Dirt & Grass
tutorial by Whisper

I recently made the following image - just having fun and feeling "King"-ish as we approach Halloween.

(Resized for load time - click here to see the full sized image.)

I received many emails asking how I made the dirt/grass.
I will try to explain in this tutorial but so much is just playing and coming up with something YOU like.

This tutorial was created and put on this site on September 25, 2004.
It is property of and ©2001-2004 to Whisper's Web Works.
Terms of Use

For this tutorial you will need:
Paint Shop Pro  ~ download a trial version.
Dirt tube ~ download here, unzip into your PSP tubes folder.
EC4000 ~ do not know if the demo will work for this.
Fur preset ~ download here, unzip into your EC 4000 Settings > Fur folder.
This preset was originally from Jo Ellen's Graphics but the site is no longer valid.

Open a new image:
600 x 300 pixels
Transparent
16.7 Million colors

Using your lasso selection tool set at Freehand, 0 Feather and Anti-alias checked, draw a selection that would be like a section of lawn or hill.

Flood fill this selection with brown #432800.

Turn off this layer.
(You can turn off a layer's visibility by clicking on the eye of that layer in your layer palette.)

Add new raster layer, name it big dirt.

Activate your tube tool and select the dirt tube and set at 50% scale, leaving the rest of the settings at default for that tube.

Add a random covering of the dirt.

Turn off the big dirt layer.

Add new raster layer, name it medium dirt.

Change the tube setting to 30%.

Add a random covering of the dirt.

Turn off the medium dirt layer.

Add new raster layer, name it small dirt.

Change the tube setting to 20%.

Add a random covering of the dirt.

Selections > Select none.

Turn the layers back on.

Effects > Plugins > Eye Candy 4000 > Fur > JER_lawn settings.
(Screen shot of the settings.)

Repeat but hit the random seed button.

Activate the medium dirt layer and repeat the Fur filter but hit the random seed button.

Repeat but hit the random seed button.

Activate the big dirt layer and repeat the Fur filter but hit the random seed button.

Repeat but hit the random seed button.

Activate the brown filled layer, select the magic wand and set at:
Click in the empty area.

Selections > Modify > Expand > 3 > ok.

Selections > Modify > Feather > 3 > ok.

Edit > Clear.

Selections > Select none.

With the bottom layer active apply the Fur filter but hit the random seed button.

Repeat but hit the random seed button and change the green to something darker, I am using #133913.

Activate the small dirt layer.

Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast > Brightness 25, Contrast 20 > ok.

Activate the medium dirt layer.

Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast > Brightness 10, Contrast 0 > ok.

That is pretty much it.

Enjoy playing with your dirt and grass!

Page 2 for examples made by my testers.

Back     ~     Tutorial Index     ~     Next