How can I create different backgrounds using Adobe® Photoshop®?

Take your page from this  

to this     

by creating interesting backgrounds with Photoshop. It's quick and easy. Your results will vary, so take some time, follow these steps and take your pages from plain to WOW!

Other examples:
 

Create a new document

• Open an existing Photoshop file or
• Go to File > New
  • The size should be the same as the size of the space it will fill on the page
  • Resolution should be 300 pixels/inch
  • For four-color pages, make sure the Color Mode is CMYK color
  • If you keep the mode as RGB, convert it to CMYK later
• Save the file as a Photoshop (PSD) file

Add gradient

• Click on the Gradient tool
• Open the Gradient Picker by clicking on the arrow to the right of the gradient sample
• Choose a gradient by clicking on one or
• Create your own gradient (go to How to Create a Gradient in Adobe Photoshop for further instructions)
• Choose a gradient style
  • Linear, Radial, Angle, Reflected or Diamond
  • 
• Click and drag to draw the gradient
• Experiment starting and stopping at different places

Duplicate the layer

• Windows: Ctrl+J
• Mac: Command+J

Transform the layer

• Select the layer
• Go to Edit > Select All or
  • Windows: Ctrl+A 
  • Mac: Command+A
• Go to Edit > Transform
• Choose Flip Horizontal, Flip Vertical or Rotate

Change the Blend mode

• Click on the top layer in the Layers palette
• Change the Blend Mode to Exclusion

• The Exclude mode can be applied again to change the effect 

Merge the layers

• Windows: Ctrl+E
• Mac: Command+E

Plastic Wrap filter

• Use the Plastic Wrap filter
• Go to Filter > Artistic > Plastic Wrap
• Try different settings to see how the effect changes
  • A good place to start is to use:
    • Highlight Strength - 20
    • Detail - 7
    • Smoothness - 2
• When you are finished tweaking, click OK

• If the background will be used on a four-color page, change Mode to CMYK
  • Go to Image > Mode > CMYK color

Background too dark?

• The Opacity field is found in the Layers palette
• To make the background lighter:
  • Click in the field to the right of Opacity and type a new percentage or
  • Click on the arow and move the slider until the background is lighter

Go from this  to this

Save the file

• InDesign
  • Go to File > Save
  • Type a name for the file
  • Choose Photoshop (.PSD) from the Format drop-down menu
  • Click Save
• PageMaker: save the file as a TIFF file
  • Go to File > Save
  • Type a name for the file
  • Choose TIFF (.TIF) from the Format drop-down menu
  • Tiff Options dialog box
  • Image Compression - choose None
  • Byte Order: Choose IBM PC or Macintosh

Place the file

• Place the file in InDesign or PageMaker by using File > Place

More examples of backgrounds that can be created: