Challenge - technical question

[craig deeley]

This is not really a challenge - like the challenge group challenges... More of a technical question - with a search for an optimal process (the challenging part) tacked on in hopes of finding a simple solution in SA.

I am wondering what would be the best way - or least difficult/multi-correctional step process for accomplishing this:

I want to work with a canvas that is defined at a fixed size. At least 3000x3000 pixels - but potentially any size - above 2k pixels. 

Most likely I would be creating a file to work in by opening a saved session that serves as a template.

I want to use a tiling background piece of bitmap art as a "bottom" layer - essentially the surface at the bottom of a series of overlapping layers.

I want to apply the tiling background without opening it as a new canvas.

I would like to be able to apply the texture and have it seamlessly fill whatever the canvas size is.

How would I do this with tools in SA?

Here is why:

I am making images that use a watercolor paper texture as a textured surface to build up art on to.

The texture tiles. That is - it repeats seamlessly. I would like to fill my bottom canvas layer (Flood fill in old school terms - bucket fill with the texture would be a Photoshop equivalent) with the tiling texture - but not have to go thru a business of having to make a file with the texture and use that as my canvas. I want to be able to adjust the size of my canvas to any size and fill the bottom layer with the texture.

I am using a high resolution (tiff format) texture like the jpeg attached to this thread.

The image here is an example of what I am trying to do. An example of a textured backdrop and "painted" art on layers overlaying the texture:

dinohadew00.jpg

I want to be able to "automate" making images this way a little more. The generic tiling texture and using a blank session are ways to automate - open and begin working in a predefined file structure.

All suggestions are welcome.

tiling_WCpaper_light.jpg

[Synthetik]

If you already have the tile image, then you could use an image brush in the paint synthesizer to lay down the tiles. You could use the rectangular grid scan path start generator, setup to tile based on the pixel dimensions of your image brush. And you want to lay down single paint nibs, so the mac path length should be 1.

[craig deeley]

John, 

Thanks!

I would like to get a Paint Synth brush working.

I gave it a try - but need to find a preset with close to no settings on it to start with.

I was unable to make a paint synth preset that would apply - particularly the large brush source being the tiling texture.

This is one alternative I came up with:

Make the tiling texture the source.

Make the canvas whatever size it needs to be.

Under Warp:

• Scale Uniform - 
• Set Source to Source (the tiling texture)
• Set Boundary to Tile
• Hand adjust the tile (click and drag the canvas)

This is terribly imprecise in getting the texture at the scale I want (uniform for whatever image i create) - But it does allow me to apply and tile the texture.

There must be other alternatives. Still looking.