We used a combination of layers and filters to create woodgrain from a blank canvas. We used the fibers to create the wood grain then used the liquefy filter to make it look more “real.” We also made it square so that it could easily tile.
Here we took a photo and added a layer filled with 50% gray, then set the blending mode to overlay. By doing this we can use our dodge and burn tools to darken or lighten specific areas according to your artistic expression.
We took and ordinary photo of the chicago skyline and put a generic text on top, then copied the background layer to above the text layer and scaled it up to get an interesting effect.