Photoshop Backgrounds
Background can enhance or detract from a webpage. In creating or enhancing a background, make sure it fits the theme of the page and does not detract from the images or text. Keep it subtle!
There are thousands of backgrounds available on the Web. Check to see they the "owner" allows you to enhance.
In addition to the usual search terms, also search under Photoshop backgrounds, gray desktop patterns, or artistic patterns. You can recolor grayscale images in Photoshop.
You can create a simple background of one color. Why? Users can change their computer preferences to "overrule" your background color.
You may also wish to create a small "tile" that can be used as a spacer (spacer .gif). When created with the same background color as your page background, this can be used as an indentation tool or in arranging images and text on the screen.
Save a tile as transparent to make it invisible. Invisible spacer gifs can be stretched or skewed without impacting their quality - they are invisible!
For fast load time, create a small graphic tile and have ImageReady turn it into a background image for the page. As a rule of thumb, it is best to save as a 20x20 pixel tile.
Image > Adjust assists with contrast, brightness, hue and saturation.
Filters add special effects to an image canvas - just don't get carried awayJ
TIP:
Fill background color - CTRL + backspace
Fill foreground color - ALT + backspace
Edit > Fill
Examples
Gradient |
Clouds
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Star Field |
Filter (blue light) |
Tiled
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Tiled |
Crinkled Paper
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Filtered Pattern |
Ripple Effect |
Sidebar on Solid Color Background
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Sidebar- Several Marquee Selections |
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Background - Layers - Text
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