Adobe Capture had an update recently and one of the great additions was the ability to capture and create repeating patterns that are synchronised to the Creative Cloud Libraries, and thus available in an instant in our CC Apps.
Capturing a Pattern
To capture a pattern, open the Adobe Capture app and tap Pattern. I’ve already created a Library just for Patterns but they can be added to any Adobe Library you choose, great for collaborative work!
Tap the plus at the bottom of the screen to invoke the camera (you may need to provide access at this point)
As I write this I’ve got a cup of tea in a Union Jack mug on the desk next to me (I don’t think you’ll find a more British sentence than that) and I think I’ll make a pattern from that.
By default the pattern being captured is tiled, and although this would be great for some cases it doesn’t work well here. Tapping the icons at the bottom changes the shape being captured and repeated;
Extra Credit : Tapping the camera freezes the image before you capture it, handy if you’re a bit shaky. You can also take an exiting image from your camera roll too, just tap the image in the bottom right
I like this last hexagon split into 12 that gives this star effect. So I’ll press the shutter to capture it.
On the next screen you get the chance to alter the angle and size that was captured. Using the dial at the bottom to rotate, one finger hold to move and a two finger pinch to zoom;
Tap Next to proceed and you’re shown the pattern, two finger pinch will again zoom in and out. Tap Edit to go back or Next to proceed;
Here you can name the pattern and choose what Library to put it into and there it is, added to the Library;
Using The Pattern In Photoshop
The real power of the Creative Cloud is the ability to synchronise across devices and Patterns is a great example of this. To add a repeating pattern to a document all you need to is open the library and click on it!
Photoshop adds the pattern as a Pattern Fill Layer (1) and opens the dialogue box (2) for it allowing you to control the Scale, how its linked and to add it to the local Pattern Presets.
Please Remember
With great power comes great responsibility. Just because you can make patterns from mugs and throat lozenge packets doesn’t mean you should….. its good fun though!
