didn’t feel like screaming at anyone today with bright colors, but probably will next week.

3) Add some fun graphics!

Make sure they are all placed within the bounds. I decided to get overly technical and add ruler guidelines so that I can center a Peep that will be split four ways once the Offset Tool is applied.

When I place graphics in a new PSD file, I prefer to use File -> Place Linked to save disk space and allow me to resize the image without compromising the quality (it will be linked to the original-sized graphic). However, if you’re planning on moving the PSD file to a different location, then use File -> Place Embedded to include the image in the document without breaking the linked reference to the original image location.

4) Offset Filter

Once everything is placed the way you like, go to Filter -> Other -> Offset. In the offset menu, choose an offset number that is 50% of your total pixel dimensions. In this case, I’m using a 400x400 pixel square, so I would need to offset by 200x200 pixels. Make sure Wrap Around is selected to allow the seamless pattern magic to happen.

5) Add some variety

Look at that! Your pattern has been chopped up to accommodate seamless patterns, but what to do about that empty center space (if you have one)? Well, I placed a different-colored Peep and while the layer was active, ran Edit -> Transform -> Flip Horizontal to add some variety.

(Insert picture of Peeps flipping horizontal) (Insert photo of final Peeps pattern)

6) Define the new pattern

Now you’re ready to save your square as a new pattern! Go to Edit -> Define Pattern and name it.

7) Make a new document

Open a new Photoshop document with your preferred dimensions. In this case I set it to an Instagram Story size (1080x1920 pixels).

8) Fill space with your patter

Fill that space with your pattern by navigating to Edit -> Fill. Change the Contents menu option to “Pattern” and open the Custom Pattern selection where you will see your newly-created pattern tile. Just ignore the other settings if you want normal blending, and go for it!

9) Great job!

You get to see your pattern in action and share it with your internet buddies!

References:

youtube.com/watch?v=uB0IG2x2wPc
photoshopessentials.com/basics/repeating-patterns-from-custom-shapes/