Recursive patterns occur when the outcome of a step is dependent on the results of the step taken before it. Our photo of a woman and her prominent, tattooed hands is repeated as a Custom Bitmap Pattern. Since the pattern is created using a much smaller version of the original image, for this technique you must copy, blur and change to grayscale. Then, add a Threshold adjustment layer, so that you keep the smaller image from appearing as simply a blur once it is sized down. From there, you complete a few more steps and the Custom Bitmap Pattern is ready for reproduction. Try the following eight steps in Photoshop with your own image to get the desired results.
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Launch Photoshop and open your file. Choose Image > Duplicate. In the resulting
Duplicate Image dialog box, click OK to
name the document as a copy. Choose
Image > Mode > Grayscale.
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Press F7 to show the Layers palette. Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button and select Levels from the drop-down menu. Use the options in the resulting Levels dialog box and click OK.
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Select the Zoom tool (Z). Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer button and select Threshold from the drop-down menu. Use the options in the resulting Threshold dialog box and click OK.
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Click the Create New Layer button. Press Command + Option + Shift + E to create a merged layer. Choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Use the options in the resulting Gaussian Blur dialog box and click OK. Choose Image > Duplicate. Use the options in the resulting Duplicate dialog box and click OK.
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Choose Image > Image Size (Command + Option + I). Use the options in the resulting Image Size dialog box and click OK.
Choose Edit > Define Pattern. Name the pattern Hands and click OK.
Choose File > Close (Command + W). Do not save the changes.
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Return to copy of the file. Drag Layer 1, Threshold 1 and Levels 1 to the trash. Choose Image > Adjustments > Curves (Command + M). In the resulting Curves dialog box, create a curve similar to ours (left) and click OK.
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Choose Image > Mode > Bitmap. In the resulting Bitmap dialog box, select Custom Pattern for Use and the Hands pattern you just created for the Custom Pattern swatch. Click OK.
Choose Image > Mode > Grayscale. In the resulting Grayscale dialog box, click OK to set the Size Ratio to 1.
Choose Image > Mode > CMYK Color.
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Return to the original file. Choose Select > All (Command + A). Choose Edit > Copy (Command + C).
Return to the copy. Choose Edit > Paste (Command + V). Set the Layer Mode to Hard Light. Drag Layer 1 to the Create New Layer button to duplicate it. Set the Layer Mode to Lighten.
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You're done. A detail of the final image is shown at left (click to enlarge).
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