How to Make a Kaleidoscope in Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop can be used for many different graphics projects, from web page design and animation to photo editing and retouching. But it can also be used to create impressive graphics entirely from scratch. The various tools, functions and filters of Photoshop can be used to make almost anything you can imagine. One interesting project you can do in Photoshop is to create your own kaleidoscope. This impressive graphic can be used on cards, logos or web pages, and is easily created even by a novice.

Instructions

1. Open Photoshop. Select “File” from the menu and click “New.” In the dialog box that appears, choose the sizing increment to inches if you want to print the kaleidoscope, or pixels if you want to place it on the Internet. Then enter width and height that you want for your kaleidoscope graphic. Click “OK.”

2. Change the “Foreground” color to what you want to use as the background of the kaleidoscope. Then select the “Paint Bucket” tool and use it to fill the canvas with the color.

3. Click on the “New Layer” icon under the “Layers” panel. Change the “Foreground color to something else. Use the “Paint Bucket” tool to fill this layer with the color.

4. Select the “Pen” tool and use it to draw a path across the canvas. Make it any shape you choose, but it need to be symmetrical. Then click on the “Path” tab and right-click on the path shown. Choose “Make Selection” from the options and hit “Delete” on your keyboard. You have now created holes that show the layer below.

5. Repeat steps 3-4 to create many layers of different shapes and colors.

6. Select “Edit,” then “Transform” and click “Rotate.” Repeat this with the various layers to produce your kaleidoscope effect.

7. Select “File” and click “Save.” In the dialog, name your file and save it as a high resolution JPEG.

References

• Adobe: Using Layers