Your Opinion of Seamless Texture Tiles

[Fred Weiss]

If you design for print, do you use or have you ever used high resolution seamless texture tiles in your designs? If so, please give me your candid opinion of this type of resource art ... what's good and not so good?

 

[mikey-Oh]

really depends on the job. imho, most textures are too gaudy trendy or too highcontrast. to me a success texture is just that, a texture. something subdued that does not overpower the design. again, this depends on the job and the designer handling this tool.

 

[signgal]

It's funny, I was looking at yours (from the slashed thread) and thinking they were cool and realized I've rarely used them. It seems like they could be useful but I think it's like anything else in this business. Whatever you get used to or are taught on.

 

[Marlene]

I like the simple ones. I used a beach sand in the background of a recent digitally printed sign. the one I used wasn't seemless and that rotted.

 

[Fred Weiss]

I like the simple ones. I used a beach sand in the background of a recent digitally printed sign. the one I used wasn't seemless and that rotted.

Did you consider the eight seamless tiles of sand we have available?

If we offered a service of converting your chosen photos into seamless texture tiles, would that interest you in the future? To clarify, we would convert your photo and put it up at Express Clipart and provide you a link to it. You would not be under any obligation to purchase it but we would retain rights to our seamless version as royalty free art available to others.

 

[Marlene]

still too complex on the sand. I just wanted grains with no wave marks. that's what I mean by simple as it doesn't dominate the sign, only acts like a backdrop. the problem I have with the textures is they compete too much with the other elements. attached is a little piece of the sand texture as an example

 

[Bigdawg]

I'm with Marlene. For me, seamless textures are generally too busy to use unless it's supposed to be the focal point of the sign. I'd be more interested in very understated and simple textures as opposed to the majority of what I see.

As far as a service to generate seamless textures... If I am paying you to create it, I probably wouldn't do it if you have the right to sell the final product. If you mean you'd create it from my photo at no charge and then send a link for me to decide to buy it or not... I'd be more open to it.

 

[Rodi]

I use texture world inside of Live Picture and I can make anything into a seemless tile, and I have used dozens over the years, all unique to each project, and I can make it any size any time, but then again, it is once a year or so.

 

[petesign]

I use them in photoshop sometimes as a layer effect, rarely at full opacity or depth though, just enough to make it look dimensional.

 

[Fred Weiss]

As far as a service to generate seamless textures... If I am paying you to create it, I probably wouldn't do it if you have the right to sell the final product. If you mean you'd create it from my photo at no charge and then send a link for me to decide to buy it or not... I'd be more open to it.

I mean it would be created from your photo with your guidance as to what you're looking for. Considering that 99% of the tiles created would not be recognizable compared to the original, nor would they normally be any more than part of your design, the surrender of royalty free rights makes it an affordable and no obligation service for you. Should you want to retain all rights, such an approach would be available but the price would reflect my time and you would be obligated to accept the results.

So, for example, in Marlene's example, she could have sent me the pic with her preferred sand, we would have created a seamless texture from the pic, and made it available at Express Clipart for 4.95/7.95/9.95 depending on pixel dimensions. She could then either buy it and download it ... or pass. If she wanted to have her very own sand texture that no one else would have, then she would be looking at a range of $35 to $100 for the service and it would not be available to others.

 

[Malkin]

We have 2 of your seamless texture tile collections. I am glad that we have them on hand, but their use is rare. Most of the signs we layout have solid backgrounds or simple gradients.

I've learned that the moment you let a client know that there are other options besides something simple and basic, than they want to see as many as possible. This seems to hold true for clip-art & fonts, no doubt background textures too. Even so, I should consider using them more when it works.

 

[k.a.s.]

As others have said, I have used the tiles on occasion and they were exactly what I needed. But I usally do not do textured backrounds so I don't look for them very often. But I think they are a great value and appreciate that they are there, b/c when I do need them they are valueble.

Kevin

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

I have yet to design a large enough print for any thought of tile-ling

 

[ProWraps]

cant remember using one. i might in the future as i have a client that wants diamond plate. that and camo are the only times that i could see a seamless tile coming in handy.

 

[Bigdawg]

So, for example, in Marlene's example, she could have sent me the pic with her preferred sand, we would have created a seamless texture from the pic, and made it available at Express Clipart for 4.95/7.95/9.95 depending on pixel dimensions. She could then either buy it and download it ... or pass. If she wanted to have her very own sand texture that no one else would have, then she would be looking at a range of $35 to $100 for the service and it would not be available to others.

I think that would be an excellent service to offer and would make me think in "seamless texture tile" when designing a project. Offering both options (private and as a public tile) how I want to use the texture tiles from provided customer photos...

 

[iSign]

I mean it would be created from your photo with your guidance as to what you're looking for...

...She could then either buy it and download it ... or pass. If she wanted to have her very own sand texture that no one else would have, then she would be looking at a range of $35 to $100 for the service and it would not be available to others.

I think that would be an excellent service to offer and would make me think in "seamless texture tile" when designing a project. Offering both options (private and as a public tile) how I want to use the texture tiles from provided customer photos...

+1

 

[ddarlak]

i just can't see how offering this service would be cost effective.

vector doctor makes his money from low cost and quantity

i don't see the quantity or for that matter the low cost in this service.

 

[Fred Weiss]

cant remember using one. i might in the future as i have a client that wants diamond plate. that and camo are the only times that i could see a seamless tile coming in handy.

How about as fills for letters or shapes or as a portion of a background such as Marlene's example? Diamonds and rubies for a jeweler; real fire for the pizza shop; grass for the lawn guy; flowers for the florist; etc., etc., etc.?

 

[Fred Weiss]

i just can't see how offering this service would be cost effective.

Perhaps that's why you're not in the clip art business.

vector doctor makes his money from low cost and quantity

I make my money from selling digital art over and over. You're comparing apples and oranges.

i don't see the quantity or for that matter the low cost in this service.

I don't understand the statement. The quantity is my problem and I am expanding my exposure with excellent results. The low cost of the service as royalty free art is simply the normal selling price that we've found to work. The rights retained service is simply a return on time similar to The Vector Doctor's business model.

The bottom line for me (referring to the royalty free service) is that it would be better for me to spend my time creating textures that appeal to at least one designer than purely speculating as to what might sell.

 

[ddarlak]

Diamonds and rubies for a jeweler; real fire for the pizza shop; grass for the lawn guy; flowers for the florist; etc., etc., etc.?

sorry, but all these examples you listed are exactly what's wrong with today's designers....

just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should....