Making Digital Backdrops in CS3
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Introduction
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You can use almost all of the programs in Adobe® Creative Suite CS3, or the newer CS4 Suite, to create your own screen backdrops. In addition, there are thousands of web sites where you can purchase predesigned backdrops.
This article focuses on two programs, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
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Photoshop CS3
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You can make backdrops in Photoshop by creating them entirely in the program using separate "layers" so that you can change or even delete individual elements. You also can use layers to import picture or art files you may want to use (for example, pictures you have taken with your digital camera).
Open Photoshop.
Select the size of the backdrop you want to create (for example, 800 pixels by 600 pixels) and the resolution you want. If you are making the backdrop for the web, 72 or 94 pixels per inch (ppi) will do the trick. If you intend to use it elsewhere--as in a backdrop to frame a photograph, for example--the resolution you select should match that required for the output device.
Create your background using whichever of Photoshop's tools you need and save it in the format required for your anticipated use (*.gif or *.jpg for the web, CMYK *.tiff or *.psd for importing into your layout program--InDesign, PageMaker--for later professional printing).
You can mix "vector" art from Illustrator, or elsewhere, with bitmaps by using separate layers for each, but you will have to "rasterize" the image--converting it to a bitmap--before using it.
Tip: Save your layered file before you "flatten" the image, and be sure to use "save as" when you save your bitmap file. Be careful not to overwrite your original file or you will not be able to return to it to make changes should you decide to do so.
Illustrator CS3
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You also can create a backdrop in Adobe Illustrator following the same process outlined above. That is, open the program, select the size of your backdrop and design it using layers if you are including different elements.
With Illustrator, you create "vector" drawings. As noted, that means you can change the size of the elements you draw without affecting the drawing's sharpness (resolution).
Tip: Save your file before you flatten the layers for Photoshop. That way, you always will have your original file should you elect to make changes to your design. Import your file into Photoshop and save it in the format you need.
Sub tip: Do not overwrite your original file.
The illustration above shows a screen shot of an Illustrator page filled with a simple gradient swatch imported into Photoshop and turned into a bitmapped *.jpg.
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