Pixelated Effect for Header

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Anyone what way I would go about the achieving a pixealted effect like the attached. You can also see it here...
http://www.loc.gov

Its for a army green colour but I just want to place it in a corner to take away from just a plain coloured header.

Any help is appreciated with a view to using either Photoshop or Paintshop Pro.

Cheers
David

lilengineericus

I don't use plug-ins for photoshop, so I'm nut sure if there is a plug-in that will do it for you, but if I was going to create that effectusing just photoshop tools, I'd use the following steps:

First you'd want to create the grid...

1. Open a file with a canvas size equal to the size of the squares you want to create

2. Draw pixels along 2 joining edges of the box only, like in an 'L' shape

3. Select the canvas and make it a pattern

4. Now you can fill a large layer with the pattern and it will create a grid like the one you are seeing, with the boxes being the size of the original pattern you created.

Second you want to fill in random boxes...

1. Fill a layer (or an area you like of the layer) with your grid

2. Using the magic wand tool (options set to non-contiguous), select the empty space in your grid (ie, the area that's blank)

3. You should now have marching ant squares for all the spaces in your grid

4. Create a new blank layer, leaving the marching ants selected

5. On this new layer, fill any box you want with the fill tool. Vary the colors slightly for each one if you like.

Third, you want your grid to fade as it travels across your images

1. Unselect the marching ants

2. Select the layer with the grid on it

3. Create a mask on the layer

4. Using your gradient tool set to either Black-white, or black-transparent, create a gradient in your mask layer, placing the black where you want your grid to be faded out, and the white or transparent end where you want your grid to be solid.

Now you'll notice, your grid will fade out, but the boxes you created in the transparent end of the grid will remain since they are in their own layer.

It also appears that the transparency for the grid layer and the boxes is turned down a bit to help it blend. Experiement with the transparencies until you get a blending you like.

Hope that helps.

- lilengineericus