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In this tutorial I am going to run you through some simple techniques to create a stunning abstract style wallpaper with squiggly lines. The main tool we will be using is the pen tool and I will try to go over the use of it the best I can. There are plenty of tutorials out there about using the pen tool.
Here is my final result:
1024X768
1680X1050
1600X1024
For this tutorial I am just going to show you how to make the wallpaper using a 1024X768 canvas since that is a pretty standard size. Also I will provide other sizes.
*Because of this website’s restrictions I can only have small images for my screenshots so I will include links to make the screenshots bigger to see the full size.
SO start a new document with the size of 1024X768 or whatever your monitor screen size is.
Make your background black and start a new layer.
Now we need to prep our pen tool so we can stroke the path we make with it.
So first click on your brush tool
Now choose a 2px regular brush and photoshop only says 1 or 3 but just key in 2px
Now for your brush color choose a bright bluish color, my color is #0078FF.
Here is the color sample:
Ok so now that we have our brush settings chosen we need to grab our pen tool
Make sure it has these settings
In your new layer, using your pen tool click at the top left corner of your document.
I will show you the rest of my steps in screenshots:
Click at the top left…
After the last screenshot just click at the top right of your screen to finish the squiggly line.
Next right click on your line with your pen tool and click stroke path
After that right click on your line again and click delete path
Here is my final line:
Now duplicate your layer by right clicking on it and choose duplicate layer
After you duplicate it use your up arrow key on your keyboard and move the new layer up about 4 pixels or 4 presses on the up arrow key.
Duplicate and move them about 8 more times until you have something like this:
Next merge all those layers into one layer except the background and duplicate the new layer 2 times and move them up so that the spacing in between the lines is the same.
To merge those layers together in my version of photoshop I can either lock all the layers together and go to merge linked or I can merge them down one by one until they are one layer altogether.
That is a pretty cool result I think but to make it even better there we can erase parts of each layer to give a cool look.
So now get a 65px soft eraser out and erase parts of each layer. I am starting on my top layer (the last duplicated layer) and erase in random areas.
Do the same thing on the other layers.. here is my result:
Now merge all those layers together except for the background and add a drop shadow to it:
My result from that:
Now I am going to duplicate that layer and resize it and move it around so that it looks slightly different and choose a gradient overlay in the blending options
To choose from the default gradients (which is what I used) click on the box where you see your gradient
After you move your other duplicated shape around erase the parts of it that are on top of the other so that it looks like it is going underneath the other layer. I used a 35px soft eraser brush to do that and here is my result:
I think that is a pretty cool result. I am going to use the same process we did in the past steps and create 3 or 4 more lines, using different colors.
My result:
So you see how you can achieve a really impressive effective with this simple method.
Now I want to add some bluish streaks to the entire image for more added effects.
Start a new layer and create a really rough rounded outline around your image with the pen tool and make it a selection by right clicking on it with your pen tool and clicking “make selection”:
Now choose your gradient tool
With these settings
The blue color in the screenshot is #0072FF but you can just use whatever blue you want.
Ok now that you have all that chosen take your gradient tool and drag it in areas all around the outline and in it as well like this:
This is the left corner of it.. Here is the rest
After you have done that just click on your screen with your marquee tool to get rid of the outline and go to motion blur on your menu by going to filter>>blur>>motion blur.
use these settings:
Now move that layer below all of your others and that is it.
One final touch I did was duplicate the layer we just made, rotate it, and set it above the other layer and change its blend mode to vivid light.
Here is my final result:
1024X768
1680X1050
1600X1024
I hope this tutorial has shown you some interesting techniques that you can work into a project you may have. Thanks for reading!
