How to make simple green wallpaper in photoshop

Final result preview

Materials needed for this tutorial

Wild Ride font Mantis

Start by creating a new document in photoshop, size 1000×700 pixels. Select the Gradient Tool (G) and the Radial Gradient from the top tool bar. Use the colors indicated in the image below.

Type your text on the center of the image and apply this effects:

Drop Shadow

Inner Glow

Gradient Overlay

The Gradient Overlay Effect of the text is different from the background gradient. If you can’t get the Gradient right, click here and download the style.

This is the text with the style applied.

Now you have to download one of my brushes pack in order to make some abstract lines. Download the brushes here. I used the brush number 6 to make the lines on the image below. Change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Use the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) and make a big oval selection like in the image below. Then, grab the Brush Tool (G) and with a 560 pixels soft brush paint along the outside of the selection.

Lower the opacity to 25-35%

Time to add the mantis. Open it on photoshop and subtract it from the background using the Magic Wand Tool (W), than paste it on your image and scale it down.

Next we need to mask part of the insect and make it look like its behind the text. To do that select the layer where you have the insect and Ctrl+Click the thumbnail of the text layer on the Layers Palette to select the text edges.

With the selection loaded, select the insect layer and Alt+Click the layer mask icon located on the bottom of the Layers Palette. That will create a layer mask that will hide everything in front of the text.

Use the Levels (Ctrl+L) or Curves (Ctrl+M) to increase a bit the highlights and mid-tones of the insect. Also, open the layer styles and apply Outer Glow.

Using a soft brush and 15% Opacity and Flowto make the insect shadow manually. The way to do it is to try and replicate the shape of the insect on the ground, imagine that the light is coming from above.

This is how you make a simple green wallpaper in Photoshop.

Final result. Click for full view

Download PSD File (3.7mb)