Adding
Scanlines
by Angela Taylor aka Kitiara
Scanlines are a common feature of web images nowadays. The
effect replicates the kind of lines that appear on a TV, and
can give a photograph a similar look and feel.
Creating Scanlines:
-
The first thing to do is open up the image
you wish to add the scanlines to. It can be colour, black
and white, whatever you like. Just make sure that the
picture is in RGB mode. Do this by clicking on ‘Image’ in
the toolbar, ‘Mode’ from the resulting drop down, and
select ‘RGB Colour’.
[ the photograph before any alteration ]
-
The scanlines themselves are added by using
a Fill Pattern. But first we have to create it. Go to
‘File’ > ‘New’ and make a new image with the settings
shown below. Really you can tailor this to suit your
needs, but for the time being, a 2 x 6 pixel transparent
image will do nicely. Ensure that the background is set to
Transparent.
[ settings for the pattern image ]
-
Zoom right in to the new image. Using the
Rectangular Marquee tool, make a 1 pixel high line across
the top of the canvas, and fill it with black. Again, you
can choose the colour to fit in with your image if you
wish. You can also play around with the lines - draw more
than one, have different thicknesses, it’s entirely up to
you.
-
Once you’re happy with the way your
scanline will look, it’s ready to be saved. Instead of the
usual ‘File > ‘Save’ method, go to ‘Edit’ instead. There’s
an option near the bottom of the menu called ‘Define
Pattern’. Click on this to bring up a small Dialogue Box,
asking you to name your new pattern. For the sake of
simplicity, let’s call it ‘Scanlines’. Close the image. If
Photoshop asks you whether you want to save it, answer
‘no’.
[ The Pattern Dialogue Box ]
-
Now you’re ready to apply the scanlines to
your initial photograph. Going back to the picture, add a
new layer above the main image. Call it something
meaningful. Click on the Fill tool, and take a look at the
menu that appears just under the main toolbar along the
top. To the left hand side, there’s an option called
‘Fill’ and a drop down box that currently says
‘Foreground’.
Click the arrow here to pull up another option -
‘Pattern’. That’s the one we want. A new box should appear
next to it. Again click on the arrow to bring up a
selection of available patterns. You should be able to see
your new Scanlines in there, so click on the box to select
them.
[ Select a pattern fill ]
-
Move the cursor over to the new layer of
your photo and left click to fill. The scanlines will now
repeat all over that layer, covering your image.
[ adding the scanlines ]
-
All that remains to be done now is to
change the opacity of the pattern layer, so the original
image is visible through it. Use the drop down slider in
the Layers panel to choose something suitable. 25% opacity
works quite nicely.
The finished image should look something
like this:
[ image with scanlines applied ]
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