Let's start by creating a new image in Photoshop. Start up Photoshop and after it is loaded, select File > New. In the new image dialog set the size to 500 pixels wide and 500 pixels high. Make sure that the Mode is set to RGB, and the background is set to White. Click OK to create the new blank image. Normally you might begin by creating a new knot in a word processing program (I use Word Pad, because it doesn't have the annoying auto-format features of MS Word). However for this tutorial I have already created a knot for you to work with. That way your image should match what you see here in the tutorial. Copy and paste the text below to use for your knot.

Back in Photoshop make sure that Black is selected for the foreground color and White is selected as the background color. Choose the Text tool (on the Photoshop tool pallet click the button that has a T on it). Then click in the upper left corner of your new image. The Text Tool dialog will open; set the font to Celtic Knots, set the size to 55 points and the leading to 55.

NOTE: When using the Celtic Knot font in Photoshop, always set the Leading to the same value as the Point size. Larger values for the Leading will cause gaps between the lines and smaller values will cause the lines to overlap.

Leave the Color set at Black, and make sure that Anti-Alias is checked. When all of the settings are correct, the Text Tool dialog should look like this:

Click OK and the knot will be added to your image in a new layer. The knot probably isn't centered in the image, so use the Move Tool (it looks like a four-way arrow) to move the knot so that it is centered perfectly in the window. At this point, your image should look like this:

Now let's make a copy of this layer by clicking on it in the Layers menu and dragging it down to the New Layer icon. After you make the new layer the Layers pallet will look like this:

Select the middle layer (it will turn black in the Layers pallet) and on the main Photoshop menu click on Layer > Type > Render Layer. This will turn the type into pixels. It will no longer be editable as type, but now you can paint on this layer. Using the Rectangular Selection Tool, select a square area around the knot. Make sure that the selection extends beyond the knot by an equal amount all around the knot image. I made my selection 410 X 410 pixels and used the arrow keys to get it centered around the knot. Make sure that the foreground color is still set to Black and use the Paint Bucket Tool to fill the area around the knot. The tolerance should be set to 1. Next fill all of the areas between the cords of the knot. Be careful not to fill any of the cords and get ALL of the spaces. When you have filled all of the spaces it should look like this:

OK, the hard part is done! Now for the fun part! From the main Photoshop menu select Layer > Effects > Bevel and Emboss. Set the style to Outer Bevel. Set the depth to 8 pixels, the blur to 8 pixels, and the angle to -40. This gives the cords of the knot a nice rounded look. Experiment with the styles and the depth and blur values. You will find that decreasing the blur value will make sharper edges on the emboss effect and increasing the blur value will make the cords of the knot look flatter; almost ribbon-like. You might be wondering why I use the Outer Bevel instead of using the inner bevel. There are two reasons that I do it this way. First, the black background will make the area around the knot appear recessed, as though it was carved away. This is how most of the ancient knots carved in stones look. The second reason is because Photoshop only makes the bevel on visible portions of the layer. We could have filled the cords of the knot and then used Inner Bevel, but as you will see in the next step this way allows you to see the background texture or color more clearly. Your knot should now look like this:

Now let's finish this image by giving it a background texture. You can fill the background with a solid color of your choice or you can give it a texture. In this tutorial we will use a stone texture, but try some other textures like wood for instance. Save this image to use as the stone texture:

You can right-click on the image and choose "Save image" to save this image.

Open the Gray_granite.jpg image in Photoshop. Hit Control-a (Option-a on Macs) to select the entire image. From the main Photoshop menu select Edit > Define Pattern. Click on the knot image that we have been working on and hit Control-a to select all. Then on the layers pallet click on the background layer to make it the active layer. From the Photoshop main menu select Edit > fill. In the Fill dialog box under Contents choose "pattern" and hit OK. The Gray_granite pattern will now fill the entire background of the image. Click on the middle layer and at the top of the Layers menu choose "soft Light" as the Layering method. Click on the top layer (the one with the original knot) and turn down the Opacity to about 45. This layer makes a fine line around the knot and gives it some definition. Lighter backgrounds will require less opacity for this layer and darker or busier backgrounds will require higher values. At this point you could stop and consider your image to be finished, but I like to add one more step to darken the recess behind the knot. Drag the middle layer onto the new layer icon to make a copy of it. Right-click on the little f next to the layer name and select "Clear Effects". Go up to the Layer options and select "Darken" then set the Opacity to 8. The background will now be just a little darker as it would be if it were real. You can now save your image as a Jpeg by selecting File > Save a Copy from the main Photoshop menu. Your image should now look like this:

I hope that you have enjoyed this tutorial. As always I appreciate your suggestions and comments. If you create a really cool knot, I'd love to see it! The best submissions will be included (with the creators' names, if desired) in the Gallery or on the Knotwork Network.

Daniel Isdell, Knotworker

Visit the Tips and Tricks page to learn more.

All of the Celtic Knotwork on this site was created with the Celtic Knot font.

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