The numerous filter, style and brush options can be combined to create a variety of grunge effects in Adobe Photoshop and its free open-source competitor, GIMP. Masking and erasing create ragged edges around an image, and textures can be overlaid at varying opacities for a rough and weathered look. These program's extensive library of filters, such as the Sketch filters and Gaussian blur, can be applied for a grunge look, and the Brush palette allows adjustments to create spatter and streak patterns. Tone adjustments can recreate the appearance of old photographs.
Similar to Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator has a number of native tools that create grunge and distressed looks. Illustrator's Distort options change the look of any object, and effects can be applied to both text and images. Brush and texture options available in Illustrator, as well as Photoshop, allow for the creation and adjustment of distressed and weathered-looking textures, and the Glass option adds a streaky overlay to objects in the document. Illustrator's extensive set of gradients and swatches, combined with texturing effects, create the look of old wood and brick.
Grunge fonts, designed to resemble graffiti or writing in blood, can be downloaded free and applied in Photoshop, GIMP or Illustrator to any document. These fonts, with names such as Vampire and Bloody Cowboy, are available for both Windows and Macintosh. Once downloaded, they become a part of the existing font library and can be adjusted for size and color. Layer styles and other effects also can be applied.
Backgrounds resembling distressed wood, leather, antique wallpaper and other textures, can be created in an imaging program or downloaded from a variety of sites for free. Available primarily as JPEG files, these backgrounds can be used to add a grunge look to a Web page or any other document. Background files can be adjusted in a variety of ways for color, opacity and texture, and additional effects can be applied to customize the look.