How to Create Crumpled Paper Effect in Photoshop

Looking to add a creative touch to your digital designs? You’re in the right place! In this guide, we’ll walk you through a straightforward method to create a crumpled paper effect using Adobe Photoshop.

This effect can elevate your designs, providing a realistic and distinctive look that captures attention.

Whether you’re a seasoned designer or just starting, this step-by-step tutorial makes the process accessible and engaging.

Let’s dive in and start transforming your projects!

How to Create Crumpled Paper Effect in Photoshop?

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Step 1 – Preparation

Create a new (Ctrl + N) document 800 x 600 pixels with a white (#ffffff) colored background. Right click your background layer and select “Layer From Background” from the menu, doing this will unlock the layer. Once the layer is unlocked add the following “Gradient Overlay”.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

We need a good contrasting color for our background due to the paper being white.

Step 2 – Creating The Paper

Select the “Rectangle Tool” (U) then drag out an appropriately sized rectangle onto your canvas.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Select the “Ellipse Tool” then left click on the rectangles vector mask in the layers window. Once clicked select “Subtract From Shape Area” from the top menu.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Drag out a small ellipse at the top of the square, the ellipse should subtract itself from the rectangle leaving a simple hole.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Now select the “Rectangle Tool” (U) and drag out a small rectangle at the top of the ellipse, creating like a keyhole shape but upside down.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect
Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Repeat the steps above all long the top edge of the rectangle.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect
Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Label your layer “Paper” then add a layer mask. Now select the “Brush Tool” (B), use a medium sized brush of your choice then with the color black #000000 start to color in the edges of the paper.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

were now going to warp our paper using the warp tool, make sure your “Paper” layer is selected in the layers window then go to “Edit > Transform > Warp”. When the warp tool is applied to your paper, simply just make tweaks here and there be careful not to overly distort the paper.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Step 3 – Adding The Lines To The Paper

Incorporated in photoshop are some ready made patterns in which will fit perfectly for a paper. Double click your paper layer and select “Pattern Overlay” layer style. Once the “Pattern Overlay” has been selected open up the patterns window (2), then click the top right arrow in the corner (3). In the fly out menu select “Color Paper”, then finally select the lined paper from the list of paper patterns (5).

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect
Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Step 4 – Adding The Wrinkled Effect

Create a new document (Ctrl + N) 800 x 600 pixels with a transparent background. Reset your background and foreground colors to black and white then select the “Gradient Tool” (G) with the following settings.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Once you’ve applied the settings randomly drag numerous gradients over the canvas. You will have a completely different set of wrinkles everytime you do this so don’t worry if your image looks nothing like mine.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Now go to “Filter > Stylize > Emboss”.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect
Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Select your whole canvas (Ctrl + A) then copy the contents to the clipboard (Ctrl + C). Head back to your original canvas then load a selection around your paper layer.

Quick Tip:

To load a selection around an element click the little thumbnail inside of your desired layer whilst holding down the CTRL key on the keyboard.

Once the selection has been loaded go to “Edit > Paste Into” if your using Photohop CS5 go to “Edit > Paste Special > Paste Into”. Your wrinkles should now appear inside your paper.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Now load a selection around your “Layer Mask” on your “Paper Layer”, once the selection has been loaded go to “Select > Inverse” then hit the delete key.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Finally set your wrinkles layers blend mode to “Hard Light”, you should have something like this.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Step 5 – Creating The Paper Shadow

Right click the mask which was applied to your wrinkles layer and select “Apply Layer Mask”. Now duplicate the layer and drag it underneath your paper layer, rename the layer “Shadow” then add a black #000000 “Color Overlay”. To make the shadow abit more realistic were going to blur it a little, so go ahead and select “Filter > Blur > Guassian Blur”, blur the shadow layer by around 2px.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Add a layer mask to your shadow layer then using the same technique as we did for our paper brush away parts of the shadow using the “Brush Tool” (B).

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Step 6 – Adding The Pencil Writing

For the writing on the paper you need a decent font which is going to look like the text has been written, I’m using a font called “Segoe Script. Add a couple of lines of text to your paper using the color #abaaab.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

How to Create Crumpled Paper Effect in Photoshop – Conclusion

And there you have it—a simple and effective way to add a crumpled paper effect to your designs in Adobe Photoshop! By integrating this technique, you can inject a dose of realism and creativity into your projects.

Remember, the key is to experiment and tweak the settings to suit your unique aesthetic. Don’t hesitate to play around with different textures and layers until you achieve your desired result.

Wrinkled Notepad Paper Effect

Keep exploring, keep learning, and most importantly, have fun enhancing your digital creations!

About Author

Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing. I started my first e-commerce company in college, designing and selling t-shirts for my campus bar crawl using print-on-demand. Having successfully established multiple 6 & 7-figure e-commerce businesses (in women’s fashion and hiking gear), I think I can share a tip or 2 to help you succeed.