ABSTRACT
While the video world often constrains itself to a 4×3 or 16×9 aspect ratio, the real world does not. When incorporating photos, type, and logos, there is often empty space. Some choose to leave this area empty (or filled with black). Photoshop proves to be an excellent tool for creating backgrounds for video. A frequently underused feature is the Gradient Map (Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Gradient Map). The Gradient Map applies a new gradient to the grayscale range of an image. This chapter recommends using the Gradient Map from the Adjustment Layers menu, because it provides the necessary flexibility to tweak readers look. To modify the Gradient Map, access the Gradient Editor and adjust the previously mentioned options. Gradient Maps are not just for amorphous backgrounds; in fact they also work quite well on photographic backgrounds. The "original" method of creating seamless patterns involves the Offset filter.
