Quick texture tips in Photoshop: Earth/dirt

You can download the brushes used in the following tip here.

Step 1: Dirt/earth I

This last tip will be about creating a dirt/earthen texture. Basically it's all about the right brush combination. I'll show you the one that I use the most, but it's always good to try something new and experiment from time to time.

Again press Ctrl + N to create a new file with 2000x1400 resolution, and press Shift + Ctrl + N to create a new layer. After this you'll need to find the sixth from top brush in the Brush Presets panel then choose any color (I choose grey) and start painting.

Setting the basic dirt texture

Setting the basic dirt texture

Step 2: Dirt/earth II

This brush creates a really rich texture, but if you think that it isn't enough you can use another brush to add more detail to the texture. For you can try the seventh from the top brush with slightly darker color. So now you have really a interesting texture with different types, scratches, noise, etc.

Layering different brush types to create a more complex effect

Layering different brush types to create a more complex effect

Step 3: Dirt/earth III

If you want to use this texture for the foreground of a scene, you can scale and shift the angle.

First, go to Edit > Transform > Scale.

Scaling the image across the bottom of the scene

Scaling the image across the bottom of the scene

Step 4: Dirt/earth IV

Now the image is across the bottom of your scene, we can use the useful Perspective tool (Edit > Transform > Perspective). This is a very helpful tool and I use it pretty often, for example, when I need to orient a texture in perspective on the ground, wall, ceiling and so on. Also you can really quickly add labels or numbers on any surfaces that you need to.

Just drag the bottom/side trigger to create something like the image seen here.

Adjusting the perspective of the texture to fit angle of the scene

Adjusting the perspective of the texture to fit angle of the scene

Step 5: Dirt/earth V

To finish up, here's a little tip to create better air perspective for our texture. For this you will need the eraser with the air brush chosen. You should try to create a soft transition from the top to the bottom and suddenly it'll start to look much more realistic.

You can now start to add characters in this scene, because you already have the ground established which gives you sense of perspective, the light source/intensity is also defined in the color saturation you used, and you also have some kind of fog on the ground which adds atmosphere to your scene.

Finishing off the ground by adding fading on the distant horizon

Finishing off the ground by adding fading on the distant horizon

Related links:

Check out Ivan Khomenko's Artstation
Get our Beginner's Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop book

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