Wave Effect

Wave Background

Wave Background Effect Programs Used: Photoshop 6 Skill Level: Intermediate
Ever needed a cool background to add interest to your web page? Try this weird Wave Effect... 1. Open up Photoshop and create a New Canvas (400x200).
2. Using the Paint Bucket tool, fill the canvas with your chosen background colour (in this case, black!).
3. Select the Airbrush tool, and choose a Feathered Brush, Size 45 from the brush pallette.
4. Next, click on the Brush Dynamics icon, then on the Pressure pull-down tab. Change the pressure to Fade, after 35 steps.
5. Now for the creative part! On a New Layer, select a colour for your wave (eg. Blue), then use the airbrush to draw wavy lines from left to right across the canvas.
6. Alter the Size of your brush, and the Fade length, to create a more varied effect.
7. When you are satisfied with your initial wave, choose FILTER > DISTORT > WAVE from the menu bar. If you are after a particular type of effect, you can change the settings manually - but I prefer just to keep clicking the RANDOMIZE button until I get a really crazy effect!
8. Here is a completed Wave Effect:
9. If you are a more advanced Photoshop user, you might now want to start playing around with Blending Modes to create some truly amazing effects! Here are some more advanced examples I have created: