Here are just a few seamless patterns made using this technique. Theresults range from mechanical to organic in appearance.
 
 

To start, here are some simple gradient patterns that can be made inPSP. You may wish to download these to your computer to save time. Theseare by no means the only possibilities.The new multicolor gradients availablein PSP 6 make a whole host of choices available.
 
 
 

	This was created by using the shape selection tool to draw a narrowrectangle. The foreground color was set to black and the background towhite. The flood fill tool was set to linear gradient, and on the secondtab of the Tool Options palette the angle was set at 90 degrees and theRepeats to 1.
	This bead pattern was created using three layers. The first layer wassimply black. On the second layer I used the shape select toool to drawa circle. This was then floodfilled with a sunburst gradient (foregroundwhite and background a medium gray.) This was copied and a second layerwas created with a blend mode of Lighten. The circles were alternated onthe second and third layers to create the nice smooth joint between them..A rectangle was then selected so that the top and bottom edges fell rightin the middle of the joint between circles and the image was copied (CopyMerged.)
	This double cone shape is a simple modification of the pipe above. Acopy of the pipe was altered using the Vertical Perspective deformation,with the slider set to -100 %. The image was copied, and then pasted backin as a new selection. This image was flipped and pasted in to match theside of the cone. The procedure was repeated on the other side.The wholething was then copied and pasted into a larger file with a transparentbackground. The image was then pasted in again, flipped, and the two conesfitted together bottom to bottom.
	This started life a simple square selection. The Foregtround and backgroundwere set to black and white respectively and the Flood Fill tool was usedto add a square gradient.

Begin by opening a new file, 16 million colors with a transparent background.As to size, I like to start large, around 500 x 500 pixels, but I use thesize of the gradient image to determine the exact size. Decide which gradientyou want to use and load it up into PSP. Take note of the width of theimage. Make your new file 10 to 20 times that width. Now select your floodfilltool and set it to pattern. In the options menu, choose your gradient asthe fill pattern. Click on your large window. if you've chosen the sizecorrectly, your gradient pattern will not be "cut off" on the left side.I chose the pipe pattern for this example. Duplicate your layer (Layers:Duplicate),and then rotate by 90 degrees (Image, Rotate. Check 90 degrees, right,and make sure that the All Layers box is Unchecked. Now if you playwith the blend mode on your second layer, you will see what types of effectsare possible. Other angles of rotation give even more possibilities.
 
 
 
 

Original	Darken	Lighten	Multiply	Hard Light
Soft Light	Difference	Dodge	Burn	Exclusion

After the basic textures are created, deformations can produce somevery interesting effects. Colorizing the individual layers can also producesome startling results. Try deformations such as Twirl, Wave, or CurlyQ'sfor some interesting results.
 
 
 

Difference with circle deformation on both layers	Multiply with circle deformation and colorizing

Additional layers with different blend modes can also result in usefultextures
 
 
 
 

Layer 1	Layer 2  Darken	Layer 3  Lighten (rotated the pattern)	Final Texture

Taking one of the generated textures, merging all of the layers, andthen duplicating the layer, rotating it and changing the blend mode resultsin more complicated patterns. Colorizing can also improve the results.
 
 
 

Layer 1	Layer 2  Difference	Final Texture

After you have created an interesting image, try altering one of thelayers slightly. Hotwax, Edge Enhance, Sharpen, and Emboss can completelychange your image.
 
 
 

Difference	First layer Embossed	Merged  Sharpen More twice	Edge Enhance

One freeware filter that I find useful for pattern generation is calledGravitational Lense (created by Leos Ondra.) After installation it showsup in your Plugins menu under Astronomy. You can download the Zip Here.Here are some examples of the Spirograph (R)  type patterns you canget.
 
 
 

Pipe Pattern with Gravity Lense	Layer Duplicated, 90 degree rotation  Difference
Lighten	Lighten merged, duplicated, rotated 45 degrees. New layer set toDifference

When you're done, try colorizing the layers. After that, adjusting thehue (Colors, Adjust: Hue/ Saturation/Lightness) can give you many wonderfulcolor combinations.
 
 
 

These are just a few of the possibilities. Different gradients, differentalterations, and different deformations will give thousands of possibilitiesfor use as backgrounds, sidebars, or simply as images to enjoy.