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Photoshop Wallpaper
Ever viewed those countless wallpaper websites and thought, "I wish I could do better than a picture off my camera"? Well, today is your lucky day! I am going to show you how to make professional looking wallpapers with Adobe Photoshop.
The first step is to open a new document. I am choosing the 1280x800 window size as that is what my laptop is. Make sure to also set the resolution to 300 so that it can be resized if you need too without losing your image's luster.
Now that we have the basic settings, view the layer's pallet (F7). We are going to add a new layer to work from over the background.
In this new layer, we will add some color with the paint bucket tool from the tools pallet. I am choosing to use black. Once you have added black to the layer, it should cover up the background. This is where we are going to make a neat gradient effect.
Click on the layer mask icon in the Layers Pallet. This will make a new little box inside the active layer on that pallet. From here, you will click and hold your mouse cursor on the paint bucket icon in the tools pallet. A new menu will open up and you will select the gradient too. Alternatively, you can press (G) on your keyboard. Also, make sure that black is set to your foreground color in the tools pallet.
After you have applied the layer mask to Layer 1 and swapped to the gradient tool, you will be ready to make a fading background for your wallpaper. At the top of the work area you will see a new set of options. One of them is a little gradient picture with a drop down menu. Click on that and choose the "Gradient Transparent" option - the second one from the top left. Now close this menu.
Once you close the menu; select 80 percent opacity on that same toolbar above the work area. Now, click at the top of the black area in your work area and you will see a little line following your mouse cursor. This shows you that the gradient will be applied up to that point. While holding down your mouse button, also press the shift key on your keyboard. This will make a straight line no matter how you move your mouse. Release the mouse cursor about 1 inch from the bottom of the black area and you will have your fading background!
Now that your background is set, how about adding a shape and some text to spruce it up? On the tools pallet, choose the second icon down from the "T". Hold it down like you did for the gradient tool, and this time select "Custom Shape Tool." There are many little shapes to choose from here. In that horizontal toolbar above the work area, select the one that has "Shape:" with a little icon next to it. This will bring up a new menu to choose which shapes you want.
In this menu, click the little arrow at the top right and then from the new menu, select "All." This will make sure that you have access to find all the shapes available in one place. I am going to scroll down and choose "Ornament 1" as the shape I will use for this tutorial.
I am going to drag shape from about three inches over on the left, to about 3 inches from the right. The shape will be about 1/2 an inch in height. (If you are having trouble placing the image, use the View drop down menu at the top of Photoshop and choose "Snap to Grid" in the "Snap To" menu after you have turned on the "Grid" in the "Show" menu.) The resulting image will have some predefined layer styles. Click with your right mouse key on that layer's option and "Clear Layer Style."
Now that you have your shape, it is time to add some text. Click the little "T" icon in the tools pallet and choose to have it as "Arial" "120 pt." Also, we want the color of it to be white. You can choose all of this in the toolbar above the work space. After you have selected the options you want, click in the work space and type a name you prefer. I will be using "Rexibit" because it is just too cool not too.
Now that you have your text and a graphic, it is time to style them. Drag your text to be centered with the graphic, and then press the (CTRL) key on your keyboard. Then, select your graphic so that both layers are selected in the layers pallet. While they are selected, click back in the work space on the selection and drag it to be in the center.
One you have your alignment, it is time to add some style to it! In the layers pallet, choose the little (fx) icon. This will bring up a menu where you can do all kinds of styling to your layer. When you click on the icon, choose "Blending Options."
Once you are in the blending options, go to "Bevel and Emboss." Adding these options will add a raised look. Our settings here will be to give the graphic shape under the text a smooth, chiseled look. Choose "Chisel Hard" in the Technique drop down box. Then, set the depth to 50 percent, size to 250, and soften to 0.
Once your settings look like the ones in the image of what mine did at this step, click the little check box next to drop shadow and you are done with the styling for the graphic shape. We aren't going to change the default options for the shadow in this tutorial, but you are welcome to play with them.
I like these setting so much, let's apply them to the text too. Right click the shape layer and choose "Copy Layer Style." Then, right click the text layer and choose "Paste Layer Style." Your text will automatically have the styling that you set for the shape. The next step will be to save your image. Under the "File" menu choose "Save for Web" and choose the PNG-24 option. That's it! You are done and have learned how to make a professional looking background wallpaper for your computer!
The first step is to open a new document. I am choosing the 1280x800 window size as that is what my laptop is. Make sure to also set the resolution to 300 so that it can be resized if you need too without losing your image's luster.
Now that we have the basic settings, view the layer's pallet (F7). We are going to add a new layer to work from over the background.
In this new layer, we will add some color with the paint bucket tool from the tools pallet. I am choosing to use black. Once you have added black to the layer, it should cover up the background. This is where we are going to make a neat gradient effect.
Click on the layer mask icon in the Layers Pallet. This will make a new little box inside the active layer on that pallet. From here, you will click and hold your mouse cursor on the paint bucket icon in the tools pallet. A new menu will open up and you will select the gradient too. Alternatively, you can press (G) on your keyboard. Also, make sure that black is set to your foreground color in the tools pallet.
After you have applied the layer mask to Layer 1 and swapped to the gradient tool, you will be ready to make a fading background for your wallpaper. At the top of the work area you will see a new set of options. One of them is a little gradient picture with a drop down menu. Click on that and choose the "Gradient Transparent" option - the second one from the top left. Now close this menu.
Once you close the menu; select 80 percent opacity on that same toolbar above the work area. Now, click at the top of the black area in your work area and you will see a little line following your mouse cursor. This shows you that the gradient will be applied up to that point. While holding down your mouse button, also press the shift key on your keyboard. This will make a straight line no matter how you move your mouse. Release the mouse cursor about 1 inch from the bottom of the black area and you will have your fading background!
Now that your background is set, how about adding a shape and some text to spruce it up? On the tools pallet, choose the second icon down from the "T". Hold it down like you did for the gradient tool, and this time select "Custom Shape Tool." There are many little shapes to choose from here. In that horizontal toolbar above the work area, select the one that has "Shape:" with a little icon next to it. This will bring up a new menu to choose which shapes you want.
In this menu, click the little arrow at the top right and then from the new menu, select "All." This will make sure that you have access to find all the shapes available in one place. I am going to scroll down and choose "Ornament 1" as the shape I will use for this tutorial.
I am going to drag shape from about three inches over on the left, to about 3 inches from the right. The shape will be about 1/2 an inch in height. (If you are having trouble placing the image, use the View drop down menu at the top of Photoshop and choose "Snap to Grid" in the "Snap To" menu after you have turned on the "Grid" in the "Show" menu.) The resulting image will have some predefined layer styles. Click with your right mouse key on that layer's option and "Clear Layer Style."
Now that you have your shape, it is time to add some text. Click the little "T" icon in the tools pallet and choose to have it as "Arial" "120 pt." Also, we want the color of it to be white. You can choose all of this in the toolbar above the work space. After you have selected the options you want, click in the work space and type a name you prefer. I will be using "Rexibit" because it is just too cool not too.
Now that you have your text and a graphic, it is time to style them. Drag your text to be centered with the graphic, and then press the (CTRL) key on your keyboard. Then, select your graphic so that both layers are selected in the layers pallet. While they are selected, click back in the work space on the selection and drag it to be in the center.
One you have your alignment, it is time to add some style to it! In the layers pallet, choose the little (fx) icon. This will bring up a menu where you can do all kinds of styling to your layer. When you click on the icon, choose "Blending Options."
Once you are in the blending options, go to "Bevel and Emboss." Adding these options will add a raised look. Our settings here will be to give the graphic shape under the text a smooth, chiseled look. Choose "Chisel Hard" in the Technique drop down box. Then, set the depth to 50 percent, size to 250, and soften to 0.
Once your settings look like the ones in the image of what mine did at this step, click the little check box next to drop shadow and you are done with the styling for the graphic shape. We aren't going to change the default options for the shadow in this tutorial, but you are welcome to play with them.
I like these setting so much, let's apply them to the text too. Right click the shape layer and choose "Copy Layer Style." Then, right click the text layer and choose "Paste Layer Style." Your text will automatically have the styling that you set for the shape. The next step will be to save your image. Under the "File" menu choose "Save for Web" and choose the PNG-24 option. That's it! You are done and have learned how to make a professional looking background wallpaper for your computer! 