Making a Desktop Pattern

You know that pattern or image that appears in the background behind all the icons on your Windows desktop or in the Mac Finder? You can create your own custom background using Photoshop.

For Windows XP users, here’s what you do:

1. Create your image.

   Tip

   If you want a single image to fill your entire screen, make the image the same size as the Desktop Area setting in the Windows Desktop Properties dialog box. To check the setting, right-click anywhere on the desktop, choose the Properties command to display the Display Properties dialog box, and click on the Settings tab. If the setting is 800 x 600, for example, make your image 800 x 600 pixels. Set the image resolution to 96 ppi.

2. Save your image in the BMP, JPG, or GIF format.

   If you save the image as a BMP file, be sure the File Format is set for Windows.

3. Right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop to view the Display Properties dialog box.

4. Click the Desktop tab.

5. Click the Browse button.

   Windows displays a Browse dialog box showing all your drives, folders, and files.

6. Select your image using the Browse dialog box and click Open.

   You see your image name selected in the Wallpaper list, along with a preview of your image.

7. Use the Position drop-down list to set how the background is displayed.

   You can select Tile, Center, or Stretch.

8. Click Apply.

   Windows applies the new wallpaper to your screen without closing the Display Properties dialog box. If you don’t like what you see, you can change the Display option or choose another image to use as your wallpaper.

9. Click OK to close the dialog box and accept your changes.

For users of Mac OS X users, here’s what you do:

1. Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock.

   These are the controls that affect the way your computer operates.

2. Click on the Desktop icon in the Personal section.

   This displays a window with a popup menu (called Collection) and a scroll bar that lets you scroll through various predefined patterns in the collection.

3. Select the folder that contains your image from the Collection pop-up menu.

   You can choose from other Apple desktop pattern sets or select Choose Folder and navigate to the folder that holds your images.

4. Drag your desired image into the well.

   Your desktop reflects your chosen image.

5. Close the Desktop window.