This is the second video in the Digital Drake Twitter Instructional Video Series.
This article and accompanying video will show you how to set up your own customized Twitter background. Now, if you are happy with the generic Twitter background images, then you can skip this article and video; else, read on.
To accomplish this task, you will need Adobe Photoshop or, if you do not have Adobe Photoshop, then you can use a Photoshop clone called Gimp, it is free.
I am going to Adobe Photoshop for the purpose of this instruction.
I want you to go to a website called TwitterBacks.com Once there, scroll down and look over to your left and you will see five Twitter background templates.
Choose one that you like and click on the "Download PSD" link to download it to your computer. (Later in the article I will show you how you can create your own from scratch). For now, we will use a template. All template files have a *.psd file extension. This is very important. You will not be able to modify a GIF, PNG, or JPG file; only a PSD file.
Open the PSD file you just downloaded from TwitterBacks.com with Photoshop or Gimp. (I have uploaded a very cool template here. Play around with it.)
Select each layer and modify it to suit your taste and save it as a JPG.
Now, if you do not want to use the templates on TwitterBacks but want to create your own,try the following template dimensions. Play with these and get it to where you want it. This is not an exact science. Here are some guidelines:
If you just want to use one large image as your Twitter background, I’d choose at least file with 1600×1200 pixel dimensions to scale it properly on large monitors. See example below:
Twitter Background as a Single Image. Use a 1600 x 1200 Pixel Dimension
If you prefer to have an informative Twitter background and implement a sidebar. The sidebar is an area of Twitter background used to display additional information about the user, such as large profile image, bio and lists of websites and other social networks, use a 1280×1024 dimension or larger to create it. Here is an example of a Twitter background image containing sidebar information.
Twitter Extended Background With Sidebar. Created With 1280 x 1024 Dimensions
- 1024 pixels x 764 pixels (Generic/Default Twitter Backgrounds)
- 1280 pixels x 1024 pixels (For Extended Backgrounds)
- 1600 pixels x 1200 pixels (Single Image As a Background)
- 1800 pixels x 1000 pixels (For Extended Backgrounds)
- 2048 pixels x 1707 pixels (For Extended Backgrounds)
Next, you create your layer and create your design. (The video below shows you how to do everything).
Next, save as a JPG. GIF or PNG file.
Then, upload it to your Twitter profile (see video).
You might have to play around with the dimensions to get everything to look exactly how you like.
I personally like the extended backgrounds.
OK, check out the video that will show you how to create a Twitter background from an existing template and then I will show you how to create one from scratch using adobe Photoshop.
Creating a Twitter Background Image
