Wallpaper Tut #01
Making this wallpaper:
The Basics
- Level: Advanced
- Used Photoshop 7.0
- Translatable: All photoshop versions, possibly into PSP
- Other: You'll need a basic knowledge of layer masking and manipulating
Part 1, Preparing
1) I created a new canvas using these settings:Width: 1024
Height: 768
Resolution: 72
Color Mode: RGB
Background Contents: Transparent
Paste, resize and sharpen this image of Sarah Michelle Gellar and place it on the right side of you canvas.
2) I decided to use this lovely image of Kristen Bell as the second basis of my manip. To get Sarah's skin and hair to look similar to Kristen's I added a Hue/Saturation adjusment layer using these setting:
Hue: 0
Saturation: +37
Lightness: +22
3) Take the Kristen Bell image and resize it so it's as close to the same size as Sarah's face. Then mask out the rest of her body.
4) I created a new layer and merged the image into it (Control>Shift>Alt>N>E). I used auto levels (Shift>Control>L) and auto contrast (Al>Shift>Control>L) to give it slightly more contrast and sharpening. I made yet another new layer (Conrtol>Shift>Alt>N) and dragged it under the merged layer I just made. I filled the layer with #e1e2e1.
5) Now it looks like this. So I add a layer mask to my merged layer and erase/blend the background and image with a soft fluffy brush. It doesn't have to look perfect. It should look something like this.
6) You can color anyway you want to. For this manip i used setting from an icon coloring tutorial I found by redlighttt. It's a nifty tut so even if you don't want to have this coloring I would still check it out!
Here's the result
Part 2, Brushes
9) The left is looking so plain! Lets add some brushes! I used these gorgeous brushes from anaRasha and then these breathtaking ones from arisubox. I used #12a2e9 for the colors.Here's the result.
Part 3, Stocks and Text
10) I took this image and opened it in a new document. I applied auto contrast and auto levels and then added all the same adjustment layers and setting from the coloring tut in step 6.Here's the result
11) I pasted the newly colored image towards the center of my base wallpaper. Next to it I added lyrics from the Placebo song meds.
I was alone, Falling free,
Trying my best not to forget
What happened to us,What happened to me,
What happened as I let it slip.I was confused by the powers that be,
Forgetting names and places.
Passers by were looking at me
As if they could erase it
I wrote the text in #12a2e9. It was aligned to the right, 10pt, with the Courier New font.
I then added some more of the song text
Baby did you forget to take your meds?
I used the same color and the font Violation (download here) in 17pt.
Here's the result.
Part 4, Finishing Touches
12) I added this brush from _joni and this brush from appendixsquared in #12a2e9. I placed a piece of the manip inside one of boxes. I got this.13) Open a new 10x10 document make sure where it says Background Contents its set to transparent. Zoom in as close as you can to the square. Select your pencil tool at a size of 1 px and draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other. When zoomed all the way in it should look like this.
14) Still in the 10x10 document, go to Edit>Define Pattern. Go to your wallpaper document and create a new pattern adjustment layer and select the pattern you just made. Mask out everything that is over Kristen/Sarah's body and face and set the layer to softlight.
15) Now some much needed sharpening! Create a new layer and merge (Control>Shift>Alt>N>E). Set the layer to Overlay. Go to filter, other High Pass with a radius of 0.5 pixels. And your done!