Image Size

Monitors have grown to monstrous proportions over the past few years. If the native resolution of your monitor is 1024 x 768 pixels or smaller you may not reach a very wide audience. Think big! Create your works oversized and scale them down for your personal use; 1600 x 1200 pixels is a good place to start, but that still won’t cover the larger monitors, up to 2560 x 1600 pixels, that are currently in use.

Picture Quality

Images that are pixelated, have visible JPEG compression, or are of poor photographic quality are big turn-offs.

• Pixelation is usually the result of enlarging a small image to a larger size.
• Don’t be overly generous with JPEG compression. A nice, clean image that is free of artifacts gives end users a greater appreciation for your creations as they display them on their desktops.
• Raw photographs from your digital camera may need a little tweaking. Try iPhoto’s “Enhance” button, or, in Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) use the Image menu to Adjust Image > Auto Levels; using these methods can give a little more bounce and contrast to the colors and contrast, but they do produce some undesirable results from time to time. If your photo is a little on the blurry side try applying some Photoshop filter effects to help it out; Brush Strokes can be particularly effective in cleaning up blurred images while adding artistic flair at the same time—play with the sliders to achieve the best results.

The left image pictured above (click to enlarge) is photo I took in Sedona, Arizona. It’s a long-range telephoto shot, so it looks somewhat grainy as a desktop. The painted effect on the right (click to enlarge) was created with Photoshop’s Plastic Wrap filter and some creative layer blending.

Text Elements

This is one of those things that is subjective in nature, thus it becomes difficult to give good advice for. Used sparingly, and as an overall part of your design, text elements can be very effective in a desktop picture. On the other hand, text can also do horrendous things to an otherwise excellent desktop creation. If you choose to add a copyright line or Web site address to your works keep them small and discreet—in the area under the menu bar or a lower corner is perfect. The middle of the screen is a big no-no.