How to Create a Computer Background

Desktop wallpaper

A computer background or desktop wallpaper is the image you see on the screen behind your program and document icons. By default, this picture can be a solid color, a generic landscape or worst of all, an advertisement. You can easily change this to a graphic of your children, favorite sports team or hobby by creating your own background.

Instructions

1. Find out the size of the background you need to make. Right-click on any free area of the screen and choose "Properties". The Display Properties dialogue appears. Click the "Settings" tab and write down the screen resolution listed in the lower-left. This example uses a resolution of 1024 by 768. Click "Cancel" to close the dialogue.

2. Gather a picture or two that you would like to use as your desktop background. You can upload one from your camera, or look for suitable images using your favorite search engine. You'll also find a good choice of graphics on photo collection sites like Flickr.com. Avoid images with too many details or colors that may make your icons hard to see.

3. Use your favorite art program to create a document with the dimensions you wrote from the Properties dialog (i.e., 1024 by 768).

4. Open the picture(s) you would like to use as your background. If the picture is bigger than the document window you created, reduce the image to fit. If you would like to use several smaller pictures, fill the document window first with a dark solid color.

5. Copy your picture(s) to paste into the document window. If your desktop icons are clustered onto one side of the screen, flip or otherwise adjust the pictures so that the main image appears on the opposite side.

6. Save your image into the most compact size available so that it loads quickly. Look for a "Save For Web" function under your Save options because this automatically saves your image as a JPEG at 72 dots per inch. Otherwise, save your picture by manually setting these specifications.

7. Apply the image as your desktop background by right-clicking on any free area of the screen and choosing "Properties". The "Display Properties" dialogue appears. Click the "Desktop" tab and then the "Browse" button to display a File dialogue. Browse to your image file and double-click to load it. Your image appears as a preview in the dialogue. Click the "Apply" button to close the dialogue and put your image in the background.

References

• Creating a desktop image