How to Create a Folded Paper Texture in Photoshop (From Scratch!)

Wondering how to make a folded paper texture in Photoshop? In this tutorial, I’ll show you a simple way to create a black folded paper texture overlay and how to apply a paper texture fold to a poster.

If you’re looking for a high-quality folded paper texture Photoshop pack, take a look at this amazing collection of 24 paper overlay textures from Envato Elements:

Prefer video tutorials instead? Follow along with us over on our Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel to learn how to make a folded paper texture in Photoshop:

What You’ll Learn in This Folded Paper Texture Photoshop Tutorial

• How to create a folded paper texture with a scanner
• How to process a folded poster texture in Photoshop
• How to apply a black folded paper texture to a poster

What You’ll Need

To learn how to make a folded paper texture in Photoshop, you’ll need:

• A scanner that can scan A4-sized paper.
• Any photo on which you want to apply the texture. I chose this Creative Surreal Poster from Envato Elements.

1. How to Create a Folded Paper Texture With a Scanner

Step 1

Prepare the scanner glass to avoid stains and unwanted elements on our texture. Use a wet wipe for glasses to clean the glass.

Step 2

Put a folded sheet of white paper inside the scanner and start scanning with the following settings:

• File Format: JPEG
• Color Mode: RGB
• Paper Size: A4
• DPI: 600

Here is the result of my scanning:

Don’t worry if your result looks too white! We’ll fix it in the next steps. You can also try to take a photo of your paper with a smartphone—the most important thing is to make sure you have good lighting. You can also download my scanned paper.

2. How to Process a Black Folded Paper Texture Overlay in Photoshop

Step 1

Open your image and then go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and use the following settings: Brightness: – 50; Contrast: 45.

Step 2

Now let’s press Control-I (or go to Image > Adjustments > Invert).

Step 3

Hit Shift-Control-Alt-B (or go to Image > Adjustments > Black and White) to apply a Black and White filter.

Here is the result of applying the filters to my folded poster texture:

3. How to Apply a Folded Paper Texture Photoshop Effect to a Poster

Step 1

Now let’s apply our paper texture fold to a poster! Open the template in Photoshop and put the texture above all the layers.

Step 2

Change the Blending Mode of the layer to Linear Dodge (Add). You can also try Screen and Lighten! These Blend Modes work well with this kind of texture.

Step 3

If you want to make the texture more obvious, you can create a duplicate of your layer by pressing Control-J and set the Opacity of this layer to 50%.

Awesome Work, Your Black Folded Paper Texture Is Done!

In this way, we can create a black folded paper texture and use it as an overlay in Adobe Photoshop. Try these techniques for creating more crumpled and folded textures!

The Best Folded Paper Textures From Envato Elements

If you’d like to save time creating retro or grungy posters and flyers, try these folded paper textures from Envato Elements:

Folded Paper Texture (AI, EPS, PNG)

This package of folded paper texture overlays contains real paper scans with natural and authentic details. In total, you will find ten different textures in both vector and raster file formats. 

Scratched and Torn Paper Texture (EPS, PNG, PDF)

If you like the look of old grunge posters with scratches and folds, then try to recreate them with this amazing package of 32 high-quality textures and 74 distressed brushes. This folded paper textures pack is a perfect tool for creating any type of retro design!

Fold Paper Texture Pack Background (AI, EPS, PNG, PSD)

This pack of 20 folded paper backgrounds in transparent PNG file format will be a great addition to your collection of creative Photoshop tools. You’ll get vector variations of all files as well, so you can easily scale them up to any size! 

24 Folded Paper Overlays (JPEG)

These folded paper textures are extremely handy for creating retro designs or photo overlays. Combine them or use them separately to get a result you like more! In total, this pack contains 24 JPEG textures with a size of 8000×5334 px, so they’re suitable for almost any photo or poster.

Dry Ink: Ultimate Texture Pack Vol. 01 (JPEG)

Want something more vintage? This package of 22 JPEG textures will not only help you to add folds and crumples to your images, but it will also add a grungy-looking surface to your flyers or posters. If you need to create retro effects in Photoshop, this set is for you!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tutorial, and if you want to learn more about creating textures in Photoshop, take a look at these amazing tutorials:

• 
  Adobe Photoshop
  How to Add a Texture Overlay in Photoshop
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  Photo Effects
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  Text Effects
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  Brushes
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