In this tutorial, I will show you how to create an action grass generator in Adobe Photoshop. For work we will use two brushes and layer styles. At the exit, we get a finished action, which in one click will create grass, and you do not have to repeat the whole process again.
1. Create brushes
Step 1
Open Photoshop and create a new document with a size of 350 x 460 pixels.
Step 2
Press D to reset colors to standard black and white. Then take Ellipse Tool 
(U) (Oval) and set the mode on the top panel Shape (Figure).
Step 3
Draw a long and thin oval.
Step 4
Take Convert Point Tool
(P) (Convert point), hold down Ctrl and click in the center of the shape.
Step 5
Use the tool to click on the top anchor point of the oval to create a sharp angle. Do the same with the lower anchor point.
Step 6
Hold down the Ctrl key and on the layers panel click on the thumbnail of the “Oval 1” layer to load its selection. Then go Edit – Define Brush Preset (Editing – Define a brush), call the new “Basic Brush” brush and click OK.
Step 7
Take Brush Tool
(B) (Brush), right-click on the document and select the brush created by us in the window that opens.
Step 8
Open the brush settings panel Window – Brush (Window – Brush). Then set up Brush Tip Shape (Brush print form):
- Size (Size): 27 px
- Flip X (Flip X): uncheck
- Flip Y (Flip Y): uncheck
- Angle (Angle): 0º
- Roundness (Form): 100%
- Spacing (Intervals): 130%
Step 9
Next, set up Shape Dynamics (Dynamics of the form):
- Size Jitter (Size fluctuation): 32%
- Control (Control): Off (Off)
- Minimum Diameter (Minimum diameter): 7%
- Angle Jitter (Angle oscillation): 35%
- Control (Control): Off (Off)
- Roundness Jitter (Shape oscillation): 26%
- Control (Control): Off (Off)
- Minimum Roundness (Minimum form): 100%
- Flip X Jitter (Flip X vibrations): uncheck
- Flip Y Jitter (Flip Y vibrations): uncheck
- Brush Projection (Projection of the brush): uncheck
Step 10
Customize Scattering (Scattering):
- Scatter (Scattering): 62%
- Both Axes (Both axes): uncheck
- Control (Control): Off (Off)
- Count (Counter): 5
- Count Jitter (Counter oscillation): 100%
- Control (Control): Off (Off)
Step 11
Customize Color Dynamics (Dynamics of color):
- Apply Per Tip (Apply to tip): put a tick
- Foreground/ Background Jitter (Fore / background wobble): 100%
- Control (Control): Off (Off)
- Hue Jitter (Fluctuation in color tone): 2%
- Saturation Jitter (Saturation fluctuation): 13%
- Brightness Jitter (Brightness variation): 11%
- Purity (Clean): -1%
Settings Color Dynamics (Dynamics of color) does not affect the final result, but it is important to adjust this item if you are going to apply a brush to different objects.
Step 12
Now, in the upper right corner of the brushes panel, click on the menu button and select New Brush Preset (New set of brush parameters). Enter the name of the brush “Grass 1” and put a tick opposite Capture Brush Size in Preset (Save the brush size in the set). After that, click OK.
Step 13
Let’s create a new brush. Go back to settings Brush Tip Preset (Brush print form) and make changes:
- Size (Size): 18 px
- Flip X (Flip X): uncheck
- Flip Y (Flip Y): uncheck
- Angle (Angle): 0º
- Roundness (Form): 100%
- Spacing (Intervals): 339%
Step 14
Leave active Shape Dynamics (Dynamics of the form), but the settings do not change. Go to Scattering (Scattering) and make changes:
- Scatter (Dispersion): 50%
- Both Axes (Both axes): uncheck
- Control (Control): Off (Off)
- Count (Counter): 8
- Count Jitter (Counter oscillation): 0%
- Control (Control): Off (Off)
Step 15
Reserve Color Dynamics (Dynamics of color) is active, but we do not change the settings. Save the brush and call it “Grass 2”.
2. Create text and set the pattern.
Step 1
Move on File – Open (File – Open) and open the downloaded background (Background-Grass.jpg).
Step 2
Take Type Tool
(T) (Text) and write the word GRASS. Select the Plump font and set the size to 300 pt.
Step 3
Move on Edit – Presets – Preset Manager (Editing – Sets – Manage sets). In dropdown menu Preset Type (Type of set) choose Patterns (Patterns), then click on the button Load (Download) and select the Grass Pattern.pat file. After that click Done (Done).
3. How to record action
Step 1
Move on Window – Actions (Window – Operations) to open the panel Actions (Operations).
Step 2
Let’s first create a new set. To do this, click on the button Create New Set (Create a new set) at the bottom of the panel, enter the name “Grass” and click OK.
Step 3
Then click on the button Create New Action (Create a new operation), enter the name “Herbal Text” and click Record (Record).
From this point on, everything we do inside Photoshop is recorded, so watch the panel carefully. Actions (Operations), so as not to record unnecessary actions. If you made a mistake, click on the button Stop Playing/ Recording (Stops playback / Recording) and deletes unnecessary actions in the “Herbal Text” action. Then click Begin Recording (Start recording) to continue.
Step 4
Select the text layer, go to Layer – Rename Layer (Layer – Rename the layer) and enter “1”.
Step 5
Create a new layer by clicking on the button. Create New Layer (Create New Layer) at the bottom of the layers panel. We call it “Grass 1”.
Step 6
Select layer “1” and go Type – Create Work Path (Text – Create a work path).
Step 7
Now select the layer “Grass 1”. Activate Brush Tool (B) (Brush) and take our grass 1 brush. Before use, set it up:
- Mode (Mode): Normal (Normal)
- Opacity (Opacity): 100%
- Flow (Push): 100%
- All pressure and airbrush effects are disabled.
Step 8
Move on Window – Paths (Window – Contours) to open the contour panel. Right click on the working contour on the panel and select Stroke Path (Run the outline of the contour). In the window that opens, select Brush (Brush) and uncheck Simulate Pressure (Simulate pressing), then click OK.
Step 9
Select the layer “1”. Then we create a new layer above and call it “Grass 2”.
Step 10
Take Brush Tool (B) (Brush) and customize it:
- Brush (Brush): Grass 2
- Mode (Mode): Normal (Normal)
- Opacity (Opacity): 100%
- Flow (Push): 100%
- All pressure and airbrush effects are disabled.
Step 11
We return to the contour panel. Right click on the working contour and select Stroke Path (Run the outline of the contour). As above, choose Brush (Brush) and uncheck Simulate Pressure (Simulate pressing), then click OK. After that, delete the work path.
Step 12
Again select layer “1”. Hold down the Shift key and click on the “Grass 1” layer to select all layers (except the background).
Step 13
Right click on the layer “Grass 1” and select Convert to Smart Object (Convert to smart object).
Step 14
Double click on the grass 1 smart object to open the window Layer Style (Layer style). Let’s start with the application Bevel Emboss (Embossed):
- Style (Style): Inner bevel (Inner bevel)
- Technique (Method): Smooth (Smooth)
- Depth (Depth): 100%
- Direction (Direction): Up (Up)
- Size (Size): 26 px
- Soften (Smoothing): 0%
- Use Global Light (Global illumination): uncheck
- Angle (Angle): 90º
- Altitude (Height): 30º
- Gloss Contour (Gloss contour): Linear (Linear)
- Anti-Aliased (Smoothing): uncheck
- Highlight Mode (Backlight mode): Screen (Lightening)
- Color: #ffffff
- Opacity (Opacity): 16%
- Shadow Mode (Shadow mode): Multiply (Multiplication)
- Color classification: # 000000
- Opacity (Opacity): 30%
Step 15
Add and customize Inner Shadow (Inner shadow):
- Blend Mode (Overlay mode): Multiply (Multiplication)
- Color classification: # 000000
- Opacity (Opacity): 22%
- Use Global Light (Global illumination): uncheck
- Angle (Angle): -90º
- Distance (Offset): 14 px
- Choke (Stinging): 16%
- Size (Size): 4 px
- Contour (Circuit): Linear (Linear)
- Anti-aliased (Smoothing): uncheck
- Noise (Noise): 0%
Step 16
Add Gradient Overlay (Gradient overlay):
- Blend Mode (Overlay mode): Overlay (Overlap)
- Dither (Dithering): uncheck
- Opacity (Opacity): 46%
- Reverse (Inversion): uncheck
- Style (Style): Linear (Linear)
- Align with Layer (Align by layer): put a tick
- Angle (Angle): 90º
- Scale (Scale): 89%
- Click on the color gradient bar and adjust the gradient:
- First color: # 000000
- Position (Position) first color: 0%
- Second color: # FFFB9C
- Position (Position) second color: 100%
Step 17
Add Pattern Overlay (Overlay pattern) with the following parameters:
- Blend Mode (Overlay mode): Normal (Normal)
- Opacity (Opacity): 100%
- Pattern (Pattern): choose the grass pattern that we set at the beginning of the lesson.
- Scale (Scale): 25%
- Link with Layer (Link with layer): put a tick
Step 18
Add Drop Shadow (Shadow):
- Blend Mode (Overlay mode): Multiply (Multiplication)
- Color classification: # 000000
- Opacity (Opacity): 31%
- Use Global Light (Global illumination): put a tick
- Angle (Angle): 23º
- Distance (Offset): 12 px
- Spread (Span): 0%
- Size (Size): 1 px
- Contour (Circuit): Linear (Linear)
- Anti-Aliased (Smoothing): uncheck
- Noise (Noise): 0%
- Layer Knocks Out Drop Shadow (The layer knocks out the shadow): put a tick
When finished, click OK.
Step 19
Rename the layer “Grass 1” to “Grass text”. After that on the panel Actions (Operations) push the button Stop Playing/ Recording (Stop playback / recording).
And we get the following result:
Congratulations, we are done!
In this lesson you learned how to create an action for generating grass.
We started by creating brushes, then we wrote the text and started the recording of the action. After that, using brushes we created a stroke and applied layer styles to get the final result.
A few important points before the launch of the action:
- Make sure you have a grass pattern installed.
- Make sure that Opacity (Opacity) and Flow (Push) brushes set at 100%.
- Make sure you choose a text layer before using the action.
To play the action, you need to select it on the panel Actions (Operations) and push the button Play (Play). Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Feel free to leave comments below. The action created in the lesson is part of Grass Generator, which you can purchase on the GraphicRiver website.
