Creating a Grid to make multiple tiles of an image

JC
Posted By
John_Centofanti
May 26, 2005
Views
2608
Replies
10
Status
Closed
Does anyone know of a way to paste a grid created from Illustrator into PS, and then use that as a guide to slice an image into multiple squares or tiles? I’d like to then add different effects to some of the tiles and delete others.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

John
Related Tags
create grid image make multiple tile

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

P
Phosphor
May 26, 2005
Sounds like saveable/copyable/pasteable guideline layers that worked between all the CS applications would be an excellent solution here.

Unfortunately it’s much too difficult to implement in Photoshop, plus it would be potentially slow.

That’s what I’m told, anyway.
DR
Danny Raphael
May 27, 2005
I wrote an action that I believe will do what you want it to… For an example, see: < http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1006&me ssage=11766510>

The effect is made possible by a free grid plugin that can be downloaded here: <http://www.richardrosenman.com/>

Options:
* Vary grid width
* Vary grid size
* Isolate tiles for individual effects, rotation, etc.
* Vary tile effect, e.g., shadow, bevel, etc. via Layer Style dialog

If you’re interested in the action, send me an e-mail (click my name above) and while you’re waiting, download and install the grid plugin.

~Danny~
JR
John_R_Nielsen
May 27, 2005
Hmmmm, a grid generator. What a novel concept . . .

You could use a fixed size selection to copy part of the background, and then paste, making a new layer. Reselect, move the selection borders so it is next to where it was, copy the background and paste again and again. You will end up with each tile on its own layer, to do what you wish with it.
JR
John_R_Nielsen
May 27, 2005
Danny –

Using a variation on the grid generator for the Filter Factory I posted a bit ago ( John R Nielsen, "Printable Grids?" #15, 22 May 2005 5:21 pm </cgi-bin/webx?13/14> ) I was able to streamline the method you posted in DP Forums.

If you put

"x % ctl(0) > ctl(1) + 1 && y % ctl(0) > ctl(1) + 1 ? 255 : 0"

in the ‘A’ field of the FF, it will put a "grid of transparency" on a layer (not a background layer, of course). This produceds the same result as the "selection from the grid and layer via copy" in one step.

Rather than using a normal layer with a H/S adjustment, I would use a Solid Fill adjustment layer. This lets you choose the desired color directly from the color picker or from a swatch.

And here’s a quick way to select individual tiles. With the "Tile Layer" active, Selection > Load Selection with the default "Layer XXX transparency", but make sure the ‘Invert’ box is checked. Or, Alt-click on the layer, and Shift-Control-I. All the tiles are now selected.

Enter Quick Mask, and use the Magic Wand to select any tile (making sure the Quick Mask channel is active). Press Control-Tilde to get to the RGB (or Gray or CMYK) composite channel. Now that single tile is selected, and you can do what you wish to it. When done, exit Quick Mask and de-select. Although this has the added overhead of selecting the transparency and changing the channels, clicking is easier than dragging a selection, and you could make the selection part into an action.

You can keep going back to the Quick Mask channel to select a different tile, except that you can’t select a tile you’ve re-positioned (moved, rotated, etc.) without de-selecting and selecting the resultant transparency.
PC
Pierre_Courtejoie
May 27, 2005
Illustrator as a tile option in its print dialog… Maybe should it be put in the features request section…
PA
Patti Anderson
May 27, 2005
I like this grid plug-in (scroll down the page until you see Grid):

<http://www.users.cloud9.net/~gparet/photoshop/>

What’s different about this one is it’s added to the bottom of the Select menu. You can use it to make paths, selections or lines added to a new layer. It makes a one pixel selection, but you can use Expand to make it any size you want.

Patti
DM
dave_milbut
May 27, 2005
and it’s postcard ware. free if you send the guy a postcard from whereever you live! 🙂
PA
Patti Anderson
May 27, 2005
I never a postcard back and I’ve been using it for over 6 months. XD I love this little plugin!

Patti
DM
dave_milbut
May 27, 2005
for shame! 🙂
BO
Burton_Ogden
May 27, 2005
John,

Does anyone know of a way to paste a grid created from Illustrator into PS, and then use that as a guide to slice an image into multiple squares or tiles?

You can do that with just Photoshop’s standard tools. Menu select Edit> Preferences> Guides, Grid, & Slices and on the Preferences dialog specify Gridline every: as the size of your tile in pixels, inches, or whatever unit you choose. If your overall image is non-square (as they frequently are) I like to choose "Gridline every" as, say, 25 percent. That gives me a nice rectangular grid that divides the image in quarters in both directions. Of course, you can select different subdivisions. Every 50 percent would split your image into just two internal grid lines. Every 10 percent would create a much finer grid structure. Menu select View> Show> Grid to make the grid visible.

The next step is to click on the Rectangular Marquee Tool and make sure its Feather field contains 0 px, and in its Style field choose Fixed Size and in the Width and Height fields enter the pixel dimensions of your intended tile selection.

Now all you have to do is View> Snap to> Grid to make sure it is checked and also make sure that View> Snap is checked. Now it is very easy to use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to precisely select any tile you want, because the selection will have the precise pixel dimensions of your tile and it will snap to the grid corresponding to those dimensions. I use this technique to do tiled printing of large images as poster sized or even mural sized images.

— Burton —

MacBook Pro 16” Mockups 🔥

– in 4 materials (clay versions included)

– 12 scenes

– 48 MacBook Pro 16″ mockups

– 6000 x 4500 px

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections