Making paper look ripped in Photoshop/PhotoPea/Paint.Net (advice needed!)

[grubbyfox]

Heyy!! I'm trying to make some notepaper look ripped/torn in smaller bits in either Paint.net, Photoshop (7, so ancient) or PhotoPea online. I'm absolute dogwater in photo editing software so I need a little bit of help/advice/tips. I cant really visualize how I should go about it, or if  my test so far holds up.

It does not have to look super realistic, it's just gonna be smaller stuff for a little shrine I am making. In fact, too realistic would look out of place. But I'd like it to at least look like....it is what is it, if that makes sense? XD I want there to be no mistake that it's supposed to be ripped paper, even if not super realistic looking.

This is how it looks right now. This is just a screenshot within Paint .Net, so it's obviously not a real true .png here haha, just a screenshot.

I didn't want to make the test so large yet, because it will indeed just be down scaled small bits.



But does this look "passable" ? Not every single piece will be like this, It'll be random, but the job would be the same for each. I couldn't figure out another way to make it look like a random torn notepaper, and I dont want it too jarring either (super realistic) as it wouldn't really fit.

My main gripe with my test is that I'd like the actual outer edges of the entire paper to look torn as well? Like, more flimsy/like they just sort of "fade" (obviously paper doesnt fade IRL but you know what I mean). But fading/making something more transparent in photo editing, I just could not get it right. Paper being flimsy and a digitial color being transparent just, uehghghghg I couldn't get it to look right. But idk???? I dont want to overthink literal scrap paper either, if that makes sense? But it would annoy me if I didn't get it right. I also dont know how to really create that sort of feathered/papery ripped edges without it just being a huge hassle.

As of now, this looks "OK" to me, but it still doesn't look like how I want it in my head. Are there any photo editing wizards here that could offer some tips? Am I overthinking it? Is there a super easy way to make it look even more like torn paper edges?

[Dan Q]

I'm sure there's a wizard here who'll swoop in to help, but in the meantime, here's what I'd do:

I'd do it with paper!

I'd get a physical piece of paper, and tear the edges, and then scan it. And then I'd probably reduce the number of colours and posterise or dither it a bit to really make it "feel" like it might have been born-digital.

[ffaf]

But does this look "passable" ? Not every single piece will be like this, It'll be random, but the job would be the same for each. I couldn't figure out another way to make it look like a random torn notepaper, and I dont want it too jarring either (super realistic) as it wouldn't really fit.

It definitely does! I do not dabble in photo editing, but I immediately recognised it as "torn paper".  From what you have told us, I am pretty sure it fits your gameworld/style too.
I would go as far to say that in most games that are not photorealistic (so: pixel art, cartooney, vectory, etc.) you could end up erring on the other side. That is, anything which is too heavily manipulated in GIMP/other software will look off.

Let us see what others have to say but I will sum my thoughts up: it is a perfectly fine, recognisable, piece of torn lined paper!

[grubbyfox]

I'm sure there's a wizard here who'll swoop in to help, but in the meantime, here's what I'd do:

I'd do it with paper!

I'd get a physical piece of paper, and tear the edges, and then scan it. And then I'd probably reduce the number of colours and posterise or dither it a bit to really make it "feel" like it might have been born-digital.

Hah, funny you should mention it, that was originally my immediate thought. I've always usually just gone that route first. Same with my drawing, I always need to do it with paper first (and sometimes more than not, only paper and just scan and never do anything more lol!)

If all else fails or I end up with too much work making every single piece of scrap digitally, I'd prob just do that for sure! Glad I'm not the only one thinking in those lines, haha. I'm a bit afraid that I'd not get it "flat" enough/less "photo" tho, and I might have a hard time getting it properly fit for a transparent -png overlay thingy but I've def considered it and might go that route if I have to rework my idea.

It definitely does! I do not dabble in photo editing, but I immediately recognised it as "torn paper".  From what you have told us, I am pretty sure it fits your gameworld/style too.
I would go as far to say that in most games that are not photorealistic (so: pixel art, cartooney, vectory, etc.) you could en up erring on the other side. That is, anything which is too heavily manipulated in GIMP/other software will look off.

Let us see what others have to say but I will sum my thoughts up: it is a perfectly fine, recognisable, piece of torn lined paper!

Thank youuu! ^.^ it means a lot to have some new eyes on it (both of you!) because it's so easy to get lost in self doubt and stuff, especially when it's a craft I'm in no way a master in, haha