Web Development: How to Create a Dusty Texture From Scratch

How to Create a Dusty Texture From Scratch

Final product image — What You'll Be Creating

In this tutorial, we'll create a dusty overlay texture from scanned paper, and I'll show you how to apply this texture to your photo.

Dust textures applied to images look great, but what happens if you don't have time to learn how to make textures from scratch?

This cool dust overlay Photoshop texture is available in Envato Elements

Scroll down to the end of this tutorial and you'll find a selection of the best dust textures and dust and scratch Photoshop actions from Envato Elements. These will save you hours of work and will help you achieve the same professional result!

What You'll Learn in This Adobe Photoshop Texture Tutorial

How to make textures from scanned paper
How to create a dust and scratch texture
How to apply a dust texture to an image using Photoshop

What You'll Need

A sheet of craft paper or any other paper with a similar structure.
A scanner that has the ability to scan A4-sized paper.
Any photo on which you want to apply the texture. I chose this photo, but you can download unlimited professional photos from Envato Elements with your subscription.

1. How to Scan the Paper

Step 1

Make sure that your paper is not too wrinkled, because this can create blurred areas on your texture.

Step 2

Then we need to prepare the scanner glass to avoid stains or unwanted elements on our texture. You can use a wet wipe for glasses to clean the glass.

Step 3

Once you've cleaned the scanner glass, put your paper inside the scanner.

Step 4

Set the following settings in your scanner preferences: A4 paper size, 300 dpi. Then start scanning. The color of our scanned paper can be different from the color of our paper, but it is much more important for us to preserve the structure.

2. How to Prepare the Document

Step 1

Press Control-N to create a new document and use the following settings: 3000 x 2000 px; 300 dpi.

Step 2

Go to File > Place and put your paper scan inside the document.

Step 3

Resize your image to the borders of the document and click Enter.

3. How to Create a Dust Texture From Scanned Paper

Step 1

Let's begin with the scratch texture. Right Click on the paper layer and select Rasterize Layer.

Step 2

Now we need to invert the image. Select the layer and hit Control-I.

Step 3

Use the Shift-Control-Alt-B key combination and set the following settings: Reds: 40%; Yellows: 60%; Greens: 40%; Cyans: -25%; Blues: -25; Magentas: 80.

Applying black and white effect to the image

Step 4

After that, press Shift-Control-Alt-L to add Auto Contrast to your layer for your dust and scratches texture.

Step 5

Go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and use the following settings: Brightness: -105; Contrast: 95.

Step 6

Right Click on the scratch texture layer and select Duplicate Layer.

Step 7

Select the copy of your layer, and then press Control-T and Rotate it 180° while holding Shift.

Step 8

Change the Blending Mode of your layer to Lighten.

Step 9

Select your layers by holding Shift and then Right Click > Merge Layers.

Step 10

Select your new layer and then go to Image > Adjustments > Exposure and set the following settings: Exposure: 0,00; Offset: +0,005; Gamma Correction: 1,00.

Step 11

Now let's make our scratch texture just a bit more detailed. Make a Duplicate of the layer.

Step 12

Select your new layer and then go to Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights and set the following settings: Shadows Amount: 40%; Highlights Amount: 0%.

Step 13

Go to Filter > Other > High Pass and set the following settings: Radius: 15 px.

Step 14

Change the Blending Mode of the layer to Overlay and set the Opacity to 30%.

Changing of the blending mode and the opacity

Step 15

Merge Layers to one and Rename it "Dusty Texture".

This is how our dust and scratch texture will look after all the manipulations listed above:

4. How to Add a Dusty Texture to the Photo

Step 1

Go to File > Place and put your photo under the scratch dust and scratches texture layer.

Step 2

Now let's add some vintage color correction to the photo. Make the texture layer Invisible.

Step 3

Select your photo layer and go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves to create a new color correction layer.

Step 4

Double click on the curves layer icon and use the following settings:

Changing curves for vintage color correction

Step 5

Make your texture visible and change the Blending Mode to Screen.

Awesome Work, You're Now Done!

In this way, we can create a dust texture from scratch using a scanner, craft paper, and Adobe Photoshop.

The Best Dust Textures & Actions From Envato Elements

You've learned how to make textures and how to add dust to photos using Photoshop. But if you'd like to save some time while creating awesome images, I'll show you some of our best dust textures and dust and scratch Photoshop actions.

These are from Envato Elements, our subscription-based marketplace. For a low monthly fee, you'll get unlimited downloads of dust overlay Photoshop add-ons, photos, fonts, and thousands of creative digital assets.

Check our top dust and scratch textures:

1. 50 Dust Overlays (JPG)

We begin with a complete dusty texture pack. You'll get 50 dust overlay Photoshop textures and a color change action as a bonus. It's really easy to add dust to photos this way. You just need to place the overlay on top of your image, change the mode of the overlay layer to "screen", and it's done!

2. 30 Dust and Scratches Overlay Textures (JPG)

Are you looking to add a vintage look as well? This dusty texture pack is perfect for you. This dust and scratches Photoshop pack comes with 30 high-resolution JPEG files (300 dpi) and one Photoshop action for adjustments. You'll have vintage dust texture photos in no time.

3. 30 Dust Particles Backgrounds and Textures (JPG)

This dusty texture pack will give your images a realistic touch, since the glass dust texture was made from optically captured real dust. You'll get 30 high-resolution dust particle photographs suitable for print or web use.

4. 15 Dust and Hair Particles Backgrounds and Textures (JPG)

This is another cool dusty texture pack that will give your images a vintage film look. These dust and hair textures were created to resemble the grain that is commonly seen on old film negatives. Add these awesome dusty backgrounds to your collection.

5. Dust Storm Backgrounds (JPG, PNG)

For a colorful touch, get these cool dusty backgrounds. This dust texture is an abstract multi-colored background of exploding dust. In this dusty texture pack you'll get 10 abstract, high-resolution images for your projects.

6. Dust Storm Photoshop Action (ATN, ABR)

Now, if you're looking for dust and scratch Photoshop actions, I've got you covered. You can apply a dust storm effect to your images in just a few clicks with this action.

This dust overlay Photoshop action is fully customizable and comes with 40 preset color looks.

7. Color Dust Photoshop Action (ATN, ABR)

We close with a colorful dusty background action that'll make your images explode in a dust cloud. This easy-to-use action works best with figures and models. You'll get a composition that's fully layered and customizable.

Find More Texture Tutorials and Resources

I hope you've enjoyed the tutorial on how to make textures and how to add dust to photos. If you'd like to explore more resources or get more inspiration after checking the dusty backgrounds and glass dust textures, these are for you: