Ok for this tutorial we're going to have a quick look at how to make a worn metal texture in Photoshop. This is going to be fairly quick & easy so it will not be suitable for all purposes. Thing is, no tutorial really ever is. The best ones show you how to go through the process & get an end result, but really only serve as a basis for your own experimentation. To that end please don't email me saying, "It didn't cover how to add mud/sand/blood spots/etc. I'll try to cover as much as I can, but after that it's up to you to experiment and discover new techniques. Ok? Ok.

I also won't be covering all the ins & outs of Photoshop either. If you need to learn the basics, buy a book or look up some online tutorials on using the tools. This tut will expect you to know how to access & use the filters, tools like fill, make selections and know things like when I say 158,174,199 that its an RGB value that equates to a colour & how to get that colour up. Ok? Ok.

Rule 1 of texture creation: Never use the default settings - not on anything, (filters/tools/etc) ever.

For this tut I will be using Adobe's Photoshop, a Wacom Graphire 2 tablet and the 3d Total texture CD, (http://www.3dtotal.com/services/cd/cd.htm) along with a couple of textures from my own personal collection. Don't worry if you don't own the CD or a graphics tablet, you can still follow the tut using a mouse and some workarounds. I'll try to explain some of the workarounds but obviously I can only think of so much & it wouldn't be as much fun if I didn't leave you some room to maneuver.

Sorry I can't include the exact textures I used here. The ones on the 3d Total texture CD are obviously available by buying the CD, so giving them away for free is out of the question. As for the others, I can't remember exactly where I got some of them, which means I can't find out what the rules were regarding redistribution of them. Most were found on texture websites or on occasion a 3d artist's personal site that I visited so its probably not a problem but I'd prefer to play safe here. If you look you WILL find some that you can use. Also magazines like Computer Arts and 3d World regularly have textures on their cover CD's.

Rule 2 of texturing: Layers are your friend. Use as many as you need. Play with blending modes & transparency - a lot.

Now add a new layer & fill it with 158,174,199. Set the layer blending mode to colour burn & the transparency to 75%.

Next, select the background layer & add an unsharp mask filter with these settings: