For a closer look at gradients, take a look at creating a simple gradient . The core of the idea is to apply a gradient mask to one or more layers. The layers can contain elements or simply be filled with a solid color. You control the amount that each layer's element is visible by the type and degree of gradient. When editing a mask, you can use most any effect that can be applied to a greyscale image, including applying text.
Lets take a look at the basic concept.
Preparing the Image You can use any image you want. To replicate this tutorial, click on the pattern image to download a zipped copy. Open an image you want to use as a pattern or use this pattern image. If you use your own image skip to Creating the Mask. Open a new image 468 x 60 pixels.