How to Create Adhesive Tape in Photoshop

In this tutorial you are going to learn how to make a realistic adhesive tape (also known as scotch tape) by using Adobe Photoshop.


Final Image

How to Create Adhesive Tape in Photoshop


Resources


Step 1

First of all create a new document sized 600 x 400 pixels. Select some appropriate color, for example #7ca213 and fill your canvas with it.
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Step 2

Open a photo and copy it to your canvas. After that use Ctrl+T to reduce it and then rotate it a little bit.
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Apply Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options to this layer.
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Step 3

Now we are going to create the adhesive tape. Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to make a selection which you can see in the picture below. Create a new layer and fill the selected area with #c1cccd.
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Remove the selection with Ctrl+D. Now, we need to process the adhesive tape borders. Start by selecting the Eraser Tool and use one of the standard Photoshop brushes.
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Gently erase the edges to achieve a similar result to that shown below.
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Set the opacity to 22% for the current layer.
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Time to add some defects to make our adhesive tape look realistic. Use the Dodge Tool (Brush: 7px, Range: Highlights, Exposure: 50%) to add a few light lines.
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Looks better now, doesn’t it? Then use the Burn Tool (Brush: 30px, Range: Shadows, Exposure: 100%) to darken some areas.
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Step 4

To finish off creating this adhesive tape effect, duplicate the layer using Ctrl+J and change layer mode to Overlay for the copied layer. Don’t be surprised that the layer becomes a bit brighter. It is normal. Then apply Filter > Stylize > Emboss with similar settings to these:
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And We’re Done!

That is it. You can add more tape if you want. Feel free to experiment to get the best results! Good luck!
How to Create Adhesive Tape in Photoshop