We will create the fifties pattern in two steps:

1. Create an initial 200x200 pixel pattern that contains open spaces.
2. Fill a 400x400 pixel file with the initial pattern and add text and shapes to create the final pattern.

Step 1: Create the initial fifties pattern

1. Create a 200x200 pixel file for the pattern:

   1. From the File menu, select New, then Blank File.

   2. In the New File window, enter the following custom settings and click OK:

      

      Note: Make sure that the background is transparent. Using a transparent background for your patterns makes them more versatile as you can later change the background color easily for different effects.

2. Using the fifties color swatches and brushes, add a few shapes to the pattern, leaving some open space:

   1. Click the foreground color swatch at the bottom of the toolbox and select a fifties color from the Swatches palette.
   2. Select the Brush tool, Then, on the options bar, click the down arrow to the right of the brush preview to display the Brush Preset palette. Select a shape.
   3. Repeat with different colors and patterns. In the following examples, a pink background has been added for Web viewing, but your background should be transparent. Example:

3. Apply the Offset filter:

   1. From the Filter menu, select Other, then Offset. The Offset window is displayed:

      
   2. In the Offset window, set the Horizontal and Vertical offsets to +180 and select Wrap Around.

   3. Click OK. The Offset filter helps to make the pattern seamless when it is tiled. The pattern should now look like this:

      

4. From the Edit menu, select Define Pattern. Enter a name for the pattern and click OK. The pattern will be appended to the current pattern set.

Step 2: Create the final fifties pattern

1. Create a 400x400 pixel file with a transparent background as described above.
2. Click the foreground color swatch at the bottom of the toolbox and select a fifties color from the Swatches palette.
3. Use the Paint Bucket tool to fill the background layer with the color of your choice.

4. Create a new layer above the background and fill it with the initial pattern:

   1. In the Layers palette, click the New Layer icon to create a new layer above the background layer.
   2. Select the Paint Bucket tool. In the options bar, check Pattern.
   3. In the options bar, click the down arrow next to the pattern thumbnail and select the initial pattern from the patterns palette.
   4. Click in the image to fill the new layer with the pattern.
5. Using the fifties color swatches and brushes, sparsely add a few shapes to the pattern in the open spaces as described previously.

6. Add scattered text to the pattern. Example:

   
7. Before saving the pattern, merge all visible layers. From the Layer menu, select Merge Visible.
8. From the Edit menu, select Define Pattern. Enter a name for the pattern and click OK. The pattern will be appended to the current pattern set.

Note: To save your pattern permanently, you should use the Preset Manager to save a new pattern set. Otherwise, when you load a different pattern set, your pattern will be lost.

Tips

Making patterns in two or more steps (small pattern, then larger pattern) allows you to space some elements sparsely throughout your pattern.

Making your patterns transparent allows you to display the same pattern in many variations by changing the background colors, for example:

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