Build a landscape wallpaper from scratch — a practical recipe for sculpting atmosphere with color and fog.
2026 note: This lesson was recorded on Photoshop CS6 in 2014. Adobe no longer sells the CS line — Photoshop now ships via Creative Cloud subscription. About 95% of the menus and shortcuts shown in the video still match the modern version; only the iconography is a bit fresher.
Steps
- Drop a high-res sky (golden hour) on the bottom layer.
- Layer a mountain silhouette on top; mask the ridgeline soft.
- Add mid-distance fog: new layer, white brush at 25% opacity, Gaussian Blur 30 px.
- Place a foreground tree or figure for depth.
- Grade with Color Lookup > Crisp Warm or FoggyNight.
- Light Vignette via Filter > Camera Raw > Effects.
Composition Tips
- Rule of thirds — sit the horizon a third from the top or bottom.
- Backlight the foreground for a cinematic silhouette.
- Reduce the palette to 2–3 dominant tones — anything more scatters the eye.
