Remember I shared with you some graphic styles I would like to try some time in my design work? Recently I have been working on a project using a rubber stamp style. The following is the method I used to create the look of a rubber stamp using Photoshop.
Quick Steps
If you’re very familiar with Photoshop and the terminology, here’s the short version:
- Create shapes
- Rasterize layers
- Add layer mask
- Trace around “ink” shapes in mask
- With mask selected, go to Filter>Brush Strokes>Spatter
More Explanation
Let’s go a little more into the process of creating this stamped look.
- Create shapes. You can use either the shape tool or paint them in with a brush. Here, I’ve used the shape tool and text.
- Rasterize the layers. Right click on the layer in the Layer Palette and choose Rasterize Layer from the menu. You can also merge the layers together if you’d like, by selecting them in the Layer Palette and typing Ctrl+E (or Cmd+E for the Mac users)
- Add a layer mask to these layers. With the layer selected, click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the palette. It looks like this:
- In the mask, trace around the shapes/text with the brush tool; remember black hides and white reveals so pay attention to the color you’re using by looking at the foreground and background color swatches. It’s ok to hide some of the “ink.”
- You can add more ink or take some away to simulate where the rubber has and hasn’t touched the paper.
- After you have the basic look you want, select the layer mask. Go to Filter>Brush Strokes>Spatter and for starters, use the settings 10 for Spray Radius and 5 for Smoothness.
The great thing about this style is there’s pretty much no way to make a mistake. Little blemishes of extra ink and skipped areas are expected and they make the stamps look more authentic.
Nice little tutorial there Lauren, short and sweet, and something I’ll definately use in the future. Thanks!
Hey Armen! Welcome
I’m glad you’ve found this useful! I never understood what the spatter filter was for until I played around with it in a layer mask and I just thought I’d share!
Great advice there, it can be a great effect to use on posters and advertising to put a stamp effect on it
Gonna try this tom.!
Steve, are you a designer? Have you used this style before?
Nap Warden, what type of design will you try it on? I would love to see the results!
I am looking to creat a stamped look like the tutorial you posted. I am having difficulties getting it to look as nice as yours. Help!
Nicole,
Hey there! What exactly are you having troubles with? Perhaps part of the problem is wanting it to look too perfect? I’m that way too! But remember that this is supposed to look distressed and distorted, so don’t try to make it look too perfectly imperfect ;)
On your final image there is a lot of “ink” scattered around the image. I want mine to look more like that. I guess it would be your step 5 where I am running into problems. How do I add “more ink” as you say?
Nicole,
Ah! I didn’t actually explain that did I? Oops! You add more ink by taking the brush tool and drawing on the areas you want to add ink. Then in the mask scribble out some of the ink, the more random the better. If you’ve already applied the spatter filter to part of the mask and you only want to apply it to this new area, just draw a selection around the new part and apply the filter. Make sure you’re in the mask when you use the filter (click on the mask in your Layers palette). Does that help?