Create your own desktop image, also known as the background or wallpaper, using a simple digital photo or by designing your own cool graphic using image-manipulation software. Insert yourself or friends into a historic photo, movie or video game scene by capturing a screenshot. For the imagination with no boundaries, create your own surreal or fantasy world for your desktop background.
Create Cool Images
Step 1
Open image-manipulation software. Photoshop or GIMP are popular choices. MS Paint can create cool images for simple projects.
Step 2
Add each digital image as a separate layer.
Step 3
Erase chosen areas of each digital image. This will reveal areas of other images in the layers to create the appearance of a single image. Apply layer masking if necessary. Erase where you want your face from a different layer to show through to the top layer or backgrounds around people who will be featured in the finished graphic.
Step 4
Add shadow effects to chosen layers. Not all layers will require shadows. This will primarily be used where the background has been removed from the image of a person or thing, to better give the appearance that the person or thing belongs in another photo.
Step 5
Add lighting effects to chosen layers. This too will make it appear as if something that has been added to another image actually belongs there.
Step 6
Add special effects to chosen layers. Special effects are elements such as the addition of gradient tones or textures to the image on a particular layer.
Step 7
Add a layer of text.
Step 8
Save finished image. Good file formats to select are jpeg, gif and png.
How to Capture Screenshots - Windows
Step 1
Play a movie in DVD player or streaming on the web. You may also choose any website or a video game to capture a desired image.
Step 2
Press "Print Screen" key on your keyboard (may also appear as "Prnt Scrn"). This button is located in the top row of the keyboard, normally to the right of F12. Pressing "Print Screen" saves what you see on the display to the computer's clipboard.
Step 3
Open MS Paint. Click on the "Start" menu in the lower left hand side of your monitor. Choose "All Programs." Choose "Accessories," and then "Paint."
Step 4
Click on "Edit" in the tool bar menu. On the drop-down menu, click "Paste." This will set the screenshot that you previously saved in the clipboard into MS Paint.
Step 5
Save the image. Click "File" to reveal the drop-down menu for the save feature. Save the image as a PNG file for best image results. You may prefer to crop the image prior to saving while in MS Paint to remove the top and bottom areas of the browser that appear in the image. Use the "Select" feature that appears as a rectangle at the top right column of the lefthand tool bar.
Set Image as Desktop - Windows
Step 1
Left-click on desktop screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
Step 2
Click on "Properties." This will reveal the Display Properties screen. Click on the "Desktop" tab. Click on the "Browse" button. Select the image location. This is for the image you want to use as your cool desktop background. Click on "Open". You should see your image in the small computer screen.
Step 3
Choose the "Position" from the drop-down menu. "Center" is for a single image to appear on the screen. "Tile" is for an image to appear repeatedly across the desktop. "Stretch" will fit an image to the screen of the desktop.
Step 4
Choose a background "Color" from a drop-down menu. This is the color that will fill the background should the dimensions of your image not perfectly fit the desktop screen. Click on "Apply." Click on "OK." In a moment, your favored cool image that you took the time to create will appear on the desktop.
Tip
- If you create your image for the desktop wallpaper in MS Paint, after you save the image, you can set it as the desktop image inside the MS Paint program. Under "File" in the tool bar, a drop down menu features two options to choose from: "Set As Background (Centered)" or "Set As Background (Tile)."
