To be able to design our own wallpapers, it is not necessary to have extensive knowledge of Photoshop, but to know roughly how it works. Photoshop works through layers. The layers work independently, we can create as many as we want and we must place them above the image or background layer, which is the base on which we work.
If we don’t like the result, we can start over by deleting the layer without having to revert the changes. All the layers we create are saved in the same file in .PSD format, Photoshop’s proprietary format. In this way, we can modify the file as many times as we want without having to start from scratch.
Create your wallpaper design with Photoshop
The first thing we must do, as soon as we open Photoshop, is create a new document. To do so, click on File > New and set the parameters width 192, height 1080 pixels. If our monitor has Full HD resolution (1920×1080) we will use these values so that the image we create occupies the entire width and height of the screen without the need to resize it. The measurement will be Pixels and the Horizontal format. Under Background Content, we set Background Color and select the color white. Finally, click on Create to access the blank canvas.
We return to the top menu and click on Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient. With this option we are going to create a background gradient using the colors that we want and that will be the base of the wallpaper that we are going to create. We introduce the name with which we want to locate the layer, in Color, we select the color that we want to use as a base. The Mode and Opacity options, we leave it at 100%. To continue, click on OK.
In the window shown below we must select, first of all, the type of gradient we want. Click on the Gradient bar and select among the preset settings, settings classified by color: blue, green, purple, pink, red, orange, among others. Once we have selected the type and color of the gradient, click on Ok to return to the previous window. In style, to create a custom background, the best option is to select mirrored (although Radial will also offer us good results) and in the Method, we select Classic. Finally, click on Ok to advance to the next step.
Next, we create a new transparent layer (very important) from the menu Layer > New > Layer. next, we select the layer and in the toolbox, long-press on Rectangular frame tool and, of the 4 options that are shown, we select elliptical marquee tool and we draw an ellipse in one of the corners that we will use to shape the image that we are going to create.
In the next step, with the elliptical frame created, click on the brush tool and modified the settings: Size 64% and Hardness 0%. Next, we click on the Color tool and select the color that we want to use to create the border of the ellipse that we have selected. Finally, we lightly brush the edges of the ellipse as we can see in the following image.
We carry out the same process with the rest of the corners using different sizes.
Next, we long-press on the Rectangle Marquee Tool and we create a line that we will then color the border in the same way that we have done with the circles. Next, and with the selection still active, we access the Edit menu. Next, we click on Transform and finally in Deform. Next, we must move the points that represent the bar that we have created to give it an abstract shape as we can see in the following image.
To give a cleaner shape to the image, it is to use the functions of layer fusion. As it is a transparent layer, we can select different layer blending methods to blend with the background. To access the blending modes, double click on the layer where we have created and colored both the circles and the vertical line that we have subsequently deformed.
The blending modes are found in the section Blend Options > General Blend. Clicking on Normal will display all the available blend modes. Depending on the background colors and the one used to draw the border of the circles and lines, the result will vary. The Color Dodge mode is one of the best options for creating abstract backgrounds, although we can also try the rest of the options to see, in real time, how that effect remains on the canvas.
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Then we can modify the Opacity value, set to 100% by default and lower it to 60 or 70% so that the result is more transparent and the thicker lines are less noticeable. It is better not to modify the rest of the options since they are intended to highlight the edges, which is precisely what we do not want to do, otherwise the brush stroke will be very noticeable, offering a very vast result.
Finally we are going to give it a last touch using the Liquify function, a function found within the Filters menu at the top of Photoshop. As a curiosity, this function (because it is not really a filter) is the same one that is used to lose weight using this application, although it has many other functions. Once we have opened the Liquify function, we just have to select the circles that we want to deform to give it a much more abstract touch. The results of the modifications are displayed in real time. When we have finished, click on Ok.
Once our own abstract wallpaper has been created, it is time to save the file in PSD format. In this way, if we want to modify some aspect of the design to give it another twist, we will be able to do it without problems using the layer where we have drawn the outline of the circles. The last step, and one of the most important, involves exporting the image in .PSD format to .JPG to be able to use it as wallpaper on our computer.
To do so, click on the File button, and then click on Export > Export As. In the window that appears, in the File Options section, in the Format section, click on PNG and select the JPG format and set the quality to maximum. Finally, click on Export. The image in JPG format will be in the same location as where we have saved the .PSD file.
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