Pattern questions

[Katierey]

Hi everyone!

I'm trying to collect a set of nice and interesting patterns to use as backgrounds for my photos.

Someone here kindly pointed me to www.bluevertigo.com, where there are lots of free patterns. The only trouble is that I don't know how to get them in a format PE 4 will understand. (I have a Mac, if it matters.)

I see lots of wonderful patterns, but they are in .jpg or .gif format.

Don't patterns have to be in .pat format? Can I just change the .jpg to .pat? Somehow that doesn't seem right. Is there a way to so this? Or where do I find free patterns that PE 4 will recognize?

I hope I am being clear about this . . . I certainly don't know what I'm doing. :D

Thank you.

Kate

[GaryK]

Hi Kate

I have often wondered the same thing about the .pat.

You can make your own pattern (edit>define pattern) and save and load that as a pattern.

If you just want it for a background then you can load it as you would any other picture.

I think there is another way as well, but I am having a brain freeze as I type and just can't rememeber.:)

[Katierey]

Thank you, Gary.

I know there must be something here I am just not understanding yet. When I try to define a pattern using one of these .jpgs, all I get is a little tiny pattern.

I think I'll try studying a book, since I am clearly not understanding this.

Thanks--I appreciate your help.;)

Kate

[Ritage]

Kate,

After you have defined your .jpg image as a pattern and then open it from the Layers Palette, it usually appears at a scale of 100% in the Pattern Fill dialog box. Then you can use the slider to rescale it between 1 and 1000.

Does this answer your question, or did I misunderstand?

Rita

[Wendy]

Hi Kate ...

To add a little more to Rita's answer you can to that via Layer>New Fill Layer>Pattern .. :)

Wendy

[Katierey]

Oh, Rita and Wendy and Gary,

THANK YOU!! I'm all set now. I sure appreciate the help:D

Kate