HOW TO

Make a birthday background.

Open the sample file below in Photoshop to start practicing. Then watch the short tutorial video below to see all the steps.

Make a birthday background.

Watch the short tutorial video above to see all the steps, then sign in or get a free trial of Photoshop to download sample assets and start practicing.

Tool

Assets

Practice files to get you started.

Try some of these techniques.

Bring in a photo.

Use your own photo or copy the sample photo from the Assets section above. To use the sample image, choose File > Place Embedded and click Open cloud documents. Drag your photo to position it and press Enter or Return to place it.

Make a rough selection.

Create a funky frame to separate your friend from the original background. Choose the Polygonal Lasso tool, click around the portrait until you get back to the starting point, and click to finish selection.

Remove the background.

Layer masks are great for hiding things you don’t want to show. In the Layers panel, click the mask icon to cut out your selection.

Add a drop shadow effect.

Make the confetti pop from the card. Select the Confetti folder in the Layers panel. Then click the fx button at the bottom of the panel and choose Drop Shadow.

Add depth and dimension.

Experiment with the settings to change the appearance of the confetti shadows.

Reveal the crown.

Give your friend the royal treatment by clicking the eye icon on the Crown layer. Use the Selection tool to reposition the crown if necessary.

Try more tutorials.

Explore the rest of our series on creating virtual backgrounds, featuring the work of Meg Lewis.

Create a virtual birthday background.

Trace and color type.

Design with loopy lines.

Draw on a photo.

Create wobbly and 3D text.

Warp a pattern.

Draw with shapes.

Create a custom pattern.

Create a birthday box.

Draw shadows and highlights.

Meg Lewis

Meg is a designer, artist, performer, comedian, and educator working to make the world a happier place. She sees her bright, bold virtual backgrounds as an extension of her personality.

Meg Lewis

Meg is a designer, artist, performer, comedian, and educator working to make the world a happier place. She sees her bright, bold virtual backgrounds as an extension of her personality.

“I like to create virtual environments that feel like a better version of the world that we live in.”